Very cool, Brenda. Thanks for the piccies.

I bristle when unAmericans talk shit about my country.

Yeah, that's what I figured.

I've never really been one for nationalism or patriotism myself, so it's something I've observed, rather than something I understand.

I bristle when unAmericans talk shit about my country.

I bristle at the uninformed shit talking (which usually fails to take into account that Seattle is going to be different than Savannah is going to be different than San Diego) and complete failure to take into account the complexities of the place.

However, shit talking about the administration I'm down with, because I usually agree.

I bristle when unAmericans talk shit about my country.

I don't mind talking shit about the office holders, but talking about the office itself, or the country itself could get my back up. 'Specially since the rest of the world is affected so much by what we do. I think they have a right and a duty to be critical.

What PMM said.

I'm never sure whether it's okay to be mean about President Bush around Americans, y'know? Whether it's one of those 'we can mock, but outsiders better not' situations, like with family?

Personally, as long as the tone is commiserating rather than mocking, I'm okay with it. I don't think one has to be an American to see that our President has an ass where his brain should be, and I sure as hell don't consider him "family." (And now, having implied "Bush" and "family" in the same sentence, I must go and shower for several days.)

[eta: And hell yes on the difference between Bush and America. Say whatever the hell you want about Bush and his administration, but don't assume that anything about them applies to the rest of us.]

I should also note that I also bristle at people (not you Allyson--I've never seen you do this--some of my non B.org friends) who go off on countries or people who DARE say something negative about the US. For a while there, Canada was getting a lot of shit, to the point where I just wanted to take these people and stomp some sense into them.

And then stomp a little more for the fun of it.

I think that could just mean he needs his faith to have the strength to deal with the job, rather than you must be Christian to be president.

Yeah. He should have said something like this. And then stopped talking.

I'm never sure whether it's okay to be mean about President Bush around Americans, y'know? Whether it's one of those 'we can mock, but outsiders better not' situations, like with family?

Personally, I'm at the point where all I can do is sigh and say "Yeah, I know."

"He's an ass."

"Yep."

"He's stupid."

"Look, you're not telling me anything I don't already know, okay? Lots of us aren't happy about it."

But I'm also on the "Mock the man, not the office" train.

That's what my biggest worry is, I think. That people will confuse criticism of a certain action by a certain administration as criticism of what that administration represents.

To be honest though, Americans are more or less the only people I feel this with. I'd never worry about pissing off my French friends by saying that Chirac is a philanderer or Australians by saying that there's a certain amount of racism in their administration.

I think my bias on this may come from the media rather than any conversations I've had with people, which is not a good thing.