It started with a post about the FM radio chip issue (if you are not aware, a couple organizations are lobbying to have legislation passed to have FM chips put in cell phones - sort of). The editor (one of a few, and a European one) tends toward the dramatic and in this case had to slam "Americans" for being panic-prone. But not in such kind words.
I protested in response and it began like this:
Why do non-Americans find it necessary to comment (and not generally favorably) on purely American issues? (Surely you don't believe this issue will somehow affect Europe?)
Yeah I know, our government has its nose in everyone's business (which I don't agree with and vote against accordingly during elections). So that makes it O.K. to make glib comments about Americans in general?
(I vote Libertarian, btw, and fully buy into Teddy Roosevelt's "walk softly and carry a big stick" idea. Our focus needs to be internal, not external).
The responses I got back (mostly from people from the Netherlands for some reason) were along the lines of "because Americans are always commenting unfavorably about Europeans!"
Really? There have been no (zero) posts by the American editors with inserted slander against any European country or person. None. Yet this is not the first time such posts have come from the European sector. I pointed this out. The response was "that's because your media never reports on European affairs and ours (European media) is constantly shoving American issues in our faces and paint Americans as "ignorant hicks."
Lovely. Really. So that means you should carry that tradition on by barraging Americans with insults at every opportunity?
I then proceeded to point out that the PEOPLE here are no different from the PEOPLE there. Sure there are some cultural differences but we all get up, brush our teeth, kiss our kids, go to work, come home and eat, hang with our families then go to bed. In other words we are all human, no one better than the next.
What I don't get is where these people are coming from. A new generation in Europe? I worked with Europeans (specifically Irish, French and German) for several years while at DEC. They were wonderful (the people I worked with). One even invited us to stay at his house if we ever planned on vacationing in France. So what is changing? Why the hate? Why do they despise a group of people... can they not separate our gov't from us? I don't know. I guess I don't really care except that it causes me to lose respect for THEM if they cannot see through all the rhetoric in the news and from politicians and roll individuals up into their opinions based on such tripe.
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Several other people have responded to my post in the tech forum stating they agree and that they too have never seen any posts from Americans criticizing the Europeans or even their governments for their decisions and policies. It seems some people will use any outlet they can to step up on their soapbox.
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