skinnycatullus: BobtheFascist: She thinks buildings in the US are only 17? I guess she doesn't get out of LA much.

Or, ya know, it's hyperbole.

If that's hyperbole, it is even stupider than if she were being literal. It's like saying...Babies are so undeveloped...They don't even have teeth.

Spain, huh? Well, she did indeed pick a country with a storied history...of which I am guessing she knows almost none.

Reverend Otis: What's in the box? WHAT'S IN THE BOX!

essucht: Spain, huh? Well, she did indeed pick a country with a storied history...of which I am guessing she knows almost none.

Oy Vey! You ain't kidding



At least the synagogues in the US are older...

Blowmonkey: If you've ever been at a gathering and chanted USA, USA, USA, yeah you're part of the farking problem.

True, American sports fans and players don't tend to be as colorful as their European equivalents.

Subtard wrote that headline over a meal of Freedom Toast while watching Glenn Beck fellate Bill O'Reilly.

Give me like five minutes, Gwyneth. I'll be right over.

WhileAmericaBurns: Is no one allowed to enjoy America more than other countries without being called a blithering nationalistic retard?

There is nothing wrong with loving your country. What is irritating is the peculiar form of patriotism that is so common among American and French people.

It's the tendency to bang on about how much greater (or, for the French, more cultured and sophisticated) their own country is than anyone else's, and the insistence that the world owes them a favour for sharing their greatness with them.

It's grating and it makes you look pathetically insecure and deeply ignorant.

RemyDuron: How is it a shiat on the US to say that our buildings are newer (they are) and we have a less extensive history as a country(we do)?

I don't know, maybe the condescending tone most people take when they say things like that has something to do with getting peoples hackles up.

You can make an observation without sounding like a total dick to be sure, it's just too bad most people are unable to do so.

tartie_pants: I decided that Gwennie was a douche when she ate only macrobiotic in Spain...how do you limit what you eat in a country that makes anthony bourdain weep with culinary joy... also when she called Billie Joel william... WTF?

I remember some show,( probably one of those comedians ripping people things on VH1 or E) where they were really giving her crap over the way she was pronouncing Anthony Hopkins' name, "AnnTony" or such. Didn't she also get made fun of for some....interesting...blog posts or some advice website? I think the Farker who says she lives in her own little bubble probably has it pretty accurate.

Gordon Bennett: It's grating and it makes you look pathetically insecure and deeply ignorant.

When someone you don't like calls your kid ugly people tend to get pissed off.
And Gwenyth is one of the least likable people I know of.

Spain is great BTW.

Some people take things way too personally.

I wouldn't mind spending some extended time in Europe. Wait, my job only gives me 2 weeks vacation per year.

WhileAmericaBurns: RemyDuron: WhileAmericaBurns: RemyDuron: WhileAmericaBurns: Here's a mental exercise: if Gwyneth actually were Spanish, would her comments make her a "blithering nationalistic retard"?

You mean, if the situation was different, would it be different?

And to actually answer your question, which I am reluctant to do because your name is "WhileAmericaBurns", no, not really, because it's farking true. It's not insulting to say the Spanish have a longer history and a more laid back attitude, on average, than us. Would it be a shiat on Spain if a Spaniard came here and said she admired our work ethic and our clean, modern looking buildings and our countries sense of youth and vigor?

I don't think so. All Paltrow is saying is A. Things are different in Spain and B. she likes it there. Those are not shiatting on America. Or is no one allowed to prefer living in another country, or enjoy it more than America?

Is no one allowed to enjoy America more than other countries without being called a blithering nationalistic retard?

No, you would have to be a blithering nationalistic retard to not see that Spain has more history and their culture is not laid back. Which is exactly what I implied in my original post.

OK, what if that doesn't matter to someone? Just because their personal preferences don't match yours is no reason to call them a retard.

. . .

*head desk*

So, if someone personally prefers the history and culture of Spain to the US, that's shiatting on the US. But we wouldn't want to judge people for their personal preferences.

I still like her even though she thinks New York is an accurate representation of the US. She's a beer from the can kinda girl and that's hot.

marsgwar: There are plenty of places in America where you can live a relaxed lifestyle. I hate it when people describe America as New York. She's probably too good to step outside the city and see what else there is. And when you name your kid after fruit I can't really take anything you say seriously.

