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I emigrated from Europe to the United States as a small child. That said, I was raised with a more European world view that most US children. I live in backwater Pennsylvania now, though my immediate (read 2 square mile area) is mostly minorities, and I like that. My opinions will reflect this.
Since the Bush years, it seems like white people I live around seem constantly to fear being "overrun" by something. Whether it's "illegal aliens" from Latin America (they typically just say Mexicans, even though most of the hispanic people in my immediate area are Honduran or Guatemalan) taking all our jobs, welfare, or overrunning out culture, or Muslim/Indian (most of the "Indians" are actually Pakistani or Sri Lanki) "terrorists" in our midst; local whites seem absolutely ingrained to fear some sort of external force threatening their ridiculously protected (particularly financially) lives. It bothers me so much.
At the same time, it does bother me that a lot of minorities resist assimilation in the United States. I would never ask anyone to abandon their heritage, religion, or some other sort of culture. Ever. But living where I do, I really wish a lot of the minorities where much more open to people outside of their encapsulated circles. Yes, as a white fella in the US saying he feels isolated by Arab/Near Asian/Far Asian/Latin American communities he lives within, I see the irony. I just see the potential for a very vibrant community in my area, but everyone is so insular. I know that many places are like this. Being white (or trying to be white) isn't what it means to be American, and I don't want the people in my community to stive for that. The common ground is what makes us American, and I feel like the people around me have enough of it.
My final gripe about the US is much more general. Everything is geared towards protecting the wealthy and preventing most people from bettering themselves in a significant way with regards to standards of living. When legislation like giving more options to allow workers to unionize (instead of the previous single option, the "secret ballet" which was incredibly easy to influence on the owner's behalf) or socialized medicine to give healthcare to the country's impoverished people, are introduced, conservative Americans rail against it. It disgusts me to see the lower middle class of my country fight to keep itself from having affordable healthcare. Don't they realize most of them will need it when they retire almost penniless, having never been able to save enough money for said retirement?
I feel like America is currently embattled in it's own "cold" civil war. =/
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1. Movies and Series from other countries get translated into German with horrific results.
(Movie "Murder by Death" becomes "Eine Leiche zum Dessert" [Sorry for German i know the board language is English but I try to make a point] which is literally translated as "A Corpse as Dessert" in a movie than doesn´t even feature a Main course)
1a. The Only Dr. Pepper we got is a special German kind with different taste (disgusting) so you have to import it from the Netherlands or so 
2. We Got Good Laws which have horrible results (Freedom of Speech --> Having a politician who claims Arabic immigrants are all stupid)
3. People who vote for more freedom of the economy after economical crisis
4. A President who overlooked a budged hole of more than half a billion Euro prior his time as President.
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America is so afraid of tyranny and oppressive big government that will ban books and conceal information from us that we don't realize that nobody reads books anymore and information doesn't need to be concealed from us so much as it's being drowned out by massive amount of garbage media (and I'm sorry to say a massive amount of game playing is one of them). It's happening anyway just not in the way we expected.
People care more about celebrities acting stupid, being a dumbass know-nothing, and generally making a fool of themselves than what's actually happening in the world. At the same time good journalism is dead, all of safeguard of democracy are being curtailed, and the message is becoming more and more extremist in the other direction in reaction to events.
Americans are being reduced to a state of egotism and passivity cus we indulged too much for far too long, spent too much money we don't have on things we don't need, and since WWII fought in wars neither entirely just nor have they benefited the majority of us.
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On September 06 2010 08:04 Masamune wrote:
It seems like everyone and their uncles can immigrate here at will without bringing anything to the table.
Don't get me wrong, though. I like immigration, and every developed country needs it to keep a stable population, but I wish Canada would find a way to increase its immigrant standards without having to compromise our decent population growth.
Say that about US and you're racist. Or are you still racist? I don't think Canada cares for how skilled the immigrants are, they just want more people. Aren't you an immigrant yourself (or a child of an immigrant)? Be nice, someone might be saying this same thing about you.
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I'm from America, which I think at this point has been bashed enough, so I won't throw fuel on the fire. (Even though we may deserve quite a bit of it)
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On September 06 2010 ilovesin wrote:
1. Movies and Series from other countries get translated into German with horrific results.
(Movie "Murder by Death" becomes "Eine Leiche zum Dessert" [Sorry for German i know the board language is English but I try to make a point] which is literally translated as "A Corpse as Dessert" in a movie than doesn´t even feature a Main course)
....
