So Sad on So Many Levels

[Duppie 73]

And I would +1 you if I could (although I never really did any of that anyway). That was a good, thoughtful post.

 

I have not traveled abroad a lot, but my impression is that most people love America and Americans, at least in Europe; wheareas that's probably not as true in the Middle East. I've heard pundits say that social media will help bring about an end to the oppression of Sharia Law and such, but last year's so-called "Arab Spring" would suggest otherwise.

I have traveled extensively and lived in Europe and while most Europeans like or love America for the opportunities she offers,you would be surprised at the undercurrent of ambivalence or distaste most hold for Americans.

[Sandy 44]

I have traveled extensively and lived in Europe and while most Europeans like or love America for the opportunities she offers,you would be surprised at the undercurrent of ambivalence or distaste most hold for Americans.

 

That has been my experience as well. I have not traveled extensively through Europe ( have only been to Ireland) but I have done a lot of International Business trade and am friends with a lot of Europeans. Oh yeah , and I'm married to one. he a'ight though And my kids have dual citizenship.

 

I find that they just don't like Americans. I asked a French friend of mine once why the French can't stand American tourists. He said they talk too much , tell you their life story ( oh , you mean friendly) , dress down for meals , etc.

 

But then here in America we don't want someone in line at a bank wearing a full Burka , and France is lit up over how unaccepting we are. The same guy tells me this info. Kills me!

 

I'm sure visiting American tourists offer a bit of culture when they are traveling abroad and may do things that are considered rude there but not here ..I just find it ironic that USA is held by the World to these PC standards when it comes to who we let live in OUR country.

 

We are expected to help everyone , let everyone in , accept everyone's cultural differences , when nowhere else in the world is that practiced. If someone here wanted to move to France and live and work , good luck. But then in the news over there you see coverage of how cruel we are to lob people back over the border.

 

And on the topic of immigration I know good hard working educated people that have no shot of getting in here because of current immigration policies ( which are quite strict , but only if you try to get in legally) , meanwhile undocumented people have more of a chance of getting to stay for doing the process illegally. Boggles the mind. My heart bleeds for those people that are so desperate that they risk life and limb to get here , and I know what it says on the foot of the Statue Of Liberty , but we are just no longer socially or financially equipped to take in Central American refugees without limit.

 

No easy answers I guess :/

[johnp 45]

That has been my experience as well. I have not traveled extensively through Europe ( have only been to Ireland) but I have done a lot of International Business trade and am friends with a lot of Europeans. Oh yeah , and I'm married to one. he a'ight though And my kids have dual citizenship.

 

I find that they just don't like Americans. I asked a French friend of mine once why the French can't stand American tourists. He said they talk too much , tell you their life story ( oh , you mean friendly) , dress down for meals , etc.

 

But then here in America we don't want someone in line at a bank wearing a full Burka , and France is lit up over how unaccepting we are. The same guy tells me this info. Kills me!

 

I'm sure visiting American tourists offer a bit of culture when they are traveling abroad and may do things that are considered rude there but not here ..I just find it ironic that USA is held by the World to these PC standards when it comes to who we let live in OUR country.

 

We are expected to help everyone , let everyone in , accept everyone's cultural differences , when nowhere else in the world is that practiced. If someone here wanted to move to France and live and work , good luck. But then in the news over there you see coverage of how cruel we are to lob people back over the border.

 

And on the topic of immigration I know good hard working educated people that have no shot of getting in here because of current immigration policies ( which are quite strict , but only if you try to get in legally) , meanwhile undocumented people have more of a chance of getting to stay for doing the process illegally. Boggles the mind. My heart bleeds for those people that are so desperate that they risk life and limb to get here , and I know what it says on the foot of the Statue Of Liberty , but we are just no longer socially or financially equipped to take in Central American refugees without limit.

 

No easy answers I guess :/

 

+1 Well said Sandy!

[RedBowTies88 41]

Culture thing or not, it's wrong in my opinion. There's a huge difference in impregnating and having intercourse with a10-year old vs. say a 15 or 16-year old. I don't care where you come from or what village you grew up in. This is simply wrong.

 

 

Sure, just like not going to church every sunday and worshiping jesus absolutely wrong. Why? becuase that's what (Insert x person here) thinks or taught you.

 

Not what you morally accept? That case it definitely must just be simply wrong. Don't care about what anyone else thing because that simply doesn't matter. what is wrong IS WRONG. no explination necessary. I don't understand why threads like this come up..its obviously wrong so there's no need for discussion. this of course going along with a host of other things.

 

Prostitution?: Simply wrong

Religion other than christianity?: Simply wrong

Abortion?: Simply wrong

Not trusting your goverment?: Simply wrong

Not respecting your elders?: Simply wrong

Anything I really don't understand or see a need for?: Simply wrong

Freedom?: Simply wrong.

 

It's all wrong and none of it has any real effect on me. so why hasn't the goverment banned it yet?

[this_is_nascar 162]

Why is prostitution wrong, in your eyes, assuming we're talking about prostitutes of legal age? The person is providing a service and being compensated for that service. If you're saying it's wrong because it's illegal, then OK, but if you're saying it's wrong for other reasons, I'd be interested in hearing them.

[johnp 45]

 

 

Sure, just like not going to church every sunday and worshiping jesus absolutely wrong. Why? becuase that's what (Insert x person here) thinks or taught you.

 

Not what you morally accept? That case it definitely must just be simply wrong. Don't care about what anyone else thing because that simply doesn't matter. what is wrong IS WRONG. no explination necessary. I don't understand why threads like this come up..its obviously wrong so there's no need for discussion. this of course going along with a host of other things.

