America in Chaos?!?! WTF! [Archive] - Quarter To Three Forums

Tyjenks

08-15-2003, 10:11 AM

Paul Harvey just told me Germany's top paper had a big, bold headline reading: America in Chaos. Then I find these by searching google (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=america+in+chaos):

Chaos in the dark for North America - Telegraph.co.uk - 8 hours ago
Blackouts cause North America chaos - BBC News - 9 hours ago
Chaos as huge power cut hits America - Reading Chronicle - 18 hours ago

All UK papers after this quick search. In this search, I saw no US papers calling it chaos. I thought news organizations sensationalized and rejoiced over bad news in the US, but the UK and Europe in general seem to revel in trouble occuring in the US.

Now I am not there and I know it was and still is difficult in the affected areas, but I have seen no "Chaos" on any news channel. I also know MSNBC, CNN, Fox, et.al. would have been more than happy to go to live feeds from fires and riots throughout the Northeast, Midwest and Canada. I don't get it.

Alan Au

08-15-2003, 10:28 AM

Paul Harvey just told me Germany's top paper had a big, bold headline reading: America in Chaos.

Maybe they're talking about the California gubernatorial race. ;)

- Alan

Rywill

08-15-2003, 10:32 AM

Yeah, not really surprising, I guess. Another thing I thought was funny: several people (mostly non-Americans) predicted riots and looting during the power outage. Instead, everything was very calm... except for those in Canada! (http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/08/15/blackout.crime/index.html)

:lol:

Tyjenks

08-15-2003, 11:11 AM

I am sure most of us were expecting bad things. I actually got a fuzzy, warm feeling watching everyone playing nice on TV, but I still waited for trouble to erupt. Its nice to know there are pockets of civilized people left in the world. :) I am getting a little overloaded with the "Us New Yorkers kick ass when things get tough" coverage. It was,at times, as if New York was the only city affected last night.

Another reason I brought it up is that there seems to be a proliferation of negative coverage where Iraq is concerned which has been going on from the outset of the war. Maybe Europe has a corner on the truth as it is happening in Iraq and the US. I dunno.

EDIT: Oh, one more thing: Blame Canada!!!

Jason McCullough

08-15-2003, 11:23 AM

I don't know about the power blackout thingy, but I wouldn't say Iraq is going well, European media "bias" or not.

Rywill

08-15-2003, 11:29 AM

I agree re: the negative coverage. I think there's this impression outside America that is way off. There's certainly a kernel of truth to the stereotype of the ugly American, and the idea that America is by and large more violent and opportunist than many places in Europe (at least, as far as I can tell--just my opinion). But I think the whole thing has been exaggerated vastly out of proportion in European press, and presumably among the population as well, to the point that everyone thinks America is this seething cauldron of barely contained rage, and the whole country will boil over like Attaca if the lights go out. To someone living here, that's just nuts. Are there problems? Sure. But the idea of America as some sort of civilization of savages kept aloft by their superior technology and wealth (which, I guess, are assumed to have fallen out of the sky) is totally off.

Maybe my impression of the European press is what's off, I dunno. But that's the way it has seemed, and all this "CHAOS IN AMERICA OMFG" overseas coverage looks like a symptom of it.

Tyjenks

08-15-2003, 11:30 AM

I don't know about the power blackout thingy, but I wouldn't say Iraq is going well, European media "bias" or not.

I did not mean to turn this into another Iraq Today thread, but it does seem they try to put the worst possible spin on any and all reports coming from the region. That's all.

That added to this Chaos theory irritated me just a tad.

Toddy

08-15-2003, 12:02 PM

Speaking of ugly Americans, I love the drive to blame the power problem on something that happened in Canada. The finger-pointing is ridiculous -- especially when all indications now are that the problem originated in Ohio, and nobody here was up in arms over the Americans screwing us up when the early indications said Niagara-Mohawk in NY was the problem -- but I'm just waiting for calls from Congress to decouple the US system, so our homosexual, communist, pot-smoking hydro system no longer corrupts the home of the trillion-dollar deficit.

BTW, I'd be wary of linking to any CNN stories. For starters, CNN has been calling Lake Erie the easternmost Great Lake, which is news to those of us who live near Lake Ontario. Although maybe it doesn't count because it shares a name with one of those commie Canadian provinces.

And I've heard absolutely nothing about looting in and around Ottawa, and I live there. There was apparently one attempt to rob a jewelry store, and I imagine there were a couple of stores robbed in American cities as well, despite the insipid "aren't New Yorkers perfect!" coverage on CNN. Check the link below for what really happened in Ottawa. As a side note, power was restored to almost this entire area before 10PM last night. Mine came on at 9:40. So I guess this crazed looting must have either taken place before the sun set or in the thirty minutes of darkness before the power came up. Damned efficient rioters, but what would you expect? They're Canadian.

http://makeashorterlink.com/?S30822A95

Toddy

08-15-2003, 12:05 PM

And BTW, the fact that our power generally came up well before it did in places like Cleveland also indicates that you guys should be looking at your own situation before blaming Canada, as catchy as the song is.

