American male virtues

[Cyrus]

Stupidity makes you cool.

Material goods make you happy.

Gangster-rappers are your role-models.

Brawns and not brains, unless you're some fag who talks a lot and uses big words.

Dress like everyone else, unless you're some nerd or fag who thinks for himself

[jamesbond]

Stupidity makes you cool.

Material goods make you happy.

Gangster-rappers are your role-models.

Brawns and not brains, unless you're some fag who talks a lot and uses big words.

Dress like everyone else, unless you're some nerd or fag who thinks for himself

Another great post Cyrus! I too have found that being different here in the US makes you look like a wierdo or a loser! For example, you need to wear clothes that everyone else is wearing (god forbid you are a free thinker and dress differently than other people). You also need to drive the types of cars other people drive. You need to keep up with the Jones (buy whatever your neighbors are buying). This mass conformity in America causes people to spend money on things that are not important and gets people into debt. Welcome to the modern day culture in America!

[Shokkers]

Stupidity makes you cool.

Material goods make you happy.

Gangster-rappers are your role-models.

Brawns and not brains, unless you're some fag who talks a lot and uses big words.

Dress like everyone else, unless you're some nerd or fag who thinks for himself

Another great post Cyrus! I too have found that being different here in the US makes you look like a wierdo or a loser! For example, you need to wear clothes that everyone else is wearing (god forbid you are a free thinker and dress differently than other people). You also need to drive the types of cars other people drive. You need to keep up with the Jones (buy whatever your neighbors are buying). This mass conformity in America causes people to spend money on things that are not important and gets people into debt. Welcome to the modern day culture in America!

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggghhhhhhh...

I'm normally with you 100%, Bond, but let's think this through.

It is highly improbable to dress like 'everyone else'. Too many people are wearing different things. There are of course 'currently popular styles', but I (and probably a huge amount of others) would look like an utterly ridiculous poser if wore "FUBU" clothes or sagging pants. I could go the other direction and wear the overpriced rags that MAXIM or GQ say are popular, but I'd go broke for no good reason.

You don't 'need' to drive the types of cars other people drive, you only need a car...sometimes not even that. Having a car in New York City is totally unnecessary so a lot of people just use public transportation. (And nobody thinks "Damn, I'm such a loser for taking the subway".) I'm actually losing money in Las Vegas by driving a truck instead of using the bus (Truck note+gas+insurance=$500/month. Monthly bus pass: $40.) If you buy a 'trendy' or 'sporty' car for status, you're a sheep that deserves to be shorn. You'll get one "wow" or "cool" per person who sees you in it, then they stop caring (or worse, they get jealous and want to borrow or steal it).

Gangster-rappers aren't my role models. In fact, the geniuses that think gangster rappers are role models aren't even idolifying gangster rap, but the (illusion of) success and power they have.

Stupidity makes you cool? Who wants to hang around stupid people? Would you actually behave stupidly in order to be popular, especially when you'd only attract stupid people?

Brawn instead of brains? You wouldn't be able to WORK. If you could only get by doing manual labor, an immigrant will be willing to do it for less (and I'm not putting down immigrants, I'm putting down employers who seek to save every last dime for themselves and not their employees).

Some material goods DO make me happy...films, books, music, etc. But I don't need to 'keep up with the Joneses', they live three doors down, we wave at each other once in a while, that's it. I don't know or care what he's got in his house and the feeling's probably mutual.

Sorry, just had to say what up.
Now back to your show.
Best, K.K.
http://www.RockHerWorld.Net

[Cyrus]

Shokkers,

I know where you're coming from. But I think you're looking at the U.S. with rose colored glasses. I'm pointing out some plain and obvious problems with American male culture which I think is impossible to miss. Since you're somebody who apparently writes about mens lifestyles, this troubles me.

A lot of it dims down by age 25+ which is how long it takes for Americans to grow up, but from high school on through the end of college.... yeah, what I describe is called life in America.

