新大学英语文化对比阅读（下） 补充阅读材料-3 Discussion That Mirrors Humor

Discussionthatmirrorshumor

AstapleofAmericanhumorabouttheUKisthepopulation'sbadteeth.For

example,LisaSimpsonwasshownnTheBigBookofBritishTeeth"byher

orthodontist.IsthereactualevidencethatBritishteethareworsethananyone

else*s?

DavidDreamingBear,HorsethiefCanyon,CaliforniaUSA

•Britishteetharenotbad,butirregularbyAmericanstandards.American

middleclasschildrenarenormallytormentedwithgratuitouscosmetic

dentistrytomakethemlooklikeStepfordwives,sothatanydental

individualityisregardedasstrange.AnAmericanwomanIknowwhose

parentsresistedthisfashionwasbulliedatschoolforhernbad"teeth,although

shedoesn'thaveafillinginherheadattheageof45.

ChristopherYoung,SheffieldEngland

•Idon'tknowthebasisfbritbutitisdefinitelyastereotypetheAmericanshave

aboutus.Iwastalkingtoanamericanwomanrecently,andinthemiddleof

theconversationshebrokeofftoexclaimatwhat^remarkablywhiteteeth'11

had.

Peter,LondonEngland

•SurelythisstereotypehasarisenoutoftheAmericanpreoccupationof

spendinglargeamountsofmoneyonhavingtheirteethdone,apastimewhich,

likecosmeticsurgery,theBritishfindtoovaintobecomeinvolvedin.

Clive,SydneyAustralia

•It'sactuallyCanadianhumor.MikeMyers(Canadian)getsthecreditforthis

from"AustinPowers'*.Americansarequietonthesubjectofteethsinceour

firstpresidentdidn'thaveany(exceptmadeofivoryandheldtogetherby

frightfulmetalsprings).

DanMorgan,BostonUS

•IunderstandthatbeforethesecondworldwartheAmericans1dentalhealth

wasapalling.Visitingservicemenspreadtheuseoftoothbrusheswhenthey

went'backhome1.

Jonathan,LancasterUK

•ItwasactuallyTheBritishBookofSmiles*.Americansspendloads

dewonkifyingtheirteenagers'teethsotheyjustlookbetter.Britishchildren's

teetharemuchbettertodaythanwhenIwasyoung,despiteallthoseAmerican

softdrinks.

TomasSantos,HoveUK

•ItsnotthatoursarebadbutthatAmericansareobsessiveabouttheifs.Its

catchingonheretoowithjustaboutallkidsgettingfittedwithbraces.Don't

rememberanyoneatmyschoolwhohadabrace.NoticethatAustinPowers

hassnagglyteethreflectingtheAmericanviewofaBrit.

George,EdinburghScotland

•UntiltheNHSstartedup,andbeforetheavailabilityoffluorideintoothpaste

(orwater),ourBritishteethwerespectacularlyugly.Lookatanyfilmfootage

ofaverageBritonsbeforeabout1945,andweep.Thestandardoflivingofthe

contemporaryAmericanprobablyaffordedthembetterdentalcare;and,I

suspect,acertainculturalausteritywouldhavemeantthatcorrective

proceduressuchasbraceswouldberegardedbyusBritsasextravaganceand

vanity.

SimonGilman,LondonUK

•IthinkSimonGilmanhasputitbest.Havingspentmyfirst20yearsin

Americaand14yearssincelivingintheUK,IfindthattheaverageBritis

satisfiedwithteeththatmightbecrooked,stained,evenslightlyrotten,ifthey

aren'tcausingmuchdiscomforttotheirowner.AverageAmericanshavemuch

higherstandardsofexpectationinthestateoftheirdentalhealth--regardless

ofwhethertheyhavetopayfordentaltreatmentornot,theyfeelverystrongly

thatgoodteethareawiseinvestmentinlooksandhealth.Manyvisitstothe

dentistbyaverageBritshappenonlyaftersomethinghasgonehorriblywrong

withtheirteeth,whilstAmericanstakeanactivelypreventativeapproachwith

semi-annualdentalcheckupsandinterventionbeforeanyproblemsbecome

severe.AsaresultofthegreateramountofattentionthatAmericanspayto

theirteeth,theyarefarmorelikelytonoticeandcommentonthestateofother

people'steeth.

