[sek929]

Noone mentions Sam Adams either. Summer Ale rocks.

[RonnieoftheRose]

Originally Posted by nonhuman

Of course American football is not British football, it's American. British football would be a category that includes rugby, Gaelic football, and soccer/association football/football.

Winner of dumb post of the week

[RonnieoftheRose]

Originally Posted by SimeyTheLimey

Sorry, when your "humor" simply insults, it's time to apologize.

Humour

[nonhuman]

Originally Posted by RonnieoftheRose

Winner of dumb post of the week

Sweet! I won!

[stevesnj]

NEH!!

[budster101]

Lame.

[Apple Pro Underwear]

us hatred is way over rated


bush is in office, ashcroft banned dancing a few years back but my real day to day life is still pretty good. and i'm grateful for it.

[Hugi]

Originally Posted by davesimondotcom

Right. And Europeans are never sanctimonious jerks who think they know so much more about the world than "those dumb Americans." Screaming GOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL for as long as you can actually makes soccer entertaining. Chirac and Schroder are honest, upstanding gentlemen with no ulterior motives. And, despite all evidence to the contrary, Americans can't make wine and beer.

On a serious note: I like how some people on here take the worst traits of any particular nationality, particularly Americans and project it on to every person of that nationality. As if there aren't any Europeans who are unaware of the world around them. And no Americans who are.

P.S. I'd like to see some actual numbers on Euro leader's IQs, to compare to Bush's. I bet after those numbers became public, you'd be shocked by how Bush would rank.

I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. I have never called Americans stupid, nor have I ever implied that Chirac and Schroeder are honest, upstanding gentlemen (who in their right mind would?). Why, oh why, do you have to mix politics into this?

Why some people feel the need to be insulted by the relatively innocent piece of satire in question is just beyond me. The US top the list of the greatest, most powerful nations in the world, brimming with culture and influencing the rest of the world greatly, for good and bad (mostly good) for the past couple of centuries.

You are the current world leaders. And if there's anything leaders should be able to withstand, it's criticism and satire. And please, try to let go of the insane minority complex - you don't need it.

[yakkiebah]

[von Wrangell]

Amazing how insecure the Yanks are around here. I suggest we(Europeans) start making fun of our own countries in this thread to make them(Yanks) start to feel better.

I'll start.


Q: What do you do if you get lost in an Icelandic forest?

A: Stand up.


Next!

[von Wrangell]

Originally Posted by davesimondotcom

Dear Rest-of-the-World:

What you call football and we call soccer is such a huge bore. How can you find kicking a ball up and down a field and hardly ever scoring a goal exciting? Yes, I realize there is skill involved in the kicking up and down the field. Still. It's boring.

Like Eddie Izzard said(as well as I can remember it):

While you get multiple small orgasms(that make you go yay!) we get few but amazingly great that leaves us ecstatic after each and every one(look at the faces of the fans after the Champions League Final).

[von Wrangell]

Originally Posted by SimeyTheLimey

Oh, that's not the problem and you know it. The problem is comments like "The 2.1% of you aware there is a world outside your borders" and others like that. It's just mindless stereotypes, a big yukk yukk to people who share them.

Like I said, it is on the same level as telling frog jokes, to a Frenchman, and then expecting the Frenchman to laugh along.

They often do. It's called being able to make fun of yourself.

And how many "World Series" "Best in the World" etc etc comments do you hear regarding your sports and other things? It's been pretty well established that many Americans aren't really aware of the outside world.

And example

-> "I'm going to Rome in Europe"

should be

"I'm going to Rome in Italy"

[villalobos]

Originally Posted by SimeyTheLimey

You are right, I don't. Mainly because I heard the same xenophobic comments growing up. It's that kind of "I am better than you" kind of humor that I don't think is very funny. It's a shame really, I'm a big fan of Cleese, but this is just exposing his small minded and unfunny side. It's about as funny as Chirac's comments the other week about England. And for the same reason.

