madmax15 Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 (edited) I live in Australia and yes America is on the news everyday! The DAILY shootings, the RUDE people, the violence. I always wondered is it really that bad?! Edited October 1, 2017 by madmax15 .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerberus Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 (edited) What is your point, and what does it have to do with your mental health? Don't be absurd. Of course it isn't that bad. The news media don't cover the million acts of kindness, the thousands of uneventful, peaceful days on American streets, the everyday generosity, hard work, tolerance and good will of the American people because that doesn't sell the news. Bad news sells news, and the worse the better, so that's what they tell. Yes, there are daily shootings; this is a nation of over 325 million people that somehow manages to work as the most robust democracy on the planet despite being a mixture of humans from every race, nationality and religion in the world, and it would be unrealistic to expect al 325,000,000 of them to be model citizens. Of course there are rude people in some places. There are rude people around the globe, why should America be different? If you haven't yet figured out that a news feed isn't an accurate representation of daily life anywhere in the world, then you should get out more. Edited October 1, 2017 by Cerberus 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WinterRosie Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 You'd have to go for yourself to find out. I have had some very nice visits to the US, although I find the weather a bit hot to my tastes. I'm sure I'd find Australia equally challenging. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madmax15 Posted October 1, 2017 Author Share Posted October 1, 2017 53 minutes ago, WinterRosie said: You'd have to go for yourself to find out. I thought about it but everything from the media puts me off! I'm actually worried about being shot or robbed! That's why I thought I would ask people here if it's really what the media plays it out to be?! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt07 Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 1 hour ago, WinterRosie said: although I find the weather a bit hot to my tastes. HaHaHa, Rosie, I feel the same, and I live here. 10 minutes ago, madmax15 said: That's why I thought I would ask people here if it's really what the media plays it out to be?! No, nothing is ever as bad as the media makes it out to be. The media looks at everything through a skewed lens because bad news sells as Cerberus pointed out. We do have problems to be sure just like every nation on Earth has problems, but they are not nearly as intense as the media would have you believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madmax15 Posted October 1, 2017 Author Share Posted October 1, 2017 7 minutes ago, jt07 said: but they are not nearly as intense as the media would have you believe. So there aren't daily shootings in America?! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit37 Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 Oh for heaven's sake, it isn't Armageddon here. Of course there are shootings, mostly in the highly populated areas, but it's been that way for decades. If you're smart, you simply don't venture into certain areas of large cities, particularly at night. I've lived in a small town outside the capital area for the past 15 years. To be honest, we often don't lock the back door. It's peaceful here. Please read above comments about news reporting. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt07 Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 1 hour ago, madmax15 said: So there aren't daily shootings in America?! I don't know if there are daily shootings taking the whole country into account, but in any given place away from large cities, there certainly are NOT daily shootings. Even in large cities, there are a lot of safe neighborhoods. It is unfair to equate the entire country to a few bad neighborhoods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WinterRosie Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 When you are a country that's geographically larger than Australia... if a shooting happens on the opposite coast, it isn't exactly coming for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerberus Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 You know, I also think it ironic that a man using a username of Madmax, living in Australia, doesn't see how the impression that the mass media gives of a country doesn't always square with the truth. If the only thing I knew about Australia was what I had seen in Mad Max movies, I would never dream of visiting such a post-apocalyptic blightscape full of road-rage freaks, homicidal maniacs and serial rapists. Oh, and by the way, as I recall, the nation was founded as a penal colony, so there are sure to be people with criminal tendencies all over the place down there, right? And isn't it true that children can't play outdoors because they get eaten by dingoes? Stereotype much? In fact, no one of sensible mind believes any of that rubbish, any more than the idea that the country is populated by crocodile wrestlers who say "crikey" every other sentence. Do be sensible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit37 Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 There's a wine brand here called "19 crimes". On each of the corks, there's a bit of what 19 crimes the felons would've committed to be banished to the original penal colony in Australia. Salut! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madmax15 Posted October 1, 2017 Author Share Posted October 1, 2017 1 hour ago, Cerberus said: full of road-rage freaks, homicidal maniacs and serial rapists Yes we DO have a problem with all three of those things! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerberus Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 Rabbit37 - My son just got back from Ireland and said they have something there called "American soda" which is supposed to be the real taste of America. He said it tastes absolutely nothing like anything he's ever drunk at home. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madmax15 Posted October 1, 2017 Author Share Posted October 1, 2017 5 minutes ago, madmax15 said: homicidal maniacs In Australia AT LEAST one woman a week is killed by her partner! We do have a serious problem with domestic violence! