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The evil penguin
Joined: 24 May 2003
Location: Doing something naughty near you.....
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 Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 5:29 pm Post subject: American Psyche |
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I just want to say first that this is not intended as another America bashing thread.... although chances are that this is what it will become... You can't generalise the inhabitants of a country from just a few goofballs you meet when travelling OS... and every country has tools and fools...
But there is something so inherently "american" about the attitude and behaviour of a new teacher at out university... behaviour traits that i've observed in every single american I've ever met when in korea, china, or home in australia.
First: noisy. LOUD speaking. Second: habit of dropping "THE STATES" or "AMERICAN" into every conversation. First class (with me observing) the new teacher announces to the students "I'm not here to teach english- that's outdated.... I'm teaching AMERICAN".
Third: basketball. (similar i suppose to the canucks with their hitting a rock into a net with a stick)... New teacher goes to class wearing his dumbass basket ball shirt on the outside of his teaching clothes... and is visibly distressed (and won't shut up about it) about the university basketball court not having the net things around the hoops.. "Damn man, how backwards are these people... DAMN!!! how can they have no nets??? you can't play like THAT!!!" Repeated every 5 minutes. He's amazed i don't play.... "well you see" i try to explain "where i come from, people don't really give a shit about basket ball- we have other, better, things to do. We have out own sports".
"DAMN! you don't play BASKETBALL!!!???"
Fourth: complaints. Food is shit, all this rice and noodle shit i can't eat that... why isn't there more variety... what do you MEAN- no mcdonalds??? why can't anybody speak AMERICAN??? goddamn these people are backwards!! It's cold- what do you mean the classroom has no heater??? i can't work in these conditions!!! Back home in AMERICA.....
Fifth: The expressing of incredulity at any sight not seen back home in USA: "Goddamn dude, that dude i saw was carrying a CHICKEN!!! Goddamn!!! and he was wearing a SUIT!! (the man wearing a suit i presume,... not the chicken)... Goddamn!! How can he be wearing a suit and be so BACKWARDS!!! Goddamn!!!"
Admittably, he could be a rarity.. an extra-special kind of tosser. And all americans are porbably not like this (i hope)... And yes we have a pretty damn weird Australian here as well.... "I can't sleep on the 4th floor because i'm a shaman... i need to be on the first floor to retain contact with the earth)" But i'm curious- the americo-centric focus of every american i've met (without exception... possibly i've just been unlucky.... afterall i have actually met two canadians who weren't complete twats wearing beanies and talking about dope and ice-hockey) .... but is it a cultural thing... educational thing (maybe forcefed bullshit during school about USA being the greatest country in the world etc etc.. or something else? Or maybe i'm just meeting the wrong americans... |
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anyangoldboy
Joined: 28 Sep 2007
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| Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 5:35 pm Post subject: |
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| Did you miss out second or did i not read that right??? |
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oskinny1
Joined: 10 Nov 2006
Location: Right behind you!
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| Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 5:42 pm Post subject: |
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First- People tend to see new things and compare them to what they are used to. You have been in Korea for a long long time. To you these things are normal.
Eighth(sic)- Yes, there are idiots all over the world. I have had many non-Americans come up to me unprovoked and uninvited just deciding to bash me without knowing anything about me other than hearing my accent.
Ninth- I rode on a train for a week roomed with an Aussie. He wouldn't shut up about Aussie rules football and how big of pussies "Yanks" are with American football. Or it was "Poms this" and "Poms that". Why are Australians so aggressive towards their prison guards? By the way, aren't Aussies the real "Poms"?
Tenth- Americans vote for people of colo(u)r, Aussies just take away their right to porn.
Eleventh- I like all people of all nationalities and colo(u)rs, regardless of spelling. |
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cj1976
Joined: 26 Oct 2005
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| Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 5:43 pm Post subject: |
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| Americans. Overstated, overweight and unfortunately, over here. |
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The evil penguin
Joined: 24 May 2003
Location: Doing something naughty near you.....
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| Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 5:53 pm Post subject: |
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| oskinny1 wrote: |
First- People tend to see new things and compare them to what they are used to. You have been in Korea for a long long time. To you these things are normal.
Tenth- Americans vote for people of colo(u)r, Aussies just take away their right to porn.
