John D. Giorgis wrote:
<Charlie>
>>Like the steam engine, antibiotics, the car, radio, television, the internal
>>combustion engine, the machine gun, the jet engine, the pneumatic tyre, the
>>bicycle, the mechanical loom, steel and the train?
>>
>>Thanks John. That entire post neatly illustrated exactly what Kat was
>>talking about.
>
>And thank you for proving my point.
>
>You basically presented the following logic:
>"The UK has made a number of important inventions, therfore American claims
>to be a leader in technological innovation amount to nothing more than
>arrogant bluster."
Er, yes? And you disprove that how? Also, these aren't all UK inventions,
unless I miss my guess.
>
>With thinking like that, it is not surprising that this discussion never
>gets anywhere.
JDG appears to be accusing someone else of being close-minded,
obstructive to discussion and incapable of reading the true meaning of a
post. Excuse me while I go have a fit of helpless laughter....
(Oh, the irony)
>This discussion is not about proving American superiorit. Kat proposed
>that "Americans do not have much reason for being arrogant." I am seeking
>to disprove her proposition.
>
>Kat's proposition makes it a given that:
>-Some people will be arrogant.
>-There are reasons for being arrogant.
>
>I am therfore arguing that arrogance might reasonably stem from pride in
>one's accomplishments. Thus, I am pointing out that Americans have a
>great many accomplishments that one might reasonably take pride in.
Yes, but your proposition, as outlined above, has a big hole in it. Most
Americans can't list the accomplishments you're naming. And, if they can,
they do it rather ignorantly, and claim *all* major accomplishments in
the last two centuries. After all, goes the reasoning, if it isn't
American it can't have been very important. I have had grown people tell
me, in all seriousness, that America created the Industrial Revolution,
abolished slavery, and conquered space- singlehandedly.
Now *that* is arrogance, and it has nothing to do with pride, because
these people have no concept about what they're actually being proud of.
They're just making assumptions.
Kat Feete
___________________
Yes, fantasy is escapist, and that is its glory. If a soldier
is imprisoned by the enemy, is it not his duty to escape?
--J.R.R. Tolkien
