USA nothing without Hollywood and Media

What is true for you tends to be a result of where you grew up, schooling, the media, and parents.

prelude

Out of curiousity, I went to our govt sponsored tv/news station CBC and searched Russia, to see if maybe what you were saying applied to my country as well. I was relieved to find that probably over 95% of the stories were about hockey

Prime example of American perspectives on history is with WW2. I can't count the number of times I read about how "America won WW2". WW2 movies and computer games really only focus on Americans. This is very much because the American market is the larger market and Americans like to be the hero. I was tempted to write my thesis last year on cultural attitudes in Video games. Part of which was going to explore how particular tactics in online gameplay are generally slammed by American gamers (as a whole, sure players from other countries complain about "camping" too, which is really just a derrogatory term for "ambush") who have little interest in playing as an underdog or employing underdog tactics. The overwhelming cultural aspect of this is that Americans grow up learning that their brute force is what counts, their domination through military might is right, and view small groups of under equipped and under supported fighters achieving great results by utilising underhanded and opportune tactics as "cheats". This is obviously carried over in popular forum commentary that utilising carbombs against American forces in Iraq is "cowardly", but dropping a guided missile on 30 suspected insurgents on a Baghdad street is "heroic".

[edit on 16-1-2005 by cargo]

Why would Americans want to watch a movie where the United States of America looked bad? Oh wait ! faharenheht 911 thats one example . I feel the U.S.A. gets trashed everyday in the main stream media.

[edit on 16-1-2005 by Horsey316]

Racism only exists against non-whites for some reason. Now before you freak out I'm a mutt. My grandfather was a french jew, who married my North American Indian ( aboriginal canadian) Cree Grandmother. creating my Dad. My Mother was english - irish. The English were invaded by everyone early on. The Vikings - Scandanvia-Sweden-Denmark-Norway-Finland. England had a danish king. England was invaded by the Romans who were multi-racial (a large number were north african). Not to mention the picts, Scotts, Merercians, Northumbrians, Welsh, Saxons, Gauls, Goths, Visigoths blah blah blah etc.
My point is SO WHAT if Russia is prejiduce against blacks.
A white isn't very welcome in Africa right now either. Unless your a white woman. Then your worth at least a whole bag of rice/grain.
Go to a different western country in Europe or North America. There are 6.5 billion people on the planet. There are not even close to a billion whites on the planet. Whites have recessive genes & traits.
I feel there should be at least one country on earth that remains white. Why not let it be russia. Only 2% of the Earth's population has blonde hair. Not every real blonde has blue or green eyes either. Instead of looking at skin color in western nations. How about eye color. I have brown eyes just like 95% of the rest of the planet. The real minority on this planet are blue & green eyed Red heads & blondes. Maybe all the educated blacks could go to Africa and create there own civilization instead of whining about whites and there own small piece of Europe. The continent of Africa is 10 times larger than Europe. The Africans are kicking out the whites, siezing their farms, land, & bank accounts in southern and Eastern Africa and nobody says a damn thing. Remember some of these whites like the Boers in south African have been there for over 600 years already. How come no one says anything. There is no need to return to a Facist type hilter germany but at the same time if all the third worlders keep coming to Europe & North America there will not be any white people left in a couple thousand years. Especially cause all you minority men keep chasing all the white girls. And white women believe they are a minority for some reason even though there are almost 2 white women for each white male when considering the earth's population. I always read in Time Magazine, or Macleans or in editorials in newspapers and there always seems to be a white woman complaining that the the west is controlled by white men. SO WHAT!!! Asia is controlled by asian men, The Middle East is controlled by Arab men, India is controlled by Indian men, Africa is now controlled by African men. As far as I'm concerned I'd rather go live in a country run by white males. If you don't like it go live some where else. Try being a woman in the middle east, africa where you buy women depending on how many cattle you have, or China where female children are killed becuase your only allowed one child. It's really great being a woman in the middle east I tell you. The fashions are great= Burkas if you can even leave the house without a man present.
I wish all the bleeding heart liberals would wake up and stop deystroying the western civilization because it truly is superior when compared to all the alternatives.
David Suzuki " 3 billion people on this planet have yet to make a phone call".
The poorest blackman in the crappiest ghetto in New York America still lives better than 90% of the rest of Humans on this planet, Not to mention the poorest ill treated & ignored race of people in the U.S.A are not the blacks. They are the Aboriginals / North American Indians. Have you driven through a reserve lately. I was completely apalled at how poor the natives were compared to the rest of america. They never complain or say a damn thing its always the blacks doing the most whining even though they have it a million times better. Just go to a bar, night club, lounge and watch how many white & asian women through themselves at black men. If thats racism then sign me up please. Let me get into college/school with lower grades and promote me based on my skin colour instead of my work record.
As far as I'm concerned black men have it better in North America & Europe than anybody else.

