Trendy Insults - Page 2

June 26, 2008, 11:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aerocrystal

Furthermore, in some of those countries, as Eryth. mentioned there are even more problems with personal freedom, poverty, gender, immigration, and race relations than in America. America treated our native population like shit for hundreds of years (and according to many people, still does), but have you listened to how horrible Australians get when they talk about aboriginies? Now I'm not an expert on Australia so correct me if I'm wrong, but at least most Americans seem to have pride and interest in the native culture. Amongst any of the Australians I've ever spoken too, that seems really rare. (Again, correct me if I'm wrong).

Haha, well according to Darkstar the aborigines aren't looked upon favorably at all. They seem to like to sniff petrol and aren't particularly upstanding citizens. But I don't think the government does much to help them out either, so mostly they stay really low class and live out in the bush.

As for Native Americans...they're not exactly upstanding citizens either. Well, the ones who move out of reservations generally do make something of themselves, but I know that in alot of states (like Oklahoma) most of the Indians on reservations are alcoholics. The ones running the casinos do fairly well for themselves though. Also there's the matter of the Indians who set up tourist shops around the Smokey Mountains in North Carolina and then out in the Western states. Maybe this is just my view, but it seems kind of lame that they sell their heritage by making shitty souvenirs to sell tourists. Then again, they might not have any other way to make decent money.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Red_Mage

But seriously, I've nothing against the U.S. I've been there, I like it. I do hate Bush, but so does 90% of the country he runs, so I'm pretty normal on that view. Actually, I even keep up with American politics and isssues. I think the whole obesity thing is overblown.

If only more people would keep up with American news and politics

The obesity thing is still an issue of course, but there's a large effort to spread awareness about it. Everywhere you go you'll see carb/fat free foods, alot of schools are changing their lunch menus and vending machine items, and as a whole people are becoming more aware of it.

The thing I really don't understand is how so many people are fat and can stand to look at themselves in the mirror and not try to do something about it, especially when this country is obsessed with good looks. If being fat was trendy that would be a different matter, but it isn't. People like Jessica Alba and Angelina Jolie are the hot ones, not Rosie O'Donnell.

June 27, 2008, 12:03 AM

It is true that it is an ignorant stereotype.
People like to go on stereotyping and generalising others, and it only shows their own stupidity and ignorance.
However, stereotypes are rarely unfounded, and come about due to exaggerated opinions and generalisations.
It might be true that some people in a particular group conform to stereotypes, but this is not normally true for the whole group. Rumour and media portrayal is typically responsible for such stereotypes. Tabloids and television play a part in shaping most people's world views, unfortunately. Until they've seen something for themselves, many rely on what others say.
Stereotypes can often have some truth to them, but they are only one simple perspective, and should never be trusted as reliable fact. They can be funny, but only an idiot relies on stereotypes.

June 27, 2008, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prince Vegeta

Haha, well according to Darkstar the aborigines aren't looked upon favorably at all. They seem to like to sniff petrol and aren't particularly upstanding citizens. But I don't think the government does much to help them out either, so mostly they stay really low class and live out in the bush.

As for Native Americans...they're not exactly upstanding citizens either.

You should at least be fair to the native americans though. I remember studying a bit about it last year.
It was systematic genocide, a general or a politician said 'the more I meet Indians the more I want to kill them'.
They gave them rugs infected with smallpox and got them high and drunk before making them sign away their land. Judging them should be done whilst taking this into account.

The english 'settlers' to Australia had a far worse attitude, but were less successful. They hunted them for sport, they also tricked them into shooting themselves in the head.

