Ironworks Gaming Forum - View Single Post - WAY OFF-TOPIC - A long overdue answer to fighter-thief

Moiraine · 02-01-2001, 01:19 PM

I have not been able to find again the thread with your post, fighter-thief, but I promised you an answer so ...

It grieves my little heart that such a nice person like you should feel bad thinking that many other people in the world don't like you Americans. Of course a lot of narrow-minded ass-pinched people exist in every country. But there are also a lot of other persons who do not make generalizations. None of us on the board does, for a start. You Americans, like Australians, have had the great chance, about 200 years ago, to give yourself a fresh start, away from the weight of old thinking and living customs, and the pettiness of centuries-long social organization. Your ancestors have had to fight hard to conquer a new world, and that has made you stronger and more confident in yourselves, and more pragmatic and optimistic too.

Besides, you have an history ! Your European ancestors are us ! Which makes you our cousins, sort of. One point of view could be to see us as those who did not have the guts to cross the ocean and made themselves a new life.

I can give you a brief insight into what I think are the flaws in the old French culture. We as a people are basically mistrusting. In our culture is deeply rooted the notion that if you trust someone you don't know, it makes you vulnerable, and so the other will take advantage of you and harm you. This often bangs in my head with my personal trusting nature (generally my nature wins the fight, but I have ended hurt sometimes before). Another flaw would be that we tend to be pessimistic. Both these lead to us being a people very protective of his ways and habits.
I don't speak about individual persons here, I only point general French cultural tendancies.

As for you being a new Romain Empire ... all the stuff you make, songs, movies, books, and even words, ..., have been on top of the fashion here for many many years ! Here, take a very old toy for example, and give it a new American name, and it sells like a dream ! This happened this very Christmas with the newly named "city runner" (instead of "trottinette", my father had one as a child) ... all the kids wanted one ! We love you Americans, and you know, in every love, there is a small part of hate ...

There are an optimism and a power in the books or movies or songs coming from US that we Frenchies are unable to match. We tend to specialize in psychological introspective intellectual (and often boring) stuff. Or funny light movies.

I must go home now, I will continue in another post.

02-01-2001, 01:19 PM	#1
Moiraine Anubis Join Date: March 1, 2001 Location: Up in the Freedomland Alps Age: 60 Posts: 2,474	I have not been able to find again the thread with your post, fighter-thief, but I promised you an answer so ... It grieves my little heart that such a nice person like you should feel bad thinking that many other people in the world don't like you Americans. Of course a lot of narrow-minded ass-pinched people exist in every country. But there are also a lot of other persons who do not make generalizations. None of us on the board does, for a start. You Americans, like Australians, have had the great chance, about 200 years ago, to give yourself a fresh start, away from the weight of old thinking and living customs, and the pettiness of centuries-long social organization. Your ancestors have had to fight hard to conquer a new world, and that has made you stronger and more confident in yourselves, and more pragmatic and optimistic too. Besides, you have an history ! Your European ancestors are us ! Which makes you our cousins, sort of. One point of view could be to see us as those who did not have the guts to cross the ocean and made themselves a new life. I can give you a brief insight into what I think are the flaws in the old French culture. We as a people are basically mistrusting. In our culture is deeply rooted the notion that if you trust someone you don't know, it makes you vulnerable, and so the other will take advantage of you and harm you. This often bangs in my head with my personal trusting nature (generally my nature wins the fight, but I have ended hurt sometimes before). Another flaw would be that we tend to be pessimistic. Both these lead to us being a people very protective of his ways and habits. I don't speak about individual persons here, I only point general French cultural tendancies. As for you being a new Romain Empire ... all the stuff you make, songs, movies, books, and even words, ..., have been on top of the fashion here for many many years ! Here, take a very old toy for example, and give it a new American name, and it sells like a dream ! This happened this very Christmas with the newly named "city runner" (instead of "trottinette", my father had one as a child) ... all the kids wanted one ! We love you Americans, and you know, in every love, there is a small part of hate ... There are an optimism and a power in the books or movies or songs coming from US that we Frenchies are unable to match. We tend to specialize in psychological introspective intellectual (and often boring) stuff. Or funny light movies. I must go home now, I will continue in another post.