He very likely still thinks I'm a fool. But how much does that really matter?
Not at all, because he is balanced by me, and I was nodding my head all the way through reading this post. I had almost exactly the same reaction in 2003 when I first came back from England and thought "Oh, we've done it all wrong here in various ways -- it's all just badly implemented and needs to be rethought and redone, almost like what Apple did to the computer interface in 1983."
I mean, I still approve of our history as the first major nation in modern Western civilization with no inherited aristocracy or monarch. Good on us. Culture of innovation, check. Lots of good businesses; lots of good contributions. Hollywood has gotten a lot better in my lifetime too.
But when it comes to everyday life... architecture, designed towns or cities, energy efficiency, climate change, common courtesies... no, I'm afraid America has gotten it badly wrong . And England does it better in ways both subtle and overt, and it sounds like you had the same reaction to Canada.
As for Mr. Scot in your post, let me suggest in reply this quote from the good Samuel Johnson:
"Sir, let me tell you, the noblest prospect which a Scotchman ever sees is the high road that leads him to England!"
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branchandroot
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Date: 2018-12-22 02:22 am (UTC)Not at all, because he is balanced by me, and I was nodding my head all the way through reading this post. I had almost exactly the same reaction in 2003 when I first came back from England and thought "Oh, we've done it all wrong here in various ways -- it's all just badly implemented and needs to be rethought and redone, almost like what Apple did to the computer interface in 1983."
I mean, I still approve of our history as the first major nation in modern Western civilization with no inherited aristocracy or monarch. Good on us. Culture of innovation, check. Lots of good businesses; lots of good contributions. Hollywood has gotten a lot better in my lifetime too.
But when it comes to everyday life... architecture, designed towns or cities, energy efficiency, climate change, common courtesies... no, I'm afraid America has gotten it badly wrong . And England does it better in ways both subtle and overt, and it sounds like you had the same reaction to Canada.
As for Mr. Scot in your post, let me suggest in reply this quote from the good Samuel Johnson:
"Sir, let me tell you, the noblest prospect which a Scotchman ever sees is the high road that leads him to England!"