So That's America!

From email - The Telegraph attempts to help business people prepare for working abroad, particularly in America.

Another cultural surprise is the accessibility of firearms; many locals pack a handgun in the glove box of their vehicles and boast cabinets full of hunting weapons in their homes (something to remember when your children visit new playmates).

Although newcomers to New Zealand might be concerned to see children going to school barefoot, it is not poverty, just part of the great outdoor way of life. In America, despite all its seeming abundance and wealth, there is also plenty of poverty, although it may be less obvious due to a combination of credit cards, image consciousness and the low cost of clothing.

Don't be surprised to be asked what church you belong to or to be eagerly invited along by a new acquaintance to accompany them to their church.

A British family posted to a southern state found that each of the 12 private schools in their city was affiliated to a different church and included one or two hours a day of religious instruction. To enrol their child at any of these establishments they would have to sign a contract agreeing to participate in that school's church activities.

"It is an American characteristic to keep running even after you have arrived."

Well, at least when we shoot those damned pesky foreigners, we have the courtesy to pray over them. Ha!

Comments

[Phoenix]

They left the language advice ou:

"Now while we Brits are able to compress the most words into the smallest idea, Americans tend to be succinct and do not rely on strings of adjectives and adverbs to get their ideas across. Do not be dismayed if an American looks at you funny and says, "What the fuck?" and walks away.

[Phoenix]

Duh. And I was so succinct, I left a letter ouT.

[Zifnab]

England has a well-known liberal bias. You can't help but expect this sort of thing.

[Purple Avenger]

"it is not poverty, just part of the great outdoor way of life"

Ummmm, sure.

[Dan Riehl]

expect this sort of thing

Expect it? Hell, I just wish it were true! ; )

[Darth Malice]

Gee,we go to church,how savage is that?......Oh well in England their asses will be praying to Mecca shortly.

[Dan Riehl]

"in England"

I don't know. It's easy to think that now. But England is the land of the crusade, more than America. They and europe may decide to start pushing back hard, especially if they have a 9/11. And they could push back really, really hard - as in mass deportation.

[Darth Malice]

Dan,I have been to England twice and I hope your right.The upper classes seen eager to appease.This Isle used to rule the world,but now they seem hellbent on suicide.

[Phoenix]

Darth,

Did you say a bad word? :\

I think the pendulum of appeasement is going to swing back really hard. The thing about civilized westerners is that we mind our own business and don't get too riled-up until something touches us directly. When that happens, watch out.

[BobInStamford]

These people should be warned about the trailer parks, nascar and mullets too. They should try to move to one of the civilized parts of the country.

[Fred Beloit]

BobinBridgeport means they should move to the land of ever-increasing taxes and his majesty C. Dodd which Bob is proud to call home. I moved from there in 2004 to live in Florida. They have very nice public schools here and none of my neighbors have asked me to go to church with them. Perhaps this is because I carry a gun on my person and not in my car's glove "box" where Bob's is.

[templar knight]

You better warn ABC and ESPN about NASCAR, Bob, and even the NYT, as NASCAR has sure been getting a ton of great coverage in the national media of late, and even Juan Carlos Montoya has dropped out of the European circuit to try his luck at NASCAR.

As for the mullets and trailer parks, why would that bother anyone? Frankly, it's those flat tops and buzzes that should scare a liberal. As for Great Britain, they're our ancestors, and we know it, so we treat them nice, just like we would treat you, if you would shut your piehole and act like a human being.

[Andrew]

What kind of mouth-breather would ask a stranger what church they went to??

[Hard Right]

Ah yes, we're all a bunch of gun totin, Bible Thumping, selfish Capitalists. Exaggerate much? We're soooooooo soory we can't be the enlightened, socialists too many brits are. (heavy sarcasm)

Bob (BS) is just a bitter, angry, loser who's the only one convinced of his "genius". It also sounds like he got out debated by mullet wearing NASCAR fans and he has been unable to tolerate the blow to his ego. In short Bob, get a life or kill yourself. At least that way you'd stop stealing natural resources from those less fortunate, but more worthy than yourself.