I could understand South Americans hating the US. The whole monroe doctrine being part of US foreign policy thinking in the 60s and 70s is just so patronising for them. Also the support of Corrupt fascist governments doesn't help.
Also your recent presidents aren't glowing endorsements of America. The president of the USA is to the rest of the world, our view of your country. Bush can barely string a sentence together, Clinton was adulterous, and didn't he have some dodgy business dealings? Bush snr is not much better Jnr. Reagan lied to congress, and there is Irangate. Most people outside of America haven't heard of Carter. the same for Ford really. Nixon needs no explanation.
Apart from Reagan, they're pretty shitty representatives of America.
The rest of the world also thinks that America are oil hungry bastards that want to invade everywhere. Faggoty liberal journalists who think themselves oh so witty are already saying that America would have invaded Zimbabwe ages ago if they had oil.
People have short memories, as it was the US who stopped the Rwandan genocide and the genocide in serbia.
But you'll have to put up with the fact that America is the country people love to hate.

June 27, 2008, 12:41 PM

Quote:

The thing I really don't understand is how so many people are fat and can stand to look at themselves in the mirror and not try to do something about it, especially when this country is obsessed with good looks. If being fat was trendy that would be a different matter, but it isn't. People like Jessica Alba and Angelina Jolie are the hot ones, not Rosie O'Donnell.

I DO NOT WANT to get into another argument about weight, health, etc, but...

Some people like or don't mind being chubby/fat, and some are attracted to chubby or even fat people. Should they change because they don't conform to society's standards in their looks or preferences?
The health worries are definitely exaggerated, and people look to the stereotypes of fat, lazy slobs who suffer from an array of diseases. I have never denied that obesity can cause severe health problems, but being "overweight", not obese, is wrongly percieved as being unhealthy, when it is not, for most women, at least.

Nothing you haven't heard before, but I detect a certain irony.

Also, Rosie O'Donnell is ok.

June 27, 2008, 12:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prince Vegeta

Haha, well according to Darkstar the aborigines aren't looked upon favorably at all. They seem to like to sniff petrol and aren't particularly upstanding citizens. But I don't think the government does much to help them out either, so mostly they stay really low class and live out in the bush.

OK, lemme clear this all up.

The white english settlers came to Australia, thinking nobody owned it, until they came upon the aborigines. Shit happened until here we are today. Just recently, the Labor government, led by Kevin Rudd (who is much better than John Howard

) made a formal and political apology to the Aboriginal Australians regarding the Stolen Generation issues. I really can't be bothered telling you about that, just look it up yourself

.

Now, I know what I said was horrible, yet part of it is true. They are a low class race. Yet, the government does give them compensation, but the aborigines choose to use said money for alcohol and drugs. Oh, and petrol sniffing is just a horrible generalisation.

Now, yes VR, Australia does also have its terrible generalisation, which weren't helped by Steve Irwin (may he rest in peace).

For example: We all live in a desert community, have pet kangaroos, all know how to use boomerangs, have terrible dress sense, with those God awful cork hat things

June 28, 2008, 3:16 AM

i don't mean to target you, but "low-class race"? If I was an aborigine and all the white people, the people in power, just refferred to me as a low class race, I would probably start to act like that too.

Do you realize how that makes you sound? I will admit there are many Native Americans and probably Aborigines who do not take responsibility for themselves and probably abuse systems. Yet, so do many people of numerous other races and classes. How many white people do you know who just live off their rich parents but do nothing with their lives because I know quite a few. How often have you worked for rich white people and known they are cheating on their taxes or abusing the system in other ways? Also, perhaps lower class people might be crack heads or alcoholics, but how many rich people are coke heads or...alcoholics? Or completely stoned constantly?

Also, if you've been told for the past few hundred years that your race was less than human, wouldn't that have a psychological effect on your behavior? I have seen numerous forums where the topic of discussion is just "Do you think Aborigines are the ugliest people on the planet?" Now, if that is what you are told you're entire life and you grow up amidst people reinforcing that you are a piece of crap, wouldn't you react badly? Anyway, there is evidence that malnourishment and disease can lead to physical defects into in people's grandchildren. That means that if even if they are getting healthy diets now, if their ancestors suffered sickness and starving they could still be physically affected.

I know you didn't necessarily mean it the way I took it, but I think it's important to step back and think about any group of people we look down on.