Eleventh- I like all people of all nationalities and colo(u)rs, regardless of spelling. |
Actually, i'm in china now... and still see some pretty freaky new things... Ok cool... theres an old lady chewing on a large dried pigs face...cool. ok move on.
In reference to Obama... i htink you'll find most aussies were happy to see hime get in... finally an end (we hope) to USA getting us involved in stupid political wars... Couldn't give a shit about the colour. We already have high ranking politicians from diverse ethnic backgrounds... Who gives a hoot? We don't give a crap about that kind of BS. .. if we actually HAD any black politicians who could put together a reasonable arguement, i'm sure we'd have them in parliment as well.
I also like all people of different nations and colours....unless they are complete twats. |
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oskinny1
Joined: 10 Nov 2006
Location: Right behind you!
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| Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 6:02 pm Post subject: |
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| The evil penguin wrote: |
| oskinny1 wrote: |
First- People tend to see new things and compare them to what they are used to. You have been in Korea for a long long time. To you these things are normal.
Tenth- Americans vote for people of colo(u)r, Aussies just take away their right to porn.
Eleventh- I like all people of all nationalities and colo(u)rs, regardless of spelling. |
Actually, i'm in china now... |
So why is this posted on a Korean Forum? Go sign up for the China forum and post it there.
Also, basketball is getting huge in China, I think it is an apt topic for anyone to talk about while in that country.
| Quote: |
| finally an end (we hope) to USA getting us involved in stupid political wars |
I love this, it's the US's fault you blindly follow Bush's (however misguided) foreign policy. Grow some balls and say "no". |
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MANDRL
Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Location: South Korea
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| Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 6:21 pm Post subject: |
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| OP, you do know the population of the United States exceeds 300,000,000 people. |
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The evil penguin
Joined: 24 May 2003
Location: Doing something naughty near you.....
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| Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 6:24 pm Post subject: |
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| oskinny1 wrote: |
| The evil penguin wrote: |
| oskinny1 wrote: |
First- People tend to see new things and compare them to what they are used to. You have been in Korea for a long long time. To you these things are normal.
Tenth- Americans vote for people of colo(u)r, Aussies just take away their right to porn.
Eleventh- I like all people of all nationalities and colo(u)rs, regardless of spelling. |
Actually, i'm in china now... |
So why is this posted on a Korean Forum? Go sign up for the China forum and post it there.
Also, basketball is getting huge in China, I think it is an apt topic for anyone to talk about while in that country.
| Quote: |
| finally an end (we hope) to USA getting us involved in stupid political wars |
I love this, it's the US's fault you blindly follow Bush's (however misguided) foreign policy. Grow some balls and say "no". |
Ok.... i'm in china but spent many years in korea... i still have strong ties to korea, i like this forum, i can't register on the china forum...and the china forum is work-related topics only. Is that ok with you? can i stay now?
Secondly, the *beep* in question is not talking to chinese students about basketball. He's talking to a bunch of other foreign teachers (aussie, kiwi, canadian, and british) who clearly do not give a shit about it.. And he's not talking... he's raving.... every friggin 5 minutes..basketball basketball...
Thirdly, (we're getting good counting practise on this thread) , i was responding to a completely-unrelated-to-the-OP comment by somebody about Obama.... I was saying that most aussies were happy he got in... but we couldn't give a toss about whether we was balck or white. He just seemed the best choice. Like it or not, and we don't like it, australia (and other western countries) is/are closely tied to US political decisions. USA is the biggest bully in the classroom and we are generally carried along in its wake... so having a new leader who may make a few less stupid decisions can only be a good thing. Doesn't change the fact that the americans i have met overseas are complete twats.... the new teacher a special example. |
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The evil penguin
Joined: 24 May 2003
Location: Doing something naughty near you.....
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| Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 6:25 pm Post subject: |
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| MANDRL wrote: |
| OP, you do know the population of the United States exceeds 300,000,000 people. |
whats that got to do with anything??? Still just one country... with a whole world out there...
Whats the population of India? I'm guessing a fair bit bigger than in the US. Yet I've never met an Indian in Australia strutting around complaining about the food, weather etc... and raving about INDIA INDIA INDIA. Yes, there are different ethnic groups (including indians chinese etc who set up their own little isoalted communities.... Most indian/chinese/whatever people i've met however have been cool people.
