America is one of the most toxic places I've ever been

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

8 hours ago, Captainant said:

A failed state is a political body that has disintegrated to a point where basic conditions and responsibilities of a sovereign government no longer function properly (see also fragile state and state collapse).

Signs

Common indicators include a state whose central government is so weak or ineffective that it has little practical control over much of its territory; non-provision of public services; widespread corruption and criminality; refugees and involuntary movement of populations; and sharp economic decline.

....

....

We don't cover all the bases, but just last month our entire state lost public utilities due to a complete lack of preparation or planning. We also have our fucking attorney general under multiple felony indictments for self dealing and corruption. 

So, he's not exactly wrong my dude

You just had a weather event in every single county of a huge fucking state, that hadn't occurred in how many decades ?  

Texas closed itself off from a multi state energy grid (that's just plain old arrogance coupled with some stupidity)  ?  

A corrupt AG or cow czar or whatever he is. That's a sign the state is done ?  When hasn't there been a politician accused of corruption ?  

Jeebus there are some fucking sad people here. How do you get up every morning and trudge on ?  (See: Trophs post above for some friggin' perspective).

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

18 minutes ago, deadshank said:

Brisket fatigue is real.  

And a bit annoying in its fictional accounting of life in these United States.

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12301]

36 minutes ago, slorch said:

Except you doom and gloomers.  Y'all never content.

Like y’all, I’m not real interested on the brit’s take of the US, nor the Toby Keith contingent. But the thread title resonates with me. We left the US, originally planning a 4 month hiatus from the insanity of everything. We’ve decided not to return. It’ll all remain contingent on our children’s development and we’ll-being, but we are happier outside of the States.

As we’ve become a bit separated from daily life in the States, the word that I always come back to is “toxic”. The consumerism, the obsession with wealth and more material things. The discourse and ignorance and hatred. It all feels very toxic to me.

[CHIEF 5208]

24 minutes ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

You just had a weather event in every single county of a huge fucking state, that hadn't occurred in how many decades ?  

Texas closed itself off from a multi state energy grid (that's just plain old arrogance coupled with some stupidity)  ?  

A corrupt AG or cow czar or whatever he is. That's a sign the state is done ?  When hasn't there been a politician accused of corruption ?  

Jeebus there are some fucking sad people here. How do you get up every morning and trudge on ?  (See: Trophs post above for some friggin' perspective).

Gonna need a bigger ledge. When are people gonna learn that life is all about "survival of the fittest" in reality there are no rules. There never has been. Civilized Society doesn't change that, it has been that way since prehistoric times. Evolutionary Theory is the prime example.

CHIEF

Edited March 17, 2021 by CHIEF

[Restinmybones 111]

17 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

This.  Now that this is its own thread.....maybe the biggest problem America has is that we love to sniff our own farts and talk about our glory days as if they define us today.  We are Al Bundy. constantly crowing about our four touchdowns in one game....

......yet we fail to realize that we've become THIS Al Bundy:

 

The Land of Opportunity, the American Dream, the "American Exceptionalism" that we actually had from WWII to around the mid 1970s......that shit is GONE.  If you look at our general economic opportunity and mobility over the past generation or so, we're just another stagnant western democracy.  Worse than others in many respects, better in some.  The primary reasons why we are a "magnet" for people from other countries is 1) proximity (if you're living a nightmare in Honduras, the closest "non-nightmare" country is the US), and 2) vestiges of our formerly friendly immigration and asylum policies.  We WERE a magnet for immigrants for a long time -- in ye olde days, because we were a big-ass empty country that didn't give a fuck who came here, and then went nativist for a while, and then went gung-ho post war, being especially friendly to refugees from communist countries.  But that approach is fading fast.

When I think of where I want my kids to make their lives, there's no particularly compelling reason that the US stands above other western nations.  There are things I like in the US vs. Germany, for example (seriously, it's a BITCH to get a fishing license in Germany -- that sucks).  But there are things I like in Germany vs. the US (much better gov't approach to the general welfare).  Both of them have their own species of racism problems (good old American racism, vs. the fact that the gotdamn Nazis never went all the way away....they just kept quiet for a few decades until they could come back as AfD; the UK is racist AF as well).  But it means that it comes down to a list of differing pros and cons. 