Uh, you think non urban places have a more relaxed lifestyle?

I grew up in and have lived in what is nominally "the South" for my whole life. Trust me, while it may be more relaxed than New York it is NOT more relaxed than Spain or even France.

Have you ever been to France or Spain?

rka: RemyDuron: How is it a shiat on the US to say that our buildings are newer (they are) and we have a less extensive history as a country(we do)?

I don't know, maybe the condescending tone most people take when they say things like that has something to do with getting peoples hackles up.

You can make an observation without sounding like a total dick to be sure, it's just too bad most people are unable to do so.

I don't think she sounded condescending. I think people take offense anytime anyone suggest America isn't the greatest place in the world.

I bet subby misspelled her name just so that he could chuckle at all the copycats in this thread.

She has a point about the Crackberries.
I can't stand the jackholes that complain about their connectivity.

She has incredible legs.

No pictures? Very disappointing.

I read in Newsweek that she drinks human blood.

It sounds like the author got shut down by her.

/bitter?

Sid_6.7: kronicfeld: I will be damned if she will condemn my Blackberry.

Are you being sarcastic? RIM is Canadian.

You couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic? You might want to move along to another site.

Nabb1: Oh, for crying out loud, what she said about buildings in the US versus Europe is demonstrably true, and one of the things I actually enjoy about traveling there. The second part was mainly about New York City, and I happen to agree with her on that, too.

Agreed. That's what I found so strange when I went to England for the first time. The building I ate lunch in was over 320 years old, and that wasn't the oldest.

But she married Chris Martin, which speaks loads.

why does anybody pay attention to what she said?

blond, female, actress

the stupid trifecta.

nicksteel: why does anybody pay attention to what she said?

blond, female, actress

the stupid trifecta.

Because she rejected the author's clumsy attempts to mate with her?

What she said is sorta true but also shows a lack of exposure to the U.S. Major cities where there is a large amount of money to be made have a lot of middle class folks working long hours and walking around with blackberries. Cities with less of a prize tend to have fewer of those people. This isn't just an American phenomenon, and it's not everywhere in the U.S.

The "older culture" bit is common, but ridiculous. The United States is a product of most European cultures and more recently, non-European cultures, with a heavy emphasis toward the Germanic Protestant cultures, and is every bit as old as any of them. Immigration patterns change decade by decade, and American culture changes as parts of those immigrants' cultures are absorbed and some lost. The same thing happens in Europe. Cultures ebb and flow and mix and claim their own heritage. The Gauls that inhabited what is now France have more in common with the Irish of today than the French. The Greeks of Greece have hardly anything to do with the Hellenic cultures of the Classical era or even the Byzantines of the medieval era.

The idea that a culture starts new or is immature is ridiculous. What the person claiming a civilization is old is usually trying to imply is that the "older" culture is more mature... has figured things out. Ignorant nonsense.

I used to live in an apartment in a house in NJ that was built in 1750.

That's older than 17 years.

That is all.

So you know what's stupid, she tells the truth and people consider it "Taking a shiat on the US"

It's like "Yeah the Middle East has a rich heritage and it has architecture from thousands of years ago"

"ZOMG YOU HATE THE STATES!

She sounds like she's never been anywhere in the US but NYC. Maybe if she left Manhattan or Hollywood, she might see that all of the US isn't quite the same as in those two fast-paced places that (evidently) don't care about family.

oldfarthenry: Oekss: Yea, America doesn't have any history to appreciate at all. Nope. None of that shiat here!

Here's my favourite bit of US history.

Oh, no you di'nt. Learn to zpell Mouran!

I do not care in the least what she has to say. I would however, absolutely love to fark the living shiat out of her, repeatedly and with enthusiasm. That is all.

Dear Gwenalamadingdong,
http://travel.state.gov/law/citizenship/citizenship_776.html

oh and Claire Danes is much much better and hotter then you.
good luck in spain.

Sid_6.7: RIM is Canadian.

Oh, but the money market for them is all American. Canadians come up with great ideas, but it takes Americans to be assholes with them.

/BES admin.
//LOVES the Blackberry.

elvisaintdead: Well, I've never been to Spain, but I kinda like the music.

