On Sat, 2005-05-14 at 19:50 -0400, Chad Smith wrote: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > > > It seems to me that you US citizens seem to be a bit over-sesitive to > > these things. From over here you guys do seem a bit insular in your > > world vision. You have World Series that only involve teams from the > > USA. Perhaps understandable in a country the size of a continent but it > > doesn't do any harm to see the bigger picture from time to time from the > > perspective of other souls who inhabit the planet. Australia is about > > the size of the USA you know. > > > > The World Series includes teams from Canada.
Wow, you mean its the *whole* of North America? Hardly a World series if it misses out whole continents. > Also, it's the World Series of Baseball, an American sport - in fact, > the American Past Time. Much like Basketball, few teams can compete > with American (ie USA) teams in that particular sport. Its still pretentious to call something a World Series when its actually parochial. > On the other hand, America pretty much sucks at Soccer, (aka > "football") which the rest of the world enjoy far more than Baseball, > Basketball, or American Football. And so the World cup in soccer is a much better named. England is currently the World Cup holder in rugby which is a minority sport on the global stage but still involves teams from all continents (except Antarctica because penguins have a problem holding the ball ;-) ) Even the USA competed in the last rugby world cup. Rugby has been dominated by New Zealand, a country of 4 million people but it is still has a proper World Cup even though its relatively recent. > I don't think it's a matter of one country having better athletes > than another. I think it's just which sport the individual country's > best athletes end up playing. Did I say anything different? My point is that the USA tends to be over USA-centric in terms of its position in the World. Calling something a World series that is actually a North American series is just one particular example. Then US citizens get upset and say people are anti-USA if they claim at least shared ownership of a word like American. > That all being said, many of the players on baseball teams in the > USA are from other countries, so World Series actually does apply even > more. No, the English premier soccer league is not a World league just because it has probably the best selection of the World's players playing in it. Henry is French and plays for Arsenal, Gudjohnson Icelandic playing for Chelsea, Blackburn Rovers Goalkeeper Brad Friedel is from the USA. Its still and English league, not even a British or UK league. Scotland has its own league even though many Scots play in the English League. > > > > I get a little sick and tired of constantly being on > > > > the defensive because of where I was born. > > > > > > > I don't see what you have to be defensive about. The USA is a perfectly > > > fine country to be a citizen of, and I have a lot of good friends from > > > there. > > > > > > > Yes, you have the most powerful economy on the Earth, that should give > > confidence not insecurity. > > > > And don't forget the best military. Best? Biggest and most expensive is not necessarily the best. Its at least arguable that the British SAS have the reputation of being the most effective special forces in the World but such judgements are subjective so you'll never prove that one way or another. > We make up the bulk of the military for the UN and NATO, so we're > busy fighting for the freedom of the UK and Venezuela and every other > country as well as our own. ROFL. And you wonder why people outside the USA take a dim view of the USA? Good job you don't work in the diplomatic core, Chad. > Defending our right to call ourselves Americans is not a sign of > insecurity. Its is from here and that is all that really matters. > It's perfectly logical. In terms of the World stage, how you are perceived is not a matter of logic. If the USA continues to have the attitudes you display here, it will find it has fewer and fewer friends. The USA's best friend in the World at the moment is the UK but I can see the sort of things you are saying rapidly changing that. > As was brought out, by me, the first time we had this argument a few > months ago - citizens of the USA qualify even for Daniel's screwed up > definition of the word "American". I don't see why he refuses to > recognize our claim to that title. He is only challenging your assertion that you are the only one with a right to the title. That is the whole point. By not seeing his point of view you brand yourself as just another arrogant person from the USA with no World perspective. Usually people who are more confident tend to be in a better position to give a little. Yes the USA is currently the most powerful economy, all the more reason to be careful not to come across as an arrogant bully. -- Ian Lynch <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ZMSL
