So, this NPPL top 18 business...

[Baca Loco]

Circle of Life

Originally posted by Robbo
1. I would tend to disagree with this as I believe the US has managed to overthrow traditional distinctions and actually allowed your culture to become a synonym for the state but I do agree, I did change the frame of reference.

2. It started with movies, then progressed to Coke and the comprehensive embrace was finalised when it metastasised...any metaphors spring to mind????

3. Chip???? We call them crisps duuuuuude

1--classic misdirection. Fear the nukes fall to the fast food.
2--while that analogy may--from your viewpoint--be appropriate to a thoughtful individual we weren't talking about thoughtful individuals.
3--sorry, dude is passe. Please see Foote interview in PGI 183, pgs. 40-41.

 

[Robbo]

Circle of Life

Originally posted by Baca Loco
1--classic misdirection. Fear the nukes fall to the fast food.
2--while that analogy may--from your viewpoint--be appropriate to a thoughtful individual we weren't talking about thoughtful individuals.
3--sorry, dude is passe. Please see Foote interview in PGI 183, pgs. 40-41.

Points 1 and 2 fade to obscurity under the onslaught of two mismatched but effective intellects

Point 3, 'dude' is passe I agree but just like 'Wassup' was revived, please see Budweiser TV ad circa 1999 and 'Wasssuuuuuuup' became the rebirth, so does 'duuuuuuuude' now assume a simliar distinction

 

[manike]

Re: Re: Intheno and Manike started it!

Originally posted by Baca Loco
I was responding to Manike and Intheno's "Stupid Americans, Superior Brits" chatter by pointing out virtually every Euroballer goes to silly extremes to take on every trapping of American "identity" they can in order to feel cool---so they (and whoever else) can make whatever claims they want 'cus Eurokids actions and behavior speak louder than their words.

I would be inclined to agree... and then your fellow countrymen let you down appallingly. By comments (and these are real things said to me personnally!) such as.

1) Where is England.

2) Do you have computers in England?

3) Do you have the internet in England?

And my all time favourite...

4) What language do you speak in England.

I kid you not.

And your point about American intellect was?

 

[Baca Loco]

Re: Re: Re: Intheno and Manike started it!

Originally posted by manike
I would be inclined to agree... and then your fellow countrymen let you down appallingly. By comments (and these are real things said to me personnally!) such as.

1) Where is England.

2) Do you have computers in England?

3) Do you have the internet in England?

And my all time favourite...

4) What language do you speak in England.

I kid you not.

And your point about American intellect was?

Manike, you're only reinforcing my point. American popular culture is the lowest common denominator combo of sub-culture desperation for an identity co-opted by a pampered, illiterate, uneducated, self-absorbed youth (with technical assistance from mainstream media) and despite all that--you people can't get enough!

As to the so-called "stupid" things Americans don't know about England--why would they, it doesn't matter a lick to them except as an incidental curiosity.

Btw, however you slice it you don't have a leg to stand on since you jumped, both feet first, onto the gross conspicuous consumption bandwagon before your jet lag wore off.

 

[Robbo]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Intheno and Manike started it!

Originally posted by Baca Loco
Manike, you're only reinforcing my point. American popular culture is the lowest common denominator combo of sub-culture desperation for an identity co-opted by a pampered, illiterate, uneducated, self-absorbed youth (with technical assistance from mainstream media) and despite all that--you people can't get enough!

I can't let you get away with that one Paul.....whilst acknowledging the abject ignorance of some but significant number of your youth class, you cannot suggest we are complicit or even are hypocrites because some people over here drink Coke, wear baggy pants or indulge in 'duuuudes' or whatever.
Adoption of mannerisms or behaviours that are symptomatic of ignorance isn't a reinforcement of your point at all, no way matey !!!

I agree 100% with everything you said but you failed to draw that distinction and therefore your conclusion, in my opinion, is flawed.

 

[Baca Loco]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Intheno and Manike started it!

Originally posted by Robbo
1--I can't let you get away with that one Paul.....whilst acknowledging the abject ignorance of some but significant number of your youth class, you cannot suggest we are complicit or even are hypocrites because some people over here drink Coke, wear baggy pants or indulge in 'duuuudes' or whatever.

Adoption of mannerisms or behaviours that are symptomatic of ignorance isn't a reinforcement of your point at all, no way matey !!!

