And the win goes to...

robert65ferguson

As a non American outside observer I have asked a number of reasonable questions which to date no one has seen fit to answer. Are there any American contributors in this 'discussion group willing to at least try to answer these questions or should I just give it up as a lost cause and go away. Surely there is somone who can at least attempt to give a reasoned argument without reverting to abuse.

adrian_indy

As a non American outside observer I have asked a number of reasonable questions which to date no one has seen fit to answer. Are there any American contributors in this 'discussion group willing to at least try to answer these questions or should I just give it up as a lost cause and go away. Surely there is somone who can at least attempt to give a reasoned argument without reverting to abuse.

Americans are combative by nature. When it comes to politics, our two party system has completely alienated our citizens into two warring camps that often fail to realize that many of the two parties at the top levels embrace similar policies regardless of the rhetoric and except money from the same contributors at the top. Long story short, because I don't have much time tonight to delve into it further, the fact is that I have a lot of friends that sound just like MassiveDelta, and even though if we were at the local bar arguing politics, cussing at eachother, and getting heated. I have every confidence that if either he or I saw eachother broken down on the highway, we would probably stop and help each other out. We are a big family with some real conflict, but as time has proven over and over again, we will put all this crap aside when the **** hits the fan.

robert65ferguson

Thanks Adrian for taking the time to respond. I understand and appreciate that we are conditioned by the culture in which we grow up and I understand the point you make about Americans being combative by nature. I recognise that it is that 'can do' spirit which has enabled the USA to make such a massive contribution to western society. Hopefully you and the other contributors in this group will in turn recognise that people outside the US looking in are often suprised at the passionate way in which many Americans seem to engage with each other. It sometimes feels as if we have visited a family where a full scale row is going on, we aren't familiar with the underlying issues and we don't understand the rules of engagement. We only know that perhaps it's best not to get involved until the heat dies down and then perhaps try to bring about some element of reconcilliation. We are also wise enough not to take sides unless we want both warring factions to unite in a common cause against the well intentioned outsider.
The lesson of history is surely that it is only through engaging across cultures and being prepared to have our beliefs and opinions subjected to outside peer group review will we avoid the inevitable conflict which will result from mistaken perception. The recent US Presidential elections have received significant coverage in the UK and elsewhere. There is a very real concern about the problems facing the USA. There is also a hope that both sides can find the common ground and resolve the current economic situation. Failure to do so will have severe reprecussions for us all.