10 ghastly american imports we could do without
1.Creationism has never been a mainstream view in the UK, but is becoming a
means by which aggressive Christianity is defining itself against secularism and
unbelief. Creepy, brainwashed alpha-course types are encouraged to set their face
against science with some truly sophistic argument. Meanwhile perfectly pleasant
days out in London are spoiled by ghastly preachers trying to 'save' me using a loud
hailer. Whilst I cannot see how anybody can believe anything so clearly absurd as
god, I accept many do. How anyone can believe the Pentateuch is the literal truth, is
even more beyond me. I suspect people just claim to believe it to annoy me. In any
case, no serious, grown-up religious organisation actually preaches this as doctrine
any more. Creationism is a creature of weird evangelical organisations usually run for
personal profit by sexually perverted demagogues. By believing it, you're probably
helping the likes of Ted Haggard pay for crystal meth and male prostitutes.
Creationism is the main reason most Europeans think Americans are stupid.
2.Savage pro and anti abortion campaigning. Imported along with extremist
Christianity, comes the Pro-Life nonsense. This winds up militant feminists, and in
the place of debate, you have a hysterical shouting match, in which mutually exclusive
positions clearly incapable of compromise dominate the debate: one we don't really
need to have, because most European countries have already got a widely supported
and reasonable compromise in place.
3.The word 'Ass' to mean 'bottom'. It's 'Arse'. An ass is a Donkey, a stubborn, bad
tempered animal which makes bad decisions wilfully. Hence 'the law is an Ass'.
Otherwise it's, Arse cheek, etc...
4.Obamania. This 1997 all over again. He might be better than Tony Blair. Then
again he might not. He's black; that's important but let the poor man get on with the
job, instead of tempting him to thinking he's the messiah. He's not the Messiah. He's
a very high-spending politician.
5.Santa Claus: The personification of the sentimental and commercial horror that is
Christmas. He wears red because of an Advert for a vile super-concentrated sugar
solution, so the tradition only goes back to the 30's. Santa and has done nothing
since but bankrupt chavs as they spend money they can't afford on decorations for
their house and plastic toys for their children every December.
6.Halloween. Trick or treating may be OK in American suburbs, where children are
reasonably behaved. But it is not OK with the feral brats spawned by feckless chavs
who see this imported tradition as an excuse to terrorise the neighbourhood with
threats of petty vandalism, before drinking cheap cider and shagging each other whilst
dressed as a vampire. Our festival at that time of year is the 5th of Novemeber where
we English celebrate the religious persecution of Catholics in general; and the forced
confession under torture and subsequent execution, mutilation, dismemberment and
burning of one Catholic terrorist in particular. This is much better. I also like the current
tradition which sees Guy Fawkes being replaced by an effigy of a politician, I
understand Gordon Brown is popular. This is much more culturally relavent.
7.WWE/WWF. It is not wrestling. It is borderline homosexual play-acting by
steroid-using gits, and it is pathetic.
8.Rap. I have no opinion on the artistic merit of Rap as a musical form though it's
not what I choose for a soundtrack. However, if there is one thing in this post racist
age which has damaged the life chances of working class boys in general and black
boys in particular, It is the Hip Hop "lifestyle". A nihilistic celebration of un-worked for
bling,
celebrity. It is hard to imagine a cultural meme more certain to condemn its adherents
to lives of unredeemed shallowness and brutality.
9.GI Joe. Action Man used to have facial scarring, carry British Army equipment,
wear DPM and have sinister swivel-eyes. I remember fondly the battles a friend and I
had in the trench system we dug for our action men in my back garden. When did
Action man become a snowboarder?
10.30-second attention-span TV. If you've ever attempted to watch the "discovery"
channel, the programmes take the same format. 7 minutes of shallow information in
easily digestible soundbite form, followed by 5 minutes of adverts, followed by 2
minutes of summary of the previous section (because many viewers will not have
bothered to sit through the adverts) and so on. The adverts render the documentaries
unwatchable, even if they were on subjects I find interesting. 'Nature' Documentaries
produced by Americans also tend to be revoltingly anthropomorphic, tediously shallow
and hung on some fatuous 'shock' theme. That's the 'quality' programming. Only HBO
mini series such as Rome, or Band of Brothers save American TV in its entirety from
room 101, but HBO appear mainly to use British actors. With so many channels
struggling for advertising budgets, ever more slots are offered, which causes ever more
advertising, in TV of ever decreasing merit, meaning the Channel has to offer
advertising ever more cheaply, meaning they have less to spend on programming so
fewer people watch it meaning it has to offer more slots, cheaper. And so on - until
you reach the apotheosis of Naff on the home shopping channels...
That's my top ten of transatlantic irritations. The Great Republic has given much to this world. Unfortunately the world also buys its dross. We didn't export Keith Chegwin, or drab municipal socialism, so why should we be lumped with Gushing coverage of your President. Feel free to disagree.
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Muscle men, oiled up and in underpants with names like "Mr.Wonderful" doing vertical 69 positions. 
Originally Posted by rusina
The only sensible TV channel is the one that is owned by the state. It does not broadcast ads during programs at all, only between different programs.
