http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/162066_focus29.html

Very interesting article. Some hightlights:

"They drew obese Americans devouring Coca-Cola and McDonald's hamburgers. They drew the Statue of Liberty with fangs or in chains or being run over by a wicked Uncle Sam on a motorcycle. And they drew George W. Bush: Bush riding a tank to war; Bush taking over the world; Bush as a liar; Bush as a monster."

"As sharp critics who, nevertheless, love our home, we tried to point out that the America simplistically rendered in the children's drawings was a mere caricature, that our country, like theirs, is a complex society struggling to make real its founding principles of liberty, justice and equality. But it was impossible to move the conversation far from the president and his triumphalist foreign policy. Europeans are preoccupied with their disdain of Bush."

"The average European is convinced that war is virtually never a sane alternative. They want to believe that all problems can be resolved in rational discussions at pleasant meeting places. That's why the Bush doctrine of pre-emptive war is anathema to them."

"Bush-hating has also given Europeans a marvelous distraction from their own failures; their failure in the Balkans, their failure to come up with a constitution for the European Union, their failure to build an independent military force, their failure to put together a single, coherent European foreign policy. In so many ways, Europeans who once ran the world now feel impotent to affect international events or even get their own house in order. They float like a lovely but rudderless old yacht in the surging wake of an American aircraft carrier."

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/162066_focus29.html

Fuck the French.

Your last two paragraphs connect so perfectly. For all their feelings of cultural superiority it was in Europe that genocide was probably best reduced to a mass production line. I admire the richness of art, of food, and of architecture that has come from this region of the world. But when it comes to a simple matter of living with your next door neighbors most of Europe has been a dismal failure.

A lot of Europeans act like old people who bitch about everything the young do - the music is too load, they pay no respect, they don't work, etc etc. The truth, as we all know, is that before people get old they acted the same way the current younger generation does - or if they didn't, they certainly wanted to.

I never put it down to jealousy, but I generally agree, particularly about the French, in that there is building what I generally attribute to Indians - a weird combination of arrogance running smack into an inferiority complex. You wouldn't think both could exist at the same time, but they do and it always leads to some real interesting actions and attitudes.

All I have to say is, I fucked to French girls last week (French Canadian to be specific but for everyone who's ever been to Quebec will attest, they are true French and not Canadians who live there) and they were great in the sack. And that's all that really matters to me....

1)"Fuck the French" :
As a French citizen on this board I ask Mr Hunterman to withdraw his assertion and to apologize. French soldiers died for the US Revolution as Americans did for France's freedom. Please, no insults between us, and whatever articles or opinion we can read,let us keep some restraint.

2)"For all their feelings of cultural superiority it was in Europe that genocide was probably best reduced to a mass production line".
The genocide Mr Tight fit is referring to was initiated by a sick and fanatic German minority which cannot be likened to the whole people of Germany and {a fortiori}to all the Europeans.

I have questions : which country, and its society as a whole, tolerated slavery for decades on its own land ? Which country kept blacks and whites in separated schools until the 60's? Which country perpetrated organized massacres of Indians and did not abide treaties negotiated with Native-American tribes?

Maybe the only superiority I see in Europeans over Americans is that we, Europeans, think that nobody is one good or one evil. Privilege of the age?

By the way, we can agree on one thing : US chicks are the most difficult women on earth.
But have you ever asked yourselves why?????.....

Peace,
Dcool

Dcool, I agree with your overall feelings about this topic but I disagree with your characterizing the genocide in Nazi Germany as something abnormal that was promoted by a small minority. Maybe the majority of the population was unaware of the exact details of what was taking place but they certainly had to be aware of the large numbers of people being rounded up and shipped off to unknown destinations.

Germany has not been unique in singling out a group to then later persecute. Nor is this only found in Europe as shown by more recent events in SE Asia, Africa, and Israel. And not to forget our (USA) own attempt at eliminating an entire race as we did with the Native Americans.

I just get tired of the constant condemnation of this country by those whose own failures often are far greater and whose successes are far less. As you so perfectly end your post, the biggest failure of this country may just be in its women. But then, you can't hit the bull's eye every time.

Tight fit,

Thanks for your reply. Actually, don't be mistaken: I am not an Americans basher.
The best service US women are doing for their unfortunate mates (and others like me) is that they made ClubHombre possible .

I was really "saved" by this board. Nowhere else I found such detailed info, humour, free speach, diversity of topics, etc...I would never exchange this board against a French one which anyway does not even exist.
Every morning, I thank God for making CH run by my "good fellow Americans". Every day I am here and I am learning something from you guys!

It is always interesting to exchange views with people from other culture although it can be rough sometimes.

Thanks for being there,

Dcool