Job Discussion Forums

[mcNug]

On the subject of films and television shows, despite a few exceptions, most of it is pure crap. Hollywood will always aim for the lowest common denominator. In order to make back their massive budgets they need to be as bland and stupid as possible so not to get isolate most of their audience.

What I just read about not wanting to "read movies" or not watching foreign (English langauge) shows because of their difficult accents is exactly what we would expect a "clueless American" to say. "If it aint American, I aint interested."

In Hong Kong, early in the morning, they show ABC and CBS "world" news. If the outside world is ever mentioned, it's usually about Americans overseas.

Saturday morning American cartoons feed the kids ignorance right from the start, depicting the outside world in a very clich�d light. I.e. Kangaroos hopping around Sydney (which is situatied in the middle of a desert and 90 % populated by (spear wielding ) Aboriginals)

When most Americans think of the outside world, they will only accept their stereotypical version of it, otherwise they will simply reject it.

I've heard about September the 11th (I refuse to say 9-11, because for most of the world it SHOULD BE 11-9) every single day since it happened.

The Bali terrorist attack which consisted of very few Americans caualties, I heard about once or twice.

The thousands of poor people who die everyday from Embargoes, or from starvation from being grossly underpaid by companies like Nike to help spin the Capitalist wheel, we hear nothing about everyday.

I remember the big "politcal bomb" they found. They have footage of John Kerry at an anti-war demonstration. Oh heavens above! An American president wanting peace! Egads! Who will protect us! Quick! Vote for Bush, he'll protect us!

Us, us, us. The US only needs "protection" because they've made so many countries angry. I still hear Vietnam vets bragging about how they "defended their country".

I'm sure the Vietcong and North Vietnamese army were a huge threat to the US.

Don't worry people of Iraq! You poor people, living without good ol' US democracy. US to the rescue! You'll have to wait Uganda.

And no, Bush has stated that before he became president, he had never left the USA.

But don't worry, he's a good "God fearing" man.

[Aramas]

Oh well, as long as you're not bitter

I agree, Nuggy, but it's impolite to say so. Didn't your mum teach you to humour those of us who are a few scones short of an afternoon tea?

Just ignore them. They won't go away - hell, they won't even shut up, but eventually they'll blend in with the traffic noise.

[kev7161]

What I just read about not wanting to "read movies" or not watching foreign (English langauge) shows because of their difficult accents is exactly what we would expect a "clueless American" to say. "If it aint American, I aint interested."

Wow, McNug (short for McNuggets? Those all-American delights from that American-based company McDonalds?) - - way to take something far out of context AND misquote all at the same time.

I say, if you don't like American movies and television shows, don't watch them. If you don't like the American news broadcasts, don't watch them either. While you're at it, don't wear American brand clothing or drink Pepsi or Coke or brush with Colgate or Crest or eat at McDonald's or KFC or fly on American Airlines or listen to American singers or . . . . good god, I could go on and on, couldn't I?

I'm not some hugely patriotic person, but the USA has influenced the WORLD'S way of life in one way or another, some good and some bad. But if you are that anti-American, then so be it. It won't hurt my feelings - - I'll be watching the next Spider-Man movie and loving it.

[Roger]

Someone explain to me whether Usakistan's newspaper readers are meekly submitting to dictatorial newspaper makers, or whether they actually like the make-up of their publications?
Take the INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE, for example: certainly not the most boorishly chauvinistic paper. It deserves its international readers to some extent although it's a very thin paper compared to the SCMP of Hong Kong, Le Monde of Paris, even the JERUSALEM POST.
As hinted above, I am fairly upbeat about it, but I do have some serious misgiving about it: every major story starts on the front page, then gets broken up and continued several pages into the newspaper. How can you read 4 stories that begin on page one and continue on pages 4, 6 and 7? A very irksome bad habit of those layouters there. In whose interest is this??? This is totally uncommon in the rest of the world, as far as I know!

Then there is USA TODAY, decidedly a most unsympathetically, pathetically American-only paper. No issue with that - they have every right to be that.
What's interesting is that this paper is relatively easily obtainable in China of all places. You won't get the NY Times, but you can pick up the USA TODAY.
I would never dream of reading such a publication - it's simply too American: temperatures in the world weather chart are in Fahrenheit only, distances are in miles and yards and feet only, weights are in yet more parochial units. Frankly - who would want to read such a shallow and conservative paper?

[mcNug]

I understand not all Americans are like this, and my username actually has nothing to do with McNuggets but that's another story.

[kev7161]

I think you nailed it on the head, Roger. "USA" Today is exactly that. It does have international news if it pertains to the US (such as the Iraq debacle). It is mostly intended for people that live in the US (although I'd love to get my hands on it in China. Anything in English is a plus for me! Can you tell me more?). And, oddly, the US is the only country in the world that has not converted to the metric system - - largely due to the cost of doing so in factories and other major industries, I'd imagine. So, yes, the target audience is Americans of the US so that is why it is so centric to that region of the world.

