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Ahhh Francophobia.

Frank S. wrote:The only people it's fine to make sweeping generalizations about remain the French

Only because they, and other countries in Europe, are not yet influenced by the Multicultural diversity of the west (U.S and now sadly the U.K).

James, why sadly the UK in your statement. America and Britain have more in common with each other than many countries in Europe. Now they may have won their Independence from us 200 years ago, but still have very strong ties still. First the language, [well almost] there laws and jury system is all based on the British version, there military is based mainly on the British system, even some of the units are still the same ones that where set up when we where both still as one.

Tab,
Your right bud the UK and US have far more in common than say the UK and France or Germany or Spain or Italy or eerrrr... any other European country I can think of.
Although I don't have much time for Blair at least he realises who the UK's real allies are.
Sir Winston Churchill once said that the UK and the US are two Great countries divided by a common language.His mother was an American.
As to our justice system it's a mix of French republican and British parlimentary.

James, I'm gonna refute you pals conception of American history the same way as you have mine,so PM inbound as soon as I get through the holidays as I simply don't have the time right now.
Wholley.

Oh,you know how it is Stix,
We have a holiday for everything.
Labor Day,Veterans Day,Presidents Day,Martin Luther King Day,
I Want a Day off Day,Thanksgiving Day,Crimbo,But we don't get Boxing Day.
Day Late and a Dollar Short Day.
Your gonna have to arm wrestle Bootneck for the dibs on my spare grot
for the"Holidaze"
Wholley.

Tab wrote:why sadly the UK in your statement. America and Britain have more in common with each other than many countries in Europe

It depends if you think that is a good thing or not. I happen to be very Nationalist, and i do not like the Western influence from the U.S that has been imitated by the U.K. Its just a matter or opinion.

But that is the whole point of my previous post; the UK and US are SO alike, that "sweeping generalizations" can only be made about counties like the French as Frank S pointed out, who are not so influenced by the Western world.

I was in Borneo last summer, and our expedition was staying in a backpackers hostel overnight. A couple of the expedition members stayed in a dormitory with some American backpackers and got talking, as you do. Anyway, the topic of culture came up and one of my fellow expeditioners said to the Yanks, "What Culture? America has no culture." At which point the conversation ended!

james (future Para) wrote:
"sweeping generalizations" can only be made about counties like the French as Frank S pointed out, who are not so influenced by the Western world.

James normally I ignore your posts but this time I cant. My geography isn’t brilliant, but are France not only a quick ferry dash across the channel. And a BIG part of Western Europe just as we are? See this is the problem; westernisation has been going on long before the USA were even on the map, hell why do you think they are there? France has as much to do with the westernisation of the world as the UK or the USA, believe it or not, they had colonies all over the place to, where they; as we did, force our western (do you see that highlighted word) culture upon other countries. The only thing America has done as far as westernisation is concerned is continued it, do you really think the world would be as it is now if we hadn’t had such an impressive empire?

I was in Borneo last summer, and our expedition was staying in a backpackers hostel overnight. A couple of the expedition members stayed in a dormitory with some American backpackers and got talking, as you do. Anyway, the topic of culture came up and one of my fellow expeditioners said to the Yanks, "What Culture? America has no culture." At which point the conversation ended!

James, culture cannot be measured on a graph or scale or defined by one race of people, if some tribe in the rain forest (no one particular tribe in mind) can be described as having an ancient and rich culture, as they so often are by the discovery channel, news channels etc, why cant America have a culture? Jesus even the middle east have culture and we have as much in common with them as furry dog turd.

Wholley don’t let him raise your blood pressure, you'll only lose valuable drinking time.

lew

lew wrote:My geography isn’t brilliant, but are France not only a quick ferry dash across the channel. And a BIG part of Western Europe just as we are? See this is the problem; westernisation has been going on long before the USA were even on the map, hell why do you think they are there? France has as much to do with the westernisation of the world as the UK or the USA, believe it or not, they had colonies all over the place to, where they; as we did, force our western (do you see that highlighted word) culture upon other countries. The only thing America has done as far as westernisation is concerned is continued it, do you really think the world would be as it is now if we hadn’t had such an impressive empire?

You have missed the point completely. Perhaps those posts of mine that you do actually read, you should read in more depth.

Also, i was merely quoting a statement Frank S made.

lew wrote:why cant America have a culture? even the middle east have culture and we have as much in common with them as furry dog turd.

Of course the Middle East has culture. But what is it that you really associate with America? Like Britains Tea and Scones, or the Royal Family or France's fine wines and food, or Spanish bull fighting or supremely bred horses, Italian spaghetti and other cuisine and supercars, or Indian curry...the list goes on.

By the way, my old Politics class always enjoyed my presence in debates for my right wing Nationalist points of view. Dont take this personally anyone (wholly in particular).

I was going to let sleeping dogs lie, but James, had you looked at my profile, you might have surmised my comment which you quoted was sarcastic.
Having said that, I take issue with your idea that "Only because they, and other countries in Europe, are not yet influenced by the Multicultural diversity of the west (U.S and now sadly the U.K)."

Being French myself I tend to defend French people and attitudes when I think it's appropriate, but when you say France is not yet influenced by multicultural diversity (unlike the UK and US), you are just plain incorrect.
The influence of the millions of muslims living in France had in point of fact much to do with the government's opposition to the Iraq war.
From Marseilles' rappers from the Maghreb to North African ghettoes around large cities to little Saigon in Paris and streets lined with shop awnings in Arabic or Chinese or Vietnamese, multicultural diversity has been a fact of life for decades.

Now there's one thing which sticks in my craw: Chirac recently visited the UK and made a statement to the effect that the UK had gotten nothing out of its support of the US in the Iraq war. Yet what did France give the UK in a century of Entente Cordiale?
I know what we got: many tombstones with names from the UK on French soil.
What did we give back?

I know that France has a multicultural nation and African influence especially in the South. But when you have signs of American influence like so many countries in the world, like SUV's and McDonalds on every popular street in a major town/city, you still have your French culture which you should be proud of.

Frank S. wrote:Now there's one thing which sticks in my craw: Chirac recently visited the UK and made a statement to the effect that the UK had gotten nothing out of its support of the US in the Iraq war. Yet what did France give the UK in a century of Entente Cordiale?
I know what we got: many tombstones with names from the UK on French soil.
What did we give back?

I am not quite sure what you mean by this, but i agree that we have got nothing from being Allied to the US in Iraq, unless of course there is some very secretive goings on possible involving crude oil. We will never know. As for the graves, it is an honour for the UK to recieve the gift from France of land which was used to bury and remember our dead.

james (future Para) wrote: Of course the Middle East has culture. But what is it that you really associate with America?

So Steinbeck's of Mice And Men which is studied in schools over here, Louis Armstrong, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra. The first amendment, which the American people deeply believe is guaranteed by the government and perhaps even god. Microsoft, without which we wouldn’t even be having this debate. New York can be an argument for American culture in its self, if you get people to name some of the most cultured cities in the world the list normally goes Paris, London, Milan and New York.

Europe is probably the most diverse and multicultural mass of people on the entire planet, which could be argued, is the very product of westernisation and IS western culture.

lew

Microsoft, without which we wouldn’t even be having this debate.

Rubbish!

If we want to go into the history of computers, then why not...It was actually the British who invented the first computer in Bletchly Park at the end of World War II, but it was destroyed with every other trace of information and tactics regarding the cracking of the Enigma, so that in the future the methods used at Bletchly would only be know unto the British.

You learn something new every day.