On 5/8/2010 10:58 AM, harry wrote:
On May 8, 3:51�pm, wrote:
Peter wrote:
I grew up in a major urban East coast city that felt as though it were a
miniature United Nations. �Multiple accents, cooking smells, ethnic
restaurants, houses of worship, etc. bred tolerance and intellectual
curiosity. �Fast pace of life, work fast, get out of work fast, play
fast, talk fast, eat fast, etc.

When I spoke on the phone to internet friends in the UK and in Holland,
they both told me I didn't sound like they thought I would. �They seem
to believe we all are fast talking city dwellers.

The trouble is, you send all this crap out into the world and people
take it as face value.
I think the most surprising thing to me was the poverty I saw in my
travels. And how no-one cares about it.

It goes along with the fact that you were among predominantly Republicans. The
term "social Darwinism" may be not politically correct and obsolete, but it is a
fairly accurate description of the Republican philosophy that everyone must be
responsible for their own circumstances and that the only real role for
government is national security. Unfortunately, the days of the large middle
class in the US are behind us. We are transforming into a nation that is more
typical of underdeveloped countries - a huge lower class and a plutocratic
wealthy minority. Visit the locales where you have been told people are "nasty"
and you will see much more social consciousness - although often not enough.