There is no clear "this country is EASILY the GREATEST IN THE WORLD!" winner, even though we crow that incessantly.  Believing our own bullshit is the biggest obstacle to any effort at improvement.  I think we WERE that country (again, not without some serious-ass warts -- ask all the people we bombed the fuck out of for decades, and our civil rights struggle sure put our ugly side on display).  And I think we actually have an inherent spirit and ability to achieve that CAN lead us to being exceptional (we went to the fucking moon, motherfuckers).  But when our response to any notion of "so....this thing about us isn't great....we should work on that" is "fuck you!  Love it or leave it, GREATEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD!", self-improvement is actually an enemy that we fight against instead of an opportunity we embrace.

Let's stop crowing about the four touchdowns we scored in one game back in 1945.  Let's work on getting back in shape so we can at least compete in the adult flag football league, instead of sitting on the couch in our dirty shirt with our hand down our pants (I mean, that's my lecture for Y'ALL....I'm totally gonna spend my days on the couch, hand down my pants.  Because that's awesome).

Good post. There is so much that needs to be done in this country, from reform of the economic and political systems to reform of foreign and defense policies, that it is hard to know where to begin. I worked for a small Congressional agency on small slices of a wide variety of issues for 38 years and watched the decline in many areas. I would only add that we also need to stop seeing enemies everywhere and focus on rebuilding and reforming at home. 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

Like y’all, I’m not real interested on the brit’s take of the US, nor the Toby Keith contingent. But the thread title resonates with me. We left the US, originally planning a 4 month hiatus from the insanity of everything. We’ve decided not to return. It’ll all remain contingent on our children’s development and we’ll-being, but we are happier outside of the States.

As we’ve become a bit separated from daily life in the States, the word that I always come back to is “toxic”. The consumerism, the obsession with wealth and more material things. The discourse and ignorance and hatred. It all feels very toxic to me.

Hell, at least you put your money where your mouth is.  Much respect on that front.

Agree on those things you say are toxic topics, other than to say, they are hardly unique to America.  I dislike the consumerism too.  It drives me nuts sometimes, always ending with, "But why?"  Obsession with wealth?  Again, not unique.  Discourse is great, but I think you probably meant the destructive/ violent type, and in that I agree 100%.  I do celebrate that the right to convey that discourse exists, I just wish  folks would keep non-violent.

I certainly don't view America as perfect.  No sir.  There does seem to be a stronger running tide of effort/ opinion to strip us of having pride in our country or being proud of who we are.  The Briskets and Wankers of the world are so down in the mouth about the US.. yet here they are bitching.  Not offering real solutions.  Of course people are going to answer back.

Edited March 17, 2021 by slorch

[Johnny Sack 8397]

13 hours ago, Captainant said:

Just calling out that you're advocating for the termination of humanitarian programs that are fractions of pennies compared to what we spend on equipment the military doesn't need and gets handed off to Joe Chud the deputy after a few years of storage. And that taking aim at thinking """wasteful""" things like feeding the hungry of the world is less worth doing than blowing them up

It isn't just that.  The rest of the world largely gets a free ride on our military and our health care R&D.  There is a reason the USA shits all over the EU in healthcare innovation.  We spend a lot more money on it.

[troph 25101]

1 hour ago, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

Like y’all, I’m not real interested on the brit’s take of the US, nor the Toby Keith contingent. But the thread title resonates with me. We left the US, originally planning a 4 month hiatus from the insanity of everything. We’ve decided not to return. It’ll all remain contingent on our children’s development and we’ll-being, but we are happier outside of the States.

As we’ve become a bit separated from daily life in the States, the word that I always come back to is “toxic”. The consumerism, the obsession with wealth and more material things. The discourse and ignorance and hatred. It all feels very toxic to me.

“I get all the news I need from the weather report” should be your theme. I stole it from Simon & Garfunkel. 

i’m not able to do what you guys did yet for a variety of reasons but I admire you immensely for doing what you are doing.  No dress rehearsals here.  I’m ready to check out too, really want some island time in the next few years. Just not giving a rats ass about the politics here anymore.  Just need the Equality Act to be passed and then I’m not sure what I care about politically. 