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WinterRosie Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 So women shouldn't go to Australia? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gearhead Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 I think it would be ok to go, so long as they armed themselves. Oh, wait... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madmax15 Posted October 1, 2017 Author Share Posted October 1, 2017 1 hour ago, WinterRosie said: So women shouldn't go to Australia? No it should be fine as long as they stay single =) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit37 Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 <facepalm> 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madmax15 Posted October 2, 2017 Author Share Posted October 2, 2017 And AGAIN tonight on the news another shooting in L.A at a music concert! 2 people dead and 23 injured! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt07 Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 Yes, unfortunately, there was a shooting tonight. It was in Las Vegas, not L.A. 20 people dead and over 100 injured according to the news. You think that proves some kind of point. Look, there's no doubt, there is too much gun violence in America. But every country has crime and violence. There is no 100% safe country. Additionally, the likelihood that you would encounter such a situation is low. I don't think you get the idea of likelihood. Would you not fly on an airplane because some planes crash? Don't you understand that the likelihood that you would happen to be on a plane that crashed is slim? The same thing with outbursts of violence. Thank God it's still relatively rare. Not as rare as we would like, but it still is relatively rare. Just like a plane crash, the likelihood that you yourself would experience a violent situation is slim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hopelessly Broken Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 If the news is triggering, stop watching it. Its just trash anyways. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amskray Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 American expat here. I do believe that the US has a huge gun violence problem and my personal belief is that the US needs gun control. That being said, the news is about sensationalizing every issue. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerberus Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 And AGAIN, madmax, what's your point? Yes, regrettably, a very disturbed individual used firearms to commit senseless homicide - indeed, the largest such act in our nation's history. If you want a measure of how uncommon and unnatural this is for us, listen to the voices of shock, horror and disbelief from around the country. We are not a nation of people for whom this is an everyday occurrence; we are neither numbed nor hardened to this. We are sickened, grieved and infuriated by it, as would any people anywhere in the world. Oh, and by the way, the government of Myanmar is ethnically cleansing its Rohingya population as we speak. In southern Africa, human beings who are albino are hunted and killed because their body parts are thought to bring good luck. In Canada, police officers were just attacked by a man in a truck with an ISiS flag in it. In parts of the Arab world, women are subject to being killed by their parents for having "disgraced" the family. I could go on ad nauseam. The world is full of misery. Full to the fucking brim. Please explain how this rant of yours relates to a mental health issue, otherwise, you're just distressing people for no reason, and that's counterproductive to the reason we're all here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madmax15 Posted October 2, 2017 Author Share Posted October 2, 2017 24 minutes ago, Cerberus said: And AGAIN, madmax, what's your point? America sounds like a VERY dangerous place and you're excuse is you have a big population of 350 million?! 27 minutes ago, Cerberus said: Yes, regrettably, a very disturbed individual used firearms to commit senseless homicide FFS it's on the news here *nearly* everyday?! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit37 Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 STFU, madmax 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chem Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 Look, madmax- I'm sitting here in complete and utter shock wondering if people who are my business partners, my colleagues, my friends, my own family members, and their families have been injured or killed in the recent tragedy in Vegas. I live in a neighborhood where people don't lock their doors when we're home or have bars on their windows and the most violent crime is petty theft of potted plants off the porch. Yes, there are cities in the US where there are violent crimes and bad shit going down almost daily. But think about it for a fucking second- there are so many more people amongst the 350 million in this country that don't commit violent crimes. They're out to make a difference in the world and make it better. Not everyone in this country is out to hurt someone or cause the next big terror attack. The big reason news stations continue to exist is because bad news sells. Violence makes for a better news story than a story about how some teenagers did on a biology exam or how clean a beach is. So seriously, enough crap about if America is a dangerous place. Shut up about it. It seems there's no point in trying to talk to you about this if you're not willing to listen to those of us who live here due to how skewed your own bias is from the media you've consumed. It's so seemingly skewed you won't even consider an alternative to what you're presenting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gearhead Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 59 minutes ago, chem said: I live in a neighborhood where people don't lock their doors when we're home or have bars on their windows and the most violent crime is petty theft of potted plants off the porch. Have you considered arming the plants? 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chem Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 The plants I have on my porch are all spiny little cacti or some kind of spiky succulent. But I digress. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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