Stephen Fry in America

I heard some blowhard British idiot spouting off on the bus last week..."Those stupid Americans - all their banks are going bust, because of those stupid Americans and they don't know how to manage the money...blah blah blah.

Well, of course that's ridiculous. We all know it's the stupid Icelanders who are to blame.  

I have been looking forward to this for weeks.  I like Stephen Fry already, but I've really been excited because he seemed so positive about it and wanted to portray the unique and fun that is America.  I am one who is also wary of programs about the states b/c they do seem to focus on the extremes and make us look like nutters with no education or understanding.  This looks very different to me.

On that same line did anyone see the one the other day?  I think it was called "America Unchained."  Where he tried to drive coast to coast without giving money to any chain businesses.  I really ended up enjoying that one.  It caught a glimpse of the goodness of small-town America that is so easily missed--like people driving well out of town from a gas station when someone had run out of gas and then not expecting a dime extra for it.  Their attitude was just "well, that's how we work here in this part of the country."  It was pretty heartwarming.  I'm hoping for more of the same with tonight's program, which I'm off to watch right now.

People from Maine don't ever need to fill in job applications??! They're just hired on the spot!!!? Lucky people!

Wal-Mart isn't "representative"?

How can you possibly think that any *one* place would be representative of a country with 300 million people spread out over more than 3,000 miles?  

You need to take each place and figure out what's representative there. And here where I am in the US, Walmart isn't it.

How about visiting a couple of different towns or areas within the US? I know what's representative in Maryland certainly isn't representative of my friend's town in southeastern Montana.

Exactly. That's what I meant, that it was ridiculous to say that Walmart wasn't "representative", because the word is meaningless in the context. I have visited NJ, NY and CO, and they were all different.

How can you possibly think that any *one* place would be representative of a country with 300 million people spread out over more than 3,000 miles?  

You need to take each place and figure out what's representative there. And here where I am in the US, Walmart isn't it.

Is that where the filming was done?

How do you measure how representative a supermarket is? Or is it just whether you "feel" it is representative? What does that mean? (Nothing, I suggest).

...maybe isn't so representative of people in this area ....

Umm... Contrex, this is what I wrote: ...of people IN THIS AREA.

..it was ridiculous to say that Walmart wasn't "representative", because the word is meaningless in the context. I have visited NJ, NY and CO, and they were all different.

OK. I'm a little annoyed. All we saw of Rhode Island was a 30-second sailboat trip on the way to Groton, Connecticut?!?! Hrmph. Rip-off. 

OK. I'm a little annoyed. All we saw of Rhode Island was a 30-second sailboat trip on the way to Groton, Connecticut?!?! Hrmph. Rip-off. 

A beautiful 30 seconds, though!

A beautiful 30 seconds, though!

OK. He's back. I'm not annooyed anymore. But it's always Newport. Newport, Newport, Newport. Boooooring.

On that same line did anyone see the one the other day?  I think it was called "America Unchained."  Where he tried to drive coast to coast without giving money to any chain businesses.  I really ended up enjoying that one.  It caught a glimpse of the goodness of small-town America that is so easily missed--like people driving well out of town from a gas station when someone had run out of gas and then not expecting a dime extra for it.  Their attitude was just "well, that's how we work here in this part of the country."  It was pretty heartwarming.  I'm hoping for more of the same with tonight's program, which I'm off to watch right now.

That was Dave Gorman. He wrote a book about it as well, which is extremely entertaining as well as quite a sad assessment of how corporate America is driving out every 'mom and pop' outfit.  Not an anti-American programme, but an anti-corporate programme.

Vicky

OK. I'm a little annoyed. All we saw of Rhode Island was a 30-second sailboat trip on the way to Groton, Connecticut?!?! Hrmph. Rip-off. 

Oh sure.  Pennsylvania gets the crazy person dressed up as Abraham Lincoln.  And that's it.

I agree with what you've said, Victoria.  I enjoyed the program, will get around to reading the book one of these days.

If I understand the Stephen Fry program, he's going to visit all 50 states in 6 episodes?  I thought tonight's program was interesting and entertaining, but 50 states in 6 weeks is a whistle-stop tour, no one can expect him to spend much more than 30 seconds in each state.  All I think we saw of Delaware was the river, and Pennsylvania, the cemetery at Gettysburg, and most of the words of the Gettysburg Address...New York state, it seems, got the most time so far, but I did find it to be a program worth following...

x-posted with Mindy...

OK. I'm a little annoyed. All we saw of Rhode Island was a 30-second sailboat trip on the way to Groton, Connecticut?!?! Hrmph. Rip-off. 

Hey, woman, quit your whinging!    All I saw of my lovely Maryland was about 3 seconds of the Bay Bridge.  Now that was a rip-off!

Hey, woman, quit your whinging!    All I saw of my lovely Maryland was about 3 seconds of the Bay Bridge.  Now that was a rip-off!

You're right! I'm sorry!

Oh sure.  Pennsylvania gets the crazy person dressed up as Abraham Lincoln.  And that's it.

Yeah, but he was brilliant!!