Author Topic: You're american, so you fear nothing  (Read 21036 times)

Armorvil

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You're american, so you fear nothing
« on: 2010-12-11 09:05:03 »
The girl who sings the opening song of the Tom Sawyer anime (that I watched when I was a kid) told me :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbo-hFs6cI8

Translation of the lyrics :

Tom Sawyer, it's America - the symbol of freedom.
He was born on the shores of the Mississipi,
Tom Sawyer is for all of us a friend.

He's always ready to go on adventures
With his good friends.
He fears nothing,
He's an american.
He likes school,
Especially when it's far away from him.

Tom Sawyer, it's America,
For all those who like truth.
He know the wonders
That you find in forests
Paths, rivers and old dirt roads.

He has fabulous items in his pockets
He always takes with him.
Three pieces of strings
Some rocks and wood
He shares with his friends.


Even though I'm not american, I love this song xD I wonder : if this anime was also aired in the US, are the lyrics the same ?

LevelOne

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Re: You're american, so you fear nothing
« Reply #1 on: 2010-12-11 10:33:25 »
haha, there's nothing wrong in America like war, corruption, crime, death, or pollution. The song speaks the truth  :evil:

There are HDTVs and cookies though xD

Covarr

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Re: You're american, so you fear nothing
« Reply #2 on: 2010-12-11 14:53:09 »
Bandit Keith would love this song.

nfitc1

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Re: You're american, so you fear nothing
« Reply #3 on: 2010-12-11 15:22:48 »
The 10 seconds of that intro that I watched was filled with so many inaccurate stereotypes I couldn't take it. I hope that show never made it to my country (USA).

yoshi314

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Re: You're american, so you fear nothing
« Reply #4 on: 2010-12-11 15:46:44 »
whenever somebody mentions that America is the symbol of freedom, i agree if he's not talking about USA.

if he says that USA is the symbol of freedom i recall all the security paranoia nowadays ( including TSA ) , and george carlin's show
containing the quote "US - country founded by slave owners, who wanted to be free"

more here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSJmYnHdvsc


Armorvil

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Re: You're american, so you fear nothing
« Reply #5 on: 2010-12-11 15:57:02 »
Aw, come on! You guys are no fun - you should actually be proud :(

After all, I spent my childhood dreaming about America (which was the same as the US in my young mind), this place I could see in movies
that freed my country from nazism, and where everything is big / everyone is cool ^_^ :P

There's too much anti-americanism out there...

Opine

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Re: You're american, so you fear nothing
« Reply #6 on: 2010-12-11 16:27:00 »
I also especially like school when it's far away from me.

Tekkie.X

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Re: You're american, so you fear nothing
« Reply #7 on: 2010-12-11 16:27:31 »
Bandit Keith would love this song.

In America

nfitc1

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Re: You're american, so you fear nothing
« Reply #8 on: 2010-12-11 16:37:18 »
"Free" is just in the sense of its citizens are free to say and act without fear of government reprisal or censorship. In that sense, yes, it's still free. Just because security is strict right now (and the ones that don't fly like me don't even notice much difference) doesn't mean that our liberties are revoked.

After all, I spent my childhood dreaming about America (which was the same as the US in my young mind), this place I could see in movies
that freed my country from nazism, and where everything is big / everyone is cool ^_^ :P

See, this is propaganda. Most Americans (by which I mean US residents) don't see that and they believe that they're in the best place to be. It's a little less invasive than, say, Nazi propaganda was, but it's still playing up life here. That's the way capitalism works (it's an overrated system). You, the marketer, make the consumer think that they either can't live without or will be happier with whatever you're trying to sell. In the worst cases, marketers try to convince you that you AREN'T REALLY HAPPY and that their goods can fill a void YOU DIDN'T KNOW YOU HAD!! I HATE watching commercials on TV because of that. There have never been informative commercials. They're always trying to show people happier or more successful because they own things. I'm much more socialist anyway. Lots of people in the US would love to be socialist. When 90% of a country's wealth is being held by 3% of its population you have an unbalanced system.
Just as much as it was up-sold to you I could down-sell it just as much. Don't fool yourself into believing that the US has no problems and is the world's best-buddy.


