From: n8810182@henson.cc.wwu.edu (LittleOne)
Subject: All this nonsense... *sigh*
Organization: Wonderfully Wet University
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1992 18:05:55 GMT


You guys should really listen to yourselves once in a while.  
I personally haven't gotten thru ALL the articles about bashing
this country and this country, but it's getting a bit ridiculous.
(pardon my spelling, I'm an American *SMILE* *WINK* *JOKE*)

IF most of you have been paying attention and actually using IRC
as a learning tool, you would know that no one country is perfect.
How many of you out there 'bashing' (or otherwise noting the not
so nice characterists of) another country have even been outside 
your own country?  Now I don't mean Finns going to Norway, or
Americans going to Canada, or even Austrailians going to New Zeland
(sorry, closest country I could think of), I'm talking about those
going halfway around the world to visit another country.  If you
haven't... I suggest you take your arguements and examine them
closely, you haven't much room to talk.  

IF you haven't experienced a culture first hand, how could you 
possibly understand it?  Some arguements I've seen have been
true on ALL accounts.  What Heikki said about America having a high
illiteracy rate is TRUE.  No European country would be caught dead
with our illiteracy rate.  What tsh mentioned about American women
(I can vaguely remember it) is also true, but the truthfulness of
his statements can only be seen by visiting Finland.  

There are other things not so perfect about our great God chosen
land.  We do not take care of our people like we should.  Our 
government is too concerned with protecting us from Russia and Japan, 
rather than protecting us from poverty, homelessness, unemployment,
and medical deteriation.  How did I become more AWARE of these problems?
I talked to people in other countries on IRC, I lived in Germany, and 
I've visited Finland.  I'm not full of bull nor are the Europeans.
I'm not an authority on the matter by any means, but the apathy of our
country slapped me in the face on day when a Finn asked me a seemingly
RUDE question  -- "Why are your teeth crooked?"   My answer, I can't afford
to fix them.  His reply?  -- "Your country does not pay for it?"  I had
to think about that one before I could answer.

I'm not out to bash my own country, I am what I would call an embarassed
but proud American.  I do like my country and would not rather be in 
another, but for pete's sake stop and LISTEN to what is being said rather
than the words or the emotion behind it.  No other country is perfect
either, did I mention that Finland has horrible taxes?  Did we mention
that Germany played a part in two major wars we'd all like to forget about?
Did we mention that Japan's people work so hard that they have little time
for play (as defined by american standards)?  Look, they're not perfect, 
nor are we, so get off your high horses and quit bashing!

-- 
     /)               /      /~~\             *  Vickie Hoover           
    /      * _/__/_  /  _   /    )  __   _    *  n8810182@henson.cc.wwu.edu    
   /      /  /  /   /  / ) (    /-//  ) / )   *  8810182@nessie.cc.wwu.edu
  (_____ (_/(_/(_/ /_ (_/_/ \__/ /   /_(_/_/  *  VickieH@nessie.cc.wwu.edu
Newsgroups: alt.irc