What grinds my gears...

[leicsmac]

The US election (and by extension the future of civilisation itself) being decided based on TV appearances rather than policy.

 

(Though if people really are picking based on policy that's even worse.)

[FoxyPV]

1 hour ago, leicsmac said:

The US 

 

[leicsmac]

2 hours ago, FoxyPV said:

 

I see what you mean, but I can't get that cynical.

 

There are loads of decent people over there, the problem is that the system means a smaller number of the ignorant and/or the malicious can cast a very long shadow on everyone else.

Edited 12 July by leicsmac

[FoxyPV]

I get that.

 

The more I learn about US daily life, the less I understand why anyone would want to move/live/work there.

[jgtuk]

10 minutes ago, FoxyPV said:

I get that.

 

The more I learn about US daily life, the less I understand why anyone would want to move/live/work there.

LAnD OF thE fReE

 

[jgtuk]

Solicitors - so slow

[grobyfox1990]

1 hour ago, FoxyPV said:

I get that.

 

The more I learn about US daily life, the less I understand why anyone would want to move/live/work there.

Worked there for 1.5 years, loved it, great experience

[Daggers]

1 hour ago, FoxyPV said:

I get that.

 

The more I learn about US daily life, the less I understand why anyone would want to move/live/work there.

2 weeks holiday a year and no NHS

[leicsmac]

56 minutes ago, grobyfox1990 said:

Worked there for 1.5 years, loved it, great experience

When it's great, it's very great. When it's bad, it's very bad.

 

The disparity is the issue.

[The Doctor]

On 10/07/2024 at 07:19, leicsmac said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cml2kvd2dvno

 

A politician in South Korea is being criticised for making dangerous and unsubstantiated comments after linking a rise in male suicides to the increasingly “dominant” role of women in society.

In a report, Seoul City councillor Kim Ki-duck argued women’s increased participation in the workforce over the years had made it harder for men to get jobs and to find women who wanted to marry them.

He said the country had recently “begun to change into a female-dominant society” and that this might "partly be responsible for an increase in male suicide attempts”.

South Korea has one of the highest suicide rates among the world’s rich countries but also has one of the worst records on gender equality.

 

Mate, if you're going to be in high office it might be a good idea to pick your knuckles up off the ground first.

I mean the dude might want to look in the mirror if he wants to work out why the 4B movement exists and why Korean women won't prop men up anymore 

[bovril]

3 hours ago, leicsmac said:

I see what you mean, but I can't get that cynical.

 

There are loads of decent people over there, the problem is that the system means a smaller number of the ignorant and/or the malicious can cast a very long shadow on everyone else.

In my experience Americans are incredibly chauvinistic. Even the educated, left-leaning ones that claim they aren't. Their whole world view is built around the core concept that America is special, that it is the chosen country. Genuinely don't think I've met anybody from the US that wasn't at best patronising and at worst downright hostile to Europe and Europeans. 

[leicsmac]

13 minutes ago, bovril said:

In my experience Americans are incredibly chauvinistic. Even the educated, left-leaning ones that claim they aren't. Their whole world view is built around the core concept that America is special, that it is the chosen country. Genuinely don't think I've met anybody from the US that wasn't at best patronising and at worst downright hostile to Europe and Europeans. 

I don't doubt that, I've met more than my fair share of those exactly like that. Though I have myself also met some from there who were genuinely warm and didn't consider the US to be the centre of the universe.

 

Further on topic, while I can understand the arguments being made in the AITN thread about how the Dems have messed this up, it's a bit gear grindy to see most of the blame put there and not on those who will, if things go the way they might in November, actually inflict the damage on the US and the wider world.

[grobyfox1990]

1 hour ago, leicsmac said:

When it's great, it's very great. When it's bad, it's very bad.

 

The disparity is the issue.

Don't even think it's that, for someone with European culture/values it's pretty much all bad IMO.

The agreed trade is: work like a dog and give up everything and you may become rich. Or work like a normal person and henceforth live a miserable pay cheque to pay cheque lifestyle. They all want to get rich and buy shiny things so wilfully sign up to this trade.

I have no interest in doing dumb things like driving a car paid for on finance or having a 80 inch TV, I just wanna go to football matches, drink in nice pubs and go on holiday. So not for me, but it was loads of fun for a short period.

If you have any persuasion for getting rich, it's absolutely right. the rewards are immeasurably higher than in the UK. 

