--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "wayback71" <wayback71@...> wrote:
>
> O-Reilly and Fox News have hurt America's reputation in
> the world. They make us look like complete morons, which
> I think we might be.
LOL. Because I just can't tell you how many times I
have heard variants of that quip from Europeans. In
France such comments were rampant, and in a country
full of people who would really, really love to look
up to and admire the United States, but who feel they
are unable to because of the events of recent years.
I'll never forget the night that the most popular TV
anchorman in France (I forget his name...sorry) signed
off for the night by reading a short AP wire saying
that George W. Bush's name had just been submitted into
contention for nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize.
He stopped reading, set the wire clipping he'd been
reading from down on the table in front of him, gazed
soulfully into the camera lens in that soulful way
that only the French can look soulful, and said,
"Le monde est fou, fou, fou." ("The world is crazy,
crazy, crazy.") Those were his parting words for
the evening.
> But they make us look even worse, and they encourage morons
> to be be more so.
I agree. The sheer *number* of Americans who get their
news -- and thus their mindset -- from Fox News dismays
me more than a little. It's a big check in the Plus
column when answering the question, "Are they morons,
or what?" :-)
If you haven't seen it, I heartily recommend renting
"Good Night and Good Luck," George Clooney's masterful
film about Edward R. Murrow. I sat in the theater the
first time I saw this film with tears streaming down
my face at hearing the *eloquence* of what was once
thought of in America as "The News." It was just
*shocking* the difference between Then and Now. The
experience came near to validating for me the premise
of the very funny film "Idiocracy." :-)
> On another note somewhat related to Amsterdam, on NPR M.
> Hertzgaard, the author of Hot (a recently published book
> about global warming, I have not read it yet, but I will)
> mentioned that he intends to get his 5 year old daughter
> dual citizenship. US/The Netherlands.
Wise man.
> He thinks the Dutch will do well even 50 years from now
> when much of the planet will be in crisis due to global
> warming and lack of food and water. They understand how
> to build dikes, they are a sane and solid group of citizens,
> they are organized. He has been all over the world, and
> chose the Netherlands as one of the best to deal with the
> climate crisis.
I completely agree. When I first entertained the idea of
spending some time in the Netherlands, the climate-change-
aware side of me piped up and said, "Dude! During a time
of rising ocean levels do you *really* want to live in a
country that is largely below sea level?" :-)
Then I looked into it. As you say, the Dutch know their
dikes. ( That's dikes, by the way, not dykes. I'm just
pointing this out so as not to be accused of homophobia. :-)
They've invested over a trillion dollars over the years
in the science of keeping Holland above water. Compare
and contrast to countries that haven't. If the worst
happens, London's gonna look like Venice, and Venice
will be a mere memory.
It's a very odd country. I'm here for a time out of
choice, because I've always admired the Dutch way of
life and wanted to experience it from the inside, as
a resident, rather than only from the outside, as a
tourist. I like the place.
It's one of the most multicultural environments --
and *gracefully* multicultural environments -- I've
ever been privileged to live in. New York was multi-
cultural, but it could never in a million years be
accused of being graceful about it. Toronto was
better. Paris was much better, but there were still
major undercurrents of culture clash. I really don't
see much of that here. The predominant meme from the
side of the Dutch government for new residents is
"We're here to help you fit in. Let us." They offer
free classes on Dutch life and history and language,
and sponsor any number of events in which newly-
arrived immigrants are encouraged to interact with
and get to know long-time Dutch residents. And on
the whole it seems to work.
We all know what pushed O'Reilly's buttons to the
point where he had to sit there and make shit up
about the Netherlands on camera. Sex, drugs, and
rock 'n roll. Those things push his buttons. They
raise his blood pressure and keep him from raising
the thing he'd really like to be waving in front
of the camera instead of rhetoric. He just doesn't
*understand* how anyone could allow sex, drugs,
and rock 'n roll to move in next door.
The Dutch don't -- on the whole -- have a problem
with sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll. Most indulge in
the first, very few indulge in the second, and even
a few staid Dutch oldfarhts indulge in the third.
I currently live in a major city in the Netherlands
that does not have a single coffeeshop in which pot
is sold and/or condoned. No one seems to miss it.
But the thing is, if enough of the population of
this area felt that one such coffeeshop would
benefit them, I don't think anyone would put up
a fuss. They'd allow the coffeeshop to open, and
then watch as it failed. :-)
> --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb <no_reply@> wrote:
> >
> > An interesting juxtaposition. On the one hand, Bill O'Reilly
> > and Fox News trying to portray Amsterdam as a seething pit
> > of crime, drug use, and corruption. On the other hand, reality.
> >
> > http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=x8bc_ZyORbM
> >
> > What's most fascinating in this clip is how the spewers of
> > fantasy (Fox News) react to actual facts. Suffice it to say
> > that they don't react gracefully. :-)
> >
> > Amsterdam is one of the cleanest, safest, and most *balanced*
> > cities I've ever been in. As some American tourist points
> > out in the "rebuttal footage" of this clip, it's rare to
> > even *see* a cop. There is no need for constant, visible
> > police presence.
> >
> > But as a personal message to those who prefer to believe
> > O'Reilly's and Fox News' fantasies about Amsterdam rather
> > than the facts, I say "Go for it." Hunker down in your
> > media-fueled fear bunkers and Stay The Fuck At Home. We
> > don't want you, even as tourists. :-) :-) :-)
> >
>