Rywill

08-15-2003, 12:08 PM

Sorry, I didn't mean to offend your delicate Canadian sensibilities. I haven't seen anyone blaming Canada for the power outage--I agree, last I heard, suspicion is centered on something that happened in Ohio. As for the looting, I guess I'll take your word over Ottawa's Chief of Police any day, especially since the police chief was being quoted by those damn liars at CNN. I mean, your power came back on at 9:40, right? What does the fucking Chief of Police have to say to that?

EDIT: Misspelled "Ottawa." My bad--yet another time that America sucks in comparison to Canada.

Tyjenks

08-15-2003, 12:12 PM

I heard the Ohioans blaming New York, New Yorkers blaming Canada, Canadians blaming Bush :wink:. Everyone is pointing fingers, but I am afraid it is a problem in every region. It may have started in Cleveland, but the problem is wrapped up in political maneuvering and power-mongering and money.

EDIT: Whadya mean before us guys start blaming Canada, Brett? I was just making a joke because some dumbass in some low level power company position suggested it may have originated in Canada. Like I am saying Canada caused it. Jeez, I try to be nice and agree with Brett and then he generalizes all over my new suit.

Jason McCullough

08-15-2003, 12:30 PM

NPR said the canadian looting was "24 breakins, compared to a usual 5." So, no, nothing to speak of.

Toddy

08-15-2003, 01:21 PM

"As for the looting, I guess I'll take your word over Ottawa's Chief of Police any day, especially since the police chief was being quoted by those damn liars at CNN. I mean, your power came back on at 9:40, right? What does the fucking Chief of Police have to say to that?"

The point is, that this supposed comment by the chief of police in Ottawa wasn't reported by any of the Ottawa newspapers. Just CNN. I haven't seen it anywhere but CNN, and both the Ottawa Citizen and the Ottawa Sun are leading with stories that discuss how laid back people were regarding the power outage. Maybe Bevan did make that looting comment. But it's interesting how nobody else picked up on it, and there doesn't seem to be any local news reports of this widespread looting. Sure, there were a few more break-ins, but people handled the power outage here in exactly the same way as they did in the US, right down to citizens directing traffic in downtown Ottawa like they did in downtown NY.

I don't have delicate sensibilities, but it really pisses me off how a few people here always throw in the Canadian insults whenever possible. You do it all the time, and I'm pretty sick of it. Like you'd be pretty sick of me if I replied to every negative news story about the States with comments about NASCAR and chewing tobacco and Gary Coleman running for governor. Give it a fucking rest already. It's been four years since the South Park movie.

Rywill

08-15-2003, 01:23 PM

I don't have delicate sensibilities, but it really pisses me off how a few people here always throw in the Canadian insults whenever possible. You do it all the time, and I'm pretty sick of it. Like you'd be pretty sick of me if I replied to every negative news story about the States with comments about NASCAR and chewing tobacco and Gary Coleman running for governor. Give it a fucking rest already. It's been four years since the South Park movie.
Well, I'm glad you cleared that up.

Robert Sharp

08-15-2003, 01:56 PM

Well, the images I saw on television showed what I would call chaos. People were walking around because all the transportation was shut down. People were trapped in subways, under rivers, for hours. People were rushing toward ferries to try to get out of cities. Granted there wasn't as much looting as might be expected in such a crisis, but there was certainly chaos. chaos doesn't mean fighting and it doesn't mean crime. It just means confusion and entropy. There was plenty of that from what I saw.

Of course, our news people weren't much better. They kept interrupting programming every five minutes to talk about the "Blackout 2003!" like it was some sort of disaster situation. The media has to use the most sensationalist approach possible to sell papers and keep ratings. It's disgusting, of course, but not unexpected. I don't think it is really a Europe thing, is it?

chet

08-15-2003, 02:52 PM

There was so little looting and commotion here, we were going to break into the ghetto and preemptively loot them. But it was hot and there was beer and a beach, those poor people are lucky we are so lazy.

Chet

voltaic

08-15-2003, 08:09 PM

Jeez Brett, I don't think any QT3 people have ever called Canadians commies. We reserve that nomenclature for our Scandinavian friends and McCullough. Canadians are much more like the French...

Machfive

08-15-2003, 08:37 PM

Chaos?

Sure, we lost power. Sure, the streetlights were down and it was 4-way stops for hundreds of miles. Sure, the water pumps at the sewage systems stopped running long enough in some areas to back up and flood the freeways. Sure, my power's been back on since noon, EST, and my net's been on for ONE hour, but some people still don't have it. And SURE, there was some looting, and the cops made a lot of arrests.

But chaos?