Edited 12 July by grobyfox1990
typo

[Torquay Gunner]

58 minutes ago, bovril said:

In my experience Americans are incredibly chauvinistic. Even the educated, left-leaning ones that claim they aren't. Their whole world view is built around the core concept that America is special, that it is the chosen country. Genuinely don't think I've met anybody from the US that wasn't at best patronising and at worst downright hostile to Europe and Europeans. 

I think part of the problem is the long standing perception that Americans are quite parochial.  There was a YouGov poll in 2021 that suggested that 38% of their citizens had never had a passport.  Compare that to the 2021 census conducted here that stated 13.5% of the population did not have a passport.  I appreciate that there are many social economic differences between the two countries, but the fact is millions of people in the US have never experienced any other culture but their own. 

[Footballwipe]

13 minutes ago, Torquay Gunner said:

I think part of the problem is the long standing perception that Americans are quite parochial.  There was a YouGov poll in 2021 that suggested that 38% of their citizens had never had a passport.  Compare that to the 2021 census conducted here that stated 13.5% of the population did not have a passport.  I appreciate that there are many social economic differences between the two countries, but the fact is millions of people in the US have never experienced any other culture but their own. 

Quite. One of my favourite college football hosts is a brilliant, balanced, educated and accomplished presenter. On the podcast he co-presents he's said several times that he's never had a passport, and may only need one for the college football game they play in Dublin. He cris-crosses the country every year without one and doesn't need one.

 

He's 58 years old and seemingly has no interest in leaving the country. Really widens your eyes at the attitude tbh.

[grobyfox1990]

18 minutes ago, Footballwipe said:

Quite. One of my favourite college football hosts is a brilliant, balanced, educated and accomplished presenter. On the podcast he co-presents he's said several times that he's never had a passport, and may only need one for the college football game they play in Dublin. He cris-crosses the country every year without one and doesn't need one.

 

He's 58 years old and seemingly has no interest in leaving the country. Really widens your eyes at the attitude tbh.

Tbf to them the 'country' is massive and hugely varied. You'll have plenty of 58 yr olds in the UK who have never been anywhere but safe and nice English friendly towns in UK, Spain, France, Italy.

Edited 12 July by grobyfox1990
typo again!!

[Sampson]

1 hour ago, grobyfox1990 said:

Tbf to them the 'country' is massive and hugely varied. You'll have plenty of 58 yr olds in the UK who have never been anywhere but safe and nice English friendly towns in UK, Spain, France, Italy.

Yeah, it’s a weird argument US is basically as big as the EU. I would imagine most UK citizens have only ever been to the UK and EU too and if UK had adopted national ID cards like the rest of the EU when it was a member I imagine an awful lot of UK citizens would never have had reason to get a passport before Brexit either.

 

You have no reason to travel outside the US if you live there, going to Greece or Spain on holiday as someone living in the UK is only like going to Florida to someone living in Oregon or something. 
 

I agree I much prefer the values and work/life balance and general values in Europe but I think the travel thing is a bit unfair 

Edited 12 July by Sampson

[The Doctor]

in a smaller grievance, the NHS is proper annoying me this week. Had GI issues for a couple of years, would flare up on a pretty consistent cycle of every ~6 weeks. spent a year tracking foods trying to spot a correlation and couldn't see one, but of course a lot of foods can have a bit of hidden gluten/lactose/whatever. went to the GP to get some tests done, they pushed for a FIT (faecal immunochemical test). results of that came back abnormal, which has like a 1 in 4 chance of being bowel cancer, with a note to speak to a gp asap. Called on Wednesday, was supposed to get a call back from my GP, didn't, or yesterday. called again today "oh he's gone on holiday and will pick it up when he gets back". can't tell me when he'll be back or put a timeframe on when I can expect to organise something... 

 

like I'm pretty bullish about it not being cancer, there's a 75% chance it isn't just off a positive test and I've got no other symptoms, but kinda hacked off that they've put that on my notes, gone on holiday and not referred it to another GP in the group practice.

[bovril]

1 hour ago, grobyfox1990 said:

Tbf to them the 'country' is massive and hugely varied. You'll have plenty of 58 yr olds in the UK who have never been anywhere but safe and nice English friendly towns in UK, Spain, France, Italy.

 

26 minutes ago, Sampson said:

Yeah, it’s a weird argument US is basically as big as the EU. I would imagine most UK citizens have only ever been to the UK and EU too and if UK had adopted national ID cards like the rest of the EU when it was a member I imagine an awful lot of UK citizens would never have had reason to get a passport before Brexit either.

