various links

[anotheranon]

Pulled from Metafilter: The European Dream as opposed to The American Dream - this author thinks the EU is embracing a far less militaristic, far more secular and relaxed dream than the old U.S. does - and that it's a good thing. Interesting article, but as I've always lived in the States I have nothing to compare to, so I open opinions to the peanut gallery ;)

Speaking of Europe: English Town name generator. Some seem very British indeed, some sound like something out of Lord of the Rings. Speaking of which...

How to make 2nd Age Elven Armor - because you never know when you might need some elven armor, right? (If Sauron Bush wins in November, maybe sooner than you think! :P)

Comments

[anotheranon.livejournal.com]

My own perspective, though it is a gross simplification - Americans, as a nation, really and truly believe that we're the Rebel Alliance, but our government and foreign policy are turning us into the Empire, at least as far as the rest of the world is concerned.

Given the limited vacation time and funds of most Americans, we aren't as well traveled as many Europeans and are isolated, therefore many of us (note, I don't say all) fervently believe that the American Dream is the one way, the ONLY way, for everyone, and can't comprehend that someone, somewhere, might have better ways of doing things.

We work too damn hard because there's this underlying Puritanism that suggests that those who don't or can't work aren't deserving of even the most basic needs of human life (food, shelter, health care).

We view ourselves as a nation of rugged individualists, but really, we prize conformity unduly and have little need/tolerance of eccentrics or those with new ideas. We're anti-intellectual to the point where books are bought as status symbols instead of things to actually read.

Ok, now I'm just generalizing and venting - which, as before, I have no right to do because I've never lived in another country :P Maybe Canada is the happy medium?

[jlsjlsjls.livejournal.com]

LOL!!! I doubt very much that Canada qualifies as a "happy medium" ... the traits you describe as American all exist up here as well. I suspect that it's just that most of us possess a quietly bloody-minded, yet vague determination not to be considered "American"; the biggest difference is just that, while the traits exist, they aren't perceived as our national image (actually, Canadian literature/media has a long history of pointing out that we LACK a national image, other than being "nice" ... my favourite work on this topic is Mervyn J. Huston's Canada, Eh To Zed).