[HPFGU-OTChatter] Re: Inappropriate content accessed from JKR.com

[P. Alexis Nguyen]

Wolfie! :
> This is what I notice about the US as an outsider.
>
> An American puts their hands over their heart and proudly
> tells you that they are a freedom loving people.
>
> Then you find that they don't want you to do this, and that
> and the other thing, and no.. that's not right and you
> shouldn't be doing this here and nope... can't do that and
> on and on and on and on and on.

Ali:
I spent much of my childhood in the US Bible Belt, supposed land of
the uber-conservatives.  Let me tell you that while most of these
people found the Janet-nipple incident in poor taste, most of them
would also not presume to tell you what to think about it.  America is
a large country, and it is unfair to judge it by looking at the words
and actions of the far-too-loud far-too-conservative [somewhat large]
minority.  That is, in my mind, akin to saying that, all Chinese
people are the same and have a shared Chinese culture, a "fact" that
is widely "known" and mostly untrue - it's tough to cast an accurate
net on a very large large and highly varied populace when you're
focusing on the words and actions of the few whose voices are raised
loud enough to be reported to the world at large.

Don't get me wrong; I get judged the same way considering that I now
live in a "blue state" (liberal) but came from a "red state"
(conservative), so I know it isn't just the view "from the outside
looking in" that makes us "red state" folks look bad, but I feel like
we, the US in general and the more conservative folks in particular,
get a bad reputation just because a very loud minority decide to make
itself known to the world at large.  I have friends who tell me, very
seriously, that they go abroad and have to first state that they
didn't vote for Bush, that they don't support Iraq actions, or some
similar thing, and all the while, I'm thinking that while other
countries are criticizing the US, they should also be looking at
themselves for whether they're being hypocrites - I'm not pinpointing
you Wolfie! but just making a generalization.  I mean, I don't know
too many British folks who want me to judge them by Tony Blair's
actions on the world stage (though the number of British friends I
have are decidedly few so take that comment for whatever it's worth to
you).

Anyway, that's just me responding to an email that, admittedly, hits a
little close to home for me, so my responses may be rendered biased
and somewhat invalid.

~Ali