I also especially like school when it's far away from me.

I recall Twain's Sawyer frequently skipping school too...

Opine

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Re: You're american, so you fear nothing
« Reply #9 on: 2010-12-11 16:46:19 »
They're always trying to show people happier or more successful because they own things.
Yeah, I remember this commercial they used to have for medicine to treat herpes outbreaks. The people in the commercial all looked so happy and fulfilled. It's like "if you don't have herpes, you better contract it so you can buy our medicine and be as happy as these people". Every commercial, every product, is marketed that way. Well, either that way or with fear. Envy and fear, they probably sell the best.

Armorvil

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Re: You're american, so you fear nothing
« Reply #10 on: 2010-12-11 18:53:53 »
Well, you're right NFITC1 (even though I just go to the bathroom, when ads come up on TV). You're right, but... ...everyone, sing with me this propaganda!  ;D

Tom Sawyer, c'est l'Amérique
Le symbole de la liberté
Il est né sur les bords du fleuve Mississipi
Tom Sawyer c'est pour nous tous un ami

Il est toujours prêt pour tenter l'aventure
Avec ses bons copains
Il n'a peur de rien
C'est un Américain
Il aime l'école
Surtout quand elle est loin

Tom Sawyer, c'est l'Amérique
Le symbole de la liberté
Il est né sur les bords du fleuve Mississipi
Tom Sawyer c'est pour nous tous un ami

Tom Sawyer, c'est l'Amérique
Pour tous ceux qui aiment la vérité
Il connaît les merveilles
Qui sont dans la forêt
Les chemins, les rivières et les sentiers

Il a dans ses poches des objets fabuleux
Qu'il emporte avec lui
Trois bouts de ficelles
Quelques pierres et du bois
Il les partage avec tous ses amis

Tom Sawyer, c'est l'Amérique
Pour tous ceux qui aiment la liberté
Il est né sur les bords du fleuve Mississipi
Tom Sawyer c'est pour nous tous un ami

Il est né sur les bords du fleuve Mississipi
Tom Sawyer c'est pour nous tous un ami


...Oh yeah, and I also like school when it's far away from me.
« Last Edit: 2010-12-11 18:56:54 by Armorvil »

Kudistos Megistos

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Re: You're american, so you fear nothing
« Reply #11 on: 2010-12-11 22:08:49 »
Aw, come on! You guys are no fun - you should actually be proud :(

After all, I spent my childhood dreaming about America (which was the same as the US in my young mind), this place I could see in movies
that freed my country from nazism, and where everything is big / everyone is cool ^_^ :P

There's too much anti-americanism out there...

Hey! We freed you from Nazism too! Hollywood "historical" films do not accurately represent the nationalities of the soldiers who fought on the Western front. :(

I'm waiting for next year's blockbuster, in which Mel Gibson plays the heroic American explorer Christopher Columbus, who discovers Europe and liberates it from the evil, baby-eating king of England! ;D

That's the way capitalism works (it's an overrated system). You, the marketer, make the consumer think that they either can't live without or will be happier with whatever you're trying to sell. In the worst cases, marketers try to convince you that you AREN'T REALLY HAPPY and that their goods can fill a void YOU DIDN'T KNOW YOU HAD!! I HATE watching commercials on TV because of that. There have never been informative commercials. They're always trying to show people happier or more successful because they own things. I'm much more socialist anyway. Lots of people in the US would love to be socialist. When 90% of a country's wealth is being held by 3% of its population you have an unbalanced system.