[edit on 17-1-2005 by BattleofBatoche]

I think you guys are getting me wrong ........................Its quite normal for directors of a particular country making patriotic films....quite normal...n I dont have any complains for that.....what i want to say these FILMS WHEN THEY COME TO HOLLYWOOD ARE NOT JUST MODES OF ENTERTAINMENT they have become sophosticated media for International conciousness........and I think all these are predetermined with a lot of Political(international) manupulation ......they has sophesticated means to prove America is the best.....First the will show a normal high rise building in Europe and then will show NewYork city on the next scene,,,,,,,,just to show how how great how glamorous their country is ....plz dont get me wrong.......all I NEED to SAY is that the american through years have developed a SOPHISTICATED means of explainig through their media that its only their country who are the heros while the rest of the world is full of drawbacks.....they wont tell it directly the will let u feel that .....This is a form of opacity of MEDIA where the countrymen nevercome to know what are the drawbacks of the Government.....THE socalled PREACHERS of DEMOCRACY are the most UNDEMOCRATIC and believers of indirect DICTATORSHIP.....hope u guys got me

[edit on 17-1-2005 by prelude]

BattleofBatoche
i have to tell you 2 things

first
I never went to USA to b a dam citizen of that miserable country....I cant even think leaving my great mother Russia...I was just a Guest there .....n take it India or Russia or Europe all know how to treat a guest ,if not in Government level then atleast in Social level ...the thing that made me sad is the US population is still uneducated enough ...they need to learn how to behave with guests.
More over these RACIST doctrines of yours may be applied to Sounth Africa n India(for caste system ) who are infamous for their racism.....but USA they potray themselves as the messengers of Peace ,Justice and Democracy....so how can the socalled preachers of democracy justify your claim of Racism????I feel by principlal the Muslim nations are better than USA, they call themselves "ISLAMIC REPUBLICS" -they are not HYPOCRITS atleast

Moreover if u want a place ONLY fr the whites and another only for the blacks ......then all the Whites must leave USA first -because it was originally a Place of the blacks...the whites were immigrants being thrown away from Europe (atleast thats what the history says)
..so blacks deserve the rights for USA not the whites.

NB as u said white is a recessive train I accept ...but skin colour in man dosent follow normal Mendelian Genetics they are rather Polygenic Inheritance ,with a lot of other factots contributing .you can go for Gardener's genetics for an Indepth study.

second
While the 20th century was a century of "war of Idealism"(nazism ,facism, socialism,communism ,capitalism etc etc) this century is a century of "war of Civilisations"(culturologists separate the modern human civilization into 7 different civilizations) ....thats what the culturologists .say so if the world starts thinking like you ie seperate place fr white seperate for black ,,then it will only intensify the war of civilisation and the only victim will be human race.......

and last but not the least ......if our history is correct then it was the whites first who immigrated the Black territory(read the invasion of aryans portugese n spanish) not the the vice versa .....so if the mixing of the blacks and whites is the real problem(ofcourse not according to me) then it was you (read whites) who started the problem and so u deserve no moral right to advise others ....just go on bearing the Punishment


[edit on 17-1-2005 by prelude]

Uhhhh, I hope you know that American Indians ARE NOT BLACK.Niether are people from India.If whites had to leave america, so would blacks, as they were imported into america by white slave traders.Your history books dont seem to be acurate.

who lived in USA before christopher columbus discovered America.....It was the red Indians.....
by Black I mean all the "non whites" hybrids like me included

all that bad stuff is on the news all the time, and all kinds of hollywood movies have an antihero for a hero. cool hand luke is one, you think of others if you want.

every race in the world is discriminated against in places they are the minority. you think it sucks being black where you live? im not saying it doesen't, but it sucks just as bad being white in the projects. that goes for any race.

there are even quite a few tv shows that mock the sensationalized violence and other things you mentioned, my favorite being family guy.

peace to all my brothers and sisters, no matter what your race or beliefs!