Translations of movie titles in German are very often terrible. Here are some of my favorites:
Original title - translation
"Stripes" - "Ich glaub' mich knutscht ein Elch" (meaning: "I think a moose gave me a smooch")
"Brave New World" - "Geklonte Zukunft" (meaning: "cloned future")
Then there are of course the great English to English translations that movie titles get in Germany xD:
Original title - translation
"Cradle 2 the Grave" - "Born 2 die"
"A man apart" - "Endless Rage"
"Scissors" - "Final Instinct"
"Midnight Cowboy" - "Asphalt-Cowboy"
"Black Eagle" - "Red Eagle"
And then of course the epic fail:
The Italian title "Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo" translated as "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" in English got the German title:
"Zwei glorreiche Halunken" (meaning: "TWO glorious scoundrels") I guess the German translator failed to count the three main characters in the movie...
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Lousy internet. Stupid politicians (global problem).
Spending soo much money on our silly neighbours who can't manage themselves when we desperately need it for our hospitals etc.
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I totally agree ggrrg i did just remember one of my favourite moments in "the Simpsons" It´s in the episode where Homer gets on a nuclear-sub and the Captain asks him what he wants out of life an Homer, reaching for the peas answers "I want peas" I laughted so hard and its completly gone in German.
I hate English to German translations! 
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We pass ourselves off as a clean, green country when we're actually quite polluted. We're racist. Towards every race, including our own natives. From my experiences I see Maori and Asians cop it the worst.
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On September 06 2010 08:59 deViation- wrote:
Canada:
1. Horrible health system. Its free, but its horrible. My grandmother waited 16 hours to see a god damn doctor in the emergency room. Call it anecdotal if you want, but the fact remains.
2. Cell phone prices are ridiculous, I pay close to 90$ a month for 500mb data plan. Sure its an iphone, but im pretty sure Europe pays alot less for cell phones.
3. Immigration standards are horrible. We let close to anyone in and expulse almost no one out. All the immigrants are encouraged to keep their own cultures instead of adapting themselves to our lifestyle. This causes sub-communities to pop up in some towns. Alot of government funding goes towards helping these immigrants who benefit from our society and bring little in return. We also help out countries way too much. We will rencently be accomodating close to 5000 haitians just because they have relatives here. We also gave haiti a shit ton of money, when we have hospitals closing down entire wings because of the lack of doctors and nurses.
4. The whole quebec-rest of canada dilemma. I was born in Nova Scotia and now live in quebec and i don't see the importance of the so called " culture" quebec fights so dearly to preserve. Both my parents are french canadians, i also speak fluent french and english. I really dont get why its so important to retain the quebecer identity. To me it seems like poutine and the french language is the only this selerating quebec from being identical to the other provinces.
5. Stupid politicians, like everywhere else.
6. Religion is not outlawed.
As a wannabe Immigrant to Canada this does not deter me for some reason.
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Ummmmm.....Nothing to complain about
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We are full of fat or insecure people. We have terrible music if it isn't classic (Jonas Anyone? Or how about Bieber?).
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On September 05 2010 00:44 TuElite wrote:No e-sports here whatsoever
Ummm, WCG Canada? Countless LANS.
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mine is more to do with the whole world.. but also my country
acting on ignorance, arrogance, prejudice, lack of self-control
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Logged into Youtube one day and see that my country...
Had an epic response to a question on Miss Universe...
and managed to kill some chinese people in a hostage situation...
Friggin...
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the america i love no longer exists
all we are left with is a rapidly decreasing wilderness
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Hello,
I'm from South Africa and I feel this will be too easy :D
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2. Cell phone prices are ridiculous, I pay close to 90$ a month for 500mb data plan. Sure its an iphone, but im pretty sure Europe pays alot less for cell phones.
You're doing something wrong. Granted prices are ridiculous, but $90s is far too much for a 500mb plan. Unless you have some sort of international calling add on the only reasonable explanation is that you keep going over on your data. Most of the service providers let you make accounts that you can track that information, you should probably check it out, because for 500mb you shouldn't be paying more than like $60 a month.
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thedeadhaji
39489 Posts
I'm sure this has been said 100 times in this thread, but we're seriously way way way too overweight in the States.
thank god I'm at least in an area that appreciates locally grown natural stuff though...
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On September 06 2010 16:11 thedeadhaji wrote:
I'm sure this has been said 100 times in this thread, but we're seriously way way way too overweight in the States.
thank god I'm at least in an area that appreciates locally grown natural stuff though...
West Side in Manhattan?
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EPT