June 28, 2008, 7:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Piedmon

It might be true that some people in a particular group conform to stereotypes, but this is not normally true for the whole group. Rumour and media portrayal is typically responsible for such stereotypes. Tabloids and television play a part in shaping most people's world views, unfortunately. Until they've seen something for themselves, many rely on what others say.

Actually there are some stereotypes that are true for a whole group and aren't simply propagated by the media. For instance, the stereotypes for southern Americans are true. I'm sure all of you who live in America (and maybe some of you who don't) have heard various things about rednecks, the southern drawl accent, and hillbillies. While not true for everyone down here, it is true for a very large portion of the southern states. There are tons of rednecks running around with rebel flags tattooed on their flabby biceps yelling "DAMN YANKEES" and bearing a grudge against the North. And I'm sure some of you have seen the show Beverly Hillbillies. Well, if you go into the areas around the Appalachian mountains, you really WILL see people like that.

Another example is the stereotype of black people and their love of chicken. Now most people of any color like chicken, but blacks seem to foster an even greater love for it. Watch any KFC commercial and it's always black people. Drive by a KFC and look in the parking lot and 9 times out of 10 there will be black people out there. Go into any fast food restaurant and pay attention to what a black person orders, almost every one will pick something with chicken.

So while some stereotypes are broad generalizations, the generalizations are also true.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Placebo

You should at least be fair to the native americans though. I remember studying a bit about it last year.
It was systematic genocide, a general or a politician said 'the more I meet Indians the more I want to kill them'.
They gave them rugs infected with smallpox and got them high and drunk before making them sign away their land. Judging them should be done whilst taking this into account.

The english 'settlers' to Australia had a far worse attitude, but were less successful. They hunted them for sport, they also tricked them into shooting themselves in the head.

Yes, what we did to them was pretty fucking awful. The Trail of Tears was probably the least atrocious thing done to them. I don't know if we tricked any into shooting themselves for sport though...actually I don't think it would have worked, since most tribes had rifles by the time the movement to exterminate them and/or get them on reservations had begun.

Quote:

I could understand South Americans hating the US. The whole monroe doctrine being part of US foreign policy thinking in the 60s and 70s is just so patronising for them. Also the support of Corrupt fascist governments doesn't help.
Also your recent presidents aren't glowing endorsements of America. The president of the USA is to the rest of the world, our view of your country. Bush can barely string a sentence together, Clinton was adulterous, and didn't he have some dodgy business dealings? Bush snr is not much better Jnr. Reagan lied to congress, and there is Irangate. Most people outside of America haven't heard of Carter. the same for Ford really. Nixon needs no explanation.

Ah yes, the Monroe doctrine. But how can anyone hate that? It's such a wonderful excuse to covertly overturn governments

As for Clinton, why yes he did have dodgy business dealings. He sold off some weapons secrets and god knows what else to China. Lying to the court about his affair with Monica Lewinsky is quite tame compared to the other stuff he did, like his China business dealings, pardoning criminals, etc. Bush may be an idiot but he's not near as corrupt as Bill was.

Quote:

The rest of the world also thinks that America are oil hungry bastards that want to invade everywhere. Faggoty liberal journalists who think themselves oh so witty are already saying that America would have invaded Zimbabwe ages ago if they had oil.

And to that silly notion I have but one thing to say: if we had invaded Iraq for the oil, the average cost of gas in America wouldn't be $4 and steadily rising.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darkstar

Now, yes VR, Australia does also have its terrible generalisation, which weren't helped by Steve Irwin (may he rest in peace).

For example: We all live in a desert community, have pet kangaroos, all know how to use boomerangs, have terrible dress sense, with those God awful cork hat things

I thought Steve Irwin was pretty cool, and having a pet kangaroo would be pretty awesome. I dunno if he perpetuated that many harmful generalizations for your country, though. Alot of what came of him was people thinking your country was full of tons of exotic animals and that everyone over there wrestled them and were outdoorsy types. Probably an inaccurate stereotype, but not necessarily a bad one to have.