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Corinini

Listed below are comments made by Corinini between Wednesday, 15th October 2008 and Friday, 9th January 2009.

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American power lives on 7:44pm on 09 Jan 2009 84 - happylaze

I know we have teen pregnancy, I know it is a problem and much higher than in other countries, I just seriously doubt that it affects the fertility rate as much as other issues.

And yes, I hate abstinence only education b/c it doesn't work.

But our fertility rate is not THAT high, it is just barely above replacement. I was just making the point that immigration is a much bigger contributor to the high birth rate and growing population than any number of teen pregnancies are. But I do realize it is a problem. And in fact, the teenage pregnancy rate is higest among the hispanic population in the U.S. - which correlates with the fact that they often have more children.
American power lives on 9:46pm on 08 Jan 2009 I strongly agree about demographics favoring the U.S. The "melting pot" will only become more significant through further globalization - giving the U.S. a leg up for being inherently "international" in nature.

Oh and "happylaze" - our higher level of fertility is due a lot more in part to immigration than teen pregnancy. Immigrant populations tend to have a lot more children than other groups. And our fertility rate isn't THAT high. It's currently 2.1335 - just barely above replacement.

Stumo - you are absolutely right - and I think that is one of the reasons we have higher immigration rates as well. Not just the UK - mainland Europe is also much more densely populated.

And hey, we can still cause a global depression better than anyone else :)
A European Obama? 02:56am on 14 Nov 2008 One other thing.

There appears to be a lot of anti-immigrant sentiment in Europe.

I would point out that Obama is the son of a foreigner - and we had no problem with that either. Some food for thought.
A European Obama? 02:38am on 14 Nov 2008 A few things...

Number one, for all those who point to the fact that african americans voted 90%+ for Obama - I would point out they do this for every Democrat. They are the most consistently Dem group in the country. Obama increased turnout and bumped the figure from 90 to 95 or so, but not that big of a change.

Number two - racism in the U.S. isn't dead. It ALSO isn't dead in Europe. I strongly agree with the posters who say Europeans need to look in the mirror a bit more when they talk about racism. They are very hung up on U.S. racism but refuse to see it in their own backyards. That's not to say we are perfect here, but at least we are willing to admit it and try to move forward.

Number three - For those who say we can't lump Europeans together - you're right, we shouldn't. And I would note that you shouldn't lump Americans all together either since our country is about the size of your continent, and individual states have vastly different laws, culture, climate, demography, etc... and are about the same size as many of your countries.

Finally, I do think Europe could have a European Obama, but only if they start looking in and not out. If you deny racism is there (and it IS there) you will never get passed it.
Sinister motives? 2:39pm on 04 Nov 2008 I don't think voters will be disenfranchised by lines today. I was almost disappointed that my poling station was relatively empty and I could go in and out. My sister has been waiting for hours, but it's encouraging to see so many people engaged in an election.

I can't get a grin off my face today. I am hoping for a landslide.
Soft imperalism 5:04pm on 03 Nov 2008 I would like to defend Justin here.

When he is talking about "soft imperialism" what he means (I think) is that we export our culture on the rest of the world, and they gobble it up. It can sometimes cause resentment (as in, other countries lose some of their culture when they gobble up ours) and makes people like us more at the same time because, who doesn't like the Boss??

Travel around the world and you will see American movies, hear American songs, and people use American slang (often in funny ways that you will never hear in the U.S.).

If Obama becomes president, I think a lot of Europeans will be forced to re-think their views of Americans in this world. I think we are generally veiwed as racist, self-absorbed, ignorant hicks by a lot of Europeans. Obama decimates that stererotype, and I hope he encourages others to look beyond it as well.
'A wonderful man' 05:52am on 22 Oct 2008 12 - see Bush vs. Gore. That's how. I bet you didn't know that Gore won the popular vote. Some of us think he also won the electoral college - but that's a whole different story.

Mr Webb - you just touched on a deep seeded fear. I have lived in some "swing" areas of the country. And I am not confident Obama can win there (see Ed Rendell from the primary - he knows what I'm talking about). Then again, Bush messed everything up so bad I also don't see how he could lose.

That being said, I wouldn't be a true liberal without being completely paranoid about the state of the election. I swear, if he was up 30 points in the polls I'd still be sweating buckets till Nov 5th.
Colin Powell's America 03:47am on 21 Oct 2008 A few things. Number one, Justin Webb never said America was perfect. Number two, did someone really bring up the Salem witch trials as an example of American intolerance toward religion???? That was in 1692 - almost 100 years before we were even a country!!

There are, of course, intolerent people here today. But I think Europeans need to look in the mirror before pointing fingers about religious intolerance (ahem, WW2 was a lot more recent than 1692.... and it wasn't just Germans playing along). There was a great article on the BBC about terrorism today in the U.S. vs. in Europe. European terrorism is home grown, because people are disenfranchised with the country they grew up in. In the U.S. it is foregn imports - people who are pissed off at us for our foreign policy (rightfully so in many cases). But the fact remains, we take better care of our own here, and religious tolerance was one of the primary reasons our country was founded in the first place. That doesn't make us perfect on any account. It does make Justin's statement true.
End of the road 00:12am on 20 Oct 2008 Thanks for stopping by John!

You didnt visit my hometown of Boston, but that's ok, you can't see everything in one trip, and it's just one more reason to come back.

I thought you did a great job of recognizing the vastness and diversity of the United States, not just in terms of scenery or demographics, but also opinions and backgrounds.
Battle hymn 6:49pm on 15 Oct 2008 The commenters debating the merits of a half-hungarian French leader have touched on a very significant difference between race in America v.s. Europe.

In America, we are all mutts of some kind, a mix of ancestry from many different countries. For this reason, people get lumped into larger ethnic groups.

The U.S. has a much more diverse population than Europe. People come from every country in the world, not just certain sections of continents. This diversity can and has caused racial tensions, most famously in the 60s, but also in the past with Japanese internment camps, "no Irish need apply" signs and so on. However, I think it is also important to note that people keep coming. And they keep coming because there is opportunity here despite those problems. Greater opportunity and more openess than they might find elsewhere. And because of that, we also have some of the most diverse, influential, and varied culture in the world.

And racial tensions do not belong to one country or continent. They exist all over the world, in America, Africa, Europe and the Middle East. Which ones are "worse" is a matter of personal experience and perception. What is worse for one can beter for another, it's just important to recognize that they are different.

Finally, it is a very big deal that we will probably elect Obama, but that doesn't negate all of the other existing racial problems, or the fact that if he is elected all the U.S. senators will be white. I personally don't think a half-hungarian president has quite the same impact, and I do think countries such as France and England need to do much more to get their minority populations involved in politics. You may not have minority populations as large, but I can't even think of a French/English equivalent to Powell or Rice, nevermind Obama.

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