As for other newspapers - - you got me. I guess the more headlines you can put on the front, the more you may be able to attract readers to pick up YOUR newspaper and not another. Just a guess.

[waxwing]

[Canasian]

[quote="Seth"]

[benno]

[kev7161]

Okay, here's what I said in a previous post:

. . . but the reality is I would rather watch a movie that I don't have to read (there are exceptions, of course: The Passion of the Christ and Dances With Wolves to name a couple). I would guess that there are French that MUCH prefer movies that are featured in their own language and Chinese would like to watch movies presented in their language. (I've seen my fair share of dubbed movies - - still not quite the same, are they?)

Here's what McNug said I said:

What I just read about not wanting to "read movies" or not watching foreign (English langauge) shows because of their difficult accents is exactly what we would expect a "clueless American" to say. "If it aint American, I aint interested."

And here's what Benno said I said:

and hating movies cause you cant be arsed to read the subtitles!!!!!!

And then he added:

ignorant


So, first off, I like the " quotes " that McNug added implying that this is what I typed. Then Benno using the word "hating", implying that I hate all films that have subtitles. I made it clear that I have watched (and enjoyed) some subtitled films - - I even listed a couple in my original post. One of those films was in all Arabic and directed by an Australian director (or produced, I forget - - Mel Gibson directed, didn't he?). Yes, it was a "Hollywood" movie, but still pretty foreign. By the way, just so you know, I'm an atheist so it wasn't the actual religious theme that made me interested, rather the press on it. I have actually watched a few foreign, subtitled films here and there in my life, I just can't remember the titles offhand at this moment. I said I would RATHER watch a non-subtitled movie (read: English language movies) - - which means, that is my preference. I would never lambaste McNug or Benno for saying that most American-made, "Hollywood" movies are, basically, a bunch of crap. That is their opinion (and, lest we forget, it is their CHOICE not to watch them). American made movies are made especially to appeal to the American mass-market because, usually, that is where they are going to make the most money. If action movies with a little love-story/sex thrown in is what is selling at the box office, then that is what is going to be made until we cry "Enough!" Then they'll go onto another genre.

PS: Lord of the Rings trilogy. American movie or foreign? Distributed by an American film company, shot and directed in New Zealand with actors from around the world. Plenty of Elven subtitles thrown in. I loved it. The 3rd won the Oscar. I would hazard to say that these three movies are my all-time favorites. What do you say McNug/Benno? Were these crap movies? Hmmmm? (no, of course not. Movies based on a British writers stories).

Let's be careful about misquoting and trying to act too superior and all.

[kev7161]

Sorry, one more thing (well, for now):

An American Werewolf in London - - another mainstream Hollywood hit. Loved it. Can still watch it to this day and really enjoy it. The scene where the two guys stop into an English pub before they get attacked. A bunch of locals are sitting around talking about this and that. One guy is telling some sort of joke and the patrons just laugh and laugh at the end of it. I understood the joke, of course, but I felt just like those two "clueless" Americans. The accents and dialect didn't throw me off a bit and it was great local "color" that was essential to the movie. But I would still be hard-pressed to sit through an entire movie with that kind of dialogue . . . and enjoy it. I'm not saying it would be a bad movie. Just that I, personally, may not get much out of it.

[ContemporaryDog]

[leeroy]

That was good. Who says Americans don't appreciate irony?

[almuze]

Actually, can I say this? uh... I kind of like America. (oh no!)

No wait, let me qualify that statement! Ok, so, yes, I am an American, but I am a hippie at heart, and I know that there are many many many horrible evil things that the American Gov. does, and there are many many many horrible and stupid things that the american people should know better (one once asked me if people rode kangaroos to school in Aus.) so, yes, many bad things-

but this is what I like about america - it is really truly one of the most racially,culturally, religiously diverse places that I have ever been (and really, I have been to a lot, but not to europe....) A lot is said about racism and other "isms" in the states, but I think that in spite of that, if you want to say, grow up and be a supreme court justice, you can. (thank you, Clanrence Thomas) opps, I spelled his name wrong.

anyway, it seems to me that while people in the states might look at you sideways for being differnt, and you for sure won't get invited to jr. birthday party, they will still let you run for political office, teach in public schools, open your own business.... and do all that other great money making stuff that, to me, (note the qualification there) to me, it just seemed like I never really see other countries that mixed up, that diverse.

hmmmm, for example, I am in Turkey right now. Turkish people come in all differnt skin colours, and nobody really cares, really! its kind of amazing. But then I figured, all these differnt skin colours are all the same language group, all the same religion, all the same cultural backgroud......

so, thats my story and I'm stickin to it, typos and all. America, not all bad.

[Seth]