I just have to comment on your post, scufytzu. I have been a member of the IMBd for around 5 years, and have read countless posts sent by European members stereo-typing those of us who happen to live in the U.S..It never really upset me as I am also a vocal American basher, mainly because of a certain criminal that claim's he's running the show for the last 8 years. I feel pretty much the same as far as the overwhelming amount of stupidity and closed-mindedness that I experience on a daily basis here, again that certain "idiot" comes to mind, LOL!
No, I have never been to Europe, let alone any foriegn country for that matter (unless, Canada counts), LOL. That fact in no way means that I have no interest or knowledge in other countries and the various customs, history, and diversity of the people who live in other parts of the world. I will even share my 20+ year dream/goal of one day traveling to Western Europe; hands down, that would be the place I would choose above ANY other!! You should be grateful that you were able to visit . However, I LIVE in the U.S.A. and just like you understand certain aspects of Italy that only someone who has been there could, the same must be said about me. There are some great thing's about the U.S. Although, lately they are getting harder to find! You sounded pretty pompus when you said "I bet you havn't been to Europe yet". As if a trip of that distance, cost, not to mention time is only a simple matter of DECIDING to go!!! If only it was that simple for the majority of people, I would probably be there right now. Don't get me wrong now, the original poster came off as a complete idiot; not (just) because he HATED the film, which is his perogative, it was more in his lack of sharing, what specifically he did not like about it. Besides the fact that the movie made him want to kill his family, LOL!
Now, I would like to point out a few of the examples you gave to try and demonstrate some of American's cultural divergences, to prove a point.
-"I, for one, don't really "get" westerns" I not only don't get westerns, I don't like them! The only one that I can say I really enjoyed, besides "Brokeback" that is, was "Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid" which broke every rule of a western; "Butch & Sundance" spent 40min. of the movie RUNNING AWAY from their pursuers. That definately went against the traditional western.
Also, just because I haven't been to Rome doesn't mean that I am oblivious to Fellini's intentions. I LOVE Italian films, Fellini, Rosselini, Antonioni, De Sica, I also love French films; Renoir, Clement, Malle, Godard, Truffaut and some of my other favorites are Bergman, Bunuel, Kurosawa, Ozu, Mizoguchi, and even some that speak english; Hitchcock, Altman, Scorsese, Kubrick, Wilder, Gilliam, Burton, Coen Bros.
Did I drop enough names to convince you that American's can be just as pretentious as European's??? Oh, one more thing were did you come up with Ally McBeal? That show's been off the air since 2002, 6 years ago, and started in 1997! I only know that because I looked it up, I remember it was popular in it's time, but I never got "it".
I'm starting to think that you may have just played me like a fiddle! If so WELL PLAYED!!!!
-ARE YOU FROM BOSTON BY ANY CHANCE?? "some really good company...."
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scufytzu
16 years ago
:)) Despite my acid opinions regarding the US, i have to say that i often find it to have very agreeable inhabitants. Such a pity that they are eclipsed by the vast majority of pinheads that usually stand out. No, i am not from Boston, i am from Europe. There's a consolation prize for you if you guess the country, and no, i am not italian. But let's just say that Italy and my country are closely related. The thing is, that one can learn a lot living in a place that doesn't have such a high profile on the international scene, but more likely sits quietly in the corner and listens when "the big guys" are talking. In today's world, the closer you get to the core of the target of certain products, the more likely you are to foolishly indulge in them and drop the criticism. Every marketing strategy ever played by immense companies with nothing but profit in their goals have been directed at the american public. Every campaign, every political scam, every instrument of mass-dumbing-down ever concocted, they are all tested out on the american public. A nation of lab-rats, perversely subjected to all the intellectual abuses they can take is what America has become. This is why i don't trust american opinions, because i see them as skewed. Like i said, of course some people remain clear headed, but you-know-who having been president for that long a time, and you-know-who no2 gaining fast in the election polls is good evidence that however witty you might be, i'll still call americans stupid and you, for example, the exception to that rule.
That guy who started the thread is an imbecile.
But the fact that he got to starting this thread and expressed his stupid opinion, means that he's an imbecile with initiative. Now that's your perfect combination for power. Idiots with unfounded opinions have good opportunities to get in charge and impose their stupid views.
It will always be like that, so don't let yourself drown in the mediocreness of others. The only chance you have to leading a good life is getting to see for yourself, the things that can make a difference to your own becoming. Come to Europe. Maybe not today, maybe not next month, maybe not for 5, 10 years from now, but be sure to do it. It's NOT that expensive, if you ponder it. Living in Paris for nearly a month had cost me around 800$ and the flight tickets EU-US aren't that expensive anymore. That is only what general opinion imposes, that trips to Europe are expensive and unreachable.
I for one know i'm going to visit America eventually, but i haven't gotten around to it yet. Of course, for me, it's just as interesting as Europe seems to you.
Speaking of which, i used to watch Ally McBeal with my mum when i was little. Looking back, and reviewing a few episodes, it was a flaming load of crap, but that crap meant a lot to someone who had never been exposed to "the american dream" before. This is where i wanted to get. That american dream is both charming and dangerous. It appeals to the dionyssian side of our characters and fills us with lust and wanting. But no dream can get ahead of the clearness of our minds. Knowledge and personal experience, above all else, matter over cushy lifestyles, such as the great american dream.
If you decide to visit Europe, drop me a PM, maybe i can help with some advice, at least.
Vulnerant omnes, ultima necat.
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trymyproduct11
15 years ago
It's a depressing place, this America. But if there's one thing I've learned while living here, it's that it's incredibly short-sighted to make assumptions about someone based on where they're from. It's easy to forget about all the brilliant people and works of art that have come from here when international media (understandably) portrays us as a nation of dumb, pitchforks n' torches hillbillies. Don't believe everything you hear. There's plenty going on over here; more than any third-rate sitcom or culturally biased news story could ever show. You just have to know where to look.
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