I love the smell of America bashing in the morning....

Can't get enough of it...
(George Lucas called and told me to respond in this thread)

Pick another country they are all the same.

Hollywood controls nothing, maybe they think they do...but alas they do not.


America the evil...ah yes we suck, so sorry...

Lets take America out of the picture then shall we?
Lets pretend we never extended a hand to anyone in need..do you know where you all would be?
Do not give me the "arrogant America crap either"
We, meaning the U.S. did not win WW II, but we did a heck of a lot to help win it. What would have happened if we would not have entered the game? Would we even be here? Would you be doing what you are doing? Think long and hard, because the answer is you would not.

Racism is everywhere..You should try being white. I have no idea what you go through, because I am not you. But on the otherside of the coin, you are not me. Everything is my fault because someone labeled me white? Everything that is wrong with the world is my fault. Evil whitey!!
How did that happen? Every race on the planet has been discriminated upon at some point in time/history...but yet everyone has a thorn in their side against the white man. I wish people would give it a rest. Not everyone is a bigot. Oh, thats right I am now a racist because I stuck up for myself?

I am controlled by the media, so I am not responsible for anything that I have said.

*by the way, Columbus did not discover America last time I checked*

You walk a mile in my shoes and I will do the same in yours deal?

It would be like apples and oranges...no matter how you or I describe it in words, you can not truly understand until you witness it through that persons eyes...

Frankly I get sick of all the Anti-American BS spewed on here. To top it off, when we(meaning U.S. citizens) speak up, it just adds fuel to the fire. So, I have no idea why I just wasted my time. You are all right and I am all wrong...*goes back to watchin Movies and listening to the news, because everything on the T.V. is true...*

:"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" """""""""""Lets take America out of the picture then shall we?
Lets pretend we never extended a hand to anyone in need..do you know where you all would be?
Do not give me the "arrogant America crap either"
We, meaning the U.S. did not win WW II, but we did a heck of a lot to help win it. What would have happened if we would not have entered the game? Would we even be here? Would you be doing what you are doing? Think long and hard, because the answer is you would not.""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" """"""""""""""

Let me accept the full credit goes to them....but why all these hypocricy.........U call ur self DEmocracy....n behave as the most undemocratic.....I think i need not repeat all i have written before..........................






""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" """""""""""Racism is everywhere..You should try being white. I have no idea what you go through, because I am not you. But on the otherside of the coin, you are not me. Everything is my fault because someone labeled me white? Everything that is wrong with the world is my fault. Evil whitey!!
How did that happen? Every race on the planet has been discriminated upon at some point in time/history...but yet everyone has a thorn in their side against the white man. I wish people would give it a rest. Not everyone is a bigot. Oh, thats right I am now a racist because I stuck up for myself?""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" """"""""""


I accept racism is in all Races ....But does USA/US people accept how much discriminitive they are when it comes to racism ? if they do how dare they advise others against minority discrimination???


"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""*by the way, Columbus did not discover America last time I checked*"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


Now it makes me pity the US education system too......have they already changed your history books as they do in most of the Hollywood movies.???.......so u people are now a days living in Fool's paradise...u dont even know the discoverer of your country and that of Cuba

:::::::::::::::::"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" """"Frankly I get sick of all the Anti-American BS spewed on here. To top it off, when we(meaning U.S. citizens) speak up, it just adds fuel to the fire. So, I have no idea why I just wasted my time. You are all right and I am all wrong...*goes back to watchin Movies and listening to the news, because everything on the T.V. is true...*:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"""""""""""""""""""""""""

I too get sick due to absence of any neutral view.........Acctually we non-americans dont have any other choice to quote Mr Bush "Either you are with US or you are against US" .... there is no place for a neutral view

[edit on 17-1-2005 by prelude]

Originally posted by prelude
who lived in USA before christopher columbus discovered America.....It was the red Indians.....
by Black I mean all the "non whites" hybrids like me included

How so your either a "White" or a "Non white" Hybrid How can you lump Africans, Hispanics,Native Americans,Indians,Arabs all into one group?