Dude, this is a joke...... A J.O.K.E. just like I hear several times a day about my country here in the US.... If you can't laugh with it then you have a serious problem.

[villalobos]

Originally Posted by SimeyTheLimey

You mention jokes about the French. That's the right analogy. Start telling frog jokes to a Frenchman, and he'll be insulted, and you'd be a boor for not realizing you'd get that reaction.

Some really sensitive nationalists might (the type who votes for Le Pen for instance), MOST will rightfully laugh. I am surprised this would affect you that much Simey. Once again I hear twice that amount of jokes every day in the US : I am laughing about it, and I am no slow kid thanks. :-)

[d.fine]

that was funny... ! Ligten up people, it is all intended as fun, not to insult anyone.

[moonmonkey]

Originally Posted by von Wrangell

They often do. It's called being able to make fun of yourself.

And how many "World Series" "Best in the World" etc etc comments do you hear regarding your sports and other things? It's been pretty well established that many Americans aren't really aware of the outside world.

And example

-> "I'm going to Rome in Europe"

should be

"I'm going to Rome in Italy"

What state is that in?

[von Wrangell]

Originally Posted by moonmonkey

What state is that in?

Lazio IIRC

[davesimondotcom]

Originally Posted by Hugi

Why, oh why, do you have to mix politics into this?

Yeah, it was me who first brought politics into this thread. Perhaps you should reread the thread, looking for the words, "Bush is as intellectual as politicians anywhere."

P.S. They were your words.

[davesimondotcom]

Originally Posted by von Wrangell

They often do. It's called being able to make fun of yourself.

And how many "World Series" "Best in the World" etc etc comments do you hear regarding your sports and other things? It's been pretty well established that many Americans aren't really aware of the outside world.

And example

-> "I'm going to Rome in Europe"

should be

"I'm going to Rome in Italy"

Funny how Simey was talking about people having stereotypes and you affirmed his point.

Personally, I think the large majority of people I know would know exactly what country Rome is in.

On the other hand, if someone does say they are going to Rome in Europe, they aren't wrong, are they? Last I checked, Rome WAS in Europe.

As far as calling the baseball championship the World Series: it is fairly well established that Major League Baseball is the cream of the crop of baseball. The best players from around the world play in the Majors. There isn't a single team made up entirely of Americans. There are Koreans, Japanese, Dominicans, Cubans, Mexicans, Canadians, and so on in the league. To say that it's not a World Series because only one team is outside the borders of the U.S. is ignorant.

And since you seem to think it's only Americans who aren't award of the rest of the world, how much do you know about the U.S.? Without using a search engine, tell me where the Missouri River starts. Or what states border Wyoming. Or who is a governor of any state other than California.

[threestain]

I think that you're being a little silly here - can you tell me the name of the MP for Henley in the UK? Can you tell me which rivers flow into the see at Plymouth? Probably not. Such trivia isn't important. However, knowing that certain countries exist, etc is important, as is a rudimentary knowledge of world history.

The sad fact is that the majority of the population EVERYWHERE is stupid. Therefore there will be people in every country that have no clue about elsewhere (in the UK they tend to read The Sun and watch football. A stereotype of my home country). Unfortunately, as is now happening in the UK (eg Big bloody Brother), in the USA they get a large amount of exposure, and are vast in number (due to a higher population). So more + more exposure = stereotype gets more ingrained in people's minds.

[xi_hyperon]

Originally Posted by SimeyTheLimey

There is a difference between laughing at yourself, and having someone laugh at you. Self-deprecation is genuinely funny. Laughing at others is not.

Oh for f*ck sake, lighten up, Francis. You used to be much more fun before the Poli Lounge twisted you.

Only in the lounge would such a trivial joke be taken and made into a serious argument.

[Hugi]

Originally Posted by davesimondotcom

Yeah, it was me who first brought politics into this thread. Perhaps you should reread the thread, looking for the words, "Bush is as intellectual as politicians anywhere."

P.S. They were your words.

