Muffy To Present CpapTalk "Views Per Hour Award" To Mars

[Max250]

-

[DreamOn]

Yes... That's why sometimes I'm from Monaco, sometimes I'm from Micronesia, and sometimes I'm from Iceland!

Wow, -SWS, it must be quite a challenge to keep all those languages straight! I'm very impressed!

[Max250]

-

[PST]

I honestly don't think there is a soul here who thinks of Australians as invaders to this board. I love to see participants from outside the U.S., and I bet others do too. Despite the numerical dominance of Americans, I don't think of it as any more "our" forum than anyone else's. Unavoidably it is an English language board, because that's the only language most of us are comfortable in, but it's international.

All the insults to Canadian and other systems of healthcare finance are due to the internal U.S. debate about the Affordable Care Act. Under ordinary conditions, all this "we're great, you suck" would have no point. It's been ammo in our domestic war and other people have suffered collateral psychic damage, but I don't think anyone, no matter what they've said about someone else's healthcare, would want the Australians to leave. Some of our most active technical experts are from the antipodes.

c'mon kids, remember, it's just the internet..... you can be whomever you like

Maple Leaf and SWS are right. We can be anything we want. That's the beautiful thing about the Internet, isn't it. You don't even have to sew a maple leaf flag to your backpack before getting on the plane to Amsterdam and telling your new European friends you're Canadian. It's like that old New Yorker cartoon, "On the Internet, no one knows you're a dog." On the Internet, no one ever has to be Australian again (if they don't want to be).

[-SWS]

Max250, since this message board is comprised of real-world people, I have no doubt there are at least some real-world prejudices kicking around out there in cyberspace. I'm from the Chicago area in reality. I have heard a LOT of prejudice talk in my little dot on the globe. But quite honestly in these parts Australians are not spoken poorly of. That said, I also hate that there are prejudices in our crazy world.

The problem with all the animosity in this thread, is that is has turned formerly-friendly members of our message board into angry members of our community. What might have been a highly rational off-topic debate turned into an angry political melee instead.

None of that has anything to do with the intended healing spirit of this message board. Move your political angers to the political message boards.

[Max250]

-

[Max250]

-

[WearyOne]

I think most people, though they may disagree hardily with someone else's opinions, point-of-view-, what have you, for most people, that's as far as it goes. They don't hate that person or where that person is from. It may sound like it because of the way they choose to express that disagreement, just like in the real world. And just like in the real world, anger can cause some pretty nasty things to be said. (A person can act like a jerk no matter where her or she is from. ) And I'm sure that, just like in the real world, there are prejudices here against where a person is from, but I sure don't see it to any large degree whatsoever. In some cases, I don't even know where a poster is from because they don't list it.

I've been ripped over the coals a few times in the past for things other than where I'm from. Life happens.

[Max250]

-

[PST]

I honestly don't think there is a soul here who thinks of Australians as invaders to this board.

check back a couple of pages on this thread and you will see that someone called Really, quite clearly does think that and I note that whilst you are all working so hard to discredit what I have said, NONE of you bothered to say ONE WORD about that post - hypocrites.

Max250, I thought of what I was saying as friendly reassurance that you are wanted here, not as trying to discredit you. In addition, I can't read into Really's post any implication that Australians are invaders. It was something about the sound of lurkers leaving.

[-SWS]

I dont have "political angers" but I do think it is quite valid for a person to object to what was a clearly prejudiced post which went unchallenged by all of you who profess that what I have said is nonsense.

Oh, I didn't mean that the "political angers" were coming from you, Max250. I made that comment referring to all the counterproductive animosity in this thread.

I really don't know WHAT ulterior thoughts and feelings people type with around here. However, I do know that this message board's longest thread is one of message board members here rallying to help an Australian: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=51063&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

That thread is still active, by the way. I think if there was an overriding prejudice against Australians on this message board, that our biggest and currently most popular thread would not be an Aussie thread.

[Max250]

-

[Max250]

-

[PST]

Anyone know how many Americans invade Aussie or Canadian internet sites to tell them how messed up they are? Really??

Seems like there is a pack of them here. Really!!]

Here it is again as you seem to have missed it.

You're right. I didn't take the changing subject lines into account when I looked.

[rested gal]