[Darth Malice]

Phoenix,bad word?Not from me.

[Legalize]

"What kind of mouth-breather would ask a stranger what church they went to??"

Ever spent any time in Ohio?

[Dan Riehl]

"What kind of mouth-breather"

So, what church do you attend, Andrew? Or are you just another non-believing, liberal, pedophile kind'a guy?

[Darth Malice]

Every now and then the Mormons or Jehovas Witnesses come by.I am not offended,I simply take their pamplets and say thanks.I don't believe in what they believe,but I admire them for trying to get their "truth"out.

[seekeronos]

I'll bypass the opportunity to pick at Bob's usual idiotic trolling spew (what else is he capable of... he's either a 17 year old "internet rebel" who has failed our [mostly] laughable public education system, or a dried out old 1960's era hippie whose brain was fried to the point of not coming up with anything original anymore). Hopefully, he's a young'un who in time, will learn that the world is so much bigger than his comfortable McMansion life and his impotent "ragings against the machine". As for the Cindy Sheehan-esque hippies... ain't much we can do for those sorts other than pray they wake up too.

Here is something much more important:

If there was any sense involved in choosing which "god" and its related culture associated with it was a better overall choice to have... I reckon we cannot assume that humans in general are senseible beings.

But here goes anyway...

With "Allah, Mohammed, and Islam", you get:

- a theology that commands you to savagely murder your opponents (i.e. all folks who choose not to bow to your moon god).

- repression of women into a status barely better than that of kept animals

- a command to lie about your intentions and beliefs to unbelievers

- training your children to strap explosives to themselves and blow up the unbelievers (hereinafter referred to as "kuffar")

- punishing sinners with death or bodily mutilation for nearly every offense... except rape, which was of course, is almost always the womean's fault... she was probably walking around like uncovered meat. Unless, of course, she can convince four Muslim men, or eight Muslim women, to testify against the rapist. Ha!

- Forced prayer at *exact* times to the moon god's house in Mecca. The exact time is determined at your local masjid (mosque). Failure to pray at the specified time results in a beatdown from the local religious police (in Sharia countries), and probably in non-Sharia countries as well (except in the latter case, you probably have an unfortunate "praying accident").

- Compelling others to convert to Islam: a kind invite followed by jihad (death) to kuffars who decline.

...oh boy. Where can I sign up for that! [[heavy sarcasm]]

Compare the above to the "God, Jesus, and Christianity" of the Bible:

- a theology that commands you to love your enemies (especially folks who persecute you for believing in Christ). Note that this does not mean that you cannot defend your family or loved ones by this - the Bible does provide guidance for the Christian to conduct defensive warfare.

- commands for men to "love thier wives", (Ephesians 5:25, regard younger unmarried women as "sisters in Christ", older women as like "mothers", and unsaved women with a caution for the men's sexual purity before God, but not disdaining them either.

Women, are taught to "obey thier husbands", (Ephesians 5:22-23) and have the example of the strong, empowered, and wise wife and mother of Proverbs 31. The Amanda Marcottes of the world could take heed to this powerful example of a Godly woman and see that there is another way of possessing one's self as a lady than being a pit of vulgarity and vitriol.

- a command to "speak the truth, in love" to people you have dealings with.

- teaching your children in the "admonition of the Lord" - to know the Lord Jesus and to become Godly children. (Ephesians 6:1-4)

- Dealing with sin in Christ's love: pointing out that God is the judge of all men, tat all men have sinned - and are worthy of God's wrath (which is paid out in both physical and spiritual death). However, the Christian is also to point out the Way of escape which God has made for us from His wrath: Jesus. (John 14:8, Romans 10:13)

- Praying to the Father in Jesus's name, in the power of the Holy Spirit.

