Jim, I find this paranoia that everybody who criticizes the USA must be jealous of you and hate you to be rather tiresome!!
It sometimes seems to me that large US cannot accept criticism in a mature way and react badly to almost any perceived suggestion that in some ways you might be less than perfect!! Many anti-EU movements tend to react in the same way, citing any criticism of this country to come from unpatriotic, English- hating leftists who wouldn't be happy till we were under some type of communist type rule!! America is largely perceived as arrogant and insular largely because of the actions of your Governments, not necessarily the American people!! The tearing up of the Kyoto agreement and the breaking of long-standing nuclear weapons agreements are just two things that spring to mind!! If people, rightly or wrongly, perceive America as arrogant and self-centred, why can't that be accepted as opinion and not as some left wing plot to destroy the very fabric of American life?? Regards, Steve. [EMAIL PROTECTED] ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jim Elwell" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, December 17, 2001 3:46 PM Subject: [USMA:16681] Re: I don't understand American attitude! > Marcus: > > Unfortunately I do not have the time right now to address your lengthy > email point by point, so please forgive this brief response. > > Some of what you say may be true (e.g., what others think of Americans), > but it is also totally beside the point. > > What some German or some Frenchman or some Canadian (or a whole group of > them) think of the USA and the metric system has very, very little to do > with when and how the USA actually metricates. You do not have to like > that, and you can call us names if you want, but that is the reality. > > And if you want to help the USA metricate, I suggest you start trying to > understand what motivates Americans, rather than just berating us for not > thinking like you do. Because we do NOT think like you and that is NOT > going to change. > > Whether or not you agree with the reality (or even the philosophy), > Americans think of themselves as individuals. NOT as cogs in some > super-governmental system. And many of us get our dander up at the thought > of ANYONE telling us how to run our lives, except in very restricted > circumstances (e.g., public safety). > > THAT IS THE REALITY OF MANY PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY!!! As I said, you do not > have to like it, you do not have to agree with it, but if you ignore it, > you will be far less effective (or even counterproductive) in helping us > metricate. > > Wizard's and Kilopascal's posts are perfect examples of lack of > understanding of Americans. If those were widely distributed, do you think > half of this country would wake up one morning and say, "Golly, we've been > terribly arrogant, and we really should switch today to a much nicer > measurement system." > > Far more likely is that a huge number of Americans would read Kilopascal's > posts and think, "That German SOB can take his metric ruler and shove it > where the sun don't shine!" > > So I ask: are you non-Americans on this forum just to have some Americans > to berate, or are you here to actually help us metricate the USA? > > Jim Elwell >