I agree 100% with everything you said but you failed to draw that distinction and therefore your conclusion, in my opinion, is flawed.

Regarding Manike's post the whole context was American Stupid, Brit Clever. My only point was if Americans are in fact so stupid how pathetic is it that everyone wants to be like us? If what you are suggesting is that you can separate so-called superficialities of speech, clothes, music, etc. from other more important sorts of "likeness" I think you are seriously mistaken. Whether chosen consciously or not all those characteristics can and do influence attitudes, beliefs and the rest--especially when the trappings are taken on without considering the ramifications. When young peeps the world over enthusiastically embrace the American pop culture phenomenon there are gonna be consequences whether they are acknowledged or not. Given the predicates of that culture the results are unlikely to be very desireable.

 

[ascutt]

Baco

Gotta dip my oar in here, why is it you (and from a lot of experience gained in your lovly country I mean you as a stereotypical group that is easy to pick on) think everyone wants to be like you? I believe the general adoption of Americanisms come not from a want to 'be like Mike' but from an unceasing and never-ending media and corporate driven frenzy to make us like Mike. Eventually enough dollars pumping enough ****e onto TV and film is going to make kids think that US stuff is cool. It is easy to equate if you are a large American corporation - we make loads of dosh in the US so lets make the rest of the world the same and we can make sh*t loads more from them as well.

 

[manike]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Intheno and Manike started it!

Originally posted by Baca Loco
Regarding Manike's post the whole context was American Stupid, Brit Clever. My only point was if Americans are in fact so stupid how pathetic is it that everyone wants to be like us? If what you are suggesting is that you can separate so-called superficialities of speech, clothes, music, etc. from other more important sorts of "likeness" I think you are seriously mistaken.

Ah but even our 'morons', who may dress and talk like your 'morons' actually have a certain level of education, and intelligence which is higher. Even if they do their best to hide it and disguise it with mind numbing drugs...

From my experience your average Euro kid has a better knowledge and understanding of things outside say a 100mile radius, than your average American kid. They are also better at spelling and reasoning.

I don't know if there have been any studies, but I would bet the average education in the UK is higher than the USA.

Just because the young UK kids embrace the USA pop culture, doesn't mean they get labotomies (sp?) at the same time.

I'd wonder if the average IQ of both countries is known? But then the USA is the only country I've been in that really feels the need to evaluate it's people's IQ and boast about it. It amuses me when people here like to brag about their IQ.

 

[Baca Loco]

Originally posted by ascutt
Baco

Gotta dip my oar in here, why is it you (and from a lot of experience gained in your lovly country I mean you as a stereotypical group that is easy to pick on) think everyone wants to be like you? I believe the general adoption of Americanisms come not from a want to 'be like Mike' but from an unceasing and never-ending media and corporate driven frenzy to make us like Mike. Eventually enough dollars pumping enough ****e onto TV and film is going to make kids think that US stuff is cool. It is easy to equate if you are a large American corporation - we make loads of dosh in the US so lets make the rest of the world the same and we can make sh*t loads more from them as well.

Hi Andy.
So y'all don't want to imitate American pop culture you're really just mind-numbed zombies corporate America programs for consumption.
Okay, if you say so.

Sounds like a rationalization to me, but hey, I could be wrong.

 

[Robbo]

We have to draw a line between what people are, and what people consume.
I know they are connected, sometimes inextricably but not necessarily in this case.

Pop culture as evidenced by fashion, music tastes and conversational modernisms are so heavily influenced by the media.
This influence is independent of any consensus intelligence factor though I will readily concede it would pander to it but...and it's a big but, just because there are common factors in consumables (even language in this pop sense can be described as consumable) does not mean the differing cultures can be lumped together in some sort of collective critique.

We have some truly stupid people over here in the UK just as you guys do in the US but what I will say is this, the level of ignorance seems to be so much more pronounced (and offensive) in the US when it comes to things like general knowledge and world affairs.
Third world countries have an excuse but with the education systems you guys have in place, there is no such excuse.
There is a difference between ignorance and stupidity, I don't think the Yanks are any more stupid than anywhere else in the world but I do think they have some enormous holes in their general knowledge that maybe borne out of a form of arrogance and a belief that the world centres around the US.

Hey just my two pennyworths...or is it cents