WendyJames,LondonUK

•Japaneseculturehasastigmaattachedtoteeth.Womencovertheirmouths

whilelaughingbecauseofthis.Fortunatelythisalsohelpstocoveruptheir

awfulteeth.Anattractivegirlwillquiteoftenberuinedbyahorrifyingsetof

gnashers.InmyopinionfreedentalcareforchildrenontheNHSgivesusfar

betterteeththantheJapaneseandleavesuswithmorenaturalsmilesthanour

Americancousins.

JohnMullen,KitakyushuJapan

•Idon*tknowabouttheStates,buthereinMexicothecommonphraseto

describle'wonky'teethis'dientesingles*(Englishteeth).

IainPearson,MexicoCityMexico

•IjustreturnedtotheUSafterhavinglivedinEnglandforsevenyears.The

conceptof"badBritishteeth"iscertainlyanunkindstereotype,butIagree

withthefactthattheEnglisharemorecomfortablewiththeideaofhaving

mankyteethaslongastheydon'tactuallyhurt.IthinktheNHSistoblame,in

partfornothavingenoughdentistsincertainpartsofthecountrytoallowfor

visitstwiceayear,andalsobyestablishingtheattitudethatthathavingwhite

teeth,freeofdecay,arehardtoachieveratherthananormalhealthystateof

being.IntheUS,healthinsuranceoftendoesnotcoverdentalwork,anddoes

notcoverbracesatall,butsincesoundteethareaclassindicatorhere,people

wouldbehardputtojustaccepthavingamissingtoothorvisibledecayfor

fearofbeingthoughtahillbilly.

ValeneHarris,NewYorkUS

•AsanAmericanwhohaslivedthepast3yearsintheUK,Iamsorrytosay

thatImustagreewiththeHbadteeth”stereotype.IknowthatsomeBrits(asI

havebeenreadingintheabovecomments)seeusAmericansasbeing

"obsessed"withgoodteeth,butsomeoftheteethIseehereareabsolutely

appalling.Otherwiseattractivepeoplearerenderedhideousbymis-shapen,

stained,rottonteeth.OnetimeamanIwastalkingwithinapubclaimedhe

wasgettingdrunkthatnightsohecouldgohomeandpullhisbadtooth.When

Iaskedwhyhedidn'tgotoadentistheannounced,withpride,thathehad

neverbeentoadentistinhislife.Ifounditabsolutelydisgusting-justasifhe

hadannouncedhehadneverbathed.IhavealsoseenwomenintheUKspend

thousandsofpoundsoncosmeticsurgeries,includingbreastaugmentation,

whilecompletelyignoringamouthfulofcrooked,fang-liketobaccostained

teeththatbadlyeffecttheirappearancemorethananythingelse.Sorry,Britian.

Us"yanks”happentoberightaboutthisone!

JovankaSteele-Williamson,LondonUK

•imadentalhygienistinny.thepeopleIseeherearejustasignorantaboutoral

hygieneasanywhereelse,manypeopleinterestedinwhiteninghave

periodontaldisease,theirteethareactuallyloosebutratherthanpaytoseea

periodontisttosavethemtheywouldlikethembleachedbecausethatseven

hundereddollarsiseasiertocomeupwiththanthemoneytoactuallysavethe

teeth,alotofpeoplewanttheirteethpulledandnicewhitedenturesputin

instead,howaboutsomepreventitivemeasureslikeregularcheckupsorfloss

itcostsadollar,evenifyoudonthaveinsurancechekupsatthemostareway

waylessthantheaveragepriceofsneakersmostpeoplehavealowdentalIQ

nomatterwhatcountry.weneedtochangethis.toothlossisnotnecessaryeven

ifyou're80.floss!!!

heather,newyorkusa

•Ihavetosay,asatouristhereinLondonforthemillionthtime,Iamalways

astoundedbythebadteethherewhichIbelieveiscausedmostlybysmoking.

Ithinkit'scooltohaveiregularshapedteeth,butstainingandrot...theseare

syptomsofbadhygeine,notvanityandnotgenetics.Apartfrombeingthe

mostdisgustinghabitintheworld,smokingreallymakesteethlookgross.

WhenIamattractedtosomeone,Iimaginekissingthem.IfIcan'tgetpastthat

initialimagining(ie.ifthepersonopenstheirmouthandhasterribleteeth)it's

NEVERgoingtohappen.Insteadofbeingobsessedwithhighlights,tansand

boobjobs,whynotinvestafewbobinatriptothedentist,ableachingtray

andsomedentalfloss?Theworldwouldbeabetterplace!

