The Logic Off Topic list

> president. It is surely not unreasonable to conclude that it is because
> ordinary and typical Americans regard him as the ideal representative of
> their ordinary and typical lives -- and that the policies he is pursuing,

I think it is unreasonable to conclude that even 40% of Americans (or even
10%) considerhim "as the ideal representative" UNLESS you think in your own
democracies that you get to elect "ideal" representatives.  Typically I've
heard a number of Euros (at least English and Germans, the 2 I talk to a
good bit via work) say the same thing about their elections as we do - the
guys running for office from the major parties aren't that great.

Kool, I don't even know what you are so you might not be in a democracy and
hence your comment might seem reasonable to you - ? - but I assure you,
democracies are not mechanisms by which the people elect anything
approaching an ideal, typically.  Instead we get a compromise, someone who's
often simply not as objectionable as the others who've gotten close to the
leadership.

> stuff and am a very patient man. My gods and my ancestors, whom some of
you
> have seen fit to disparage, have made me that way and I thank them for it.

I missed the disparagement, particularly since I didn't see anyone here even
know who your gods are.  As far as I can tell you're a pagan or Hindu or
who-knows-what that in any case hasn't come up.  The closest thing to a
disparagement I saw was GA's comment that primitive people seek to accredit
things to supernatural entities that you reacted to.  In any case sorry if
it was done inadvertantly.  I think by the same token though those of you
who have religious convictions and see fit to trumpet them here equally
disparage those of us who not merely disbelieve but disavow. But I don't
take offense and I don't feel personally disparaged.

>
> Maybe ... just maybe ... it would help if more Americans left home a bit
> more and found out a bit more about the world so that most people in the
> world are not left with you all obviously feel is this kind of flagrantly
> false impression of what Americans are really like and actually like.
>

You know, the sad thing about traveling what little I have (France, Germany,
England, different parts of America) for me is I have found the world is a
much worse place than I had imagined when I grew up under liberal
influences.  But on the other hand I certainly have found people are all
alike in that we all pretty much suck in some fundamental ways as well as
shine in some fundamental ways.