Oh come on, I was referring to the joke. It said "in light of your failure to elect a competent President of the USA", to which I replied that Bush is indeed as intellectual as politicians anywhere. You seem to think I was being sarcastic, but I was not. I am simply not a big fan of the "ruling class". So you really did not have to embark on an attack on Europeans.

Don't be so sore. Everyone knows (except perhaps some unnamed PacPeople) that generalizations are generally silly, be they about the entire population of countries or continents, or adherents to certain religions.

But yeah, soccer is silly and so are soccer fans, so LIGHTEN UP

[James L]

Satire == funny!

There are just as many of these types of posts that satire Canada, England, France, etc. Whatever... fun is fun.

As to the person (can't remember who) who objected to the comment about there being a group of Americans who don't know there is an outside world... you can scroll through countless threads in the political lounge where Americans say things like "screw the outside world, we will take care of ourselves".

It isn't even that there is a group of people who don't know about the outside world, it is that there is a group of people in America who chose to not know. And, ya know what, every country has them.

British bad teeth, French cheese eating surrendering monkey comments, America crappy beer comments, Canadian igloo and military jokes....

They are all only serious if you allow them to be. Otherwise, they are just fun stereotypes. I hate to say it, but didn't we all learn "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me"?

[von Wrangell]

Originally Posted by davesimondotcom

Funny how Simey was talking about people having stereotypes and you affirmed his point.

Personally, I think the large majority of people I know would know exactly what country Rome is in.

On the other hand, if someone does say they are going to Rome in Europe, they aren't wrong, are they? Last I checked, Rome WAS in Europe.

So Americans often say "I'm going to Tokyo in Asia"? I guess not. It's fairly well established that US knowledge of the outside world(i.e. rest of the world) is on par with undeveloped countries or at least significantly behind European countries. Yes, we also have our fair share of idiots. But it seems that our education system is better at teaching those idiots the basics of geography and the history of other nations. I'll try to find the link to the poll that establishes this.

As far as calling the baseball championship the World Series: it is fairly well established that Major League Baseball is the cream of the crop of baseball. The best players from around the world play in the Majors. There isn't a single team made up entirely of Americans. There are Koreans, Japanese, Dominicans, Cubans, Mexicans, Canadians, and so on in the league. To say that it's not a World Series because only one team is outside the borders of the U.S. is ignorant.

And still a Cuban team was able to win against a US team some years ago IIRC. And a NHL select got crushed in Sweden playing against semi-professional teams. And why call the World Series that when that sport is barely played in the rest of the world? Why not just call it US series or something?

And since you seem to think it's only Americans who aren't award of the rest of the world, how much do you know about the U.S.? Without using a search engine, tell me where the Missouri River starts. Or what states border Wyoming. Or who is a governor of any state other than California.

Here you make the same error we Europeans make fun of you for. You talk about US states as something similar to European nations. Knowing who the Prime Minister of Sweden is, is not the same as knowing who the governor of Alabama is. If you can't see the difference you are proving our point for us.

I don't expect you to know in which province of Sweden Svartån starts and were it stops. But I do expect people to know in what country Rhine starts and were it goes into the ocean. But that's not the same as you asking me in what state this and that is.

But to answer your questions:

Montana(if you ignore how Missouri is built up -> branches),

Montana(are you by any chance based in Montana?), Nebraska, Utah, Colorado, Idaho and one more that I can never remember what's called.

Jeb Bush, Pataki, and since you liked Montana so much I'll end with Schweitzer(or however it is spelt).

[nonhuman]

Originally Posted by von Wrangell

I don't expect you to know in which province of Sweden Svartån starts and were it stops. But I do expect people to know in what country Rhine starts and were it goes into the ocean. But that's not the same as you asking me in what state this and that is.

You expect people to know where the Rhine starts? Why? Who cares? Other than the Mississippi I don't know where any American rivers start either (and I probably wouldn't even know that If I hadn't been to lake Superior). And it's certainly not because I'm unaware or unconcerned with the world outside the US. I take every chance I can to travel internationally and have been to more countries around the world than I have states in the US.