- Compelling others to follow Jesus: "Going forth into the world, all nations (about Jesus), baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that (Jesus) has commanded".

I dunno - but I'd say that the second choice (God, Jesus, Christianity, and the Bible) sound a lot better and likely to lead to life free from sudden death than Islam does.

[Darth Malice]

Amen seek!

[Andrew]

I liked this part the best:

"People in smaller cities tend to be fiercely loyal to kinfolk, church and state with little interest in world affairs, as evinced by the lack of international coverage in newspapers and magazines"

What a nice way of saying that hicks are backward.

[Darth Malice]

Hey Jethro,Where is Ellie May???.......Yep I think too many Beverly Hillbilly watchers in England.

[Hard Right]

Hey! Ellie May was hot...a long time ago.

[Legalize]

"What a nice way of saying that hicks are backward."

Seriously. Have you ever had to spend time on a plane or in an airport with these people? Yikes.

[Andrew]

Unfortunately, yes. Exclusively on the domestic flights though. Thankfully for those who travel abroad and for the sake of what little reputation the US has left in the world, most hicks don't have passports. You don't need them to go to Branson, MO or a nascar race.

[Dan Riehl]

"hicks are backward"

Backward? Who the hell are you to judge? Small town people are some of the nicest people I've ever met. They aren't "backward" because they prioritize their lives diffeently than you, you elitist jerk off. For all your Internet BS, what exactly is it you have done to impact world affairs? And your going down on two frenchmen in the bathroom at the International terminal doesn't count.

Small-minded assholes like you really tick me off.

[Andrew]

"Small-minded assholes like you really tick me off"

So says the idiot who confused Ralph Ellison with Barak Obama and states that they are all the same. You nuts are funny!!!!!

[Hard Right]

What I find so funny is when elitest blowhards like legalize or Andrew try to debate those hicks, they get their asses handed to them. I've found arrogant know-nothings like them to have little common sense. Oh well, we should be thankful for them as we'd have no one to make us feel so much smarter and stable.

[Legalize]

"Small-minded assholes like you really tick me off."

That's pretty hilarious coming from the same "open-mindedness" that gave birth to this rhetorical genius: "Or are you just another non-believing, liberal, pedophile kind'a guy?"

Also hilarious from the same blogger who seethes with such anger over the Dixie Chicks, to the point where he calls them "Clits" in a feeble attempt to be clever, thereby revealing his truly "open-minded" nature.

[seekeronos]

Hey Andrew!

Who the heck is "Ralph Ellison"?

Don't you mean "Keith Ellison, (D) Congressman from Minnesota"?

Oh, I forgot - you liberal elites are too good to keep dibs on that sort of thing. I also think he might be miffed enough to have your head on a pike when the Caliphate takes over for such a slight!

[BobInStamford]

Wow, a lot of offended rednecks on here. What a funny bunch!! And about the gay stuff involving frenchmen and restrooms I think that is just further proof that being gay is hereditary. Stay the course, mullet-heads!!!

[Jeff]

Actually Ralph Waldo Ellison (named after Ralph Waldo Emerson) Wrote the Invisible Man (famous for the prelude called Battle Royal). It's a story of the oppression before the civil rights movement... Ellison could be somewhere between Farakan and Malcolm X... not too extreme ;)

Although Keith Ellison is probably my least favorate House member right behind Kucinich (I hate him that much). Not because he's Muslim.

1) He used his religion as a political statement (using Jefferson's Qu'ran (from his rebelious days))
2) He called the police on Republicans for smoking (which is legal)
3) He believes that 9/11 MAY have been a government setup

Kucinich is just a noise maker... But still annoying, and shouldn't be elected (especially in a state like Ohio)

[Phoenix]

"1) He used his religion as a political statement"

Amen. Worthy of hating the guy. UGH. I didn't hear about him calling the police on Republicans for smoking. Are you kidding? god...What a weenie.

Speaking of weenies - Kucinich.. I can't even look. eeu. Does he even make noise? ack..