Originally Posted by Viv

She has not played it and neither has anyone else outside the US really. Because we play rugby, which is virtually the frickin same but without protective helmets? I have been watching the Six Nations Cup all day. What is the point of this argument, there is virtually no difference, we are western culture and people are people anywhere.

Janpor, you made an insightful post before the thread was derailed. US has so many enemies. I hope the US survives, but maybe it is beginning to feel impermanent because the attitudes and policies cannot be long-term effective. People voted for change, a more reasoned outlook than before, but is change taking place? Of course it could be said that blame cannot be laid for many of those policies were initiated in response to aggression against the US...but the cycle must be broken if the US is ever to have peace.

Europe is no longer looking to the US as lead, they are building their own new world as you suggest and that is what they must do. War is not part of that. This is viewed weak by the US, but why is war preferable to negotiation?

The US should take care. While they are involved in other issues, Europe is quietly moving ahead and who knows what political machinations go on in order to keep the US fully occupied and allow this to happen. You are dealing with countries which have been world leaders for centuries, they know how to manipulate and don't care to ask their own citizenry for a vote on something as important as the Lisbon Treaty. Very ambitious people.

Originally Posted by Awryly

Would this help?

Originally Posted by Awryly

I should point out that Americans do play rugby.

Very badly.

Originally Posted by Oddquine

No idea if it requires skill or not........though I have watched it under protest.......it appears, like rugby, to require a lot of brute force.

But have to say it was one helluva lot more interesting and less boring than cricket..........which I have also watched under protest.

I'd rather watch sports that have understandable rules!

Though I'd rather be forced to watch American Football than cricket any day........but I'd as soon watch paint dry as either.

Originally Posted by Recusant

From an Australian perspective, i have watched my peers attack Americans for being fat (we're fatter) and more polluting (we pollute more). Also, of course, the stupid Americans.

I used to think this way, but i think Australians are (generalising) as xenophobic, insular, ignorant, celebrity obsessed etc as the (generalised) American.

I honestly think that our perception stems from American media and government. Your government, lets face it, is awful. Be it republican or democrat the US government is the most arrogant and violent institution on this planet. American corporations, with their extreme power and wealth is also a negative image. The American 'self-made' dream, while possible, is actually MORE achievable in other nations (ref) but in my experience very few Americans could ever concede this (even when they're presented with the evidence). It's dismissed as data from 'socialist perspective' or something silly.

Europeans and Australian mass media is so much more diverse. Australian media is converging and i suspect within a generation we'll only receive the views in our mass media that Americans do. Europeans, for example, saw from the beginning of the Iraq war the children who died from US bombs on their TV screens - such images were effectively self-censored from American mainstream television. Europeans live in a society with multiple languages and cultures, multiple styles of governments. There's a cultural awareness that Australia and America lacks (in my view).

In a sense, i think (it's just my view) that Europeans see themselves as more worldly. More informed. Less institutionalised. More progressive. I don't think they think they're smarter or better at all. As an Australian - i think we're very nearly as American as any American (save the accent and with some safeguards in our political system).

Originally Posted by baelnablah

I have played most sports from boxing 41 fights (amateur) won 38 lost 2 drew 1
I've played rugby--I'm almost 6-4 weigh 15-9lbs--(played aussie rules ---which is the biggest rubbish sport of all ) a little soccer--- mostly however gaelic football and my favourite Hurling--easily the most skillful and fastest game on grass--oh yes I play golf h/cap of 8

over 90% of the posters on this thread should be tarred and feathered and i would be glad to do it

All professional sports are ruined at this moment in time
SOCCER---PLAYERS EARNING 100,000 POUNDS STG PER WEEK

GOLF--PRIZE MONEY AT OVER A MILLION DOLLARS PLUS SPONSORSHIPS--tiger woods the highest paid sportsman last year earned something like 200 million dollars--OH HE WILL HAVE TO BUY A NEW CAR---BAD DRIVER ALWAYS ENDS UP HITTING THE TREES---lucky the wife didnt hit him with his favourite 3 iron

RUGBY--NOW TURNED PROFESSIONAL AND THEY WILL BE EARNING THE BIG MONEY

AMERICAN FOOTBALL I WOULD GUESS ARE EARNING FORTUNES

BASKETBALL DITTO

ICE HOCKEY DITTO

BASEBALL DITTO etc etc

And not one of them deserve half these earnings---sport is ruined,soccer players act like ballet dancers,get a little tap on the legs and they roll around as if they had been hit by a WMD

Working class people getting charged a fortune for gate money,kids wanting only the branded Runners -TSHIRTS--etc

Working men in shipyards,factories,bus drivers, etc etc underpaid

No instead of tarring and feathering I think you all should be put in front of a firing squad

Originally Posted by baelnablah

No instead of tarring and feathering I think you all should be put in front of a firing squad

Originally Posted by Irishman

I am good. Maybe you could use it to wipe away your falso broad generalizations such as this:

Originally Posted by Awryly

I see the International Rugby Board shares my "generalisation":

IRB World Rankings - 01 February 2010
Position (last week) Rating Point
1(1) NEW ZEALAND 91.68
2(2) SOUTH AFRICA 88.60
3(3) AUSTRALIA 85.56
4(4) IRELAND 84.60
5(5) FRANCE 82.41
6(6) ENGLAND 80.72
7(7) ARGENTINA 80.56
8( WALES 79.89
9(9) SCOTLAND 76.59
10(10) FIJI 75.90
11(11) ITALY 72.59
12(12) SAMOA 72.08
13(13) JAPAN 70.59
14(14) CANADA 68.80
15(15) TONGA 68.11
16(16) USA 67.05
17(17) RUSSIA 66.85
18(1 GEORGIA 66.85

Originally Posted by Beevee

The difference is that when a Rugby player loses his whole set of teeth he will still be down at the pub that night for a drink with his mates whereas an American footballer who loses his teeth will be on the phone with his insurance company negotiating the cost of his next annual policy renewal.