Questions for our American friends

[aphex1973]

Originally Posted by st4bilo

Thanks a lot guys,

I understand what you mean.

Allow me one comprehension question.
You pointed out that there is a certain attitude of the people who still use the flag,
which is deeply-rooted in the minds of the Southerners.

Is it always or mostly accompanied by racism ?

Widower54 suggested that in his post and
aphex1973 mentioned the flag is being used by the KKK.

(btw. is the KKK still existent and active in the South ?)

Although there is a strong association with racism, I wouldn't paint everyone who displays the flag as a racist. As has been pointed out by brianwp, there are many citizen groups and individuals who utilize the flag for historical purposes. The problem being that it is, like it or not, a symbol strongly connected to slavery and therefore offensive to many. It is true, however, that the US civil war was about far more than simply slavery and so any discussion in this forum will be incomplete and omit much of the critical information necessary to fully understand the topic. Then again, I think the matter has been fairly well addressed and can be put to bed.

With regards to the KKK, yes it is still active but has been greatly reduced in influence and membership over the years. Personally, I consider them to be a complete embarassment to the human race and give them little consideration.

I think Greenskull has a good point and we should perhaps lighten the mood a bit.

[scoundrel]

Originally Posted by spoonfedmonkey

As an American, I've always found the term "made redundant" quite brutal.

I'm a Brit and I also find it an unpleasant word, but redundancy is a nasty business. It has happened to me twice in my life and I am a so called highly qualified professional. It can happen to anyone in the present world. What do they say in America? I've heard ''downsized'' which isn't all that nice either.

It has happened to many millions now all over the world: it will happen to more. Its because the economy is in crisis. It isn't because the people on the receiving end are no good, (all VEF members on the dole reading this post, bear in mind that your predicament is no reflection on you as an individual), it's because there isn't enough paying work around to enable their employers to support them any longer. The economy is in bad shape and will be for a while. Good luck guys, whichever side of the pond you live on.

[knobby109]

Originally Posted by scoundrel

I'm a Brit and I also find it an unpleasant word, but redundancy is a nasty business. It has happened to me twice in my life and I am a so called highly qualified professional. It can happen to anyone in the present world. What do they say in America? I've heard ''downsized'' which isn't all that nice either.

It has happened to many millions now all over the world: it will happen to more. Its because the economy is in crisis. It isn't because the people on the receiving end are no good, (all VEF members on the dole reading this post, bear in mind that your predicament is no reflection on you as an individual), it's because there isn't enough paying work around to enable their employers to support them any longer. The economy is in bad shape and will be for a while. Good luck guys, whichever side of the pond you live on.

I was also made redundant many years ago and it was one of the best things that's happened to me! It's all a matter of one's own particular circumstances.I realised that I had been spending lots of time and effort making money I didn't need.I had time now to do all the important things in life.

[Oswald]

Please keep this thread going.

I think I was the one who first mentioned American sports. I did this because I was genuinely confused about the different lengths of the seasons in American sports. Thanks to the answers provided by a number of our American contributors I am now wiser. Thank you sirs.

[billybunter]

Originally Posted by scoundrel

Flags gey commandeered by racist groups with political aims and these flags get stained and dishonoured by the association. Even the swastika symbol of the Nazis is also used by other organisations who had/have no Nazi affiliations or sympathies. For example it was the insignia of Finland's national air force when first founded in 1918: this was before the NSP existed. Both the Cross of St George and the Union Jack are flaunted in the UK by organistions like the BNP, Combat18 and similar of varying degrees of extreme right wing racist and fascist ideology: as a basically patriotic Brit, this mis-use of my national symbols is one of my very particular pet hates.

There may well be many folk with strong emotional attachment to the Confederate symbols who feel similar indignation when they are flown at KKK rallies and the like.

I'm not a Brit or English, but it annoys me that people get annoyed at the English flag St. George's day should be celebrated in England with pride. Just like we celebrate St. Patrick.

[Oswald]

Originally Posted by Aubrey

I also thought the World Series was called that because it was originally sponsored by a newspaper called The World.

I, now wrongly, thought that the World Series was sponsored by a bakery called 'The World'.

[heatmiser]

Originally Posted by scoundrel

What do they say in America? I've heard ''downsized'' which isn't all that nice either.

People pretty much just say "fired" or "let-go" or "laid-off" regardless of the "official" reason (ie. your boss hates you or your company got bought out etc).

The terms "axed" and "canned" (also "shitcanned") are used a lot as well.

An employee will say something like "I got fired last week" but a boss will likely use manager-speak and say "...we had to let him go"

[Rangertom1357]

Originally Posted by Bovon

There was a Michael Douglas film where he got made redundant, didn't tell anyone, and cracked-up under the strain and ran amok with gun etc. He got a can of Coke out of a fridge in a shop, and he too called it a can of soda. I thought it could have been something to do with not wanting to promote Coke, but in light of GS's question perhaps there's more?

It's a matter of local terms and local slang. In Philadelphia, where I was born and spent most of my younger years, a "Coke" was any kind of carbonated beverage regardless of the type. Go to another place in the States it's a "Soda" or most previlent in the mid-west it's a "pop".

I can use another analogy... In Philadelphia, a big sandwich is called a "Hoagie", in New York and Boston it's called a "Sub" or "Submarine", in the south it's a "Po' Boy" or "Poor Boy".

In the Uk, you guys have a "Lorry", a "Lift" and a "Flat", while here in the States it's a "Truck", "Elevator" &"Apartment".

Same thing.

Hope this helps.

[billybunter]

I can remember watching an interview with John Cleese talking about Fawlty Towers. He described the man he based the character on. A stuffy pompous old fart who ran a hotel. What made me laugh was the story he recalled about how at dinner the pompous old fart told Terry Gillingham off because of the way he used his knife & fork "we don't eat like that in this country! Use your cutlery properly" or words like that. Terry being an American used his fork like a lot of people in Europe now do, like a scoop. (hard to describe) and had his elbows on the table An American told me that the reason they used their knife & forks like this dates back to the war of independence because the yanks wanted to piss off the brits. I never believed this. Is it true our American friends? I'm sure some pompous old farts still tut-tut at such behaviour.

[aphex1973]

I also love the terms 're-organization' and 're-allocation of resources'. I got hit with those. What that basically means is that the company feels that you are paid too well for what you do and that they can hire someone new at a lower pay scale. The only good news is that once you get to a certain level in the company, they may actually pay you money to resign rather than lay you off. Yeehaw.