response 1 of 36:

Dec 9 12:06 UTC 2003

1. You can't just call people living in Britain "people" unless you're 
there when you say it, and not always then.  "People are reluctant to 
talk openly about Prince Charles's homosexuality" makes sense only if 
you're saying it in the UK, and then only if everyone understands 
you're referring only to British subjects.  If you said it in the UK at 
a gathering of Americans, somebody might give you a blank stare and 
then say, "Oh, you mean people *here*."  If you said it in the US, 
you'd get the same blank stare and then, "Oh, you mean *you* people."

2. Americans do not, in fact, constantly refer to each other 
as "Americans."  They say it only if they're specifically referring to 
some American thing, and not always then.  "Americans love their big 
cars."  But also "People love their big cars."

3. That said, lets assume for sake of discussion that your false 
impressions are accurate.  What it says about our respective cultures 
is that Americans think of themselves as citizens of the world, and are 
always careful not to say "people" when what they really mean 
is "American people"; whereas Brits are insular and provincial, and 
refer to themselves simply as "people," as if all people loved clotted 
cream, kidney pie and homosexual royalty.

response 3 of 36:

Dec 9 16:34 UTC 2003

1. I was referring to the practice of people in Britain referring to
themselves as "people", vs. the apparent practice of people in the
states referring to themselves as "Americans" passim.

2. That's what I wanted to know.

3. Givenm my response to 1, the reverse of three is assumed.

response 5 of 36:

Dec 9 16:56 UTC 2003

Oh, and four the record, (a) I don't like clotted cream, indeed it's
limited to the West Country (Southwest) - and I avoid clotted cream in
general. (b) Assuming yo mean "steak and kidney pie", the pudding
variety is much nicer, imo. (c) In common with most *British* people,
I'm neither besotted with royalty, nor do I believe that Prince
Charles is a homoswexual. Given his longstanding relationship with
Camilla Parker Bowles (who is, as far as anyone can tell, female),
assuming hte rumours are true he is most likely to be bisexual;
however, given that the allegations you refer to were made by someone
described by Scotland Yard as an unreliable and somewhat unhinged
source whose allegaqtions have in the past been proven demonstrably
false, it's unlikely that he's either bi- or homosexual.

(d) The fact that the current form of the Brtish state is a monarchy
does not require that I be besotted with the monarchy; (e) Nor does it
require that I believe that monarchy is a good institution, or that I
believe the holders of the office of King/Queen are necessarfily
virtuous; (f) i see no impediment in being homnosexual to being a
responsible head of state,or anything else; (g) I believe that the
current Head of state of the UK is a successful and wise one, unlike
some Presidents I could mention; (h) I would like to see the abolition
of the monarchy as sooin as possible; (i) Any person currently serv
ing or in line to serve as Queen or King should be entitled to serve
as Preisent if a republic is declared, provided they are elected as
such by the People.

Pick the bones outta that.

response 7 of 36:

Dec 9 19:50 UTC 2003

I think there is something to the notion that American culture considers
"Americans" to be slightly more important than "people".  How many times
have you seen a news story like this?  

<huge print> 5 Americans Killed in Bomb Blast </huge print>

<small print>  492 people and 5 Americans were killed when a bomb
exploded in downtown Jerusalem today...

response 11 of 36:

Dec 9 22:02 UTC 2003

I just read an Agatha Christie novel in which 'the four men' and 'the women'
went upstairs while Mr. Rogers (the butler) stayed downstairs to set the
table.  Some characters don't even qualify as people.

response 13 of 36:

Dec 10 02:26 UTC 2003

"us" vs. "them" -- Yes.  Typical American fists-up attitude.  Confirms 
everything we thought.  Thank you.  ;-)

response 15 of 36:

Dec 10 04:46 UTC 2003

[Spot USA quiz.  What does this headline mean? "Angels Win Pitcher 
Colon for $51 Million" 

That's not bad, but the all-time champ is: "Sox Beat Yanks on Chapman's 
Homer."]

response 17 of 36:

Dec 10 11:29 UTC 2003

Calling yourself an "American" doesn't even narrow it
to being a citizen of the USA.  It refers to the entire
continent.  Someone from Peru, living in Peru, is American.