[BabaYaga 15537]

34 minutes ago, Johnny Sack said:

It isn't just that.  The rest of the world largely gets a free ride on our military and our health care R&D.  There is a reason the USA shits all over the EU in healthcare innovation.  We spend a lot more money on it.

Yep.  If the EU countries expended what we do on innovation and medical research, their plans would be instantly insolvent (as many already are without these expenditures).  Layer on military requirements for NATO memberships, and they are proper fooked.  

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4999]

Upward mobility is largely dead here. That's why the children of so many Mexican immigrants in my wife's family, many of them at a disadvantage because they are dreamers and not full citizens, have only found their way solidly into the middle class instead of becoming billionaires in their early to mid 20's.

[TwiceHorn 32019]

11 hours ago, The Dog said:

Re: COVID vaccines. Europe is fucked right now. They fucked the goat hard.

And good luck getting the shot in Canada - they’ve only administered at least one dose to a whopping 8% of their population. The gawd awful USA? 33%.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/world/covid-vaccinations-tracker.html?campaign_id=9&emc=edit_nn_20210316&instance_id=28100&nl=the-morning&regi_id=127595523&segment_id=53490&te=1&user_id=1c18ff40e7ac928484b54c7d01a2f342

I was reading how EU was obsessed with controlling the price of vaccine and nailed it down to 19USD per dose, on average.  While the US is paying a whopping 20USD per dose.  Lots of bureaucratic bs on their end.

[fattyflattie 4640]

2 hours ago, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

Like y’all, I’m not real interested on the brit’s take of the US, nor the Toby Keith contingent. But the thread title resonates with me. We left the US, originally planning a 4 month hiatus from the insanity of everything. We’ve decided not to return. It’ll all remain contingent on our children’s development and we’ll-being, but we are happier outside of the States.

As we’ve become a bit separated from daily life in the States, the word that I always come back to is “toxic”. The consumerism, the obsession with wealth and more material things. The discourse and ignorance and hatred. It all feels very toxic to me.

This is understandable, sometimes a change is necessary. But your perspective might be different if you were “of the people” where you are now.  You got a great education and made a shitpot full of money here, then moved to a place where it takes a whole lot less $$$ to maintain, all the while leaving one of the worst political climates we’ve had in decades, and on top of that during a pandemic.  I’m certain the more time you spend down there, you’ll realize the folks with money have the same consumerism we have here, and a much more pronounced class issue.  I stayed down there for a couple of years myself, and the haves and have nots line is stark as ever. 

[Trey3216 15451]

20 hours ago, Wanker Bob said:

Those countries don't have boastful proclamations on their monuments like this: 

"Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Most of the European nations also have far better upward mobility than the US current day even though the US used to be at or near the top of the list. 

If Americans want to be okay with their rapid decline in these areas then that's fine but for God's sakes shut up with the "land of the free, land of opportunity, greatest country on Earth" bullshit. Because at this point in the 21st century it's all just bullshit

[Surly Bevo 25664]

2-0 Bitch

[DonkeyCigars 143]

18 hours ago, B00M said:

This thread really is brisket's wheelhouse: emotion, words, doom, zany analogies, hypotheticals, so many words. Any debatable facts? Maybe? Has Hitler been mentioned yet? It's great because we can all be sad and mad and be here for hours and not learn a thing except Brisket types fast. Thanks Bob.

Hahaha yes. Dopamine hit from reading this joke. #America

Edited March 17, 2021 by DonkeyCigars

[RomaVicta 30513]

19 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

This.  Now that this is its own thread.....maybe the biggest problem America has is that we love to sniff our own farts and talk about our glory days as if they define us today.  We are Al Bundy. constantly crowing about our four touchdowns in one game....

......yet we fail to realize that we've become THIS Al Bundy:

 

The Land of Opportunity, the American Dream, the "American Exceptionalism" that we actually had from WWII to around the mid 1970s......that shit is GONE.  If you look at our general economic opportunity and mobility over the past generation or so, we're just another stagnant western democracy.  Worse than others in many respects, better in some.  The primary reasons why we are a "magnet" for people from other countries is 1) proximity (if you're living a nightmare in Honduras, the closest "non-nightmare" country is the US), and 2) vestiges of our formerly friendly immigration and asylum policies.  We WERE a magnet for immigrants for a long time -- in ye olde days, because we were a big-ass empty country that didn't give a fuck who came here, and then went nativist for a while, and then went gung-ho post war, being especially friendly to refugees from communist countries.  But that approach is fading fast.

