Americans....
As an American, I often wonder what the hell is wrong with us. On one hand, we've got Neil Armstrong, top-tier universities, a history of astoundingly awesome R&D (Edison, Bell Labs, Xerox Park, MIT), and, in many areas of the country, extraordinarily good primary and secondary educational programs. I would also submit that we are exceptionally good at making movies that have very little redeeming social value other than the enjoyment inherent in extraordinarily impressive explosions.

On the other hand, we've got elected officials who want Bible-based Creationist nonsense taught in schools, a good chunk of the country believes anthropogenic climate change is a hoax, a man running for office who said ON A LIVE BROADCAST that he believed women's bodies had ways to "shut down" conception after a rape, and my latest favorite: At the Republican National Convention, their keynote speaker was an elderly actor yelling at an empty chair.

Really, I don't have any excuses for the baffling ignorance of a distressingly large proportion of Americans. Clearly we don't all have tuna for brains or we never would have been able to infect large swathes of the globe with Mickey Mouse, Coca-Cola, and Ford automobiles, but we're really not doing ourselves any favors in the global prestige business with these sorts of shenanigans.

I used to get upset when I read things about dumb American tourists. Now I just want to know the best way to appear to be Canadian next time I travel abroad.
(herbivorous, Sun 2 Sep 2012, 0:26, 7 replies)

Easy
Just about every Canadian tourist I've ever met has had a maple leaf drawn somewhere on their bags or clothing. It's a handy shorthand for 'Don't hate me, I'm not American!'
( Zoroastermouse thinks therefore he am, Sun 2 Sep 2012, 0:44, closed)

And use the word "aboot".

(Vigilante Man weeps because you're stupid., Sun 2 Sep 2012, 1:02, closed)

Good idea
I like botanical motifs anyway, so I can live with that.

Edit: And it's fun to say "aboot", eh.
(herbivorous, Sun 2 Sep 2012, 1:45, closed)

Those are the americans pretending to be canadian. The real canadians are the ones getting volubly and comprehensibly annoyed at being called American
(Carpe Cyprinidae, Mon 3 Sep 2012, 21:11, closed)

I was feeling bad about Americans too
But then I traveled overseas and met some fairly mediocre Australians, and I felt better.
(Perv With A Dog had his eyes pecked out by scrub jays on, Sun 2 Sep 2012, 10:34, closed)

Sorry
you haven't got Neil Armstrong anymore.
He's gone died.
(Captain Spacker I lick windows, Sun 2 Sep 2012, 17:38, closed)

Canadian
My parents love touring the US. They say it's full of lovely people, lovely places and lovely things to do. Though they say New Yorkers are all wankers.

One of the things they've heard said a few times by "young people" (anyone under 50, to them) is that, when they are abroad, they find life much easier if the say they're Canadian.
(ScousersPet, Mon 3 Sep 2012, 10:07, closed)