American conspicuous consumption, retarded though it is, is what makes the US economy so strong and so conducive to innovation. If people were happy with what they already had, we'd have no need to improve anything. Just look at how much the home PC market has changed in the past 20 years; there's no way that would have been possible if people weren't constantly looking for something better. If it weren't for that American attitude, we'd all still be paying $2000 for desktops with a 1GB HDD. Mass-market laptops probably wouldn't exist.

Sure, some people get exploited, but no-one forces anyone to buy anything. If you're too stupid to see through advertising BS and thus get tricked into spending all your money on things that you don't really want, then you deserve to be a tool for making ambitious business and engineering ventures financially viable.

Opine

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Re: You're american, so you fear nothing
« Reply #12 on: 2010-12-11 23:10:53 »
Sure, some people get exploited, but no-one forces anyone to buy anything. If you're too stupid to see through advertising BS and thus get tricked into spending all your money on things that you don't really want, then you deserve to be a tool for making ambitious business and engineering ventures financially viable.
Hmmm. Can't say I agree. My SO used to work for an online school. Turned out they were simply ripping people off. High pressure sales tactics to get students enrolled, even is the sales reps knew the students a) didn't really have enough money or b) weren't smart enough to finish school. (Not to mention the fact that online degrees aren't acknowledged for credits by most institutions, and employers tend to scoff at them.)

Smart people preying on the dumb just doesn't sit right with me (or my SO who quit after seeing the dirt under the rug). I realize that swindling is part of American history (I am familiar with how some families with big names really got their fortune, before business rules were more strident). But. I dunno, maybe I'm a socialist at heart, as well. I just feel sorry for those poor people who spend their last cent on something that they think is really going to improve their lives, only to get ripped off.

Kudistos Megistos

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Re: You're american, so you fear nothing
« Reply #13 on: 2010-12-11 23:26:21 »
Sure, some people get exploited, but no-one forces anyone to buy anything. If you're too stupid to see through advertising BS and thus get tricked into spending all your money on things that you don't really want, then you deserve to be a tool for making ambitious business and engineering ventures financially viable.
Hmmm. Can't say I agree. My SO used to work for an online school. Turned out they were simply ripping people off. High pressure sales tactics to get students enrolled, even is the sales reps knew the students a) didn't really have enough money or b) weren't smart enough to finish school. (Not to mention the fact that online degrees aren't acknowledged for credits by most institutions, and employers tend to scoff at them.)

Smart people preying on the dumb just doesn't sit right with me (or my SO who quit after seeing the dirt under the rug). I realize that swindling is part of American history (I am familiar with how some families with big names really got their fortune, before business rules were more strident). But. I dunno, maybe I'm a socialist at heart, as well. I just feel sorry for those poor people who spend their last cent on something that they think is really going to improve their lives, only to get ripped off.

Yes, you're clearly a socialist. Go back to Russia! ;D

And if you insist on feeling sorry for people who don't take the time to think about whether they really need that iProduct (I don't), remember that they wouldn't have had money to waste in the first place if it weren't for the prosperity that results from a consumer economy. This rampant consumerism is what has funded the tremendous technological progress of the past hundred or so years.

Cupcake

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Re: You're american, so you fear nothing
« Reply #14 on: 2010-12-11 23:37:54 »
There's too much anti-americanism out there...

This...

However, I can't say that a lot of it is unwarranted.

guitar_dudester91

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Re: You're american, so you fear nothing
« Reply #15 on: 2010-12-12 06:25:23 »
well what america stands for and what it has turned into are 2 different things. The fucking liberals have raped this country and all the morals the founders stood for. I agree if you hate america now, but don't hate on americans, because most of them who matter don't meddle in politics, and ruin this country. And if that doesn't work for you, just remember who pulled your sorry asses out of genocide and war, both in the 1910s and the 1940s. Whaa we can't defeat the nazis ourselves, come bail us out. There you go, that's my opinion.