Were did you learn that?

Originally posted by prelude

"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""*by the way, Columbus did not discover America last time I checked*"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""


Now it makes me pity the US education system too......have they already changed your history books as they do in most of the Hollywood movies.???.......so u people are now a days living in Fool's paradise...u dont even know the discoverer of your country and that of Cuba

[edit on 17-1-2005 by prelude]

Man what the heck are you rambling about? Save your pity for yourself and I really hope English is not your first language.

See we have this thing called science and its not written in stone. If new evidence comes to light that proves that America was infact discovered during a Vikings Expansion Westward then that will change the history books.

Originally posted by cargo
"America won WW2". WW2 movies and computer games really only focus on Americans. This is very much because the American market is the larger market and Americans like to be the hero. I was tempted to write my thesis last year on cultural attitudes in Video games.

[edit on 16-1-2005 by cargo]

You do understand that alot of Video games are made in Japan. But from the way your talking I get the feeling your talking about WW2 FPS. Japanese are not big fans of FPS they tend to give them motion sickness So we dont see much of them from Japan. There are FPS WW2 games that let you play as US,UK or Russia like the popular Call of Duty. I have also played many games where I could play as the Germans or Japanese.

prelude said this: Now it makes me pity the US education system too......have they already changed your history books as they do in most of the Hollywood movies.???.......so u people are now a days living in Fool's paradise...u dont even know the discoverer of your country and that of Cuba

Education system? I was unaware that Columbus ever actually set for in North America...

prelude said: blah blah...democracy?

How many times do we(U.S. resident) have to tell you(none U.S. resident) that we are not, never have been, nor ever will be a democracy...
The United States of America is what is called a Democratic Republic...please look it up before you try to belittle and berate me and my fellow countrymen further.

Also, if you are going to quote people, could you please learn how to use the quote function? Your post was very hard to read...thanks

Originally posted by ShadowXIX
You do understand that alot of Video games are made in Japan. But from the way your talking I get the feeling your talking about WW2 FPS. Japanese are not big fans of FPS they tend to give them motion sickness So we dont see much of them from Japan. There are FPS WW2 games that let you play as US,UK or Russia like the popular Call of Duty. I have also played many games where I could play as the Germans or Japanese.

That's one very recent game, COD. And yes I was waiting for someone to mention it. But it is one game among many. Look at MOH, that game has to be the most biased "one American vs the entire German army" game I have ever seen, and its a franchise. I rememeber seeing some behind the scenes footage of that game and they had an army general retired or something consulting for them on it. In the end it turned out to be a comic book action game devoid of "realism".

To be honest, I think other countries are just becoming more apparant in WW2 FPS games because the genre needs refreshing. Yes, perhaps even Americans are beginning to get bored of playing Americans.

As for Japanese games, I don't really see them or play them. They tend to be online RPG games or adventure games. The ones exported to western countries anyway. I am specifically talking about WW2 games and movies hat come out of America, as it relates to the topic of the thread.

When I played war games on the PC, (turn-based mind you, reflexes suck, and a few years ago) any time I had the opportunity, I would play as anyone but the US, if I had the choice. It was too easy with them, you didn't even need strategy. Civilization is like this too, childishly easy if you play as the US. Instead of easy and hard levels, they should have US and everyone else. Not that they didn't have cool stuff, I could just never get the game to last very long.

Strategy games also have alot more diverstity in which countries you could play. I had a naval one for PS2 (AXIS and Allies in think )and you could play as any major naval power of WW2 US,UK,Germany,Japan. I played as the Germans and won WW2 even turning on the Japanese when the time was right

Originally posted by ShadowXIX
I played as the Germans and won WW2 even turning on the Japanese when the time was right

Sweet! I remember once, Panzer General 2, I think, completely leveling Washington with my Stuka's in a blitzkrieg-like, amazing triumph of strategy. I loved those planes! Them and my engineers.