Nah. It kinda sucked, and was REALLY freakin' weird to drive around and see everything...turned off....but not chaos.

Chaos would've been if we found out the power wasn't coming back ON.

Ben Sones

08-15-2003, 09:32 PM

Like you'd be pretty sick of me if I replied to every negative news story about the States with comments about NASCAR and chewing tobacco and Gary Coleman running for governor.

That wouldn't offend me. We do, after all, have all of those things.

And for what it's worth, I think you are taking the South Park movie (and comments made here) a bit too seriously. The reason why the whole "blame Canada" thing was funny is that Canada is the most inoffensive nation on the planet (sorry, Anders). The idea of blaming Canada for anything is absurd. Thus, they make with the funny.

So, like, pax.

Toddy

08-16-2003, 12:01 AM

I get that. I laugh at this country as much as anyone, and absolutely love all things South Park. But I see the same couple of people always taking these cheap shots here, and it gets sickening after a while. It's been going on for years, and when you're doing that much axe-grinding, it begins to sound like serious bitching rather than just joking around. And it's not just "hockey hullaballoo" joking around, it's this overly defensive and condescending crap that seems to be aimed at taking Canada down a peg or two.

I've seen so much of it over the years that I've gotten pretty attuned to it and I think I can recognize when things are said in jest and when things aren't said in jest. Most of all, I find it gutless and hypocritical when people make insults online and then add a smiley or say something like "Can't you take a joke?" You want to make comments like that, at least have the guts to stand behind them. "You" in this instance, of course, doesn't mean you, Ben.

Desslock

08-16-2003, 01:31 AM

and man, Americans are fat.

Machfive

08-16-2003, 01:54 AM

and man, Americans are fat.

Amen. And our beer sucks. Not that Canadian beer is any better.

*takes a swing of Guiness*

Where was I?

Brad Grenz

08-16-2003, 02:25 AM

It's been going on for years, and when you're doing that much axe-grinding, it begins to sound like serious bitching rather than just joking around. And it's not just "hockey hullaballoo" joking around, it's this overly defensive and condescending crap that seems to be aimed at taking Canada down a peg or two.

See, if you'd just let us annex you this wouldn't be an issue! And we've come up with a way to uproot Quebec and drop it into the Mediterranean so they can rejoin with the mother country! There will be a lot of miffed Frenchmen with formerly beachfront property, but they'll get over it.

Machfive

08-16-2003, 03:38 AM

Anders Hallin

08-16-2003, 05:10 AM

The reason why the whole "blame Canada" thing was funny is that Canada is the most inoffensive nation on the planet (sorry, Anders).
Damn it! If people had the foresight to alert us of the fact that collaborating with the Nazis and then playing both sides during the entire Cold War while the entire while claiming moral superiority was offensive, we wouldn't have this situation!
Screw it then, we're through trying, is it too late to offer Idi Amin a spare kidney?

Tyjenks

08-16-2003, 05:40 AM

Screw it then, we're through trying, is it too late to offer Idi Amin a spare kidney?

Yes. (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030816/ap_on_re_af/obit_idi_amin&cid=515&ncid=716)

Anders Hallin

08-16-2003, 06:33 AM

Screw it then, we're through trying, is it too late to offer Idi Amin a spare kidney?

Yes. (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030816/ap_on_re_af/obit_idi_amin&cid=515&ncid=716)
I was trying to be facetious :(

Tyjenks

08-16-2003, 08:00 AM

Anders Hallin

08-16-2003, 08:20 AM

Oops! Sorry, Brett's XXX-treme irritation has me all confused.
Stupid Canadians, ruining it for the rest of us...

Tyjenks

08-16-2003, 08:22 AM

Oops! Sorry, Brett's XXX-treme irritation has me all confused.
Stupid Canadians, ruining it for the rest of us...
I wonder if you get a pass on making jokes since your Swedish.

Machfive

08-17-2003, 07:12 AM

Oops! Sorry, Brett's XXX-treme irritation has me all confused.
Stupid Canadians, ruining it for the rest of us...
I wonder if you get a pass on making jokes since your Swedish.

Do you get a pass on making jokes since you missed your punctuation mark in "you're"? ;)

Prodigy

08-19-2003, 06:10 AM

But I think the whole thing has been exaggerated vastly out of proportion in European press, and presumably among the population as well, to the point that everyone thinks America is this seething cauldron of barely contained rage, and the whole country will boil over like Attaca if the lights go out.

Sure, the way the american medias in general handled the Iraq crisis was always well thought, never blown out of proportion, or over dramatic. Medias do their "job" of mass "infotainment", that's all.

In the french press & TV I don't think no one ever mentionned "chaos" (no one that I know of, but I don't read every newspaper printed in the country) or overreacted to the event, we had news that power was out in NY and a few northern cities, and that it had nothing to do with terrorism - which was the big information imho. It made headlines for 2 days before the heat wave became the main topic again.