Marc

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Re: You're american, so you fear nothing
« Reply #16 on: 2010-12-12 07:30:01 »
well what america stands for and what it has turned into are 2 different things. The f*cking liberals have raped this country and all the morals the founders stood for. I agree if you hate america now, but don't hate on americans, because most of them who matter don't meddle in politics, and ruin this country. And if that doesn't work for you, just remember who pulled your sorry asses out of genocide and war, both in the 1910s and the 1940s. Whaa we can't defeat the nazis ourselves, come bail us out. There you go, that's my opinion.

Actually, the English and Russians did much more to defeat the Nazi's than the Americans.

Americans mostly supplied ammo and supplies to the allies (essential) but didn't really get involved that much in the european front on a grand scale until the germans were already having issues.  the russians did much more to weaken germany than the US.

The US was mostly concerned with Japan as they were, after all, the ones who actually attacked them.  Still, the US's part was not negligeable on some battles (like Normandy) but I think the Nazi's would have lost still even without the direct military intervention of the US.  But it would have taken longer.

As for WW1, I don't believe the US got involved to any major extent.  I think Canada had more of an impact on that one being an English colony and all.  Of course, I don't know that much about WW1 apart from how it got started ...

guitar_dudester91

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Re: You're american, so you fear nothing
« Reply #17 on: 2010-12-12 15:16:44 »
Well, I'm pretty sure Russia and England woulda been fucked if we hadn't gotten them supplies, told them how to fight, and been the ones to storm berlin and push Hitler to suicide. I also think that the number of death camps we freed says a little bit about how much ass we kick. And WW1, that was a different story. We kicked MORE ass. Basically, Europe was in a war, england was losing, so we came over and ended it within a year.

pyrozen

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Re: You're american, so you fear nothing
« Reply #18 on: 2010-12-12 17:03:42 »
Well, I'm pretty sure Russia and England woulda been f*cked if we hadn't gotten them supplies, told them how to fight, and been the ones to storm berlin and push Hitler to suicide. I also think that the number of death camps we freed says a little bit about how much ass we kick. And WW1, that was a different story. We kicked MORE ass. Basically, Europe was in a war, england was losing, so we came over and ended it within a year.

that's a weird way of looking at it, almost to say the US single-handedly ended both world wars. Without the coordinated efforts of all the allied nations, there is no way either World War would have been ended as quickly or decisively. Take any of the major nations out of the allied pool of troops and WW2 could have easily turned out much differently.

Kudistos Megistos

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Re: You're american, so you fear nothing
« Reply #19 on: 2010-12-12 17:52:00 »
Well, I'm pretty sure Russia and England woulda been f*cked if we hadn't gotten them supplies, told them how to fight, and been the ones to storm berlin and push Hitler to suicide. I also think that the number of death camps we freed says a little bit about how much ass we kick. And WW1, that was a different story. We kicked MORE ass. Basically, Europe was in a war, england was losing, so we came over and ended it within a year.

Where should I start?

Firstly, it was the Russians who took Berlin and drove Hitler to suicide.

Secondly, there's a big difference between tipping the scales in a finely balanced war and winning it single handedly. Would WWII have been lost if it weren't for the Americans? Possibly. But it also would have been lost if the British hadn't fought. Or if the Russians hadn't fought. Or if the French hadn't fought. Or if the Canadians hadn't fought. Or if the Greeks hadn't fought. Or if the Italians hadn't fought so badly that Hitler had to delay his invasion of Russia just to save their arses. Italy is a f*cking liability; perhaps we should be more grateful to them? ;D

Thirdly, WWI was a complete stalemate when the US entered; the British weren't losing at all. In fact, if anything, the British may well have been the ones to win even if the US hadn't sent any troops. The British naval blockade on German ports was so bad that Germans were starving. If the Americans hadn't got involved, the Germans may have become so hungry that they'd have had a communist revolution like the Russians and ended the war forthwith. The Americans were just the straw that broke the camel's back. A back that might well have broken anyway.

