Bowling for Columbine!

Fishin' and Craven are quite right. We practically invented the conspireacy theory. Nobody else doubts that men have walked on the moon except fellow countrymen of those men. Just a few years ago, we actually exhumed the body of an ex-president in the fervent hope of proving that he didn't die of pneumonia, but was poisoned. Sorry, folks. Harrison died a natural death.

But WHY are Americans paranoid?

Because we're lazy (delighted to let others do our thinking for us, give us the "answers") and because our being fearful (and uninformed) we are more easily manipulated. Thus the trend towards authoritarianism -- in both major political parties in fact.

Dlowan you have a knack for asking the most complicated of questions and punctuating it with "but why?!"

LOL, why are some countries rich and the others poor? etc etc

Oh - I think that is more easily answerable.

I'd disagree that we are either lazy or uninformed. We certainly have a lot of people that have created great things in their time and collectively we are as productive as any nation.

I think it's more of something that began with the arrival of Europeans on the shores of North America and has been built into our national identity ever since. It's ingrained into everything we see or do and each generation passes it on to the next. I think some of it comes from being disregarded by most of Europe for so long that we built up a national need to "prove" to them that we weren't just a bunch of upstart kids.

There are numerous parallels to the kid that looks to their parent for signs of approval but never seems to get what he/she wants..

You are too generous with the world. I'd amend that to say "collectively we are more productive than any nation".

Lazy as citizens, guys, not as producers of goods and services.

Fishin' may be on to something. The early European immigrants had to battle not only a (to them) hostile environment but a mostly hostile indigenous population as well. To some extent this was also true in Canda but not -- from what I can gather -- in Australia. The Abos weren't naturally warlike or overtly hostile to the newcomers. So the mass paranoia may well stem from always watching one's back. That would also help explain the ready reliance on weaponry more sophisticated than stone-tipped arrows and war clubs.

Fishin'

Your succinct, pointed, and clearly stated description of Americans is right on the money, on target, on the button.
I think I wrote it.

If we're so productive how come most of our goods are coming from other countries?

"Production" doesn't always result in "goods". Ever hear of the "services" sector?

Services are not the same as product and if you've tried to get an answer about your last online order by E mail or over the phone lately, please tell me that our services are so great either. Maybe the services your suggesting are stock brokers who tell their clients to buy Enron?

(The current economic downturn can be directly traced to poor service and not poor product and that means private or government service.)

Part of our great services are the importers who are getting cheap goods made in foreign countries which are far below quality and in many cases don't actually represent much savings to the consumer. I run into this with the lighting industry consistently. I also run into installers (services) who aren't worth a hill of beans.

(We do make wonderful weapons though which we've managed to proliferate throughout the world. Snicker.)

Actually, George, the Kalishnikov is generally deemed superior to the M16 in terms of overall utility. Maybe not quite as accurate but easier to clean and maintain in working condition.

Absolutely correct -- I'm not into firearms but when in the service, I did work with the M16 as an instructor on how to dissasemble and clean the rifle. I did have the opportunity to talk to someone not that long ago about the Kalishnikov and it is a superior weapon. Wish I could say the same about our U.S. services (importers) of lighting products as they choose to buy the cheapest, crummiest products to put in stores like Home Depot and foist them off at a higher price than I charge for a quality import. Buy low and sell high -- it does relinquish profits which have nothing to do with whether we can brag about our goods and services.

I admire Michael Moore, and what he seems to be saying, to me, is that Americans have the right to bare arms and arm bears.

We just have this itsy bitsy tendency to shoot ourselves in the foot from time to time, and let's face it, in the eyes of the rest of the world, dancing on one foot doesn't look as graceful as we'd like to think.

LOL - welcome to the swimming hole, deni_Zen!