Has the brainwashing begun?

Kids always have obnoxious opinions. Like most people, their perspective is based on what they know - in the same way people who have never travelled from their home town are usually the most racist; kids who have never had to fend for themselves really can't understand the complexity of life so assume that everyone gets it as easy as they do. If I didn't have to pay rent or cook my own dinner - I'd probably assume that people complaining of poverty or hunger were whinging idiots who shouldn't get any airtime ...

I don't subscribe to the "National Service" idea. But I do think there's an age when obnoxious teenagers really ought to do a year homeless to bring them up to speed with the world... probably in Glasgow, or somewhere else really cold.

That'd teach them the value of trainers ...

:grandad:
 
They're born into it.

They start school and swear allegiance to the flag and then these pupils are brought up watching their government telling them it's necessary to reduce their personal freedoms for safety. No wonder that after a few years of this they're coming out of school thinking that the freedoms that they have are excessive. Bush and Cheney are clearly winning with their policies of restricting freedoms if the next generation doesn't even think they should question why they have less in the way of rights than their parents.

Off topic, well sorta: did anybody notice that an American judge (Judge Joyce Hens Green) ruled that the miltary tribunals being used to try detainees at Guantanamo Bay are illegal, the hearings deny the terror suspects their basic rights under the US constitution. According to Judge Green "the war on terror cannot negate the existence of the most basic fundamental rights for which the people of this country have fought and died for."
 
grokit23 said:
They're born into it.

They start school and swear allegiance to the flag and then these pupils are brought up watching their government telling them it's necessary to reduce their personal freedoms for safety. No wonder that after a few years of this they're coming out of school thinking that the freedoms that they have are excessive. Bush and Cheney are clearly winning with their policies of restricting freedoms if the next generation doesn't even think they should question why they have less in the way of rights than their parents."
Click to expand...

Bingo !

might as well be praying to the koran every day
sweet FA difference...
ignorance and extremism are natural bedfellows...
 
i grew up pledging allegiance to the flag

look at me, i'm not a brainwashed zombie fascist child
 
Americans, far from being a bunch of loud mouthed, obnoxious, gun toting, xenophobic, narrow minded, petty, insecure, paranoid, self righteous, lazy, indolent, junk food eating, culture despising, fascistic, maniacal, sister marrying, deer hunting, beauty conscious, health fadding, nuclear proliferating, blueberry pie eating, sports obsessed, war mongering, ignorant, bigoted, cultureless, poltroons who piss openly in the street and spread filth, stupidity and their own peculiar brand of wholesome sanitized Christian hatred into each and every Coca Cola Big Mac litter infested corner of this planet, are in fact a peace loving nation full of fine upstanding people.

:D
 
what part of america did you grow up in?
and how old where you when you left the states?

cos I do reckon the argument is valid....
 
Ok, checked back and it was Denmark! Gash was born in Copenhagen.

So were you swearing allegiance to the Danish flag?

Was there the whole gods own country type of spiel to go with it?
 
I was born in the states.

Gotta say, that some of the above is utter bollox.

It is a bit like saying that all the British are condescending arrogant fuckwits with a major inferiority complex. It's rubbish, and just not true, but somehow it's these people that always seem to get noticed.

The real brainwashing here would be the media, which presents such a totally lopsided view of what is one the most divergent (although flawed) societies on Earth.

Yes, sure, there is some very nasty stuff that goes on in the US. But there is also some very nice stuff too.

[/rant]
 
Is it, though? Far from disparaging Americans, I think this is as much a statement about young people and the educational system. I wouldn't be surprised at all if they undertook a similar survey here in England they found that a goodly proportion of young people had limited knowledge about the curtailment of civil rights in this country.

Wendy, parent of two teenagers
 
Wendy said:
Is it, though? Far from disparaging Americans, I think this is as much a statement about young people and the educational system. I wouldn't be surprised at all if they undertook a similar survey here in England they found that a goodly proportion of young people had limited knowledge about the curtailment of civil rights in this country.

Wendy, parent of two teenagers
Click to expand...

Guess i was just lucky to have a godmother who loved to explain marxism to me when i was a teenager :D
 
The group that carried out the survey has a vested financial interest in freedom of spech.

