We live in a period when it has become fashionable to knock virtually every aspect of American existence. Fuelled by such dismal organisations as the BBC, we get a staple diet of anti-American propaganda and gradually we join the 'in crowd' of regailing our friends with tales of American ineptitude and foolishness. Half truths, sweeping generalisations, and comparing the worst of them with the best of us all combine to give a very incomplete and inaccurate picture of reality. Before you know it, everyone is sharing their little anecdotes of how bad the Americans did this and that, and how great they themselves were in such and such a situation. A ready audience gleefully accepts it all as true and thereby confirms their deeply held prejudices and so it goes on.
This thread is a fine example of such foolishness in action and is sadly so predictable - "the yanks are all such dorks, the Europeans are just so fantastic at all they do, etc, etc...." A more balanced reflection, which needless to say will not happen, would lead people to realise that there are times when representatives of all nations do not perform as well as they should and other times when they exhibit a level of excellence most of us can only dream of.
Incidentally, I am British through and through and spent many years in the RAF listening to my colleagues saying how bad the yanks were at just about everything. Initially I believed all the propaganda myself, but over a period of time I came to realise that although not perfect the American record in aviation is simply incredible and one with which no other nation can compete - least of all anyone in Europe. It is only recently that the Europeans have started to compete on even terms in commercial aviation with the excellent work of Airbus. They are still many years behind America in virtually every other sphere of aviation.
I am not asking for everyone to bow at America's feet, but I am suggesting that the views expressed on this thread (and indeed many others) are imbalanced. In my mind the holders of these views have the same level of credibility that would be given to people who declare with absolute certainty that all blacks are stupid or all Frenchmen smell of garlic!
Last edited by Norman Stanley Fletcher; 27th Dec 2004 at 15:51.