[Gllug] I can't work out if this guy is a genius troll or just a complete fool

[Jason Gilbert]

just as much as the story, this could be a troll, but as an american i
might as well point out a few things.

On Thu, Apr 27, 2006 at 07:27:54AM +0100, Christopher Hunter wrote:
> > I didn't think Americans had a sense of irony before I read this
> > comment on the story:
> 
> Actually, they don't.  Irony completely passes them by.

it's hard to imagine making a stereotype like this for 290 million
people.

> Bizarre beliefs like those in the article are really common,

really common is a bit of a stretch. there are extremists everywhere and
ignorance has no borders.

> and the majority know nothing of the world outside their own borders -
> many have never even left their own home state!  Less than 15% of
> Americans have passports.

i'm from alabama. alabama is roughly equivalent in surface area to
england with about 1/15 of the popution. it's only the 30th largest
state of 50 and 23rd by population.

the united states is huge. 3,537,441 square miles covering all different
kinds of environments. deserts, forests, mountains, beaches. for a lot
of people, there is no reason to go to another country. the 2
neighboring countries are mexico and canada. neither of which require a
passport for an american. most travelers to mexico are probably going to
somewhere like acapulco or cancun anyway. additionally, you can go to
places like jamaica and other islands without a passport. it's a good
idea to have one, but it's not required.

> I was over there recently, and it's becoming quite an unpleasant place for 
> Europeans to visit, particularly anywhere away from either coast.  We are now 
> viewed with deep suspicion, and a series of laws passed since 2001 have 
> effectively curtailed /all/ Civil Liberties.

even as someone who disagrees with the patriot act, "all" is definitely
a stretch.

> It wouldn't surprise me at all if the DMCA was modified to make illegal the 
> use of any "non-compliant" operating system within the USA.

i'm sure i.b.m., google and many other large corporations would have a
problem with that.

oh well, maybe you were trying to be ironic and i just missed it.

-- 
"sometimes, the urge to strangle someone is so strong it's almost as if there's
a higher power calling you to follow your instincts..." - bofh 2004, episode 22

    http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/07/06/bofh_2004_episode_22/
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