What does freedom mean to Americans?

[hamato_yoshii]

I think also you have gotten a little too hot and bothered over some off hand comments. In fact I believe it was you who stated that your view off freedom was some silly story about breaking in to a house and suing someone.
Either your making a joke, which is fine and so was I.
Or, you are being serious, and you have one pessimistic and sad look at what freedom means.

Also, if your poking fun at "us", your earlier posts don't make sense because then you would be one of "us".

BTW, according to you, can I call myself a Canadien?

 

[Spankbelly]

I think also you have gotten a little too hot and bothered over some off hand comments. In fact I believe it was you who stated that your view off freedom was some silly story about breaking in to a house and suing someone.
Either your making a joke, which is fine and so was I.
Or, you are being serious, and you have one pessimistic and sad look at what freedom means.

Also, if your poking fun at "us", your earlier posts don't make sense because then you would be one of "us".

BTW, according to you, can I call myself a Canadien?

My first post was not very serious.
My second and third were serious.
However I did not notice that in the third I was responding to a third party.
Having thought that you were looking for a debate, well I sure do like to argue.
But the second and third posts are valid.
I think I was clear as to why.
I know that "Americans" don't notice or even realize that using that word to describe only themselves is insulting to all the other Americans. But it is.
Not so much to Canadians. But very much to South Americans who often feel left out of the loop and forgotten.
Of course you don't get it. That's the point.
I did not object (and never do) to you just calling yourself American. I also use the same term when speaking about the U.S.A. It is the only practical way to have a conversation.
"What does freedom mean in America?" Obviously America means U.S.A.
Fine.
And my original post pointing out the difference in our legal systems reflects that I understand the separation between our countries.
"I am American and you are not so I automatically win a spiting contest because I am America and you are irrelevant even if I am too stupid and lazy to think of anything to say." A significant change in intent.
In which case I will remind you that YOU ARE NOT AMERICA.
And no you can't call yourself Canadian. No more than I can call myself a citizen of the United States of America.
But we are both Americans. Because we both live on the American continent.
And we are both North Americans. Because we both live in the North American side of the American continent.

 

[Spankbelly]

I think also you have gotten a little too hot and bothered over some off hand comments. In fact I believe it was you who stated that your view off freedom was some silly story about breaking in to a house and suing someone.
Either your making a joke, which is fine and so was I.
Or, you are being serious, and you have one pessimistic and sad look at what freedom means.

Also, if your poking fun at "us", your earlier posts don't make sense because then you would be one of "us".

BTW, according to you, can I call myself a Canadien?

I was also clear that I am not angry.
And that I was simply correcting your use of the phrase.
And clear that I understand you have no idea what you are talking about.
And that I'll let it slide.

 

[Spankbelly]

I think also you have gotten a little too hot and bothered over some off hand comments. In fact I believe it was you who stated that your view off freedom was some silly story about breaking in to a house and suing someone.
Either your making a joke, which is fine and so was I.
Or, you are being serious, and you have one pessimistic and sad look at what freedom means.

Also, if your poking fun at "us", your earlier posts don't make sense because then you would be one of "us".

BTW, according to you, can I call myself a Canadien?

I don't know how true it is, but in having similar discussions I have heard people from Hawaii also sometimes feel a little forgotten by the mainland.
Not that it's entirely relevant. But if true, it shows that you even overlook your own people.

 

[hamato_yoshii]

I was also clear that I am not angry.
And that I was simply correcting your use of the phrase.
And clear that I understand you have no idea what you are talking about.
And that I'll let it slide.

I think it's silly that you can so plainly claim that your first post was not serious, and then as soon as someone replies to your post, which was obviously your intent mr. likes to argue, you get all fired up. Give me a break with your high and mighty, Americans are stupid crap. You go on a rant about how everybody is an American and we are so offensive but you quickly isolate yourself as a Canadien, and say we cant call ourselves that. Quit playing your little semantical game like your the only person with a brain. Step off your box, and down into reality.

 

[hamato_yoshii]

If I do as many posts as you do in a row does that mean I'm tough too?

Your that guy who is so sensitive and uptight about who he is, that you try and bait people in to little traps so you can jump down their throat with you prepared material. Lighten up buddy.

 

[Spankbelly]

If I do as many posts as you do in a row does that mean I'm tough too?

Your that guy who is so sensitive and uptight about who he is, that you try and bait people in to little traps so you can jump down their throat with you prepared material. Lighten up buddy.

I was already clear that I was responding to a direct insult made by you.
My first post was specifically about your legal system.
Yours was simply that you are too good to have an actual response to a lowly Canadian.
The multi posts were because I reread yours and thought of something else to add.
I don't think taking the time to answer you fully makes me tough.
I’m not sure why you would find too many thoughts at once so scary.
Nor did I say I am a know it all. Only that you might not know it all. That you might not notice the effect you have on the people outside your circle.
I did not say that everyone from the U.S.A. is stupid and lazy. I certainly don’t think this is true. I was clear that it is a cultural behavior. One that has little value in judging individuals.
I was loosely quoting what you said about yourself specifically. “Would like to be clever and funny but don’t know how. So I’ll just lay down an insult.”

