Rob: I thought I was one of the most tactless, insensitive souls on the planet, but that's was quite a good effort on your part!
Having said that, I actually FULLY understand your point, it's a shame that you framed it the way you did. We get this type of thing ALL the time in the USA. It's the sheep mentality and the lack of "thinking" that bothers me intensely. Here, all types of people are constantly wearing American Flag lapel pins in situations that I find inappropriate. The singing of the national anthem at EVERY, single sporting event and the general "God Bless the USA" mantra also fall into this category. Now, there's nothing wrong with some patriotism, but it would be better placed if people THOUGHT about what they are doing (which in most cases they don't), and if their actions on a daily basis reflected the fake concern they show by making demonstrable gestures. In America it's less surprising since the whole country is based on style over substance and appearances are everything, but I guess it's everywhere really. Another interesting angle is in America everything is framed as being about "Freedom" and "they died to keep us free". In England in WWII, when the Germans were lining up in Normandy ready to turn Dover into Dresden, this really MEANT something. I think some of the conflicts that the USA and the UK are involved in currently have "objectives" that are much less clear cut. I think that them "fighting for freedom" is very, very questionable and I wish people would stop using the phrase. That's enough stirring for one day, back to lurkdom - have we got enough points to avoid the drop yet? Adrian Dingle Atlanta Whites _______________________________________________ the Leeds List is an unmoderated mailing list and the list administrators accept no liability for the personal views and opinions of contributors. Leedslist mailing list [email protected] http://list.zetnet.co.uk/mailman/listinfo/leedslist http://www.worldnet.org.uk WorldNET2009