Surely this makes the whole survey somewhat flawed :!:

"The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation was established in 1950 as a private foundation independent of the Knight brothers' newspaper enterprises. It is dedicated to furthering their ideals of service to community, to the highest standards of journalistic excellence and to the defense of a free press.

In both their publishing and philanthropic undertakings, the Knight brothers shared a broad vision and uncommon devotion to the common welfare. It is those ideals, as well as their philanthropic interests, to which the foundation remains faithful.

To heighten the impact of our grant making, Knight Foundation's trustees have elected to focus on two signature programs, Journalism Initiatives and Community Partners, each with its own eligibility requirements. A third program, the National Venture Fund, nurtures innovation, leadership and experimentation for community investments that might benefit Knight communities.

In a rapidly changing world, the foundation also remains flexible enough to respond to unique challenges, ideas and projects that lie beyond its identified program areas, yet would fulfill the broad vision of its founders.

None of the grant making would be possible without a sound financial base. Thus, preserving and enhancing the foundation's assets through prudent investment management continues to be of paramount importance."
 
djchoppa said:
Americans, far from being a bunch of loud mouthed, obnoxious, gun toting, xenophobic, narrow minded, petty, insecure, paranoid, self righteous, lazy, indolent, junk food eating, culture despising, fascistic, maniacal, sister marrying, deer hunting, beauty conscious, health fadding, nuclear proliferating, blueberry pie eating, sports obsessed, war mongering, ignorant, bigoted, cultureless, poltroons who piss openly in the street and spread filth, stupidity and their own peculiar brand of wholesome sanitized Christian hatred into each and every Coca Cola Big Mac litter infested corner of this planet, are in fact a peace loving nation full of fine upstanding people.
Click to expand...

Take that back, goddamnit! :lol:

Anyways, Speakafreaka hit the nail right on the head.
 
i was being nice :) .... or are you not a peace loving nation full of fine upstanding people?

:P
 
@Speakafreaka and Reconstructed:

Ok, I can see that the knight foundation would benefit by having more people take it's journalism courses etc and I do understand that the survey itself shouldn't be taken too seriously.


...but don't we all have a vested interest in the sorts of free speech that they're on about? Are you happy knowing that you don't have the same freedoms you had a few years back?
 
Actually, I can say from personal experience that Americans are a bunch of loud mouthed, obnoxious, gun toting, xenophobic, narrow minded, petty, insecure, paranoid, self righteous, lazy, indolent, junk food eating, culture despising, fascistic, maniacal, sister marrying, deer hunting, beauty conscious, health fadding, nuclear proliferating, blueberry pie eating, sports obsessed, war mongering, ignorant, bigoted, cultureless, poltroons who piss openly in the street and spread filth, stupidity and their own peculiar brand of wholesome sanitized Christian hatred into each and every Coca Cola Big Mac litter infested corner of this planet. :smoke:


Free speach is dead, though? Riiiiight... :rolleyes:
 
[quote="GozGuess i was just lucky to have a godmother who loved to explain marxism to me when i was a teenager :D[/quote]

Hi Goz

Don't underestimate how much that had to do with you, as an individual. I discuss politics with my girls, but they aren't terribly interested. They have a strong sense of what is fair and just, but you'd never catch them coming on a march with us.

Wendy
 
grokit23 said:
@Speakafreaka and Reconstructed:

...but don't we all have a vested interest in the sorts of free speech that they're on about? Are you happy knowing that you don't have the same freedoms you had a few years back?
Click to expand...

Absolutely. This kind of freedom must be fought for in my mind. And in most American minds too, after all it is the first ammendment. I think an awful lt of Americans will be doing their best to try and resolve the issues stated, because I'm sure there is some truth in them!

I can't be so quick to write off American youth though.
 
As in anything it's wrong to generalize; and the states has such a large
and infinitely varied population it would be stupid to; there are many
people & organisations who are very aware and active when it comes to
the worlds inequalities from the US...
I just get a distinct impression from what I've seen and heard; that a large part of the population
in the mid west, bible belt etc etc are ignorant
and innured to these inequalities in a wash of xenophobic and religious
extremism - hence my comparison of praying to the seven pillars and the stars n stripes.
 
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