New Orleans / Good Ole Boys
Jimster
Cruffiton.etsy.com 6,954 Posts
Just watched "Top Gear" which is a TV show here in the UK about all things car related.Anyway, this week, the theme was US fly/drive with a twist. The three presenters wanted to see if it was possible to drive from Miami to New Orleans by each *buying* a car in Miami for $1,000 or less and hoping it stayed together long enough to make it to Louisiana, where they were going to sell their cars.They had "Challenges" to do along the way. One was to paint things on the sides of each others cars and see what reaction they got to "MAN-LOVE RULES OK", "HILARY CLINTON FOR PRESIDENT", "NASCAR SUCKS", "COUNTRY AND WESTERN MUSIC IS RUBBISH" in Alabama. Turns out it was ultimate NAGL and one female gas station owner called a truck full of Good Ole Boys over (shirtless rednecks) who began to stone the camera crew... Do other members of the strut actually live in *this* country?But what did it for me was when they got to New Orleans. I couldn't believe the fucking state of the place. Miles and miles of carnage. It was like the hurricane happened yesterday. Here, that would be turned round in a couple of weeks - please to realheadz - Why has nothing been repaired? McDonalds restaurants still wrecked and not making dollars - WTF - the US is the richest nation on Earth by a long way.They *gave* the cars away at the end, but even then, someone wanted to sue them for $20,000 for quoting the Camaro as a '91 (as they were told in Miami) when it was an '89 and then some locals with guns told them to get the cameras of their fucking street. I just want to shake my head at the moment.The Strut seems one of the few positive things about the US right now.
Comments
basing your opinions on observations and experience
and limiting your television intake in the meantime
I agree. The U.S. has a lot of problems like any other country, but seek the people and you'll find some incredible stories, and hopefully some good memories to take back with you.
(My original reply was longer than this, but by the time I submitted it, it said my post was no longer valid. Maybe for the better.)
You would probably get very little reaction at all....
People in the UK(Not just England) seem to lack the jingoistic patriotism that appears to abound in the US.
The "King/Queen and Country" attitude seemed to die here sometime in the late 60's early 70's to be replaced with more of an "I'm all right Jack" mindset...
I didn't say there wasn't any merely that it certainly doesn't manifest itself in the way that it seems to in the US or be as widespread...
...but to your point about NO, yes it is a shame.
Now that is more likely to get a reaction...
Perhaps I should have been more succinct:
"Why has no-one fixed New Orleans? / Some folks have no sense of humor."
B/W
Maybe some residents of the US don't want to hear how we're all
rednecks for the 10,000th time and that "the Strut seems one of
the few positive things"
As for rednecks, they do exist. Just as certain as big-toothed men who think cross-dressing is the only way to do humor exist in the UK.
Been plenty. Had some great times. Never really seen this side of it in 2007, that's all. Sad to see it still exists. Aren't you?
"No sense of humor" was directed at the rednecks, not N.O. I don't think the hurricane was funny either. Nor men with big teeth in women's clothing.
You think that if Manchester or Birmingham was leveled you'd have it turned around
in a couple weeks? That's daft! Having so much faith in your lap-dog government
seems like a tall order to me.
As far as southern attitudes, we've had 10 pagers on the fact that much of rural
America from coast to coast (not just the south) is ass-backwards and intolerant.
Check the red vs. blue map?
Urban counties=blue
Rural/Suburban counties=red
Also seems pretty high minded to think your average British compatriot isn't the
English equivalent of the "American Redneck". Chavs, fanatic footballers, drunks pissed
at their local and so on and so on.