Text 5711, 70 rader
Skriven 2004-12-04 16:25:00 av FRANK SCHEIDT (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av BJöRN FORSSTRöM
Ärende: Breaking News!
======================
-=> Quoting Björn Forsström to Frank Scheidt <=-

 BF>> Everyhing here is possible I guess and we don't get any closer to the
 BF>> solution so we just leave it, eh?
 
 FS> Good idea.  And in the unlikely event I ever read about it in a U.S. paper
 FS> I'll mention it.

 BF> OK.
 
 FS>> ... Cat:  Walking ego with fur.
 
 BF>> American: Walking ego with gun.     :-)
 
 FS> That's *your* opinion ... [sigh] ...

 BF> Why do you take it all so personally?
 BF> Didn't you see the smiley?

OK, I guess I'd better explain.  For years I used emoticons after 
many of my sentences, then I got tired of it.  After I've 
communicated with a given person quite a few times he begins to 
sense when I'm serious and when I'm not serious.  I often stick 
in that brain-dead, "heh heh heh" thing ... some take it as 
indicating humor (which it is) and a lot of others are merely 
irritated by it ... so be it ... the same with my frequent 
"sighs" which, also, are fairly meaningless ...

I suppose this comes as a result of carrying on these 
conversations for a couple of *decades*.  Doing the same old 
thing tends to get old. 
 
 FS> BTW, I'll give you a little
 FS> information which might be new to you.  New or old, take my word
 FS> for it, it's *true*:  We often read European news accounts of
 FS> various Americans, currently mostly George W. Bush, as being a "cowboy".
 FS> This is always meant as an insult but it gives us considerable amusement
 FS> since in the U.S. "cowboy" is an honored "title".  It means a man who
 FS> stands up against the odds when he's right and won't back down.  It means
 FS> a given person is an honorable one.  That's why we always get a kick out
 FS> of the way Europeans use that name.  It's the same as if I "accused" *you*
 FS> of being an intelligent, honorable man ... how much of an insult is that?
 FS> ... heh heh heh ... that George W. Bush -- he's certainly a "cowboy"!

 BF> Didn't know that.

I was certain you didn't.  That's because the term "cowboy" *is* 
used in one way in Europe but means the direct *opposite* in 
America.  Call me a "cowboy" in the U.S. and I feel complimented.

 BF> When we say cowboy we think about John Wayne, triggerhappy, knowing-
 BF> it-all, walking around shoting and killing with his Sheriff:s badge
 BF> and I guess that's what the rest of the world think about USA today.

I realize that -- though I doubt the rest of the world really 
feels that way deep down ... as for "cowboy", Europeans have been 
using that as an *insult*, to my knowledge for more than a 
century!

Let's take your case specifically, what would you think if I said 
I thought you were an honorable, intelligent, straight-forward 
man.  Would you take it as an insult?  What If I were to call 
you a "cowboy"?  That would mean exactly the same thing.  ... heh 
heh heh ...

... Do it today, tomorrow it will be bad for your health or illegal.

___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.20
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5
 * Origin: Try Our Web Based QWK: DOCSPLACE.ORG (1:123/140)