Why be proud of the atomic bomb, since all the serious research was done by Europeans? America can be proud of jazz, a great deal of film, the blues, the Abolitionists, slave and free, especially the Quaker one whose name has escaped me, the Wobblies, some writers (T.S. Eliot, for instance), quite a few painters (abstract expressionists, were they called?) a lot of Science Fiction, the New Deal and the greatest American of all time, our HUGE hero when I was young and McCarthy was on the drunken strut, Paul Robeson.
American Culture
- Thread starter Mott the Hoople
- Start date
tekkychick
New member
iolo, I agree a lot of your list; but just like the atomic bomb was mostly discovered by Europeans, abolitionism isn't really "american" either - British were way ahead of us. At least from what I remember.
I'm Watermark
Diabetic
Neo-hipsters. (The pretentious myspace folks.)
Utopian societies. (Our country was used as a kind of laboratory for 19th Century European utopianism.)
Fake necromancers. (Our oh-beloved Joesph Smith.)
Utopian societies. (Our country was used as a kind of laboratory for 19th Century European utopianism.)
Fake necromancers. (Our oh-beloved Joesph Smith.)
Light bulb
Refrigerator
Refrigerator
Has anyone said the Internet and what about computers? Are they considered Amerian? How about the telephone?
FUCK THE POLICE
911 EVERY DAY
Einstein wasn't really involved in the atomic bomb research. And it is really insulting to all immigrants in America that you refuse to acknowledge him as an American. The physicist most involved with the project, anyway, was Oppenheimer, who was a native American.
Yes - but British abolitionism was a different deal, since there was no slavery here - just a matter of all the decent people rising up against the filthy trade. There are stories of the Yorkshire farmers riding up to York to vote. 'Who are you for, gentlemen?' 'Wilberforce' (the great abolitionist leader) ' to a man!' And I have seen the signatures to the abolitionist petition from a little town in Shropshire I once lived in - almost everyone who could write must have signed, and it must have been almost as big as the numbers who went on the anti-Iraq-war demo. I also know that in the last days of the trade, scarcely anyone in the Gold-Coast slaver stations would take Holy Communion, knowing better than to eat and drink their own damnation while unrepentantly sinning. And a lot later two of my wife's family went over to volunteer for the Union Army to fight slavery.
If is tougher when it is part of the society you are in. The Quaker I am talking about went round all the Friends for miles, seeking their convincement, and against all the odds swung the whole denomination against slavery. All honour to such!
I have no intention to insult anyone - I just think all the early relevant research was done over here.
tekkychick
New member
We brought a lot of scientists from Germany over as prisoners to help us with the bomb. While they did become American citizens, I'm not sure it's incorrect to say that they were Europeans at the time they worked on the Manhattan project.
And we are thrilled Einstein and others of his ilk chose to become American; we are stronger because of our immigrants.
Good point on Oppenheimer.
Maybe we can say the atomic bomb was a joint effort? Sadly, it was Americans who chose to drop two of them. Let's not claim that on our top 10 list, ok?
FUCK THE POLICE
911 EVERY DAY
We had not conquered Germany yet for most of the time we were working on the bomb, I mean, that would've been possible just in the short window between Germany surrendering and the bombing of Japan. We brought over people like von Braun, but he worked on rockets and ICBM's, not the bomb itself.
The difference between a society that embraces an immigrant and one that walls itself off is the difference between a society where the voice of "We're one stronger" is stronger than that of "Less for me".
Minister of Truth
Practically Perfect
Cool wHip! Stewie Griffin would be far less cool without it.
cancel2 2022
Canceled
Where's Mowtown? Is that where the lawnmower was invented?
It was a typo, where's your washboard?
cancel2 2022
Canceled
I not sure how old you are but you really do need to brush up on history. There were no prisoners working on the Manhattan Project.
Assembly line
cancel2 2022
Canceled
Hanging up, where's your sense of humour?
In my reply to you
cancel2 2022
Canceled
You can do better than regurgitating Darla's old rubbish.
tekkychick
New member
Apologize for mis-speaking; the Germans who worked on the Manhattan project were Jewish refugees from Germany, not prisoners.
