Why is America so ace?

chicoazul · July 25, 2013

EFCNIK said:
Looked into living and working in the US. If you're from a sound country they won't even enter you into the lottery, yet if you're from Chad or Turkmenistan or wherever you're allowed to enter. Dafuq?

Not true that you bad racist.

Big Fat Sam · July 25, 2013

chicoazul said:
What did you think of Toronto? Love that city, it's like a jarg NYC but in a boss way.

Thought it was superb mate.

Was puzzled as to why I couldn't find a beer in a supermarket like, but apart from that top place!

Wanted to do the CN Tower edge walk but got there and realised it was gonna set us back about hundred nicker we decided to swerve it and save our money for NYC :lol:

I went to the Chinatown in all of the cities we visited and have to say, by an absolute country mile, the Chinatown district in Toronto is the best we went to. Head and shoulders above the rest. The Chinadown in Washington DC, for example, was a joke :lol:

, while in NYC is was marginally better but not that good.

Had the best dumplings ever in C-Town Toronto, om nom.

Big Fat Sam · July 25, 2013

EFCNIK said:
Looked into living and working in the US. If you're from a sound country they won't even enter you into the lottery, yet if you're from Chad or Turkmenistan or wherever you're allowed to enter. Dafuq?

Yeah I made the mistake of entering my details onto one of those jark lottery sites and I keep getting called by this weird +85 phone number :lol:

(looking into it myself too).

Del · July 25, 2013

Another thread turned into Chico's amazing travel adventures

Bore off huge head

chicoazul · July 25, 2013

butters said:
Thought it was superb mate.

Was puzzled as to why I couldn't find a beer in a supermarket like, but apart from that top place!

Wanted to do the CN Tower edge walk but got there and realised it was gonna set us back about hundred nicker we decided to swerve it and save our money for NYC

I went to the Chinatown in all of the cities we visited and have to say, by an absolute country mile, the Chinatown district in Toronto is the best we went to. Head and shoulders above the rest. The Chinadown in Washington DC, for example, was a joke , while in NYC is was marginally better but not that good.

Had the best dumplings ever in C-Town Toronto, om nom.

Defo. Downtown itself is a bit North American generic but all the little neighbourhoods sprouting off it are boss. It's a city of immigrants so they've set up and they all have their little feel, as you point out like.

Done the same thing with the ale, mad that isn't it? LCBO is the place. Getting ripped off in Canada there like. Have mates who live in Burlington further south and they nip over the border for their shopping and ale each week.

Could live there easily.

Del said:
Another thread turned into Chico's amazing travel adventures

Bore off huge head

FORE!

You fuming because you got stuck in a bunker today lad?

Del · July 25, 2013

chicoazul said:
Defo. Downtown itself is a bit North American generic but all the little neighbourhoods sprouting off it are boss. It's a city of immigrants so they've set up and they all have their little feel, as you point out like.

Done the same thing with the ale, mad that isn't it? LCBO is the place. Getting ripped off in Canada there like. Have mates who live in Burlington further south and they nip over the border for their shopping and ale each week.

Could live there easily.

FORE!

You fuming because you got stuck in a bunker today lad?

Got stuck in yer mar's water hazard

chicoazul · July 25, 2013

Del said:
Got stuck in yer mar's water hazard

That's ten over par surely mods?

SerenityNigh · July 25, 2013

Dell Boy said:
America isn't burdened by our ridiculous class system and it is a country that actually admires and promotes self-starters.

You can't un-do culture, I understand that, but I'm always impressed (in the neutral sense) at the natural class distinctions in the UK. Even when a team beats the favored team, it "shows class." That use of language surprises me.

Now, maybe my view is tainted (growing up as a white, "middle class" American*) but I've never felt that anybody (1) owed me anything or (2) could prevent me from doing anything. I'm always surprised when I see other cultures with views quite opposite. (*Granted, many African-Americans do not share this view, and I'm not part of any social groups that have been historically and unilaterally oppressed.)

chicoazul · July 25, 2013

SerenityNigh said:
You can't un-do culture, I understand that, but I'm always impressed (in the neutral sense) at the natural class distinctions in the UK. Even when a team beats the favored team, it "shows class." That use of language surprises me.

Now, maybe my view is tainted (growing up as a white, "middle class" American*) but I've never felt that anybody (1) owed me anything or (2) could prevent me from doing anything. I'm always surprised when I see other cultures with views quite opposite. (*Granted, many African-Americans do not share this view, and I'm not part of any social groups that have been historically and unilaterally oppressed.)

Cards on the table here mate: you hate blacks don't you?

SerenityNigh · July 25, 2013

somuchfun said:
The Corporate State

Bankruptcy law is heralded by many as America's greatest economic/corporate asset. That's not a far stretch, and I imagine one of your own economists would agree that bankruptcy (insomuch as is provides an opportunity to start over, having learned from failures) is instrumental in creating success. A culture that harshly penalizes failure has less success.

http://timharford.com/books/adapt/

Mikey_Fitzgerald · July 25, 2013

I wouldn't say America was "ace"

It's got a few aceholes that live there, but I don't think it's a patch on a really good European country (Germany, Czech Republic etc)

It's probably more fun than the UK though

SerenityNigh · July 25, 2013

chicoazul said:
Cards on the table here mate: you hate blacks don't you?

Not at all, mate. But growing up in Southern US you have to fight racism and racial tension. It creeps in like weeds; I've got friends who claim, "I'm not racist, but..." I suppose it's a lot like your Euro Nationalism. All said, no black man in the South gets a fair deal, and I understand that. I try to do my part in what's right.

malcson · July 25, 2013

Saying America is ace is like saying Europe is ace. You can't take a country that large and then fairly compare it to the UK or any other single Europena country. There are parts of America that are ace and parts that are not and aspects of American culture and society that are ace and many that are not.

What are the things about America that you believe are particularly ace?

chicoazul · July 25, 2013

SerenityNigh said:
Not at all, mate. But growing up in Southern US you have to fight racism and racial tension. It creeps in like weeds; I've got friends who claim, "I'm not racist, but..." I suppose it's a lot like your Euro Nationalism. All said, no black man in the South gets a fair deal, and I understand that. I try to do my part in what's right.

Fair enough lid, I just profiled you cheaply.

SerenityNigh · July 25, 2013

chicoazul said:
Cards on the table here mate: you hate blacks don't you?

You may already understand how 'Merica is different (for better and worse) than Europe, but here are two quick reads from a Stateside perspective.

(1) Nationalism (racism) is quite a foreign concept to most Americans. I "hate Yanks" but that really means nothing compared to what Wright Thompson describes in Italy

http://espn.go.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/9338962/when-beautiful-game-turns-ugly

(2) This is a bit more clear on the racial tensions in our culture

http://freedarko.blogspot.com/2009/03/fd-guest-lecture-roots-like-brutal.html