# Why are so many Americans offended by foreigners commenting on American politics? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 23, 2004, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-americans-offended-by-foreigners-commenting-on-american-politics/246680 "2004-05-23T19:58:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Aldebaran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Aldebaran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aldebaran)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-americans-offended-by-foreigners-commenting-on-american-politics/246680/101 "2004-05-25T16:07:18Z")
> [@xtisme](#): > > You know you’ve ranted about the US before…I know it. Everyone knows it. No. You take no matter what I write on the US as “rant about the USA”. The same happens all over this board… It is a popular sport for cetrain members. See the latest example on this thread > **[President Bush must be a really proud Dad!](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=257629)** > > How great! How proud would you be? I ask a question about the education system (and next write answers to the replies) and the deliberate misreadings and twistings of my posts pop up. (Even after the first post I made there.) This happened since the very first posts I made on this message board. I understand this can be fun but it is not all that good for the discussions. > [@](#): > > As to the ‘my post is my cite’, that was supposed to be ironic… I know that. Yet you have read that reply not knowing this and that gave you an idea of the feeling I get when someone deliberately twists and misreads the intentions of my posts to have an occasion to go in attack mode. > [@](#): > > as it was YOU that coined that phrase. Its not often that a single one liner like that sticks in my mind from this message board…you should be proud. 🙂 I found it fun to make that my trade mark on this message board. You (and others) know the history behind that, no? 🙂 > [@](#): > > Thats not true at all. Since you’ve started posting, a lot of fellow posters (including myself) have tried to tell you to tone down your anti-American retoric (and stop using the semi-derrogatory “US’ers” term you liked to throw about). See above. Of course I post anti US policy posts… What do you expect someone from the ME to say about the lunatics that govern the US right now? (Hail Bush My Great Hero?) Yet it seems to me that you have missed - among others - my posts about Mr. Dean in support of those who saw in him a good candidate. (I didn’t read much on Kerry, so I have no opinion on that issue for now.) Adn about the “US’ers” thing: I said it more then once that there is nothing behind that then Dyslex. I can also spell Am’s if you feel better with that… I can not write the full word without missing the spelling for 99% (and can predict the comments on that). I use EU’ers as well because of the same problm. > [@](#): > > Because when you DO tone it down, you actually have some very interesting things to say. There have been posts you’ve made where I’m nodding my head in total agreement and enjoying your views on things as you express them in a calm and rational way. I’m always extremely calm and completely rational 🙂 It is strange is that when there is a thread in which I can discuss other issues then US policies, this tends to die a silent death after a few days. > [@](#): > > Unfortunately, most of your other posts are simply anti-US screeds where, even if there ARE good points thrown in, are mostly ignored because they are so off the wall and over the top. See above. I ca not possibly say anything “good” about what your current government takes for “foreign policy” and especially for my region. If you would be who I am you could not do that. It simple _is_ nothing else then complete and ongoing endless disaster. As for me using some rethorical speech now and then (oh well, OK. Possibly rather frequent)…This comes with my language and culture. You are lucky I don’t write in Arabic… _That_ would be fun. Especially on the BBQ-thing. (And that does not mean I would have to lower myself to use vulgarities, like so many people do there.) English does not provide for much tools for rethorics… Yet I must say that when it comes to this that the Bush Maffia indeed learned something from the Arab world. Of course their use of it does not even come close to our skill since it is so clumsy and non-convincing that everyone sees they only use it to maskerade and sell their lies. [Note to Bush:] If you go in superlative mode you need to do that with style and use your fantasy.[/end note to Bush] The feeling for this is something you get in the craddle. Thus I can not swithc that mode to “off”. Oh well… I can if I really force myself very hard in becoming someone I am not. You surely understand what a danger that forms for my mental health… Which is already severely damaged by the fact alone that I write on this board. > [@](#): > > BTW, I have dyslexia too, so I know how it is. Nor is my English up to snuff as far as this board goes. I have every sympathy with you on this score. Ah… a US friend for Dyslex… But you don’t write in a langauage you have no clue about 🙂 > [@](#): > > However, while you might be harmless, I think you are far from innocent. 🙂 You don’t think I would be permitted to run around like I do if my family didn’t take me for a lunatic who is extremely harmless and completely innocent, do you? Salaam. A ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-americans-offended-by-foreigners-commenting-on-american-politics/246680/102 "2004-05-25T16:42:30Z")