[davesimondotcom]

Originally Posted by von Wrangell

And still a Cuban team was able to win against a US team some years ago IIRC. And a NHL select got crushed in Sweden playing against semi-professional teams. And why call the World Series that when that sport is barely played in the rest of the world? Why not just call it US series or something?

The Cuban national baseball team is well known as one of the best, if not the best, national teams in the world. But that doesn't lessen the fact that Major League Baseball is international. And the winner of it's Champoinship can be called World Champions. Olympic baseball is a whole differen animal. Baseball players around the world dream of playing for the Yankees or Red Sox, not the Carp.

Baseball is hardly played outside the U.S.? Ever heard of Japan? Or much of South America? It's not uncommon for a professional team to be made up of native speakers of 4 or 5 languages.

As far as calling the World Series the U.S. Series instead, you answered your own question. When the Series was named, the sport was not played much outside of the U.S. So therefore, it was logical that the winner of the Series was the best team in the world. And it's much more impressive to be World Champions than National Champions.

By the way, you mention the NHL. There is a World Championship of hockey, but the NHL champion is not referred to as World Champion. They are the Stanley Cup Champion.

Originally Posted by von Wrangell

Here you make the same error we Europeans make fun of you for. You talk about US states as something similar to European nations. Knowing who the Prime Minister of Sweden is, is not the same as knowing who the governor of Alabama is. If you can't see the difference you are proving our point for us.

Depending on who you ask, the intent of the Framers was that each state was independant like a nation. The Federal government was set up to facilitate trade and a military to protect all of the states.

Originally Posted by von Wrangell

But to answer your questions:

Montana(if you ignore how Missouri is built up -> branches),

Montana(are you by any chance based in Montana?), Nebraska, Utah, Colorado, Idaho and one more that I can never remember what's called.

Jeb Bush, Pataki, and since you liked Montana so much I'll end with Schweitzer(or however it is spelt).

Three Forks, Montana, to be exact. Just a few miles from where I type. The Missouri is made up of the Jefferson, Madison and Gallatin Rivers. The Gallatin runs right behind my house.

That other state is called South Dakota. Don't worry, it's fairly forgettable. Except for Wall Drug, Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse, there isn't much there. I can say this because I freely admit there isn't much to Montana but sky, mountains and rivers.

Brian "Governor Showbiz" Schweitzer is the Governor of Montana. He follows fellow mental-midget Judy Martz. For some reason, we've had the tendency to elect dumbasses from either party for Governor lately.

[Chris O'Brien]

Originally Posted by davesimondotcom

As far as calling the baseball championship the World Series: it is fairly well established that Major League Baseball is the cream of the crop of baseball. The best players from around the world play in the Majors. There isn't a single team made up entirely of Americans. There are Koreans, Japanese, Dominicans, Cubans, Mexicans, Canadians, and so on in the league. To say that it's not a World Series because only one team is outside the borders of the U.S. is ignorant.

OK, say the English Football league (the Premiership) has the majority of the best teams in it (probably not, but whatever). Not one team in it is made up of just English players - they come from all around the world - so should the FA Cup now be named the World Series?

[villalobos]

Originally Posted by davesimondotcom

As far as calling the baseball championship the World Series: it is fairly well established that Major League Baseball is the cream of the crop of baseball. The best players from around the world play in the Majors. There isn't a single team made up entirely of Americans. There are Koreans, Japanese, Dominicans, Cubans, Mexicans, Canadians, and so on in the league. To say that it's not a World Series because only one team is outside the borders of the U.S. is ignorant.
.

Interesting argument when you consider that it was already called the 'World Series' before American born and raised black players could even play in it..... World Series is just a catchy name : that's about all there is to it.

[Mastrap]

Just for a bit of a reality check: Cleese has nothing to do with the original post. The author is unknown, the Cleese connection was added to help with distribution.


Knickers, untwist.

[Chris O'Brien]

Originally Posted by Mastrap

Just for a bit of a reality check: Cleese has nothing to do with the original post. The author is unknown, the Cleese connection was added to help with distribution.


