Occupy Wall Street protest

[Yvonne183]

I agree Stavros. It should be in the politics strand - but only a moderator could divert this fast flowing river at this point.

Yes - America IS indeed a nation made of immigrants and people from elsewhere which makes the racism of so many whites so disturbing.

As to British xenophobia. it is vile and wholly unnacceptable. But really that SHOULD become a thread in politics and religion.

You got to be fuckin kidding me? British xenophobia????? All you Brits do on this forum is put down the US and it's inhabitants, just look at your own vile remarks about the tea party or rednecks. You brits constantly talk negatively about the US and now the talk is about the brits you cry like a baby. sheeesh

[Silcc69]

‘The Sherman Antitrust Act’ was instated after the 1929 Great Depression

Silc, the 'Sherman Act' was passed in Congress in 1890, and first used to break up John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil empire in 1911.

Yvonne, I don't expect to see a black Prime Minister in the UK in my lifetime, it is not impossible but the three parties we have do not at the present moment have any MP's who appear likely to climb the greasy pole to greatness. The UK is not as diverse as the USA, which I consider to be one of its greatest assets; I also think from personal experience that there is a quiet phobia of foreigners here which does not exist in the USA in the same manner because most Americans are descended from immigrants; it ceases to be quiet in the anonymous comments to newspaper articles where immigration and multi-culturalism are often the targets of much rage and sarcasm, notably in The Daily Telegraph.

Anglo-American relations have veered between competition for influence and resources in the Middle East (notably in the 1930s); and co-operation, as in the First and Second World Wars. Churchill was half-American and was never entirely trusted by the British establishment, or indeed the Conservative Party, which he joined when it was clear his first party, the Liberals, would not win another election. But Anglo-American relations are quite complex and I don't know what it has to do with the Wall St Occupation, or even why this thread is in General Discussion. Tra-la-la.

That was comment from the link that Bella provided not from me personally.

[Prospero]

Yvonne - I have posted a huge number of positive things across this forum about American life - culture and politics. i love America and Americans which is why I so deeply deplore the perversion of American values that I see manifest in the impulses of the tea party and in the souther bigots who would probably kill you and most of the people in this forum. (To them we are perverts and weirdos). These people exist across the world. I hate them wherever and whenever i meet them. But there are no strands here talking about the hate manifested by Russians or Aussies or Dutch or whoever. The bulk of the political discussion on here is about America. And since America remains the most powerful nation in the world, what happens in your domestic politics shapes the future of all of us.

If I offer an intemperate response to your postings (those Buffy St Marie songs for instance) its an attempt to remind you that all of us - the British and the Americans and the rest) have horrible skeletons in our closets.

Oh and where do you see me crying like a baby> Really Yvonne. What's eating you up today?

[Yvonne183]

Yvonne - I have posted a huge number of positive things across this forum about American life - culture and politics. i love America and Americans which is why I so deeply deplore the perversion of American values that I see manifest in the impulses of the tea party and in the souther bigots who would probably kill you and most of the people in this forum. (To them we are perverts and weirdos). These people exist across the world. I hate them wherever and whenever i meet them. But there are no strands here talking about the hate manifested by Russians or Aussies or Dutch or whoever. The bulk of the political discussion on here is about America. And since America remains the most powerful nation in the world, what happens in your domestic politics shapes the future of all of us.

If I offer an intemperate response to your postings (those Buffy St Marie songs for instance) its an attempt to remind you that all of us - the British and the Americans and the rest) have horrible skeletons in our closets.

Oh and where do you see me crying like a baby> Really Yvonne. What's eating you up today?

What is eating me is I am tired of reading, watching tv, web forums hearing from Europeans/UK how terrible we are in the US. Sometimes you seem to have some sort of playbook writen by a few people that tells you what life is really like here in the US.

While yes, if you use the phrase "Southern bigot" of course this person will want to kill me because by definition you labeled him a bigot, just like an English bigot would want to kill me but if you use the word southerner or even white southerner then this statement you make is not true. This is something that is written in that mythical book liberals seem to own.

I live with people that can be described as redneckish, but they don't want to kill me. there was more danger to my life when living around Obama supporters but you living in the UK probably don't believe cause it doesn't make sense in the book. When i say book, I mean liberal ideals.

You people in the UK and some Americans on this forum are all good and ready to make blanket statements about groups of people that you dislike but don't like it when the same is done in return. Just cause someone has a political idea that doesn't fits yours doesn't make them a bad person. And I just get tired of hearing british liberals talk as if they are God's gift to the world. I feel sometimes the Brits should clean their own yard before they try and clean the worlds yard, that is basically it.

What i meant about the cry baby thing was when you said British xenophobia,,, I didn't know what else to say,, i was laughing to much so saying cry baby is all i could think of.

[Prospero]

No I don't like blanket statement. And you'll see i am careful to point at the racists among the tea party followers and the abuse of the ideals of ordinary people by billionaire business people.
You are now doing the same calling us "you people." Talk to me - talk to an individual rather than "you people." I am talking to you Yvonne. Not grandstanding.

