Riots in Oakland

[elmcitymaven 9,711]

Exactly how much depth of knowledge of day-to-day life in Britain do you have, slim, that you can make such confident comparisons? I'd say Six, Cleo and I were better placed to make these than you.

[ready4ONE 5,400]

Cop's in Russia don't need no stinking guns!

http://shock.military.com/Shock/player.html?vid=18e408bf51e245818dde17186c1545a8

Edited July 10, 2010 by ready4ONE

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Uh, yeah. I can honestly say that in the 12 years I lived in Britain there was only one time I felt genuinely in danger, and it was from the fists of a lagered up man on the Greenwich railway station platform because I wouldn't give him a snog. In the nearly three years since I've been back, I cannot enumerate how many times I've felt the bristle of fear from a situation. I do not live in LA proper -- I live in cosy little Burbank where the police blotter reads like Mayberry RFD's -- but still this place freaks me out at night occasionally. I saw a guy get tasered in broad daylight in Santa Barbara last year -- it seemed so unreal I looked around to see if a film was being shot. I saw someone get stabbed in Culver City right in front of me when I was at a bar with a good reputation.

I lived in London and Bristol, cities with big problems, but I walked around pretty sure nothing was going to happen to me just because I happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Here, I can't say that, not at all. And to be honest, this is one of the reasons I am seriously contemplating moving back to Britain permanently.

That's the same experience I had with LA. Some very nice areas (like where my in-laws live where people leave their doors unlocked) but you don't have to go very far away to find areas that are rife with gang crime.

And the crime stories that make the news there are of an order of magnitude above what you hear about in the UK.

[slim 1,514]

Exactly how much depth of knowledge of day-to-day life in Britain do you have, slim, that you can make such confident comparisons? I'd say Six, Cleo and I were better placed to make these than you.

I'd have to disagree, I mean, all of you have been in America for quite a while yet you don't seem to understand how and why things work the way they do here. You're still using your judgement and opinions instead of facts in the basis of all your arguments.

Mere presence alone doesn't seem to have taught you folks anything so I can't say the fact that you've spent more time in merry ol' England than I have qualifies you as an expert any more than it does me. I can state judgements and opinions all day if I choose yet, if you'll notice, I tend to stick with facts and statistical evidence in my postings instead of my personal judgement and opinon - regardless of it's geographical base.

I've been there a few times, spent some days with some of your mates in the sandbox, but never will I claim to be an expert on the UK the way you claim to be an expert on America.

I'll add to that you shouldn't feel bad because many who were accidentally born here, and are Americans by accident, don't understand it either.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

We can only talk of our own experiences - and Slim if you seriously think you post "facts and statistical evidence" in your posts, you are seriously deluding yourself. Opinion is the only thing you have provided here.

[elmcitymaven 9,711]

I was born here, grew up here, and love this country to pieces. That doesn't mean I have to like the status quo. I don't consider myself an "American by accident" either -- I'm proud to be an American (which is why I never lost my accent). I think I have as much right to think I know something about American society as you do.

[slim 1,514]

We can only talk of our own experiences - and Slim if you seriously think you post "facts and statistical evidence" in your posts, you are seriously deluding yourself. Opinion is the only thing you have provided here.

I have posted facts. I haven't posted links to prove what I've posted. I don't need to do so because I'm posting facts. If you choose not agree with facts, you can do your own research to disprove your opinions. I'm not going to do it for you.

I was born here, grew up here, and love this country to pieces. That doesn't mean I have to like the status quo. I don't consider myself an "American by accident" either -- I'm proud to be an American (which is why I never lost my accent). I think I have as much right to think I know something about American society as you do.

I'm glad you're so proud. Yes, you have as much right to think you know something about America as anyone else. That doesn't mean what you think is right, it just means you have the rigth to think that.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

The UK has violent areas - council estates that are infamous for criminal activity. I don't think anyone would dispute that.

But we don't have entire cities that are like that. The US does.

The US is pretty much that way as well. The high crime areas seem to be centered around urban areas in general, although not all urban areas have the same densitiy of crime as others. For instance, Sonoma County, where I live, has only budgeted for one major crime a year. A decade or two ago, we had two high profile murders in the same year, and that almost broke the county.

Now, when I lived in Los Angeles County, it seemed like there was always some high profile crime in the news, perhaps monthly, occasionally weekly. Oakland, however, is just happy to keep the number of murders around 100 or so, a year...

Edited July 10, 2010 by ##########

[elmcitymaven 9,711]

I'm glad you're so proud. Yes, you have as much right to think you know something about America as anyone else. That doesn't mean what you think is right, it just means you have the rigth to think that.

Awesome. And you similarly have the right to be as dead wrong as you are. God bless America!

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I have posted facts. I haven't posted links to prove what I've posted. I don't need to do so because I'm posting facts. If you choose not agree with facts, you can do your own research to disprove your opinions. I'm not going to do it for you.

Facts because you say so? Give me a break

If you want to be lazy and hide behind that, go ahead, but I doubt I'm the only who can see what a copout that is.

I'm glad you're so proud. Yes, you have as much right to think you know something about America as anyone else. That doesn't mean what you think is right, it just means you have the rigth to think that.

In other words: "everyone has a right to think what they want to think, but I am right"

Brilliant.

[slim 1,514]

Awesome. And you similarly have the right to be as dead wrong as you are. God bless America!

I have a right to be dead wrong but I'm not dead wrong. Right?

[elmcitymaven 9,711]

I have a right to be dead wrong but I'm not dead wrong. Right?

Can we not agree to disagree? I mean, I'm a scabby moral relativist and everything, but I would say if you aren't dead wrong, the body is at least moribund.

[slim 1,514]

Facts because you say so? Give me a break

If you want to be lazy and hide behind that, go ahead, but I doubt I'm the only who can see what a copout that is.

In other words: "everyone has a right to think what they want to think, but I am right"

Brilliant.

Because you're ignorant of something and choose to ignore the truth, that doesn't make me wrong. It just makes you ignorant. You, along with many "americans" who choose to believe what they see and hear on TV instead of what is statistically correct are still ignoring the truth. That doesn't make you right, it makes you ignorant of the facts. You can ignore them all day it doesn't change the truth.

Can we not agree to disagree? I mean, I'm a scabby moral relativist and everything, but I would say if you aren't dead wrong, the body is at least moribund.

You can say what you want. As evidenced from your earlier posts, you can be ignorant of facts too, that doesn't make you right. It most certainly doesn't make me wrong. Agree or not.

[elmcitymaven 9,711]

Wow, VJ is fun to read while I push my basket around Ralphs. Please continue.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Because you're ignorant of something and choose to ignore the truth, that doesn't make me wrong. It just makes you ignorant. You, along with many "americans" who choose to believe what they see and hear on TV instead of what is statistically correct are still ignoring the truth. That doesn't make you right, it makes you ignorant of the facts. You can ignore them all day it doesn't change the truth.

And the above makes you lazy. You have the time to post in the thread, yet not the time to actually back up opinions you are presenting as matters of "fact".

It's not convincing in the least.