Attitudes and tolerance in the United States.

Daverock · 6th August 2007, 18:39

Some one sent me this link from Youtube showing a really bad case of anti-gay sentiment which was caught on film.

I've travelled within the US a lot in the past and been amazed just how intolerant as a race they are. It amazes me that they call themselves the land of the free yet I've seen many examples that say otherwise. Their attitude to alcohol is very draconian and most states are very much against same sex unions.

All in all I'd say that Europeans enjoy and all round greater level of tolerance.

Without turning this into a "bash America" thread I'm interested on your opinions of why this is so.

old golfer · 6th August 2007, 18:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daverock

Some one sent me this link from Youtube showing a really bad case of anti-gay sentiment which was caught on film.

I've travelled within the US a lot in the past and been amazed just how intolerant as a race they are. It amazes me that they call themselves the land of the free yet I've seen many examples that say otherwise. Their attitude to alcohol is very draconian and most states are very much against same sex unions.

All in all I'd say that Europeans enjoy and all round greater level of tolerance.

Without turning this into a "bash America" thread I'm interested on your opinions of why this is so.

Why does it matter? it obviously bothers you more than it bothers the majority (i think) .. i can see your point that the few persecute you both but that is not the majority who are more tolerant,yes there is a debate about the right and wrongs, but i feel its what you give to society as a hole either as gay or straight couple that makest the man or woman ,by bringing this up it just draws attention to the problem ....

Daverock · 6th August 2007, 18:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by old golfer

i feel its what you give to society as a hole either as gay or straight couple that makest the man or woman ,by bringing this up it just draws attention to the problem ....

I agree with your first sentiment there OG but not your second. Just because something is not discussed doesn't mean it has gone away.

It doesn't bother me personally at all because I don't live there fortunately but it bothers me that humans are being treated in that way for whatever reason.

The issue was not about attitudes to homosexuality in the US but more about tolerance generally. The video was an example as such.

old golfer · 6th August 2007, 19:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daverock

I agree with your first sentiment there OG but not your second. Just because something is not discussed doesn't mean it has gone away.

It doesn't bother me personally at all because I don't live there fortunately but it bothers me that humans are being treated in that way for whatever reason.

The issue was not about attitudes to homosexuality in the US but more about tolerance generally. The video was an example as such.

Maybe that was what it was ...an example and maybe an extreme example not the Norm.....

robby1234 · 6th August 2007, 19:08

most of america was populated by deeply religious people who belived and follow´d the bible to the word and drummed this into there children i.e. presbyterians and mormons.

so it would follow that they would have an upbringing that would shun things that the bible(and there interpretation) find to be wrong.

and also in american politics(and worryingly more and more in uk politics) the louder you are the most likely you will get elected.

take the gore v bush presidency race(take away the crap at the end).

gore had the eco parties in his pocket but as they are a minority in a very large capitilist country they couldn´t shout loud enough.

bush had the military,the oil companies and the car companies in his pocket so he effectivly and directly had the jobs of a 5th of the population to manipulate with and that does not include services to these companies.

basicly bush had a larger voice as you can´t be ecological with no money.

the basis of my long winded post is that intollerant people shout the loudest and so get heard over the quiet multitude.

Daverock · 6th August 2007, 19:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by old golfer

Maybe that was what it was ...an example and maybe an extreme example not the Norm.....

Well knowing a lot of folks in the US both personally and via online communities it is far from rare. We don't see it that way as this is not the image that the US cares to project and it is not what we are used to in Europe.

old golfer · 6th August 2007, 19:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by robby1234

intollerant people shout the loudest and so get heard over the quiet multitude.

I have reduced your post to this Robbie and I agree.....well said....although a bit long winded....

robby1234 · 6th August 2007, 19:17

thanks for that O.G.

it´s just if i make a statement i always need to qualify it.

Jackie B · 6th August 2007, 19:27

Dave - you mention their attitude towards drinking, I remember a friends son and daughter in law moving to America. He was a brilliant footballer and had been offered some kind of scholarship there. They had a two month old baby at the time and shortly after arriving there it was their 1st Wedding anniversary. Unfortunately although they were old enough to be married and have a baby they were unable to celebrate their aniversary with a drink because they were both a couple of months off being 21

Janet · 6th August 2007, 19:33

Robby has made a significant point. The founding fathers were, essentially, the Cromwellian Puritans who thought Cromwell was too soft. This is only a few hundred years ago. Religious bigotry and Christian Protestant extremism ... in other words Puritanism ... is still ingrained in Americans. I think it is a popular misconception of America as a land of complete freedoms.

There are, it is true, centres of licence and liberty ... California and Las Vegas are perhaps the principal examples of this. But I think these are the exceptions (a large exception admittedly) rather than the norm, which is demonstrated by widespread (anti-)abortion laws, anti-evolutionism / creationism in teaching, use of the death penalty, the silver-ring thing and similar "chastity" programmes as an attempt to deal with sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS ....... do I need to go on? One only has to look at the sneering way the liberties of what they call "Old Europe" are viewed to demonstrate just how different America is.

To me America is two countries, or rather one country with a personality disorder. In this analogy, the dominant personality is repressive, naive, dogmatic, judgemental, and fundamentalistically Puritan. If this was presented to a psychiatrist, the "patient" would almost certainly be deemed in need of treatment, probably incarceration.