ten things to celebrate why I'm an anti-anti-american (1 Viewer)

[Trajan Octavian Titus]

This is one of the best articles I've read in a while, it's sure to spark debate, so I hope some people will actually take some time to read it.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/06/29/IN290713.DTL

 

[cnredd]

That should be REQUIRED READING in every school in the country.....drank in every word of it...

:good_job:

 

[Simon W. Moon]

Not really a political platform. I'm moving it to American politics

 

[Kelzie]

Wonderful, beautiful, I loved it. Just one teensy little isuue:

"In the American view, there is nothing vile or degraded about serving your customers either as a CEO or as a waiter. The ordinary life of production and supporting a family is more highly valued in the United States than in any other country. America is the only country in the world where we call the waiter "sir," as if he were a knight."

If you call someone a sir, but treat him like a dog, it is still vile and degrading...there are plenty of people out there who do not respect the value of a server.

And just because we are sometimes benevolent in our foreign policy, does not excuse the times we are not.

 

[128shot]

waiters and waitresses have plenty good working conditions...

don't even go there with me. I've worked this job.

 

[americanwoman]

I think that article was great! As for having been a waitress myself I can say that mostly people treat you with respect. And the ones that are rude are like that because they are rude people.Moslty rich people that don't tip either!

 

[gdalton]

That was a fantastic essay and cnred you are correct that should be required reading.

If you call someone a sir, but treat him like a dog, it is still vile and degrading...there are plenty of people out there who do not respect the value of a server.

I'm not trying to pick on you Kelzie but some people are just born assholes and some work realy hard to get that way. That was not a stab at you that was just me pointing out that assholes are everywhere and the law won't let us kill and eat them.:mrgreen:

And just because we are sometimes benevolent in our foreign policy, does not excuse the times we are not.

This is true and we should (and most of the time do) try to make things right.

 

[Trajan Octavian Titus]

I found the best part about it was that it comes from an immigrants perspective, because like the author said he can identify aspects of America that are invisible to natives, I found the part about calling waiters sir interesting, because I've never really thought of it like that before, I suppose you sometimes have to take yourself out of reality a bit to realize how good we here in America actually have it.

Also, the point about U.S foreign policy was not that the things we do good make up for what we do bad nor that we are perfect, but rather it's that the good things we do far outweigh the wrongs we've done and that people often don't look at the big picture. At least that's what I took from the article

 

[Youve Got To Be Kidding!]

This article has it backwards....... I think European plumbers are taking their families to the United States. I have NEVER met a plumber that has EVER BEEN TO EUROPE. Let alone take his family there. Im sorry but Americans are not that well off. And if you are a plumber and you are trying to take your family on a vacation to Europe.... you better buy your return ticket here cause if you dont you wont be able to afford it as The American Dollar is worth a little more than a Peso. You may also want to bring yoru own tent and food to lighten the financial burden a little to so you wont be spending 5 dollars for a Big Mac.

 

[Kelzie]

waiters and waitresses have plenty good working conditions...

don't even go there with me. I've worked this job.

Huh. Fascinating. What, like a summer at the Olive Garden? Don't toy with me. I've been in the restaurant industry for five years, fine dining and casual, front of the house and back. There are many industries that make you believe that humanity is inherently evil. Serving is one of them.

 

[Kelzie]

I'm not trying to pick on you Kelzie but some people are just born assholes and some work realy hard to get that way. That was not a stab at you that was just me pointing out that assholes are everywhere and the law won't let us kill and eat them.:mrgreen:

That's only because I don't rule the world yet. :mrgreen: I will however, add that I have served plenty of rude Europeans, and they all tip poorly to boot.

This is true and we should (and most of the time do) try to make things right.

I don't know about this. I mean Clinton apologized to Guatamala for our hand in the overthowing of their democratic government, which led to 20ish years of civil war and 200,000+ dead...but is an apology really going to make that right?

 

[Kelzie]

This article has it backwards....... I think European plumbers are taking their families to the United States. I have NEVER met a plumber that has EVER BEEN TO EUROPE. Let alone take his family there. Im sorry but Americans are not that well off. And if you are a plumber and you are trying to take your family on a vacation to Europe.... you better buy your return ticket here cause if you dont you wont be able to afford it as The American Dollar is worth a little more than a Peso. You may also want to bring yoru own tent and food to lighten the financial burden a little to so you wont be spending 5 dollars for a Big Mac.

And I assume that when you say "little more than a Peso", what you actually meant was one US dollar is worth almost 11 Pesos. Which is odd that you grossly overexaggerate that, but you underexaggerate the value of the dollar to the euro, which stands at 1 dollar to .81 euros. So really, the more accurate statement would be the euro is worth a little more than the dollar...

 

[Trajan Octavian Titus]

you better buy your return ticket here cause if you dont you wont be able to afford it as The American Dollar is worth a little more than a Peso.

Conversion ratio: 1 EUR (Euro) = 1.2286 USD (United States Dollars)

Nice try though, seems you should try backing your statements up with those inconvenient little things called facts.
__________________

 

[ludahai]

If you call someone a sir, but treat him like a dog, it is still vile and degrading...there are plenty of people out there who do not respect the value of a server.

Some, but in my experience not a lot. The only problems I really had when I worked as a server was with people who were intoxicated, but I ended up getting some nice tips from them for good service (or perhaps they couldn't tell a 10 from a 1, I don't know) so I put up with it.)

 

[ludahai]

That's only because I don't rule the world yet. :mrgreen: I will however, add that I have served plenty of rude Europeans, and they all tip poorly to boot.

I agree, Europeans and Americans of African descent are the worst tippers - in that order.

 

[128shot]

that summer paid bills ya know...

I have seen generally people being treated right.

I dunno, I guess some people can't put up with some of the jokes people pull at the table

Not sure, I'm from a small town...

 

[Trajan Octavian Titus]

People should read this it's good.