Gary,SanFranciscoUSA

•AsaBritonlivingintheUSfbrthepastfouryears,Icanhonestlysaythat

Britishpeopledohaveworseteeth.IcametoUSconsideringmyselfluckyto

haveagoodsetofteeth;however,overtimeIrealizedthatmyteethwerefar

fromperfect.Andallitwouldhavetakenwasbracesforayearorso.

AmericansdohavefarstraighterandwhiterteeththanEnglishpeople.Ona

tripbacktoEnglandIaskedmydentistaboutBritishteeth,hesaidevenwhen

heofferedcorrectivebraces,crowns,bridgesforfree,peoplewerenot

interested.IthinkBritishpeoplearestartingtocare,buthavealotofcatching

uptodo.

P.Doodes,Chicago,USA

•Ihatetoadmitit,butAmericanteethare(generally)whiterandstraighterthan

usBrits.HoweverIfallintothetypicallyBritishcampof,althoughIwould

liketohavewhiterteeth,thethoughtofcosmeticsurgeryorself-manipulation

seemsvainandslightlyshallow.Ibelieveyoushouldbehappywithyourself,

crookedteethornot.

KarlGilbert,London,England

•Imusthavemisunderstoodthestereotype.Ialwaysassumed"BritishTeeth1*to

refertolarge,evenrowsofwell-spaced,uniform-sizedteeth(easiertofloss).I

spentyearsinbraces,hadacoupleofpainfuloralsurgeries,andIstilllook

likeTerry-Thomas,soyouwon*thearmecomplaining.Iactuallyfindmy

conceptof"BritishTeeth"ratherattractive.

JeffMeade,SanFrancisco,UnitedStates

•Asageneticist,TmdyingtoclaimthatthestateofBritishteethisatleast

partlygenetic.Otherwise,Ican*texplainwhythedirt-poorjanitoratmy

researchcentre,whogrewupinEritreaandhadn'tseenatoothbrushtillhe

wastwenty-seven,hasflawlesswhiteteeth;whereasPrinceCharles,who

presumablyhadaccesstoeverytoothyluxury,keepshislipsshutwhenhe

smiles.

PremeeMohamed,St.Albert,Canada

•IadmitthatIhaveheardorseenthingsthathavetodowiththeEnglishhaving

badteeth,butIdon'tthinkit'san,,Americannthing,especiallywhen99.9%of

peopleIknowdon'tthinkanythingofitanddon'tpayanyattention.Besides,

eveniftheirteetharen*t200%perfect,theyhavethemostfabulousaccents

EVER!

ReneeChastine,AnnArbor,USA

•Ithinkthatsomeofthe60spopstarsaretoblameforsomeofthestereotype.

PeterNoone?Keef?

BillMoran,Fairmont,WV,USA

•Ifyoulookathistory,poordentionoftheEnglishisrecordedasfarbackas

whensugarwasintroducedtotheupperclassesandcovetedtothepointof

theirteethfallingoutinthe14thcentury.It'sprobablymostlyAnglo-Saxon

genetics.Idon'tunderstandwhypeoplegettheirpantiesinabunchandhave

tocallAmericans"vainnandsoforth.Don'tbesotouchy.AsanAmericanI've

gottenusedtoeveryothernationhavingsomecrapthingtosayabout"my

people",andusuallyitcutsfurtherthanacommentonmyteeth.

Peg,Reno,Nevada,USA

•BeingFrenchbornlivingintheUSIcantestifythat:1)theappallingstateof

BritishteethissharedbyALLEuropeans.Theirteetharecrookedand

YELLOWevenintheupperclasses.2)TheAmericanstandardsareWAY

higher;mostofmyemployeeshaveflawlessWHITEteeth.3)And,yes,Ihad

myteethredonetomatchmysocialenvironment($30,000)

Stephane,Michigan,USA

•Well,IliveinNorway,andmostpeopleherehaveniceteeth,alsobefore

braces.ButthetimesFvebeeninUK,Ireallydidnoticehoweveryone'steeth

aremoreuneventhanI'musedto.SoIdon'tthinkitsonlyaUSstereotype.

Christine,Oslo,Norway

•WhileIagreesomewhatthatAmericansarepeculiarlyobsessedwithcosmetic

dentistry,Idon'tthinkit'sonlyforaestheticreasonsthatAmericanspayfor

thingslikeorthodontia.Crookedandovercrowdedteetharemorelikelytofall

out,sotherearehealthbenefitstoo.Tmsureyouguysarerightthatsome

Americansgettoothwhiteningforthemselvesandbracesfortheirkidsjust

becausethey'reworriedabouthowtheylook,butifthefearofdeveloping

yellowteethmotivatespeopletobrushandflossmoreoften,thenPmallforit.