When I think of where I want my kids to make their lives, there's no particularly compelling reason that the US stands above other western nations.  There are things I like in the US vs. Germany, for example (seriously, it's a BITCH to get a fishing license in Germany -- that sucks).  But there are things I like in Germany vs. the US (much better gov't approach to the general welfare).  Both of them have their own species of racism problems (good old American racism, vs. the fact that the gotdamn Nazis never went all the way away....they just kept quiet for a few decades until they could come back as AfD; the UK is racist AF as well).  But it means that it comes down to a list of differing pros and cons. 

There is no clear "this country is EASILY the GREATEST IN THE WORLD!" winner, even though we crow that incessantly.  Believing our own bullshit is the biggest obstacle to any effort at improvement.  I think we WERE that country (again, not without some serious-ass warts -- ask all the people we bombed the fuck out of for decades, and our civil rights struggle sure put our ugly side on display).  And I think we actually have an inherent spirit and ability to achieve that CAN lead us to being exceptional (we went to the fucking moon, motherfuckers).  But when our response to any notion of "so....this thing about us isn't great....we should work on that" is "fuck you!  Love it or leave it, GREATEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD!", self-improvement is actually an enemy that we fight against instead of an opportunity we embrace.

Let's stop crowing about the four touchdowns we scored in one game back in 1945.  Let's work on getting back in shape so we can at least compete in the adult flag football league, instead of sitting on the couch in our dirty shirt with our hand down our pants (I mean, that's my lecture for Y'ALL....I'm totally gonna spend my days on the couch, hand down my pants.  Because that's awesome).

We lead the world in self-congratulation which is a trait that never did any country, business, or person any good. I can see why it would rankle foreigners. It rankles me because this blind dedication to team jersey is also a cover for malign elements to harm the republic.

Wanker Bob makes poor arguments but alludes to some valid points. If they weren't valid, I doubt so many people would be responding with outrage. They'd just laugh them off instead.

I don't look to Great Britain as a model for much of anything other than their parliamentary debate system where issues must actually be deliberated. But WB doesn't really hold Great Britain up as a paragon, at least in my limited reading of the thread, so not even that remark scores a hit on him.

I'm fine with the foreign perspective. I, like Brisket, would prefer to be open minded to criticism in hopes to improve. You know, in order to form a more perfect union and all of that.

It's March 17, so fuck the Brits for their tyrrany over the Irish including Cromwell, the Penal Laws, and dividing the island. 

Bobby Sands.

[deadshank 24654]

56 minutes ago, NotActuallyALonghorn said:

Upward mobility is largely dead here. That's why the children of so many Mexican immigrants in my wife's family, many of them at a disadvantage because they are dreamers and not full citizens, have only found their way solidly into the middle class instead of becoming billionaires in their early to mid 20's.

My BIL is from Adana, Turkey.  He GTFO Turkey as soon as he could, came to the US on a student visa, worked and paid his own way through college with no student loans, became a citizen, got a job, went to grad school on his own dime, took my sister off my dad's hands (a merciful act of courage) and has become quite successful in the DC area.  

He doesn't understand why some Americans complain, piss and moan about opportunity in America. In fact, he said it was easy (excepting my sister) and if a one-eyebrowed Turk that looks like Sesame Street's Ernie and has a crazy-assed Turk accent can make it here then anyone can; and, native born Americans have a bird's nest on the ground.

Perspective.

[Deej 77684]

3 hours ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

How do you get up every morning and trudge on?

[Johnny Sack 8397]

44 minutes ago, fattyflattie said:

This is understandable, sometimes a change is necessary. But your perspective might be different if you were “of the people” where you are now.  You got a great education and made a shitpot full of money here, then moved to a place where it takes a whole lot less $$$ to maintain, all the while leaving one of the worst political climates we’ve had in decades, and on top of that during a pandemic.  I’m certain the more time you spend down there, you’ll realize the folks with money have the same consumerism we have here, and a much more pronounced class issue.  I stayed down there for a couple of years myself, and the haves and have nots line is stark as ever. 