 

You have no reason to travel outside the US if you live there, going to Greece or Spain on holiday as someone living in the UK is only like going to Florida to someone living in Oregon or something. 
 

I agree I much prefer the values and work/life balance and general values in Europe but I think the travel thing is a bit unfair 

It's not that varied though is it. Florida and Oregon as far apart as they are have the same language and an almost identical culture. Highlands of Scotland is probably more different from the south of England than Florida is to Oregon.

 

If that's their 'diversity' then it's little wonder they're so parochial. 

[FoxesDeb]

1 hour ago, Sampson said:

Yeah, it’s a weird argument US is basically as big as the EU. I would imagine most UK citizens have only ever been to the UK and EU too and if UK had adopted national ID cards like the rest of the EU when it was a member I imagine an awful lot of UK citizens would never have had reason to get a passport before Brexit either.

 

You have no reason to travel outside the US if you live there, going to Greece or Spain on holiday as someone living in the UK is only like going to Florida to someone living in Oregon or something. 
 

I agree I much prefer the values and work/life balance and general values in Europe but I think the travel thing is a bit unfair 

I've never been to the states but I'd be very surprised if the differences in culture, language, architecture and all round experience between Florida and Oregon are anywhere remotely near the differences between the UK and Greece or Spain.

[Sampson]

14 minutes ago, FoxesDeb said:

I've never been to the states but I'd be very surprised if the differences in culture, language, architecture and all round experience between Florida and Oregon are anywhere remotely near the differences between the UK and Greece or Spain.

I agree with what you’re saying but I think you overestimate why the average British person goes on holiday tbh. Most just go to party, get some sun/beach weather. 

[FoxesDeb]

1 minute ago, Sampson said:

I agree with what you’re saying but I think you overestimate why the average British person goes on holiday tbh. Most just go to party, get some sun/beach weather. 

Yes that's a good point, and has unfortunately led to too many European destinations becoming like Blackpool in the sunshine. 

 

I do think that many people from the States could do with broadening their minds and realising the world isn't just the States, but the same can probably be said for the majority of the world population, the Americans are just louder.

[Dahnsouff]

1 hour ago, The Doctor said:

in a smaller grievance, the NHS is proper annoying me this week. Had GI issues for a couple of years, would flare up on a pretty consistent cycle of every ~6 weeks. spent a year tracking foods trying to spot a correlation and couldn't see one, but of course a lot of foods can have a bit of hidden gluten/lactose/whatever. went to the GP to get some tests done, they pushed for a FIT (faecal immunochemical test). results of that came back abnormal, which has like a 1 in 4 chance of being bowel cancer, with a note to speak to a gp asap. Called on Wednesday, was supposed to get a call back from my GP, didn't, or yesterday. called again today "oh he's gone on holiday and will pick it up when he gets back". can't tell me when he'll be back or put a timeframe on when I can expect to organise something... 

 

like I'm pretty bullish about it not being cancer, there's a 75% chance it isn't just off a positive test and I've got no other symptoms, but kinda hacked off that they've put that on my notes, gone on holiday and not referred it to another GP in the group practice.

We have bowel cancer in the family and as I am now of a certain age I needed to get tested as I had some potential symptoms, but rather than try to get a GP appointment or wrestle with the online services, I booked a private by post test, and it was about £50. Obviously far from ideal, but it returned negative within a week and gave a feeling of relief. If that’s an option, I can recommend it.

[leicsmac]

12 minutes ago, FoxesDeb said:

Yes that's a good point, and has unfortunately led to too many European destinations becoming like Blackpool in the sunshine. 

 

I do think that many people from the States could do with broadening their minds and realising the world isn't just the States, but the same can probably be said for the majority of the world population, the Americans are just louder.

And that the decisions they make have consequences far beyond their borders.

[The Doctor]

10 minutes ago, Dahnsouff said:

We have bowel cancer in the family and as I am now of a certain age I needed to get tested as I had some potential symptoms, but rather than try to get a GP appointment or wrestle with the online services, I booked a private by post test, and it was about £50. Obviously far from ideal, but it returned negative within a week and gave a feeling of relief. If that’s an option, I can recommend it.

that's the test I've done and has come back abnormal. it just tests for blood in your shit and that can also be haemorrhoids, chrons, ulcerative colitis, or just having swallowed some blood. Need to see my GP for a follow up and then I guess a colonoscopy to confirm