how could this have happened?

Question

every person i have met from the U.K is extremely intelligent.they understand the word "freedom"better than any american i have met.they respect others rights to speach,and do so without condemning them for it.they understand conflict resolution and handle emergencies like real pro's.so my question is;
how could the europeans who came to america and took it from my native ancestors be so cruel,so dumb and so backwards from those who chose to stay in europe?did they really flee your country or,was they kicked out?

well,i got a few who understand what i am saying.maybe i should of asked how come those who remained in europe put so much more value on life and care for their fellow human beings,even when they have a hard time caring for themselves?it seems your resources are being used to care for others when,you go without.(at least thats what a lot of you say)

lulu,you make some great points but,what you don't understand is america let half of europe get destroyed without helping them.it wasn't until america was attacked at pearl habor that they took up arms.i was alive at the time,i could not understand how we could set back and watch germany roll over the country when this country's ancestors came mainly from europe.now a days we demand their immediate backing our ideas but,look how long it took us to go help them in ww2.

one last point!on america answers this would of bashed me from everyone who answered.but,here on uk answers they don't.they calmly explain their point of views to me in a cilivilized manner.you have to respect people,who show you respect no matter how crazy your question.

Answer 1

Sounds to me like you're on a bit of a 'downer' about people in the USA. Perhaps, because you live there (??) it is hard for you to see any of the good in people there and you're maybe looking through 'rosey coloured spectables' at people in Europe. Truth is, I think, there is good and bad in every person, and good and bad in every nation ... the issue is what you choose to focus on and what you choose to see. If you look for the good, you will find it, if you look for the bad, you will find that too. One of the main problems for people living in the USA is that they can be a bit inward looking (not all but some) and a bit ignorant of other cultures, which can create a sense of arrogance, but when you consider most have grown up with the knowledge that the USA is the world super-power and how vast the country is, how it has the potential to provide absolutely everything that any person could ever want (geography-wise, from deserts, canyons, mountains, prairies, gorgeous coasts etc, etc) and opportunity for a good life-style, I think that kind of explains why people may not be as knowledgable, tolerant or as open-minded as you might like. I think there is also much to be proud of about what the USA has done for the world, perhaps the most obvious example is that Europe would be under the tyranny of the Nazi's now if it wasn't for the USA intervening in the 2nd world war. All the scientific and academic achievements that have made the world a better place, as well as contribution to the arts that have provided pleasure beyond measure across the world, not forgetting the millions of acts of kindness of ordinary Americans towards one another on a daily basis ... yep, there's certainly a lot of bad stuff too, just like there is in Europe and not everyone here is intelligent or understands freedom or conflict resoultion, believe me!!! Perhaps the people who left Europe for the USA had in common some disatisfaction with life and wanted to find something more, perhaps you are displaying some disatisfaction too and you are on a journey to seek out something better, but I wouldn't expect to find it anywhere other than in your own backyard and in a change in how you perceive the world and what you do in the world yourself to make it a better place.

Answer 2

While I feel that your allegations are correct to some degree ( and I have lived and traveled in Europe) I feel that Americans and Europeans all have something to be learned from one another. Historically the United States has taken pride in the governmental breakthroughs in freedom of speech and other areas. We were the first to take a leap in the direction of freedoms and nations after us have followed our example.

It is possible that people in the UK have found there own unique freedom but all the same the ancient ancestors you speak of were fleeing from a hangman’s noose or from being tied to a post over a big bonfire. All this for merely their desire to worship as they choose or to challenge the authority of established leaders. If surviving or fleeing from that sort of thing won’t make you tough I don’t what will. America set up a democratic system that has evolved over the years and has become a system to envy. Not to say that there is still plenty of room for improvement.

I notice that Americans observe this large continent that we have to live on and have developed an uncontested ethnocentric view of their selves and it is (and was for me) a rude awakening when one finds that in Europe everybody isn’t necessarily in love with America. They have their national pride just as we do. I feel that to state as you did, “every person you have met from the U.K is extremely intelligent. And that they understand the word "freedom" better than any American you have met. . .” is a very broad generalization. Or maybe you haven’t met very many of either parties.

Yes in a real sense those ancestors you speak of were kicked out, they were tough and their children may have gotten cocky. Certainly European politics will appeal to a liberal crowd, which may be you, all the same, I am an American and I am not dumb backwards, unaware or uninformed. Don’t group three hundred million people into one group with one mind set it can’t be done.

Answer 3

Well...people these days are a lot more educated than they were back then. The settlers had been strongly indoctrinated into Christianity and firmly believed that they had the right to impose their way of living on the native Americans, in fact, felt it was their duty. History tells the rest of the story, and as the atrocities towards the "Indians" went on for many generations, you would also need to blame the families of the European settlers who went on to become Americans and so on. Aren't they still treated pretty shabbily even now? This is a bit like blaming today's German society for the holocaust - the terrible mistakes of the past hopefully teach us how never to let it happen again in future.

Answer 4

Well....First of all The Europeans who came to America in the 1700's are all dead now, and their kids are dead too, and their kids, and their kids...and so on. So really, what your asking is how come Americans (white) today are so dumb, right? Well the answer to that is not all americans are like that, and not all Europeans are particularly smart. You just seen a few bad apples and a few good oranges. Kid's today can get away with just about anything, the government doens't allow parents to discipline their kids the way they should be disciplined. So they never learn values or respect, and eventually they will be taking care of us when we're old (scary thought). you shouldn't dwell on things from the past like that though, eventually you will end up callin americans dumb cruel and backwards...oh wait too late.

Answer 5

Are they actually your native ancestors or were your ancestors WASPs that came from North Western Europe? You see what you need to remember is that many of those who Ethnically cleansed the Great Plains were actually second and third generation WHITE Native Americans and not entirely N. W. Europeans. Also if it is down to the N. W. Europeans that denied the American Indians there freedom, is it also down to us the denial of African Americans their civil rights, are we also responsible for the false imprisonment of thousands of Japanese Americans during the Second World War?


Note to brain: Read profile of asker before answering question and hinting at his probable white racist stance.

Answer 6

I think it was the religious extremists who decided that Europe wasn't extreme enough in it's religious convictions. And in their books they need to convert the heathens (as they would have called them) and not respect them.

Answer 7

I am quite sure that the people of whom you you speak have little in common with the people who lived in Europe 250 years ago...don't you?

Answer 8

LOL - you are so silly. We have those kinds of people here in America too. I guarantee I know people in the UK who feel differently than what you're saying of them. They complain heavily of abuses to the freedom of speech by Muslim Clerics who preach open handed murder in the name of Islam.., and so on.

So step down off the soap box before you fall off and hurt yourself.

Answer 9

Like the British that were big in the slave trade or the British that taught your native ancestors how to scalp people or the British that conquered native people all over the world.

They seem so much better than Americans that are for legal equality.

Apparently, the europeans that came to America were so much better than the cannabalistic savages that you claim for ancestors!

Sounds like a poor loser to me.