Keep in mind I've travelled throughout Europe and I have diverse knkowledge of the behaviors of different people.

American males (and subsequently most females) are the most exclusive and insecure groups of people imaginable. I'm talking about the guys and girls at a typical college bar or university house party. Get a typical group of guys together from my college and listen to what their conversations are like and it becomes the most banal shit anybody could suffer through: conversations about who vomited the most last-night, that girl Brad f***ed while she was passed out over the toilet bowl, etc.

By 'jock' i'm not referring to somebody who's muscular and strong. Man, you took that out of context. it's the American male archetype which girls swoon over, YET most people who belong to that archetype are total losers. But women in the U.S. still prefer image and status over anything else, and they'll tolerate horrible behavior if it means having a guy who looks a certain way. AND, it goes both ways: a man will tolerate a woman who walks all over him and is awful if she looks like a porn-star. This shallowness is directly linked to American culture as you will NOT find it in most other places.

[jamesbond]

I would add Cyrus that even AFTER age 25, some people in America have not grown up! I mean, I know people who are in their mid 30's and still living at home! Talk about embarrassing! Just wait until a girl finds out a guy is in his 30's and still lives at home with mom and dad, his value will plummet like the stock market, no matter how good looking or how much money he has! Your right about the converstions college students have with one another. When I was in college the stimulating conversations were, "I vomited 3 times last night, how many times did you vomit?" or, "I banged that girl I met at that house party, in the back seat of my car." or, "what bars are having specials this weekend?"

Luckily none of my friends were like that, I just heard these conversations in the cafeteria, at work and in class. I guess the "bar scene" is a big thing in college, heck for some people it's still big when you get out of college. There must be more "party animals" in the US than other country in the world! People who are party animals think everyone else is also a party animal (or at least should become one). Welcome to the modern day social scene in America!

[Shokkers]

Shokkers,

I know where you're coming from. But I think you're looking at the U.S. with rose colored glasses. I'm pointing out some plain and obvious problems with American male culture which I think is impossible to miss. Since you're somebody who apparently writes about mens lifestyles, this troubles me.

A lot of it dims down by age 25+ which is how long it takes for Americans to grow up, but from high school on through the end of college.... yeah, what I describe is called life in America.

Keep in mind I've travelled throughout Europe and I have diverse knkowledge of the behaviors of different people.

American males (and subsequently most females) are the most exclusive and insecure groups of people imaginable. I'm talking about the guys and girls at a typical college bar or university house party. Get a typical group of guys together from my college and listen to what their conversations are like and it becomes the most banal shit anybody could suffer through: conversations about who vomited the most last-night, that girl Brad f***ed while she was passed out over the toilet bowl, etc.

By 'jock' i'm not referring to somebody who's muscular and strong. Man, you took that out of context. it's the American male archetype which girls swoon over, YET most people who belong to that archetype are total losers. But women in the U.S. still prefer image and status over anything else, and they'll tolerate horrible behavior if it means having a guy who looks a certain way. AND, it goes both ways: a man will tolerate a woman who walks all over him and is awful if she looks like a porn-star. This shallowness is directly linked to American culture as you will NOT find it in most other places.

I've been around too, Cyrus, and the 'problems' you're discussing (actually life style choices) about American males are actually pretty tame compared with other places. Right now some African males are chopping up some villagers they don't like, Pakistani males are stoning a woman to death, Brazilian males are starting a soccer riot, etc. If American males are having a frat party, I say let 'em.

But some things you described are accurate; a lot of young people in the US are into banal, superficial shit...my ex-GF's kids would only mumble about World Of Warcraft (when they spoke at all). But the tone of your topic seems to be 'shallow people = losers'. It's unfortunate that they're shallow, (the world's run by C students, after all) but it's their choice, and if they're happy being that way, why should that affect or anger you?

You're also making sweeping generalizations. I wouldn't tolerate any woman trying to walk all over me, regardless of her looks.