Knickers, untwist.

Someone needs to read the whole thread

Originally Posted by mo

Of course, John Cleese is not actually the author of this relic from 2000.

See Snopes.com

[stevesnj]

I would also like a shrubery!!

NEH!!

[davesimondotcom]

Originally Posted by villalobos

Interesting argument when you consider that it was already called the 'World Series' before American born and raised black players could even play in it..... World Series is just a catchy name : that's about all there is to it.

That was my point - World Series is catchier than U.S. Series. And you are right to point out that U.S. Series would have been a misnomer in those days, without Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige and the like.

[threestain]

Originally Posted by davesimondotcom

Three Forks, Montana, to be exact. Just a few miles from where I type. The Missouri is made up of the Jefferson, Madison and Gallatin Rivers. The Gallatin runs right behind my house.

That other state is called South Dakota. Don't worry, it's fairly forgettable. Except for Wall Drug, Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse, there isn't much there. I can say this because I freely admit there isn't much to Montana but sky, mountains and rivers.

Brian "Governor Showbiz" Schweitzer is the Governor of Montana. He follows fellow mental-midget Judy Martz. For some reason, we've had the tendency to elect dumbasses from either party for Governor lately.

So what you asked was local knowledge about where you lived?

Crikey, every person in the world should know that.

[von Wrangell]

Originally Posted by nonhuman

You expect people to know where the Rhine starts? Why? Who cares? Other than the Mississippi I don't know where any American rivers start either (and I probably wouldn't even know that If I hadn't been to lake Superior). And it's certainly not because I'm unaware or unconcerned with the world outside the US. I take every chance I can to travel internationally and have been to more countries around the world than I have states in the US.

Well, at least have the slightest clue(but that might be because of the standards set in the education system in Sweden). We simply seem to focus on different things than the US does.

[von Wrangell]

Originally Posted by davesimondotcom

The Cuban national baseball team is well known as one of the best, if not the best, national teams in the world. But that doesn't lessen the fact that Major League Baseball is international. And the winner of it's Champoinship can be called World Champions. Olympic baseball is a whole differen animal. Baseball players around the world dream of playing for the Yankees or Red Sox, not the Carp.

Baseball is hardly played outside the U.S.? Ever heard of Japan? Or much of South America? It's not uncommon for a professional team to be made up of native speakers of 4 or 5 languages.

That is what happens everywhere were a sport is played and there is money in that sport. But still you don't see European football leagues calling themselves the world series. Not even the European Champions League(biggest and best football competition in the World on club level) hints at the winners being the best team in the world and the league the winners came from(Liverpool this year, just had to add that) is the best in the world.

As far as calling the World Series the U.S. Series instead, you answered your own question. When the Series was named, the sport was not played much outside of the U.S. So therefore, it was logical that the winner of the Series was the best team in the world. And it's much more impressive to be World Champions than National Champions.

By the way, you mention the NHL. There is a World Championship of hockey, but the NHL champion is not referred to as World Champion. They are the Stanley Cup Champion.

It might have been logical that the team there was the best in the world but that doesn't mean sh*t unless you play against teams from abroad. It's the typical "ME, ME, BEST, BEST" mentality that many of us make fun of. A perfect example of the stereotype used when making fun of the US. Just like the French are all frog eating, Champaign drinking lazy bastards.

Depending on who you ask, the intent of the Framers was that each state was independant like a nation. The Federal government was set up to facilitate trade and a military to protect all of the states.

But is completely irrelevant because the US is still one nation. Germany has a similar set up but I can't recall anyone claiming that we had to know similar stuff about them.

For some reason, we've had the tendency to elect dumbasses from either party for Governor lately.

Don't we all?

[Athens]

Originally Posted by starman

That's damn funny.

No Thank you, I rather Americans south of us then Brits lol

[olePigeon]

Don't let this thread get out. If it does, the Republcians will blame John Cleese for all the terrorism.