[Rictor]

No, I'm just talking about the statistics on their site. if you wanna take a look, I'll PM you my login.

I also voted Nader. I guess we both hate everyone, though I'm a tad bit confused as to whether I'm also supposed to hate other Naderites as well

[aldo_14]

Originally posted by Rictor
I guess that would be Canadians, Americans (I know) and Europeans mostly, I've checked the detailed stats (you have to give them your email). They make up the biggest chunk of voters. Which makes sense, since these people would least be affected by US foreign policy, and so are able to safely ignore Kerry's stance on it.

It's simple.  they're picking the person who a) they've heard most of and b) isn't Bush.  I've never heard of any of the other mob, to be honest.

[Rictor]

Not even Nader? Surely, someone must have mentioned "that bastard who gave us 4 years of Bush", no?

edit: I think you hit it right on the head aldo. Its a shame though.

[aldo_14]

Originally posted by Rictor
Not even Nader? Surely, someone must have mentioned "that bastard who gave us 4 years of Bush", no?

edit: I think you hit it right on the head aldo. Its a shame though.

Nope.  As only the Repubs  and Dems have held power in the US, only they have had enough publicity to be casually aware (over here) of what they are actually like.

I wonder how many people outside the UK are familiar with the likes of Charles Kennedy, though?

[Martinus]

Originally posted by aldo_14
I wonder how many people outside the UK are familiar with the likes of Charles Kennedy, though?

[color=66ff00]Isn't he from Neighbours?
[/color]

[Rictor]

Originally posted by aldo_14


Nope.  As only the Repubs  and Dems have held power in the US, only they have had enough publicity to be casually aware (over here) of what they are actually like.

I wonder how many people outside the UK are familiar with the likes of Charles Kennedy, though?

Point taken. Though admitedlly, US politics is of greater interest to non-Americans than UK politics. Greater influence you see.

...MP, leader of the Liberal Democrats, biggest third party. In effect, the British Nader.

...ugh, preceded by Paddy Ashdown. Hmm, Respect-O-Meter just went down a notch.

[aldo_14]

Originally posted by Rictor


Point taken. Though admitedlly, US politics is of greater interest to non-Americans than UK politics. Greater influence you see.

True... it's hard to find an exact parallel, there's not many democratic (well, democratic at face value anyways)expansionit superpowers left.

[Corsair]

Originally posted by Clave
Hang on a minute, this is supposed to be a WORLD leader?  So where are the other world candidates?

There should be at least a token vote for Gerhard Shroeder, Jaques Chirac and to a lesser extent Tony Blair.

And what about Kofi Annan?

They don't have American guns. And that's what that website was all about anyway... The United States of America of the World is a HYPERPOWER!

[Shrike]

Originally posted by Tiara
Cultural; ROFLMAO! 99% of American culture is practically born from foreign culture. Only in the last century has America shown signs of an individual culture. But that doesn't even come CLOSE to the European and/or Asian culture bases. The only 'pure' culture is the Indian culture in America.

Europe might have a deeper cultural basis, but I'd say the US is far more effective at exporting its culture.  Come on, the Indian movie industry is pretty much known as Bollywood.  If that's not a nod to american cultural imperialism I don't know what is.

Just because the US imports ideas and whatnot from other places doesn't mean it doesn't have a massive effect on the rest of the world, because all the ideas it brings in get filtered and changed them thrown back out.

[aldo_14]

Originally posted by Shrike
Europe might have a deeper cultural basis, but I'd say the US is far more effective at exporting its culture.  Come on, the Indian movie industry is pretty much known as Bollywood.  If that's not a nod to american cultural imperialism I don't know what is.

But how much of that exported culture is itself derivative of that of the original and present day  immigrants?

[Shrike]

Originally posted by aldo_14
But how much of that exported culture is itself derivative of that of the original and present day  immigrants?

Which is, again, irrelevant.  It's America doing the exporting, so it's America with the cultural dominance.

[Tiara]

If you consider drink brands, etc culture...

Everything you call 'culture' is either food or other products. That's hardly culture. Culture isn't viewed as a phenomenon generated by more fundamental processes of economics, but as a lasting effect on society through history, deeds, words, actions, etc.

Culture != economic imperialism

[aldo_14]

Originally posted by Shrike
Which is, again, irrelevant.  It's America doing the exporting, so it's America with the cultural dominance.

Not really.  How can you judge how well  America 'exports' culture if that same culture is already present in a country/region?

Of course, a secondary issue is how much of said exported culture is actually accepted.

[Tiara]

Heh, McDonalds is a part of your culture? the main thing they sell are *French* fries

[Ghostavo]

The only American cultural dominance is in movies and television... nothing else methinks.

EDIT:
Tiara, freedom fries

[Rictor]

Oh, and Disney isn't culture? MTV isn't culture? You may want to keep your definition of culture pure, restricted to such things as art, literatuer and so forth, but in this day and age, almost everything is commercialized. Branding has *become* a part of culture.

And anyway, just look at Holywood. Mickey Mouse, Warner Brothers, the Simpsons, Starbucks, Nirvana, Metallica, Eminen. Its all American, and American culture is more widespread than any other, thanks to the commercial interests of the companies to which those brands belong.

[Tiara]

Originally posted by Ghostavo

Tiara, freedom fries

Perfect example of trying to convert foreign culture and sell it as their own

[Tiara]

Originally posted by Rictor
Oh, and Disney isn't culture? MTV isn't culture? You may want to keep your definition of culture pure, restricted to such things as art, literatuer and so forth, but in this day and age, almost everything is commercialized. Branding has *become* a part of culture.

And anyway, just look at Holywood. Mickey Mouse, Warner Brothers, the Simpsons, Starbucks, Nirvana, Metallica, Eminen. Its all American, and American culture is more widespread than any other, thanks to the commercial interests of the companies to which those brands belong.

If you consider that cultural dominance, i pitty you. I really pitty you.

I'm actually glad you were the ones that came up with the idea for MTV *shrugs* At least they can't blame me for that abomination.

Also, I never said that America has no culture of it's own but it's nowhere NEAR that of Europe or Asia. Do you have a history about a few millenia long? Did America have the medieval era? Does America have any artists/visionaries that have influenced everyone throughout the centuries?

Just to name a few REAL cultural landmarks;

- Hippocrates
- Leonardo DaVinci
- (Sorry to say this ) The Church and the Christian religion
- Chinese dynasties
- [insert about a gazillion other cultural landmarks]

That's culture. Not some gawdforsaken TV program that'll be forgotten in a hunmdred years... Not some fast-food branch that'll be gone in time. No, culture is something that LASTS[/b]. Period.

[aldo_14]

Definition of culture;
n. The totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought characteristic of a community or population. 2). A style of social and artistic expression peculiar to a society or class.

For a country to export culture, it most be adopted by another.  Insofar as I can tell, this has not happened to US culture.  Whereas, for example, a degree of British culture was exported through the Empire.   The US is simply too young a country to have developed and exported its own culture...it took Britain hundreds of years to even make a minor influence.

[ShadowWolf_IH]

Politard thread again?  doesn't anyone ever get siock of these stupid things?