You should go to Oklahoma.

FMLYHM: Oh, Gwenyth Paltrow said something? Who gives a fark?

Seems like you answered that question just by being here.

i'm building a retaining wall out back.

i, formally, invite ms. paltrow to visit casa del derek in 2026 so that i might bend her over the wall and fark the ever loving shiat of america into her!

/love it or leave it!
//oh, she did. sorry.
///spain does rock.
////would've posted earlier. 'cept i had to break out a calculator to figure out the date on the invite above.

It's true to an extent, I've been in the military for the past 12 years and have no desire whatsoever to go back to the states. Sure I recognize it as a modern superpower with great standards of living... but places like Japan, Germany, Spain, etc.. are just nice.

-Quiet hours from 10pm-6am like no noise ever, no reason for Police people just respect it
-Public transportation that doesn't suck
-Lower crime
-Everyone drinks but not all kinds of problems with binge drinking in youths
-More common courtesies (it's considered rude to bring a check to your table in a restaurant before you ask for it)
-It's harder to get a license so while everyone drives faster people actually know how to control their vehicles, so it's actually less chaotic.

It's just hundreds of little things that slowly add up to make a difference.

In the past 12 years for about a year I was stateside and my 8 year-old daughter came home from her first day of school in tears because of how mean everyone was compared to the kids in Japan.

As a whole USA accomplishes great things, on the individual level, People aren't that polite or courteous. I remember someone introducing themselves to me once in the states and I was shocked when they said their first and last name and that they didn't immediately start with "Where's my X/Y/Z? I put in the order yesterday", most Americans are all about "Me, Me, Me, Now, Now, Now".

Where in the article did she take a dump on the US? I musta missed that.

Also, would hit.

The Stealth Hippopotamus: Ok, I've got to take up a couple of points. After living in the Baltics and traveling every chance I got here is my take on your take.

Since I know you're a right-wing nutbag and were so nice in your responses, I'll follow up with nice reponses and not say mean things like "right-wing nutbag".

CitizenTed: - Better educated, healthier, attractive populace

They are big on walking over there. That helps alot. Few own cars and cabs are costly.

It's not just the walking. European folks age better. Especially central Europeans and Scandinavians. Part of it is more exercise and a better diet, and I think part of it is simply making an effort to carry oneself with dignity. We Americans have become slobbish, fat nonces. We weren't always this way; it's a recent thing.

CitizenTed: - More thoughtful civic design

BULL! Were you ever sober over there?!? Most major towns were built hundreds of years ago and their main focus was foot traffic and sometimes a cart. Many were built to make invading forces kill themselves rather then find the center of the city!

That's exactly my point. Erecting strip malls and endless single family tract home developments where the car is the focal point of all community interaction denudes civic life. This is also a recent development (post-war) in the US. Main Street is long gone, replaced by the mall. Walkable neighborhoods? You're lucky to have a fraking sidewalk nowadays. The car rules. Well I don't want to interact with cars anymore. I prefer people. Europe had the vision to maintain walkable, regional towns and cities. America is a lumpy hodge-podge of developer greed, nothing more.

CitizenTed: - More developed sense of community

Does that mean they treat each other well and shiat on everyone else? For the most part service in Germany, Austria, Lithuania and Latvia sucks. You're lucky to get a refill on anything and if the waiter comes by your table more then 3 times the entire time you're lucky.

It means that they have a central core in every village, town and city where you can shop, eat, do business and people-watch all at once. This leads inevitably to "knowing your neighbors". In the US, who gives a fark who the neighbors are? What are they, busybodies? I bet they want to rape my kids. Ignore them and turn up the TV. I agree that Hungarians, Slavs and Russians are tough nuts to crack when it comes to overt friendliness. But once you get to know them, they will gladly kill your enemies for you. That's Eastern European love, man.

CitizenTed: - More thoughtful resource management

Sure

Then why does every effort to emulate or accept any European conservation method get stymied by whaargarbl? For instance, I think the use of compact, on-demand water heaters is brilliant. When I mention this to anyone, the immediate response is "Will it have any impact on me enjoying instant-on 500 gallons a minute showers? Then I don't want it!" But I guess since we are so fat, we do need lots of hot water to hose down our enormous girth...

