Comments

America revisited — 28 Comments

  1. I knew an American who told me that many of the American tourists who come here go away very disappointed. They come expecting a land of mists and magic and encounter drab places and rip off prices.

  2. Why do Americans visit Ireland? Because they’ve heard that one, the Irish speak English (the only language most Americans can manage) and two, the Irish have beer.

    DUH.
    .-= >> Susan at Stony River´s latest brainfart .. Friday Flash 55 #3 and the C-markets =-.

  3. Ian – You mean I missed some? Damn! What do they expect? Thatched cottages and pigs in the kitchen?

  4. Susan – Actually, what I really meant was why do Americans visit this site? I know why they come to Ireland – they really enjoy the hunt as much as I do, though they won’t admit to it.

  5. W is gone. Get over it. He’s auld news.
    We elected a guy Pravda calls Far Left and the other day Hugo Chaves said that if OBAMA keeps going the way he is that he (Chaves) will be right of him.
    If ya’ want something to laugh at laugh at us for electing this bozo!
    OBAMA = One Big Ass Mistake America
    .-= >> Brianf´s latest brainfart .. My Yardwork Slave =-.

  6. Like most you make the mistake of judging Americans by our tourists, news people, and politicians. When I hear the stories of what Americans do when visiting foreign countries, it makes me glad the left America. Now if we could just figure out how to keep them from getting back in (but Home Land Security is working on that). I also observe the actions of foreign tourists here in the States. Maybe it is some side effect of air line food?

    As for our new people, most of them are Canadian or have been taught by Canadians. I am told that then brain damage is reversible with treatment, but have never been able to see an evidence of it. Walter Cronkite was the last newsman worth of the name that the USA had (Yes I am that old, just).

    As for the Politicians, would like your country to be judged by yours?

    For all of the confused readers looking at the French flag on this post, I work in the USA for a Swiss company that has a French ISP. Welcome to the world of multinational business.

  7. Brianf – Jayzus, but will you ever get over yourself! I only have to mention America now and you come on with a rant about Obama. At least he isn’t trying to start wars wherever he looks?

    Jim C – I wouldn’t dream of judging you by your tourists. If you were all like them, you’d be doomed 😉 Judging you by your politicians is a different matter. It is a sad fact of life that idiot politicians are elected by idiot people, and I am the first to admit that Ireland is close to the bottom of the shit heap in this respect. Our shower of self-serving bastards were elected by a majority of Irish people, and that is something I am ashamed of. If people judge the Irish to be a nation of fuckwits because of our politicians, then it is a label we have to wear with shame.

  8. Sadly one of your commenters here represents the poor election-losers who just can’t move on from the days of Dubya’s fear-mongering and being in charge.

    Obama is doing a great job of dealing with the messes he inherited.

    But like others have said, I would hate to think the people of any nation are judged by their politicians.

    Cheers

  9. David – Welcome!! Don’t mind Brianf. He hasn’t been the same since someone belted him over the head with a bottle of Southern Comfort. That’s not his favourite tipple so he hasn’t been right since.

    Once again, everyone s picking me up wrong. As I said above I like Americans [though Brianf may have to remain an exception?]. I just wonder why they [you] bother reading this site?

    TT – What? *goes off muttering about weird Americans*

  10. Why, as an American, do I visit this site? Good question that but as I’m not what you might call a typical American (is there really such a thing?) so maybe my perception of “quality” is somewhat different. Or maybe because the Irish in general have a such a gritty, honest way of expressing themselves where we Americans have just about ceased saying anything at all to each other for fear of someone else suing the pants off of them just because that someone else is an arrogant twit.

    Anyway…

    I visit this site because:

    1. The author has been around.
    2. The author knows how to properly express that he’s been around.
    3. The author has a sense of wry humor about points 1 & 2.
    4. The author is intelligent and well experienced.
    5. The author appears to have properly learned something from his experiences (other than anger, hate and bitterness like many others I have met).
    6. The author doesn’t annoy his readers by flogging them with points 4 & 5.
    7. I understand irony very well indeed.
    8. The author damn well knows how to write. He also knows how to punctuate correctly.
    9. I didn’t vote for that idiot Bush. Not that that actually has anything to do with it.
    10. The author promised me that if ever I should visit I wouldn’t be shot or sent to the bogs.

    I’m going to stop here because the day is gray and rainy, I feel like crap, Laurie’s sick, the new moon is coming up and the cats are climbing the walls…literally and my mood is unbelievably nasty. Which, again, has absolutely nothing to do with the above post.
    .-= >> Kirk M´s latest brainfart .. Migrating tomorrow =-.

