December 23, 2004

• Oh, you don't like the USA, huh? Well why don't you move to pakistan101? You goddam gay marriaged liberals are always trying to bite off America's penis.
• Penis? /cock explodes
• I heard America's penis was fake
• well, pakistan IS "the land of the pure" ???
• All Americans are white. ¿No?
• It looks like it was set up to help foreigners (especially foreign students) understand American culture and traditions. Not a bad concept, but I haven't explored the site enough to judge if they've done a good job.
• as Americans, we stand for proper urinal conduct: When entering a men
• Hey sidedish, WTH do you mean by "most frightening?" Why do you have a problem with this site?
• I love the crescendo here: Freak dancing may involve a girl bending down so her face is in front of the boy’s pelvis, while moving her face back and forth. It may also include a girl bending over while the boy presses himself into her backside. You may see many boys and girls, all pressed against one another in an orgy of sexual simulation and dancing. Our author seems to be getting more and more worked up as he/she writes. You kids with your freak dancing really disgust me. No wait. Please don't stop...
• There's nothing particularly American about the rules of the urinal. That is universal.
• davidmsc, this site frightens me because it's SOOOOO uber-american. to me, this is like the worst of american patriotism. what scares me is, lots of americans out there think this is indeed the best of america (red white and blue, emphasis on white) and are eager to show this to the rest of the world. in my mind, the greatest part of america is its diversity, which isn't exactly trumpeted (or even addressed) in this site.
• japan101
• Their version of Most American My version of most American
• SideDish, I think that you're seeing racist overtones where there are none. The greatest part of America is NOT its "diversity," its the FREEDOM that everyone (of any color/race/etc) is able to enjoy. Diversity is merely a by-product of our freedom, because it is a universal desire to be free, not limited to any particular group or race.
• There's nothing particularly wrong with the site that I could see. But nothing particularly interesting either. They've created something appropriately bland, near as I could tell.
• lemmee put it this way: personally i very much wish that more "everyone" was represented there.
• "All political thinking for years past has been vitiated in the same way. People can foresee the future only when it coincides with their own wishes, and the most grossly obvious facts can be ignored when they are unwelcome. "
• and if the strength of america is freedom, how's come gays aren't free to live their lives as married folks? i'm just sayin'...
• "There's nothing particularly American about the rules of the urinal. That is universal." Ha ha ha. Please come with me to the happy Solomon Islands.
• I can't imagine ever visiting the site again as it's as dull as dishwater but it's only a year old so perhaps it'll become interesting over time. I think I'll offer them a photo of me and my Latina girlfriend kissing in front of Old Glory during this year's gay pride march. It's so American.
• and if the strength of america is freedom, how's come gays aren't free to live their lives as married folks? i'm just sayin'... Sure they are. They just have to marry someone of the opposite sex. /davidmsc
• this is sooo weird. Did you notice how all the past winners feature white people? I can attest to anyone that this isn't true.
• /davidmsc Not cool, shawnj. Please chill.

• The greatest part of America is ... the FREEDOM that everyone ... is able to enjoy