Michael Scott : I got to see how Jamaicans live. It is great. You know, they just relax, they party all the time.

[Trey3216 15451]

33 minutes ago, deadshank said:

My BIL is from Adana, Turkey.  He GTFO Turkey as soon as he could, came to the US on a student visa, worked and paid his own way through college with no student loans, became a citizen, got a job, went to grad school on his own dime, took my sister off my dad's hands (a merciful act of courage) and has become quite successful in the DC area.  

He doesn't understand why some Americans complain, piss and moan about opportunity in America. In fact, he said it was easy (excepting my sister) and if a one-eyebrowed Turk that looks like Sesame Street's Ernie and has a crazy-assed Turk accent can make it here then anyone can; and, native born Americans have a bird's nest on the ground.

Perspective.

Sounds a lot like my neighbor who watched his brother get executed in the streets of Rwanda and now lives here with his sister and her daughter.  He works as a flight instructor for TSTC/Baylor's Aviation program and she is an RN.  He gets pissed when people talk about 'lack of opportunity' and outright oppression.  He told me last summer "you want to see real oppression, try being a Tutsi and watching your family/ethnic community be chopped to pieces in the streets just for being a Tutsi"  

[RomaVicta 30513]

America: A Shit Load Better Than Rwanda!

[workswithseed 2201]

41 minutes ago, RomaVicta said:

 

It's March 17, so fuck the Brits for their tyrrany over the Irish including Cromwell, the Penal Laws, and dividing the island. 

Bobby Sands.

I'm gonna say that Northern Ireland is happy to not be in Ireland.

[RomaVicta 30513]

8 minutes ago, workswithseed said:

I'm gonna say that Northern Ireland is happy to not be in Ireland.

Descendants of invaders roused to religious hatred might be expected to say so. Do you claim to speak for all the residents of Northern Ireland or just the carefully cordoned majority created, in a deceptive act of statecraft, by the waning imperial power unable to let their nearest slave state go completely free?

I look forward to your complete answer placed in historical context addressing the complexities of a state entity created without regard to the native people.

edit to add:

In addition to mentions of Cromwell, the Penal Laws, and the division, I'll add that during the potato famine when the native population was starving because they could not maintain enough sustenance on the tiny plots of land they were allowed to work, the island was actually exporting food grown on the foreign-owned estates. Cattle and other crops were flourishing on that fertile island.

Edited March 17, 2021 by RomaVicta

[Rip76 5010]

How does the Wanker have so much rep?

CR jerkfests?

[workswithseed 2201]

1 minute ago, RomaVicta said:

Descendants of invaders roused to religious hatred might be expected to say so. Do you claim to speak for all the residents of Northern Ireland or just the carefully cordoned majority created, in a deceptive act of statecraft, by the waning imperial power unable to let their nearest slave state go completely free?

I look forward to your complete answer placed in historical context addressing the complexities of a state entity created without regard to the native people.

If they want out like the SNP, then sure, but I haven't heard anything like that from NI. 

[fattyflattie 4640]

22 minutes ago, RomaVicta said:

America: A Shit Load Better Than Anywhere Else

fify

[yoladu 4187]

[Enchubben 5598]

4 hours ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

You just had a weather event in every single county of a huge fucking state, that hadn't occurred in how many decades ?  

Texas closed itself off from a multi state energy grid (that's just plain old arrogance coupled with some stupidity)  ?  

A corrupt AG or cow czar or whatever he is. That's a sign the state is done ?  When hasn't there been a politician accused of corruption ?  

Jeebus there are some fucking sad people here. How do you get up every morning and trudge on ?  (See: Trophs post above for some friggin' perspective).

A once every 100 years extreme weather event cause many people to be without power for 3 days; The Texas experiment has failed!  

[Restinmybones 111]

11 minutes ago, Enchubben said:

A once every 100 years extreme weather event cause many people to be without power for 3 days; The Texas experiment has failed!  

Actually, the winter of '89/'90 was significantly worse than this winter. 

[High Plains Drifter 11164]

20 hours ago, slorch said:

for your football analogy, America is Michael Irvin right now.  We badass on gameday.  We badass even on practice.  But when we deviate from football( being what got us here,) we are bottom of the barrel decision makers.

 

 

we show up in court wearing a full length fur coat?