As for claiming I am American then backing away and saying I am Canadian…
Calm down and reread what those words mean. If you still don’t understand get someone with a dictionary to help you. Or look at a map. They are not as difficult to fold up as you might think.
What prepared material? Actually thinking before I type does not make it prepared. Try it yourself, you'll get the hang of it.
How is responding to your insults any sort of baiting by me?
It is wrong to have a discussion on a conversation thread?

High and mighty. Ranting. Jumping down throats. I think this is what you are doing.
I was pretty calm about stating facts.
You need a time out.

 

[dragonfish]

Think you both need to chill. DeathPony, I think your paper has already been written. Just print out this thread. This is what freedom in America allows, an open discussion about said freedoms. Both positive and negative comments are made without anyone disappearing in the middle of the night, never to be seen again.

 

[scubasteve06]

Well maybe this thread should have been titled what does freedom mean to U.S. citizens, but spank has a point. We do populate the Continent of North America, together. Even though he is not a U.S. citizen he is still an American. This is the problem with our policy today, we don't recognize the little guys, or the small buisness for example. We are too worried about the next almighty dollar and how to get something cheaper or easier. What we are doing today is totally opposite of what our country was founded on. I think back in the revolutionary war days if a "canadian" wanted to be an "american" I don't think it would have been a problem we would have been glad to have them. Why is it so different now, I'll leave that up to you guys to decide...

 

[hamato_yoshii]

I was already clear that I was responding to a direct insult made by you.
My first post was specifically about your legal system.
Yours was simply that you are too good to have an actual response to a lowly Canadian.

The multi posts were because I reread yours and thought of something else to add.
I don't think taking the time to answer you fully makes me tough.
I’m not sure why you would find too many thoughts at once so scary.

Nor did I say I am a know it all. Only that you might not know it all. That you might not notice the effect you have on the people outside your circle.
I did not say that everyone from the U.S.A. is stupid and lazy. I certainly don’t think this is true. I was clear that it is a cultural behavior. One that has little value in judging individuals.

I was loosely quoting what you said about yourself specifically. “Would like to be clever and funny but don’t know how. So I’ll just lay down an insult.”


As for claiming I am American then backing away and saying I am Canadian…
Calm down and reread what those words mean. If you still don’t understand get someone with a dictionary to help you. Or look at a map. They are not as difficult to fold up as you might think.

What prepared material? Actually thinking before I type does not make it prepared. Try it yourself, you'll get the hang of it.
How is responding to your insults any sort of baiting by me?
It is wrong to have a discussion on a conversation thread?

High and mighty. Ranting. Jumping down throats. I think this is what you are doing.
I was pretty calm about stating facts.
You need a time out.

In response to the first bold area. I responded the way I did to your original post, because I took it as a somewhat lighthearted comment made by you. I assumed that no real educated person would actually give that as an honest answer as to what they believed freedom was. So, I responded in a lighthearted fashion. But, as soon as you saw that there was a comment made in response to yours, you got your panties in a bunch and got upset. You were the one who lost your sensibilities and started responding as if I insulted you mother. To me it sounds like a classic case, your that one guy who loves to dish it out to other people and then can't take it when someone gives you a little taste of your own medicine.

Second bold area. These are assumptions made by you. My first post was a lighthearted one, in response to yours. But, if your going to take the content in that post as an indication of my exact feelings about freedom, and the world around me, then I'm forced to do it with yours. So, I can surmise from your first post that you have a sad, pessimistic, and unfortunate short-sided look at freedom. And, if that's really all you think freedom is, then you should find a local Veteran near you and have them explain to you what freedom really is.

Third bold area. I believe that this exact quote can be properly applied to your first post. The post that started this mess. You “Would like to be clever and funny but don’t know how. So I’ll just lay down an insult.”

Fourth bold part. If you read what the words actually mean, you would see that I never said you were "backing away..." all I simply did is show how you jumped down the throat of that one guy to tell him that he isn't the only american around, and that you were one, and so are south Americans and so on, but you still are allowing yourself to be called a Canadien. Which is fine, I think you are. But you are pushing us into this corner you have made in regards to names, I mean what would you have us call ourselves, The country which happens to lie between Canada and Mexico? We are Americans, just like you are a Canadien, and people from Mexico are Mexicans. Just because there are others who live in North or South America doesn't make us something else.

Last bold area. You were the one who started with your weak attempt at shooting a little humorous dig at Americans. Then when someone came back and showed you that maybe your not the only one who can use humor (imagine that, not just you!) you got all upset and started replying to my "insults". I think you just "like to argue" (I can't remember where I heard that) and someone hurt your little feelings and you responded with a backlash. Save your precious "arguing" for the mirror and your tape recorder.