Fourthly, the Europeans saved your arse in the American war of independence. I bet they don't teach that in American history classes, do they? Those people who whine that Americans don't get praised enough for profiting from selling weapons to the Europeans in WWII never acknowledge that they wouldn't have stood a chance against the British without the support of several major European powers. They don't even know that they got any help. So the next time you complain about the Europeans being ungrateful, just remember that you would be singing "God Save the Queen" if it weren't for the French. The French. Goddamn, that's embarrassing. ;D
« Last Edit: 2010-12-12 17:54:46 by Kudistos Megistos »

pyrozen

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Re: You're american, so you fear nothing
« Reply #20 on: 2010-12-12 17:55:22 »
Fourthly, the Europeans saved your arse in the American war of independence. I bet they don't teach that in American history classes, do they? All of those people whining that Americans don't get praised enough for profiting from selling weapons to the Europeans in WWII don't acknowledge that they wouldn't have stood a chance against the British without the support of several major European powers. They don't even know that they got any help. So the next time you complain about the Europeans being ungrateful, just remember that you would be singing "God Save the Queen" if it weren't for the French. The French. Goddamn, that's embarrassing. ;D

shhhhh.... we're trying our hardest to keep that one under the rug ;)

Kudistos Megistos

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Re: You're american, so you fear nothing
« Reply #21 on: 2010-12-12 17:57:51 »
Fourthly, the Europeans saved your arse in the American war of independence. I bet they don't teach that in American history classes, do they? All of those people whining that Americans don't get praised enough for profiting from selling weapons to the Europeans in WWII don't acknowledge that they wouldn't have stood a chance against the British without the support of several major European powers. They don't even know that they got any help. So the next time you complain about the Europeans being ungrateful, just remember that you would be singing "God Save the Queen" if it weren't for the French. The French. Goddamn, that's embarrassing. ;D

shhhhh.... we're trying our hardest to keep that one under the rug ;)

Too bad. You've been letting a lot of things slip recently. ;D

Opine

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Re: You're american, so you fear nothing
« Reply #22 on: 2010-12-12 20:14:34 »
well what america stands for and what it has turned into are 2 different things. The f*cking liberals conservatives have raped this country and all the morals the founders stood for. I agree if you hate america now, but don't hate on americans, because most of them who matter don't meddle in politics, and ruin this country.

ITA

Covarr

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Re: You're american, so you fear nothing
« Reply #23 on: 2010-12-12 20:37:47 »
well what america stands for and what it has turned into are 2 different things. The f*cking liberals conservatives politicians in general, and the two party system have raped this country and all the morals the founders stood for. I agree if you hate america now, but don't hate on americans, because most of them who matter don't meddle in politics, and ruin this country.

ITA
Fixed fo' realz.

Kudistos Megistos

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Re: You're american, so you fear nothing
« Reply #24 on: 2010-12-12 20:38:30 »
well what america stands for and what it has turned into are 2 different things. The f*cking liberals conservatives have raped this country and all the morals the founders stood for. I agree if you hate america now, but don't hate on americans, because most of them who matter don't meddle in politics, and ruin this country both the Democrats and the Republicans are completely insane ideological extremists who have contributed equally to destroying everything the founding fathers fought for with their stupidity and closed-minded tunnel vision

ITA

ITA

Not that British politics are any better. In fact, they're worse. US politics may have weird false dichotomies and a two-party system in which said two parties have arbitrary policies, but at least you have a choice. Here, the main parties are more-or-less indistinguishable. Whenever a party introduces a policy that the population hates, the opposition falls over itself to agree with them.

The Iraq war is an example. The people were against it, but both main parties supported it. In the 2004 presidential election, people who were against it had the choice to vote for Kerry and stand a good chance of seeing him win. In the 2005 British general election, we'd be stuck with a pro-war party either way.

The current government copied from Blair, who in turn copied from the Tories. We have Tories pretending to be Labour pretending to be Tories.

EDIT:

fuck you, ninja Covarr! ;D