 

 

[BabaYaga 15537]

11 minutes ago, Restinmybones said:

Actually, the winter of '89/'90 was significantly worse than this winter. 

I didn't have to stalk and eat my neighbors cat in order to survive the great snowpocalypse of '89/90.....so there's that......

[BabaYaga 15537]

How does the old expression go - people voting with their wallets and feet.  They hate us cuz they ain't us.

 

[RomaVicta 30513]

1 hour ago, workswithseed said:

If they want out like the SNP, then sure, but I haven't heard anything like that from NI. 

Superb response.

[workswithseed 2201]

25 minutes ago, RomaVicta said:

Superb response.

Thanks!

[Armybrat 41342]

2 hours ago, Johnny Sack said:

Michael Scott : I got to see how Jamaicans live. It is great. You know, they just relax, they party all the time.

One of my sons spent a summer in Jamaica helping a friend build a geodetic dome house out in a jungle/forest.

He came home wearing dreds.

csb

[Captainant 28422]

59 minutes ago, Enchubben said:

A once every 100 years extreme weather event cause many people to be without power for 3 days; The Texas experiment has failed!  

well considering that the last time we had a massive, grid-crippling freeze was 2011 and there was no action to enforce compliance with life-saving measures like winterization of critical infrastructure in the intervening decade... I'd say that's a pretty massive fuck-up that is emblematic of a state that is at the very least unhealthy.

And factor in that in the aftermath, our lt. governor is more concerned with private profits than delivering consistent utilities and the discussion in our state lege has been more focused on protecting profitability and "winners and losers" than ensuring that the citizens of Texas have the best utility service possible.

[deadshank 24654]

7 minutes ago, Armybrat said:

One of my sons spent a summer in Jamaica helping a friend build a geodetic dome house out in a jungle/forest.

He came home wearing dreds.

csb

cultural appropriation thread is that way ----------------->

[ztejas 44114]

1 hour ago, Restinmybones said:

Actually, the winter of '89/'90 was significantly worse than this winter. 

Actually you're a moron.

[MillerEP 30846]

Lucky for us we kicked Britain's ass already back in the height of their power so we never have to give a shit about what some Limey bastard thinks.

[mchookem 16746]

On 3/15/2021 at 8:39 AM, Wanker Bob said:

Stuff like this makes me happy I don't have a kid of my own and never want to do so. Raising my niece is challenging enough and I honestly think if I was going to have another one to start from scratch I'd look into moving us to another country. America is one of the most toxic places I've ever been. It's like you imported the worst of the British traits and over 240+ years have taken them to the max at every opportunity. An exhausting segment of the species. 

 

[Dbeasy 15542]

America may have some toxicity, but the OP is the biggest douchebag on surly and in the running for biggest douchebag on the internet. His typical British over-top arrogance combined with incompetence makes him almost indistinguishable from millions of other Brits, in a nation so full of problems it makes the US look like Utopia. Fuck off twat. 

[Brisketexan 106704]

7 minutes ago, Dbeasy said:

America may have some toxicity, but the OP is the biggest douchebag on surly and in the running for biggest douchebag on the internet. His typical British over-top arrogance combined with incompetence makes him almost indistinguishable from millions of other Brits, in a nation so full of problems it makes the US look like Utopia. Fuck off twat. 

But...and just a point for the brits here....they regularly use "twat" as an insult.  Their insults are really superior.  Colorful insults may be their greatest export.  So, you know....one point in their column.  I mean, some of those insults are HORRIBLY racist, so they probably get that point immediately deducted, but still, it goes on the ledger.

[InkaUtexas 26831]

3 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

But...and just a point for the brits here....they regularly use "twat" as an insult.  Their insults are really superior.  Colorful insults may be their greatest export.  So, you know....one point in their column.  I mean, some of those insults are HORRIBLY racist, so they probably get that point immediately deducted, but still, it goes on the ledger.

Nah, insults in Spanish are superior to the UK Fook off mate. 

[Brisketexan 106704]

3 minutes ago, InkaUtexas said:

Nah, insults in Spanish are superior to the UK Fook off mate. 

As someone who grew up in a family fluent and frequent in their practice of spanish profanity and such, I respectfully disagree.  Spanish is fun, and colorful.  But the brits are masters at the craft.  I don't put them at the top of many categories of achievement, but that category may be where they achieve their only top ranking.

