Letty wrote:nimh, It is unfortunate that Americans do not have a broader perspective of the entire planet, since we have become a global society. but please bear in mind that we are a young nation in comparison to the rest of the world. Europeans, as well as other nations, have so much more history and thus more acumen.
Oh, I dunno. I'm sure that on a purely Dutch board, you'd have to sneak Pim Fortuyn or Balkenende into the title in order to get people to read or react to a thread on AIDS in Africa. Tunnel vision knows no boundaries.
This just happens to be a mostly American site, and thus it's the lack of reference to America or American politicians that kills off a thread usually.
Mind you, I do think mainland Europeans absorb more foreign news than Americans, on the whole - but some continents (and subjects) seem to be a black hole for attention spans anywhere, sadly.
Letty wrote:If I may make a suggestion. Why not explain at the opening of a thread, why all the world should have a vested interest in what affects all of us who care about suffering.
That doesnt work - been there done that. Bit idealistic.
I guess most people only start paying attention if its about their country, their city, their club. Guess its an inborn thing. And I guess people just like talking about something they already have an established opinion about, which they can brandish against the other side, rather than about something relatively new or still "open". Pity, that, cause it results in endless repetitions of the same exchanges of the same opinions. Hey, I've done my share of that (Iraq) - but its frustrating.
Well, I don't mean it disparagingly. When you get to know somebody well enough, boundaries become almost meaningless.