CitizenTed: - Significantly better (fantastic) public transit systems

OH HELL YEAH. In countries or between countries the rail system in Germany is the absolute best.

Our beloved and well-regarded transit systems were raided and destroyed by GM and its conspirators in the 30's and 40's. They weren't the sole cause of the demise of electric transit, but their campaign was largely successful. (The book "Internal Combustion" was a real eye-opener.) What are we left with? Cars and more cars. To quote that lunatic Kunstler: "America has a rail transit system the Bulgarians would be ashamed of".

CitizenTed: - Less emphasis on commercialism

I dont know about that. The ladies like the Italian designers no matter where you go. I may have to say its a tie in that dept

I disagree. When you go to a commercial district in Europe, businesses hang small signs. That's it. Their TV and radio isn't 35% commercials. Erecting a massive neon display is considered tacky. I'd place the commercialism-tackiness scale with Japan and Hong Kong at the top, the US in the middle and Europe at the bottom.

CitizenTed: - Less polarized politics

Depends on where and when you are there. Around election times in certain countries he can get really heated. But during the bulk of the year it really does not matter to them. So I could see you believe that if you passed through quickly and at the right time.

I was in Austria during national elections when everyone was freaking out over Joerg Haider. It was difficult to tell locals that Haider was essentially a mainstream Republican; in America he would be a nondescript senator from Mississippi. In Austria (outside Styria), he was considered the living embodiment of Hitler. Hell, they would likely view a centrist Democrat like Mark Udall as a right-wing fascist nutbag. Most European political battles are between mildly center-left and mildly center-right. Because Europe has learned all to well what happens when narrow right-wing ideologies get too much power, they certainly bend left. Yet they still don't have too much love for the loony left and the commies, whom they tolerate but refuse to embolden. Overall, European politics tends to be mushy. They are far more interested in specific policy than silly name-calling games.

It's not that I hate America. But every time I come back home from Canada or Europe, I look at my country like I look at a stupid, slobbish little brother. Why can't you get your shiat together? Why can't we have nice things?

CitizenTed: stuff

you forgot nascar vs. f1/football vs. football

/you hate jesus too, don't'cha?

Gwenyth Paltrow to the US: You suck

What, again?

To punish her for this insolence I'm gonna make her do ass2mouth when I spank off to her on Sunday night.

CitizenTed: It's not that I hate America. But every time I come back home from Canada or Europe, I look at my country like I look at a stupid, slobbish little brother. Why can't you get your shiat together? Why can't we have nice things?

I love traveling Europe too, but let's not pretend they don't have their own blemishes as well. If we're specifically talking about Spain, we'll .. let's just say I've seen racism over there that would make a American Southern Klansman blush. We're talking about a country that is known for throwing bananas on the field and making gorilla sounds at the African football (ie soccer) players.

The biggest difference between the USA and other countries is that the USA is a country with no dirty secrets because our dirty laundry is aired out in syndicated television for everyone to see (yes, it's mortifying to travel the world and see that Jerry Springer, Maury and Fear Factor are shown all over the world). Other countries get to sweep their ugliness under the rug.

I too have a deep affection for Spain and a few other nations as well, all great places to live/visit. None of them compare to home.

I pity this woman for having lost that sentiment.

I was all prepared to throw her in the Kate Hudson trash bin, then I read the article.....

Ms. Paltrow may be shocked to learn this, but I really don't care about her opinion on anything.

So... she said some nice things about Spain. Oh noes, that traitorous devil-women, how dare she. I mean, who does she think she is, musing on innocuous stuff like differences in pace and perceptions of antiquity? Burn the witch!

Please tell me that blog post was some silly attempt at satire of jingoism.

/New Yorker, if it matters a damn.

The headline, and the article are almost incomprehensibly stupid. I fail to see how appreciating a different culture and historical architecture is "taking a shiat on the US".

The author is also a mouthbreating farktard.

She can live anywhere she wants.She has the cash and type of career that allows her her to pick up and move when she's bored but saying an old building in the U.S. is 17 years old and she lives in NYC makes her a farking idiot.

Hmm - maybe she meant 17th century? Then again, she _is_ a blonde.