  This so-called 'freedom' is an illusion. Why is America a 'free' country when there is open and legal discrimination against homosexual people? Why is it free when American citizens are imprisoned for years on end without formal charges? Why is it free when there are an unknown number of people held in an offshore torture pen? Why is it free when the press voluntarily censors itself to be in line with the desires of the almighty executive branch? What freedoms do we really have? Freedom to travel? Not if you are on some secret no-fly list protected by secret laws. Freedom of assembly? Only if you are in a 'free speech zone'. Freedom from unreasonable search and seizure? Not with USA PATRIOT and PATRIOT II, you aren't! Freedom from a state establishment of religion? Sure, as long as you believe that America is 'one nation under God'.
• SideDish, I think that you're seeing racist overtones where there are none. Scanning through the Hall of Fame of their American picture winners. Number of pictures: 47 Number of pictures that feature any minorities at all: 2... and one of them is a fucking statue. Number of pictures representing minorities in their 15 top ranked photos: 1. And I went through about 200 of these and found a grand total of one. Nope, no racist overtones at all.
• Not cool, shawnj. Please chill. I was just saving him the trouble of replying to SideDish.
• and i wonder what the heck this means: What is your American Image in Five Words? Here is what Emily from Boston had to say on December 22, 2004 ... Too many mouths spoil our freedom
• Why in the world would they have photos of black people when none are going to be visiting their site in the first place?
• That's six words. And it means that we have to let in less Mexicans because their presence is taking away from our enjoyment of freedom.
• OOOOH SHIT! this is about to get ugly... but you know what? All the dissidents are right, even if this website had the best intentions in mind they're under-representing what america really is. Where are the black folk? where are the latino folk? where are other folk? where are the urbs? The chinese kids? the immigrants? If you ask me, the modern definition of America is consistent with great hordes of multicolor people, Not just white little babies (which are adorable by the way) or cowboys or even freedom; this shit is about people from everywhere. If there are any doubts about this non-whiteness trend, just check the statistics, white people will be the minority in less than 50 years. So what's up? If this is your definition of America, as an American, I say "you're wrong". And don't even get me started on the gay issue... PS. I'm not hating on any white people on this forum. My BF is white. I just think that they're over-represented, that's all.
• oh, i take it all back. the good folks who run this web site are indeed the most quintessential of americans: they are in marketing!!
• I think a better url would be www.usa101forallthosebackward3rdworldtypeswhoareinvading ourcountry.com
• shawnj: Youve based your conclusion on very circumstantial evidence. Since pictures are submitted from viewers, how many of those submitted featured minorities? What is the ratio of those in the HOF with minorites to all those submitted with minorities? What percentage of total viewers of the website are minorities? If you answer "I don't know" to any of the above, you don't have enough evidence to claim racism.
• we should conduct an experiment. hey badonkadonk, you should submit your picture! it sounds very american. let's see what happens.
• Thanks, rocket88...that was my first thought, too -- any "racism" on that site is almost certainly not intentional, just a matter of who has submitted photos to date. And goetter, thank you for the defense; for the record, shawnj, I am completely in favor of same-sex marriage. I still think it's a mildly-interesting site, with some decent photos, and plenty of relevant information for people wishing to travel to America. No big whoop.
• It's like a funhouse mirror version of America. People who are not Americans ask "What is it to be an American?" and other people who are also not Americans answer them. So, yeah, the perspective is skewed in a sociologically interesting way and we 'Merkans learn a little something about how we are viewed. But don't let me stop this from turning into a debate re: same sex marriage.
• I wonder what the most bizarre post would be that someone could turn into a same-sex marriage debate. That was not a challenge.
• It seems to me, that as is here illustrated, whole segments of a certain middle-class and Christian society, can spend their life with minimal contact with the 'minorities'. This site is probably offerred and maintained by just such a group, who are collectively working to maintain their white and Christian values, in the face of the onslaught from those extremists from other races and religious beliefs. I looked at some of the members and thought they indeed looked the type to never really acknowledge the intrusion of other colours and beliefs out there that shouldn't be forever aspiring to their own sterling examples and values.
• Rocket, who says that minorities don't submit pictures? do you have the answer to that? Or the process used to allow a picture to go up for polling? huh? huh? HUHHHUHHUHUH? you don't know.
• America: Where left-handed people can shake hands without getting weird looks. America: used toilet paper goes in the toilet, not the wastebasket.
• you don't know. I guess the answer to the minority thing is "Don't judge without knowing the whole story."
• hey badonkadonk, you should submit your picture! it sounds very american. let's see what happens. Apparently that particular photo makes her "look fat" so we're submitting a similar one. No flag but it does show us standing in front of a sign which reads, "Lick Bush." I hope they get the political reference.
• >>Apparently that particular photo makes her "look fat" now THAT's american! :-D hey badonkadonk, post the link once it's up. we can all vote for you and perhaps you'll win the $1,000!
• If this site was truly intended to be an introductory for people coming to America, a majority of the sites visitors should be non-whites. There should be a cubic fuck-ton of pictures with non-whites in them. Disregarding the possibility of the site being racist, it still stinks of competitive flag-hugging, which is an ugly enough smell to keep me away.
• If one checks to see where the latest activity is on this site, it turns out to be the photologs of the members. The sign up pageshows all the benefits of membership. I don't think their '101' designation has anything to do with an intro to WASP society. It's just a pat-on-the-back sort of thing, maybe, that they are still in existence.
• Davidmsc- Diversity is inherent to liberty. That's why we need government, to regulate the different legitimate expressions of freedom. C'mon, that's all like, Federalist 10. Get with it!
• I guarantee this site was created by neo-conservative Republicans. In a red state -- quite possibly in a church. With early versions of the architecture of the site sketched out on white paper.
• There's nothing particularly American about the rules of the urinal. That is universal. How funny would it be to go into, say, an airport urinal, and say to the guy next to you, "What with all the squash I play at the club, I've seen my share -- but you, sir, have got yourself one handsome penis." I'm pissing myself just imagining the guy's reaction.
• I found the What Should I Wear? section a little... well, quaint. I mean, casual = "Khakis or slacks and a collared shirt, alone or with a sweater, no tie necessary" for men and "Slacks or casual skirt with coordinating shirt or sweater" for women? Here I thought casual = "Jeans and sweatshirt/t-shirt with no obvious holes or stains." Then again, after seeing the sponsored links section at the bottom, the obsession with khaki now makes sense.
• Monkeyfilter: the obsession with khaki now makes sense. VeraGemini: carry on