But i'm talking about westerners... western culture. Americans seem to be the group who find it hardest to accept cultural differences- who fail to realise that they are not in Kansas anymore Toto. And who fail to undertsand that other western groups don't want to hear monologue rantings of USA this and America that....
Last edited by The evil penguin on Thu Nov 13, 2008 6:38 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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MANDRL
Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Location: South Korea
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| Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 6:35 pm Post subject: |
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| The evil penguin wrote: |
| MANDRL wrote: |
| OP, you do know the population of the United States exceeds 300,000,000 people. |
whats that got to do with anything??? Still just one country... with a whole world out there... |
Your OP stated
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| Or maybe i'm just meeting the wrong americans... |
So yes, out of a country of over 300,000,000, you are meeting the wrong Americans. Besides, I think there are an equal amount of d-bags in any one place at any given time, from all parts of the English speaking world. |
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Beej
Joined: 05 Mar 2005
Location: Eungam Loop
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| Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 6:38 pm Post subject: |
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To the OP:
First: About Bush, Obama, and stupid wars. You are aware that Australia sent soldiers to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Vietnam. Right?
Second: You are portraying Australia as some sort of racial utopia superior to that of the US. You need to get that notion out of your head quick.
Third: That guy you describe sounds like a real idiot and loser. Yet you two are at the same place, doing the same job, same station in life. Something to ponder. |
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The evil penguin
Joined: 24 May 2003
Location: Doing something naughty near you.....
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| Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 6:55 pm Post subject: |
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| Beej wrote: |
To the OP:
First: About Bush, Obama, and stupid wars. You are aware that Australia sent soldiers to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Vietnam. Right?
Second: You are portraying Australia as some sort of racial utopia superior to that of the US. You need to get that notion out of your head quick.
Third: That guy you describe sounds like a real idiot and loser. Yet you two are at the same place, doing the same job, same station in life. Something to ponder. |
i shouldn't have started this... i've got work to do...
Of course I'm aware that Australia sent troops... as did britain and many other countries who are tied to the US by various collateral agreements made years ago in a different political environment. As I said before, the US is the biggest bully in the classroom and get dragged along in it's wake... so a new change of leadership can only be a good thing.
Second: Australia is definitely NOT some kind of racial utopia. I never said that nor tried to infer it. Our history is as shameful as in the US. However, we do not have the same demographics as the US. We have different racial problems, not so clearly demarcated by boundaries of black verses white. I'm aware that my racial views are not representative of the views of all australians in general. Personally, i couldn't give a toss as to whether the US president (or the Australian Prime Minister for that matter) was white black, green or fluoroscent pink. Colour or racial group is a non-issue for me. I don't see it. Having said that, I wouldn't vote for an Aboriginal PM unless i knew that his concern was for ALL australians equally and not just for one select minority group. Anybody who voted for Obama because he is black is just as ignorant as anybody who DIDN'T vote for him for the same reason. If i was American, i would have voted for him. Not for reasons of colour.
Third: yes he is a tosser. And yes we are in the same place doing the same job. Just like two complete strangers on a bus- doesn't mean there is any connection or common ties. I am here for my reasons... and he is here for his. Your comment has no validity. |
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ReeseDog
Joined: 05 Apr 2008
Location: Classified
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| Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 7:03 pm Post subject: |
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| Beej wrote: |
To the OP:
First: About Bush, Obama, and stupid wars. You are aware that Australia sent soldiers to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Vietnam. Right?
Second: You are portraying Australia as some sort of racial utopia superior to that of the US. You need to get that notion out of your head quick.
Third: That guy you describe sounds like a real idiot and loser. Yet you two are at the same place, doing the same job, same station in life. Something to ponder. |
Beej - I'm witcha.
Oskinnywhatever - you're a douche. As was that American you described. He's a douche. You're still a douche.
Just as when you say "you cannot tell a man from the colo(u(  ))r of his skin...yada yada yada
The British Empire is ended. Get that through your skull. |
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Kuros
Joined: 27 Apr 2004
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| Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 7:49 pm Post subject: |
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| The evil penguin wrote: |
| Doesn't change the fact that the americans i have met overseas are complete twats.... the new teacher a special example. |
You're an English teacher. You're not running with our elites. |
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5600
Joined: 07 Apr 2008
Location: At an undisclosed FEMA camp.
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| Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 8:58 pm Post subject: |
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| The only thing good to ever come out of Austraila was the Hard-On's. |
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