[Enchubben 5598]

59 minutes ago, Captainant said:

well considering that the last time we had a massive, grid-crippling freeze was 2011 and there was no action to enforce compliance with life-saving measures like winterization of critical infrastructure in the intervening decade... I'd say that's a pretty massive fuck-up that is emblematic of a state that is at the very least unhealthy.

And factor in that in the aftermath, our lt. governor is more concerned with private profits than delivering consistent utilities and the discussion in our state lege has been more focused on protecting profitability and "winners and losers" than ensuring that the citizens of Texas have the best utility service possible.

You seem to be stuck on grid independence as justification for Texas being considered a failed state.  California has had regular rolling blackouts for 20 years, and that's on top of electricity that costs 60% more than ours.  By your standards the US should have apologized and given California back to Mexico by now.

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

7 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

As someone who grew up in a family fluent and frequent in their practice of spanish profanity and such, I respectfully disagree.  Spanish is fun, and colorful.  But the brits are masters at the craft.  I don't put them at the top of many categories of achievement, but that category may be where they achieve their only top ranking.

The Brits are the indisputed  masters of sarcasm, and wit.

One only needs to see one episode of Black Adder to have that point hammered home.

[deadshank 24654]

Just now, Onboard 2.0 said:

The Brits are the indisputed  masters of sarcasm, and wit.

One only needs to see one episode of Black Adder to have that point hammered home.

Black Adder was a comedy?  I thought it was British bi-racial porn.

[phdhorn 6225]

24 minutes ago, Dbeasy said:

America may have some toxicity, but the OP is the biggest douchebag on surly and in the running for biggest douchebag on the internet. His typical British over-top arrogance combined with incompetence makes him almost indistinguishable from millions of other Brits, in a nation so full of problems it makes the US look like Utopia. Fuck off twat. 

Agreed.  I did my phd research in Britain and my god, it's full of fucksticks who seem to have this GIGANTIC inferiority complex (i.e. chip on their shoulders) about America.  Dozens of times I would be in a bar or some place and while most people of course were very nice, there was inevitably this one guy - and often Irish, happy St. Patrick's Day! - who would drunkenly (can you believe it - a drunk Irishman or other Brit?  Say it ain't so, Joe!) launch into this tirade exactly like OP did, only with more profanity.  Then, inevitably when they'd have enough of my ignoring them or just disinterestedly nodding without looking at them (I knew better than to even begin to "discuss" anything with these fools), they'd start having a mild go at me - you know, the "ugly American."  Again, I'd just blow it off, and most of the time they'd have a friend who'd apologize to me for them, saying, "you know, he's just a little snookered" or whatnot and not to take it personally (I never did).  Most of these brutes were little guys (usually about 5'7" or less) and I'm 6'3" and well let's just say it wasn't a great matchup.  The one guy who did throw a blow (which missed, how insanely unpredictable when you're drunk!) was hurredly jumped on and thrown out of the bar by the staff.

That's why this thread is really funny and never, ever to be taken seriously.  It's like penis envy or something.  So the OP is no surprise - what???  - a Brit saying we're by far the WORST country in the world - you know, even worse than Syria.  Well of COURSE we are.  At least they have some cool clothes!  

Anyway, you are SO RIGHT ON.  And to be clear, 90% of Brits are great.  But that 10% is a laughable joke.  A drunken, laughable, hopeless, feckless joke.  With bad teeth.  

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

2 minutes ago, deadshank said:

Black Adder was a comedy?  I thought it was British bi-racial porn.

 

2 minutes ago, deadshank said:

Black Adder was a comedy?  I thought it was British bi-racial porn.

We don't judge, that's for every man to decide.

[InkaUtexas 26831]

I grew up across Latin America. From country to country the approach and mannerisms change. One word in one country is fine to use. Will get you an ass beating in another. Brits are boring as shit. Worked with them on and off for the better part of my career. They can be colorful, but are predictable, just like their cooking. 

The one area they win top ranking is the continued believe among Brits outside of the UK thinking their empire still reigns supreme. 

Oh, and they are going to win the next World Cup. They always believe that. 

Edited March 17, 2021 by InkaUtexas