 

Prostitution?: Simply wrong

Religion other than christianity?: Simply wrong

Abortion?: Simply wrong

Not trusting your goverment?: Simply wrong

Not respecting your elders?: Simply wrong

Anything I really don't understand or see a need for?: Simply wrong

Freedom?: Simply wrong.

 

It's all wrong and none of it has any real effect on me. so why hasn't the goverment banned it yet?

 

Are you being sarcastic or serious?

[Old Glock guy 1,127]

Clearly sarcasm. He just didn't write it very well.

[RedBowTies88 41]

My appologies, That was a very poorly written response by a very sleepy me after just waking up from a nap.

 

My point; the're many different viewpoints to many different things. Flat out saying something is wrong just because you think it is, or becuase you don't agree with it is nothing more then ignorance in it's finest.

 

like I've said before.. An open mind is a marvelous thing, however a closed mind still manages to flow in one direction.

[Fallout 3]

cultural or not, shes 10. its 2012, not whatever year they feel they want to live in.

[bbk 188]

So, we must push modernity on all people? Otherwise they're what? Savages? While we're at it, why don't we selectively breed, or, more subtlety, perform gene-modification so we can attain the "perfect" race?

 

C'mon. Just because you may not agree with a culture does not mean they're wrong. Just because we, as Americans/Westerners, see the world a certain way doesn't mean that is how it should be across the board. This is the fundamental issue that has caused the vast majority of issues across the globe, and one, unfortunately, that continues because people don't realize the fault in this sort of thinking.

 

ETA: I don't advocate nor prescribe to the cultural practices described in the OP's link. However, that does not mean I will say that it is culturally wrong is my point.

[RedBowTies88 41]

Well said BBK.

 

[Fallout 3]

yeah i guess i agree, but most cultures don't give the chance or opportunity to see what the rest of the world is like, and the option to change if they want. Amish for instance have rumspringa, letting the later teens go out and experience the world for what it is and has to offer. other cultures do not, if they leave they are shunned forever. that, in my eyes is just wrong.

[Sandy 44]

My brother almost had a rumspringa baby. Wasn't his though after all. Phew!

[Fallout 3]

Wow that would've been something hahah

[johnp 45]

My brother almost had a rumspringa baby. Wasn't his though after all. Phew!

 

Huh, that's interesting! I wonder how that would have played out, would she have returned to her family from Rumspringa with an English baby? Would they welcome her, or cast her away?

[Fallout 3]

Cast away for sure lol

[Sandy 44]

She moved somewhere , nobody knows where . Her family probably sent her to Ohio to be with other relatives or something. Ultimately they wanted nothing to do with the boy that was the father .

 

My brother , had he turned out to be the father , would have fought that. Who knows how it would have turned out.

 

He had been casually seeing another girl at the time , and got her pregnant at the same time ( yes , we wanted to kill him , he gave us a few gray hairs that one) . It is a small rural community so he went to the first prenatal with one girl..then the next week showed up at the same office with a different girl for the first prenatal. According to him , when he showed up with girl number two , the OB took him into his office and said " son , what is going on here? " lol

 

That was a long time ago. He is married to the one girl and they have 2 kids ( she lost that first one early) . I tell you it was good to see that boy turn into a good man lol

 

I was in their neck of the woods all the time since my dad lived there with my little siblings ( Quarryville PA) and I hung out with a lot of Amish kids. They lead a pretty free existence until after their Rumspinga , from what I saw. We had dirtbikes ( they did not obviously) they had rifles . We always went riding out into the woods and feild and shot cans . They could really throw back the mash too. They had no problem drinking and drunk buggying . Then after Rumspringa most would settle down and stay , have a family. A lot did not.

 

Funny , my brother can't buy a handgun in PA because of an incident with an Amish kid . He and his Amish buddy raided another buddies liquor cabinet when they were 14 and 15 , then they took off on my Kawasaki KX80 that was in the garage. The Amish kid was driving and he put it into a ditch. He said he was wound out in the top gear , so he was probably doing 50 to 60 mph. Multiple broken bones for the both of them.

 

Well , my brother freaked out in the hospital . He had a bad reaction to the pain killers and he told his mother he wanted to die and had wished he died in the accident . Teen drama on a morphine drip ..but his mother took it seriously , and she is one of those nuts who thrives on things like this ( we have the same dad , different mothers) . So she had him commited to the psychiatric ward Stupid , he was fine as soon as he started healing up. He was probably acting nuts because his mother was there and she always rewarded that kind of stuff. I'm sure you all know the type.

 

Anyway , fast forward 15 years ..he is a responsible grown up ( never got into trouble again after that , except for the near miss on the Rumspringa offspringa ) . Went to go buy a handgun...denied . He had gone to get a pistol because he heard I had picked up the hobby and thought it would be a fun thing for us to do together ( in PA)

 

He looked into and it will cost him about 1500 to get a new psychiatric eval to clear him. They just had a new baby , so that is out of reach right now. I offered to help him out with it,but his wife will freak if money like that goes towards a hobby . He does need to sort it out eventually though , in case he ever needs to do a background check for a job.

 

I really liked spending time out in Lancaster Country ,and I liked the Amish. There was a time when they government tried to force them to mainstream educate their kids. Glad that fell through . Plenty people in PA homeschool now,Amish or not.

 

Also when I was in the security industry I use to sell wind up CO detectors .Since they used wood stoves and such they had a lot of problems with Carbon Monoxide poisoning , especially as they got better at insulating their homes.

 

Interesting people for sure.