  11. I read the holy’r than thou ravings of the twisted old guy because he is so very entertaining at times.
    So what if we aren’t smart enough to elect a pres. that knows how to run a very large corporation, make money, budget, and handle his work force.
    By the by, Kirk M is a suckup, and does not represent any other American, just as I don’t represent any other granny.
    Bush is old news, get over it already. Better to worry about the big spender, I’m thinking.

  12. Yeah, Kirk M, that bit of brown nosing almost made me puke. Grandad is a cantankerous sp? old fart and we only listen to him to hear what his next pile of shite is going to be.

  13. JD – Do I have a sense of humour? I just tell it like it is…….

    Kirk M – Aw shit! That is embarrassing. I just wanted people to say they were bored or something. You are more welcome to visit than ever. In fact, I might even let you into the house.

    Brianf – I think I did hear of it, but it’s not whiskey so I won’t ask you to send a bottle.

    Brighid – Of course Kirk M is a suckup, and a damned good one. God knows, I pay him enough. As for Dubya, I actually miss him. I need material just like the next man.

  14. TT – You’re just jealous because you didn’t get to say it first. If you want to know how to spell ‘cantankerous’, just buy the book – it’s on the cover. Heh!

  15. Let me in the house??!? Hey, that would be great as I wouldn’t have to haul my old M.A.S.H. tent over there. It’s seems it’s much more difficult to strap on my back these days then it used to be.

    @Brighid & tt: Despite what GD just stated, one can only be a brown noser and/or suck up if one has something to gain from it. And since he lied about paying me and since I have absolutely nothing at all to gain from saying what I did I guess that makes me…hmmm…uh…well, when I think of what that makes me I’ll be sure to let you know.

    Besides, what he writes just appeals to my twisted sense of humor. I was a submariner you know. Inhaled a lot of toxic fumes and such.
    .-= >> Kirk M´s latest brainfart .. Migrating tomorrow =-.

  16. Ah ha, Kirk is a Suck up by his own admission. He’s trying to get the Great Damn Twisted One to let him in the house.
    Kirk, did you consider that if GD Glock’s you in the house it’s legal. At least it’s legal in God Bless America.

  17. tt – Nope, my boat was a nuclear type fast attack. I was a Cold War submariner. Spent around 300 days a year at sea doing all sorts of clandestine type stuff. I had a ball. Paying for it now but I had a ball nonetheless.

    Brighid – Oh hell, if that’s the case then I’ll just bring my old American type Colt .45 revolver and we can go at it in the backyard. I’d rather just take potshots at any government officials that I might encounter over there though. By what I hear the Irish could stand to lose a few of them.
    .-= >> Kirk M´s latest brainfart .. WordPress 2.8.1 fixes 2.8 auto upgrade bug =-.

  18. Since you asked, my father was descended (perhaps to the bar room floor for all I know) from a long line of Irish folk so when I happen upon something related to Ireland or the Irish, I kinda tune in.

    Otherwise, no fricken reason on earth.

    Cheers

  19. I think people from the U.S. seem a bit ‘touched’ because they are the result of a great melting pot of every civilization across the globe… with so much conflicting energy, anything is possible. BUT! You yourself are not purely Irish. You have British blood and French inclinations and God knows what else mixed in, so therefore you’re American too, by loose association. That’s why they come to your blog, because we’re all the same. Buddha told me so it must be true.

  20. I’ve only recently found your blog, but being an American, I feel I need to justify now why I’ve kept reading. The short of it is that I’m planning to travel to Ireland and I’ve been doing loads of research and I figure I can count this as cultural research. Also, I’d like to get a feel for how I’ll be perceived there–so far, I think people will like me in comparison to the general American stereotypes, but I’m still a bit leery.

    And as for W, now that he’s gone, so many of us now have nobody to blame problems on (I still blame it all on him, though) and countless comedians are surely in need of new material.

    And I know you weren’t curious about American’s continued travel to Ireland, but I’ll cover that as well. As you stated, Americans are well known for their knowledge of world geography. It’s embarrassing really–I enjoy geography but most people I know probably couldn’t even locate Ireland on a map……after all (and please don’t be offended by this -it in no way reflects my intelligence or knowledge in not only world geography, but history as well) my own mother didn’t even know Ireland was its own island with a bit of UK in the north, but rather thought Ireland was in the UK and that it was all one massive island in the north Atlantic. I want to travel to Ireland because I know there’s an entire world outside of the States and I’d like to experience other cultures. And I can’t leave this world not having seen it.

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