More West Wing Natter or why Brits and Americans are different Part 2
Again I have to say, I'm really enjoying watching this show. It is really very good. Slightly Issue of the Week sometimes but good character continuity, stuff happens, it has effects etc. Very good show. There is a bit of As You Know Bob going on. But by and large they make it work with the characters. I could tell that they had decided that CJ wouldn't know about the census so that she could get it explained to her and thus the audience. But the whole thing was so snarky and did fit in with her feeling slightly out of her depth so I didn't mind.
What I do find interesting is the bits where the character's viewpoints on things like rights or taxes clash so much with mine. Two examples spring to mind. Donna wanting her taxes back to buy a DVD player. (BTW those things were expensive back then!) And everyone disagreeing with CJ when she wanted more Hate Crime legislation. Also I really hadn't realised/fully understood until now the reverence Americans in general seem to have for the Constitution.
The whole thing reminds me of a post I read a while back where the writer said that '(Americans) have more liberties than anywhere else in the First World and more privileges than anywhere that isn't First World'. There was some back and forth in the comments about whether this was true or not. One post pointed to things like free health care in places like Canada and the UK. Her answer was:
'Health care and free university aren't rights. They're privileges, but they come with much higher taxes and much more restrictive gun and free speech (and other) laws and a greater level of government bureaucracy and surveillance.
I've lived in three countries and been to a shit-ton and I still think America is the best. The other places are (hideous oversimplification follows) all either "don't drink the water" or "the rules and the CCTV enforcement of the rules are here for your safety."'
This really made me think. Cause I think that she is right. In away. I would agree Americans probably have a greater degree of freedom than the British. But oddly enough I don't mind. Personally I feel that living in this country and thereby giving up my rights to complete free speech and almost automatic gun ownership is acceptable because I feel that in doing so I've gained the right not to be shot and the right not to be verbally abused by prejudice people.
I watched the West Wing's first Christmas episode with TB. This is the episode where the murder of Matthew Shepard was referenced and the subject of further hate crime legislation brought up. I learned just now by looking on Wikipedia that the proposed Acts were only just passed about three years ago. Anyway, apparently there was a play written about Matthew Shepard which was performed at TB's old school. The Westboro Baptist Church wanted to picket this and flew over to the Uk to do so. But they weren't allowed into the country on the basis that WBC would be inciting hatred towards LGBT people. And personally I think that that is a damned good thing.
And in general I don't feel repressed. Maybe its just that I've been conditioned from birth to believe that I don't need to buy a gun from the corner shop but maybe its because as a Brit I still have liberty. Maybe not as much as an American but it is still there. And in conclusion here is an article from David Mitchell that sums up, for me, what that liberty should be.
What I do find interesting is the bits where the character's viewpoints on things like rights or taxes clash so much with mine. Two examples spring to mind. Donna wanting her taxes back to buy a DVD player. (BTW those things were expensive back then!) And everyone disagreeing with CJ when she wanted more Hate Crime legislation. Also I really hadn't realised/fully understood until now the reverence Americans in general seem to have for the Constitution.
The whole thing reminds me of a post I read a while back where the writer said that '(Americans) have more liberties than anywhere else in the First World and more privileges than anywhere that isn't First World'. There was some back and forth in the comments about whether this was true or not. One post pointed to things like free health care in places like Canada and the UK. Her answer was:
'Health care and free university aren't rights. They're privileges, but they come with much higher taxes and much more restrictive gun and free speech (and other) laws and a greater level of government bureaucracy and surveillance.
I've lived in three countries and been to a shit-ton and I still think America is the best. The other places are (hideous oversimplification follows) all either "don't drink the water" or "the rules and the CCTV enforcement of the rules are here for your safety."'
This really made me think. Cause I think that she is right. In away. I would agree Americans probably have a greater degree of freedom than the British. But oddly enough I don't mind. Personally I feel that living in this country and thereby giving up my rights to complete free speech and almost automatic gun ownership is acceptable because I feel that in doing so I've gained the right not to be shot and the right not to be verbally abused by prejudice people.
I watched the West Wing's first Christmas episode with TB. This is the episode where the murder of Matthew Shepard was referenced and the subject of further hate crime legislation brought up. I learned just now by looking on Wikipedia that the proposed Acts were only just passed about three years ago. Anyway, apparently there was a play written about Matthew Shepard which was performed at TB's old school. The Westboro Baptist Church wanted to picket this and flew over to the Uk to do so. But they weren't allowed into the country on the basis that WBC would be inciting hatred towards LGBT people. And personally I think that that is a damned good thing.
And in general I don't feel repressed. Maybe its just that I've been conditioned from birth to believe that I don't need to buy a gun from the corner shop but maybe its because as a Brit I still have liberty. Maybe not as much as an American but it is still there. And in conclusion here is an article from David Mitchell that sums up, for me, what that liberty should be.