[edit on 17-1-2005 by Duzey]

Ok, I read this whole thread and my take on the original idea is that it was about the US and the media as a propaganda tool. Which I whole heartedly believe it is.

Starting with "Hollywood movies". And I'll try for a different angle rather than politics - lets say, how the average person lives. Because I am in Chicago, I'll take John Hughes films as an example. "Ferris Bueler" "Uncle Buck", etc. Now in these films the characters oftern live in the "Chicago Suburbs". Well I hate to burst anyones romantic balloons but the sorts of homes in these films are NOT even close to the lifestyle here. One of those houses would cost you about $750,000 to I MILLION dollars. I know, I've worked in real estate. Those are rich peoples house, ok? Most of us can't hope to get that. I personally live in a 600 sqare foot apartment (3 small rooms) and the rent is $800 per month. As a condo it sells for $175,000. As I write this I have black stinking water coming up my kitchen sink because some idiot is doing laundry downstairs. Building is at least 80 years old and falling apart. Consider this: This place is a palace compared to some of the dumps I've lived in and is in a reasonably decent area (you go a few miles east though and you'll be shot by crack dealers).
Now, this film example is not necessarily propaganda, but it isn't really true to life. America does like to put on a pretty face.

Moving on to TV advertising......I'm gonna throw sexism in here, what the heck, we got racism going. I have noticed, since Bush took over, that there is a HUGE propaganda campaign going to get women "back in the home". I remember, just days after 9/11, seeing an ABC NEWS story about "How many couples are deciding, after 9/11, that now is the time to get married and have babies because family is so important". Just think about all this "family values" type stuff that has flooded the airwaves of late. And all the "fluff" too. My lord, they got "news" (?) stories pitched toward women regarding "choosing the right wedding gown", diets, shoes, etc. And the huge upswing in all the sex---this reminds me of the 80's and Reagan -- you had all the sex then too, all the 'soap opera' type TV shows and the fixation on sex. They want to get you breeding.
Look at broadcast TV and you'll see all the conservative propaganda, especially the news, and Fox and ABC (owned by Disney). Another thing I noticed, right after GW took over, were all these so-called "studies" popping up on TV news about how "Men and Women are different because of their biology" - like they really wanted to beat this into peoples heads. Notice too how 'stupid' women have become on TV shows......dumb little tarts.

OK, enough on that. Its of issue to me, being female. It does serve as an example of all the media propaganda though......how they are pushing a certain lifestyle. The "family oriented" lifestyle. And I don't for one minute believe the media is run by liberals. Who in the world still believes this? The media is run by large corporations and large corporations are not known for being liberal. The media used to be liberal.....way back in the 70's.

Here's another thought: Off all the soldiers who've died now in Iraq, why is it, whenever they show the grieving family on TV - its always a white, middle class family? Why don't they show the dead black soldiers families? I guess that doesn't fit their campaign. Whites tend to toe the party line more as well......."Junior was a proud American Soldier. Died for the Country. Long tradition of Military Service in our family". Whereas the blacks might say: "Yeah, my kid joined the Army because there was nothing else for him/her to do. No job. No $$ for college. And now he's dead...." Might not get that stoic flag waving from the poor.

And for the poster who felt that the ghettos of New York were better to live in than a 3rd world country.......well, I really don't think so. Most people compare a ghetto TO 3rd world conditions. Come to Chicago. Go to Cabrini Green. I've seen cops as big as 2 football players put together come out of that place with shaking hands, I have heard horror stories you would not believe. Horrifically bad living conditions, abject poverty and unimaginable crime on top of it. People are poor in third world countries, but I would guess they don't slaughter each other the way they do in US ghettos.

Finally, for the Russian guy, hey-you would be welcome here in Chi Town (I hope I did not paint too bad a picture, for the most part its ok, if expensive)--there is every race and culture on earth here, and people get along pretty well. There is a large Russian population too- I am sure they would make you welcome.

Well, its long, but I hope everyone will just watch the media with a little more skeptical eye. I have noticed a big change towards nationalistic pride and conservatism in the media. Remember, it is a common tactic to take over a people by taking over their culture.