> [@Aldebaran](#): > > No. You take no matter what I write on the US as “rant about the USA”. There is structured, informed and hard hitting criticism…and then there is unstructured flames directed in a shotgun approach at the US in total. We could go around and around on this…something I refuse to do. Just like I refuse to rub your nose in your previous posts. I’m pretty sure you DO know that sometimes you go over the top, but I’m equally sure that sometimes you really don’t know when you go over the top. I also think that your posts come from the heart, so even when they are totally uninformed I usually cut you some slack on them. Besides, as I said, you are an amusing fellow. At any rate, I’m letting this drop from my side. I’ve made my points about the OP…people can choose to agree or disagree with them. > [@Aldebaran](#): > > I found it fun to make that my trade mark on this message board. You (and others) know the history behind that, no? I was privilaged to be participating in the thread when that classic quote came up (I almost choked to death as I was drinking something at the time…my poor monitor got soaked). I also noticed you took that as your tag line…you beat me to it in fact. I was actually going to use your name and that quote as MY tag line. 🙂 > [@Aldebaran](#): > > See above. Of course I post anti US policy posts… What do you expect someone from the ME to say about the lunatics that govern the US right now? (Hail Bush My Great Hero?) Not at all. Do I say all hail Bush my great hero?? While I doubt I dislike him anywhere near what you do, I’m not overly fond of the man myself. One can be critical, even scathing, but informed about things. You tend to overly simplify things, to try and paint all situations as black and white…with the US invariably in the black part. You also tend to demonize big time. The world simply isn’t like that, and the US simply isn’t the root of all evil. Nor is the US to blame for everything that goes wrong in either Iraq or the ME. Certainly only a fool would say that the US isn’t to blame for any of it…but only a fool would try and claim that the US is to blame for all of it either. And while you may be a lot of things, you are no fool IMO. > [@Aldebaran](#): > > Adn about the “US’ers” thing: I said it more then once that there is nothing behind that then Dyslex. I can also spell Am’s if you feel better with that… I can not write the full word without missing the spelling for 99% (and can predict the comments on that). I use EU’ers as well because of the same problm. Yes, I’ve seen this explaination of yours multiple times in other threads. I still don’t buy it however. I also suffer from Dyslexia and can manage usually to write Americans. The way you use it, its derrogatory IMO. However, as the Mods don’t have a problem with it, I really have nothing to say about it. I was just using it as an example in any event. > [@Aldebaran](#): > > Ah… a US friend for Dyslex… But you don’t write in a langauage you have no clue about Well, spanish is my native tongue to be honest. I was born in Mexico, not the US. Granted, spanish is a lot closer to english that any of the Arabic tongues. I still have trouble with spelling in English sometimes though. To me, some of the word spelling make no sense, and there are so many words that sound exactly the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings. Its pretty confusing. > [@Aldebaran](#): > > You don’t think I would be permitted to run around like I do if my family didn’t take me for a lunatic who is extremely harmless and completely innocent, do you? lol, probably not. I’m sure your wives keep you on your toes at home. -XT ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-americans-offended-by-foreigners-commenting-on-american-politics/246680/103 "2004-05-25T17:53:36Z")
You ask _‘Why are so many Americans offended by foreigners commenting on American politics?’_. I say the answer is the same as to the question, _‘Why are so many Americans **not** offended by foreigners commenting on American politics?’_. The answer is that it is a byproduct of having the ability to express oneself freely. Good with the bad and all that. People get offended at any old thing, foreign comments on domestic politics is hardly the most egregious. Isn’t this whole thing begging the question anyways? Is it the presumption that some significant number, or even a majority of Americans feel this way? I think I missed that part. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-americans-offended-by-foreigners-commenting-on-american-politics/246680/104 "2004-05-25T18:19:10Z")
> [@Aldebaran](#): > > No. You take no matter what I write on the US as “rant about the USA”. > The same happens all over this board… It is a popular sport for cetrain members. See the latest example on this thread > > [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=257629](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=257629) > > I ask a question about the education system (and next write answers to the replies) and the deliberate misreadings and twistings of my posts pop up. (Even after the first post I made there.) That must be one hellacious dyslexia, that has caused you to read the myriad rebuttals of your endless rants on this board and to translate all of them as “misreadings and twistings” of poor **Alde**. Any medical journal citations on this hitherto unknown form of dyslexia would be most informative and appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-americans-offended-by-foreigners-commenting-on-american-politics/246680/105 "2004-05-26T08:14:28Z")
> [@Sisyphus' Stone](#): > > I usually use **Seppos**. A more apt rhyming slang metaphor than ‘Yanks’. **Moderator’s Note:** Whatever you “usually” use, [you don’t use “Seppos” in Great Debates](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=4824207&#post4824207). Got it? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-so-many-americans-offended-by-foreigners-commenting-on-american-politics/246680.md?page=5)