And yes British xenophobia is a reality I do not deny it. I am ashamed of it. Many brits DO take a very simplistic viewpoint of the US. I have been to the US literally hundreds of times. i have many friends there - across the nation (and in the south) I have family there. I am not trafficking in stereotypes. I say the things i say out of love for your country - not hate. The things that frighten me - in the UK and the US - are the rise of unreasons, the rise of race hate (against Muslims right now) the re-awakening of an always latent homophobia, of anti Semitism and other such disturbing trends. Yes I am a "liberal" which is I have hear a dirty word in the US now - often aligned in some people's minds with being a commie (thanks in large part to the efforts of vicious idiots like Glen Beck). But I have ideals such as equalty, human rights, justice etc which I see being betrayed across the board (here and in your country) - and which i believe in passionately. Okay.

[Silcc69]

What is eating me is I am tired of reading, watching tv, web forums hearing from Europeans/UK how terrible we are in the US. Sometimes you seem to have some sort of playbook writing by a few people that tells you what life is really like here in the US.

While yes, if you use the phrase "Southern bigot" of course this person will want to kill me because by definition you labeled him a bigot, just like an English bigot would want to kill me but if you use the word southerner or even white southerner this statement you make is not true. This is something that is written in that mythical book liberals seem to own.

I live with people that are can be described as redneckish, bu they don't want to kill me. there was more danger to my life when living around Obama supporters but you living in the UK probably don't believe cause it doesn't make sense in the book. When i say book, I mean liberal ideals.

You people in the UK and some Americans on this forum are all good and ready to make blanket statements about groups of people that you dislike but don't like it when the same is done in return. Just cause someone has a political idea that doesn't fits yours doesn't make them a bad person. And I just get tired of hearing british liberals talk as if they are God's gift to the world. I feel sometimes the Brits should clean their own yard before they try and clean the worlds yard, that is basically it.

What i meant about the cry baby thing was when you said British xenophobia,,, I didn't know what else to say,, i was laughing to much so saying cry baby is all i could think of.

Please enlighten me about that one. And let's be real which party has pray the gay away? Which party had the debate in which the crowd booed an openly gay soldier yet none of the candidates didn't say a damn thing about how wrong the crowd was. I think there probably just as many gay republicans politicians as there is democrat but being open about it would be political suicide. The christian right has a very very strong presence in the republican politics. Which is ironic considering that don't even seem to be living by the teachings of Jesus. And i'm sure you're aware of the old southern strategy.

[Yvonne183]

No I don't like blanket statement. And you'll see i am careful to point at the racists among the tea party followers and the abuse of the ideals of ordinary people by billionaire business people.
You are now doing the same calling us "you people." Talk to me - talk to an individual rather than "you people." I am talking to you Yvonne. Not grandstanding.

And yes British xenophobia is a reality I do not deny it. I am ashamed of it. Many brits DO take a very simplistic viewpoint of the US. I have been to the US literally hundreds of times. i have many friends there - across the nation (and in the south) I have family there. I am not trafficking in stereotypes. I say the things i say out of love for your country - not hate. The things that frighten me - in the UK and the US - are the rise of unreasons, the rise of race hate (against Muslims right now) the re-awakening of an always latent homophobia, of anti Semitism and other such disturbing trends. Yes I am a "liberal" which is I have hear a dirty word in the US now - often aligned in some people's minds with being a commie (thanks in large part to the efforts of vicious idiots like Glen Beck). But I have ideals such as equalty, human rights, justice etc which I see being betrayed across the board (here and in your country) - and which i believe in passionately. Okay.

My mistake,, when you said British Xenophobia I thought you meant Americans who hated British foreigners to America.

[Prospero]

Yvonne - sorry if you feel we hate Americans. It isn't so. Sorry to see you aligning yourself with the more virulent right wingers here. I am sure that isn't your natural home either and a position you're taking for the sake of this argument.
I regret to advise you that i will continue to post critical remarks about the penetration of the GOP by ignorance and viciousness. it is too important for us all not to remark upon. The USA is too powerful to fall into the hands of the ultra right. It will affect us all. Look at the mess our MUTUAL interference in iraq has left for the whole Middle east. Thanks to Bush and Blair.

Feel free to offer your insights on the horrible nature of the british Conservative party. They're a bunch of vile folk too.

Stay well. I'm logging out now.

[Stavros]

Yvonne, I only started reading this thread today and don't have an interest in Canadian folk music even though I know a Canadian who plays it; I just commented on what interested me, and I wasn't criticising your views and did make the point that I myself have been subject to abuse in this country because of some confusion over my assumed origins.
The Insurgency in Malaya was over by the time the US began its operations in Vietnam, and the record of British imperialism in parts of America, Africa, and Asia is mixed, on the one hand there are cases of many atrocities, on the other hand there is a different, more positive perspective on Empire but to explain it would take a long time and it is not germane to this thread. And, as you point out, sometimes the US and the UK have been in nasty situations together.

Silc, I haven't read the whole thread, mea culpa.

[Yvonne183]

Yvonne - sorry if you feel we hate Americans. It isn't so. Sorry to see you aligning yourself with the more virulent right wingers here. I am sure that isn't your natural home either and a position you're taking for the sake of this argument.
I regret to advise you that i will continue to post critical remarks about the penetration of the GOP by ignorance and viciousness. it is too important for us all not to remark upon. The USA is too powerful to fall into the hands of the ultra right. It will affect us all. Look at the mess our MUTUAL interference in iraq has left for the whole Middle east. Thanks to Bush and Blair.

Feel free to offer your insights on the horrible nature of the british Conservative party. They're a bunch of vile folk too.

Stay well. I'm logging out now.

Bye,, it's been fun,, well sort of.