BethGabor,NewYorkCity,USA

•I'mwithPegfromRenoNevada.Wellsaid,Peg.Butthepartabout"why

peoplegettheirpantiesinabunch"mademelaughsohardmyteethhurt.The

newestadditiontomylexicon.

Jack,NewCanaan,USA

•Afriend'sdaughter,abeautifulyoungblonde(whoworebracesinherteens)

metacharmingSolicitoronavisittoLondon.Asthetransatlanticromance

progressed(theyarenowmarried),thefirstthingshetoldhermotherabout

himwasthathehadterribleteeth!

Bennett,NewYork,NY,USA

•MydadhauledmyfamilyandmeofftoDenver,Col.inthelateSeventies,

whichwasnice.Buthesufferedbadlyfrom'Britishtoothsyndrome1,andit

wasn'tsimplyaboutalackoftoothysymmetryorluminosity!Irecallthathe

sufferedterrible,agonisingproblemswithhismolarsatthetime,butallof

theseweresolvedinafew,admittedlyexpensive,sessionswithalocaldentist.

SoIsubmitthatit*snotjustvanity,butabetterstandardofdentistry,thatwas

(is?)themaincauseoftheAnglo-American'gap'.AgapthatisIthink,these

days,thankfullynarrowingdueinnosmallparttogreatimprovementsin

generaldentalhygienehere(andimprovementsintreatment,nodoubt,ifyou

canaffordthem-perhapsitsjustthatmorepeoplecan).

JonLishman,Llanelli,Wales

•Britishpeopledrink180millioncupsofsugary,milkyteaeveryday.Herein

thenorthwealsosmokeconstantlyanddrinkdarkbeers.Nowonderourteeth

ain*twhite.Butatleastwe'renotallobese.

Patalicious,Darlington,UK

•IhavetoagreewithGaryandPremee.

1-1couldneverbeattractedtosomeonewhohadskankteeth.Skankteeth=

skankbreathandalsotellsmethatthepersonisunhygienicandprobablyhas

badhealth.Notanattracticecombination.

2-1wasintheUKwhentheQueenMotherdied,andwasappalledatthestate

ofherteeth-ugh!Blackandnasty,whatweretheydoingwithalltheirmoney?

Obviouslynotspendingitonatoothbrushandsometoothpaste.Inmytravels

there(Fvebeenquiteafewtimes),alotofthepeopleIencounteredhadnasty

teeth.Youmaythinkthey'renicelookingtiltheyopentheirmouths,andit

washardtohidetheshock-horrorthatregisteredonmyfacetimeandagain.I

don*thave"Hollywoodteeth11,butIdotakegoodcareofmine!

Bev.,SouthCarolina,UnitedStates

•LeaveitoutBev,theQueenMotherwaswellover100beforeshedied,soshe

wouldhavebeeninagewhereallthefancytreatmentswouldn*thavebeen

around.Wasn'tmuchshecoulddo.Andtoallthosegoingonaboutitbeinga

healthissueratherthanacosmeticone,bettertakealonghardlookatyou

Americans,soobeseasanationitssickening.Allthoseheartattacks,diabetes

etalthehighestintheworld.Don*ttryandpreachyous.

Michael,Nuneaton,England

•IfirstreallynoticedbadEnglishteethwatchingBritishcomedies.Itamazed

methatactorssuchasJohnInman(Mr.Humphries)in"AreYouBeing

Served"andGeoffreyHughes(Onslow)in"KeepingUpAppearances",did

nothingabouttheirawfullookingcrooked,brokenandstainedteethoverthe

years.IcouldunderstandOnslow'scharacterhavingbadteeth,butwithMr.

Humphries,whowasinthepubliceye,whydidtheproducersthinkthathis

teethlookattractive?

MarciaSmith,NewYork,US

•Soundslikeagrossgeneralisation-asdaftassaying"allAmericansare

stupid"，“allAmericansarewarmongers*1,ornallAmericansarereligious

maniacs"...

Christopher,Brighton,UK

•WheniwasinBritainIdidntseeanybadteeth,justsomecrookedlikemine.

ButwheniwasintheUSApeoplehadallprefectstraightteethbuttheyhada

lotoffillings.

Paul,Bremen,GeiTnany

•AsanAmerican-bornresidentofLondon,Iholdthesteretypeisbasedonfact.

Britshaveterribleteeth!Asafewhavepointedout,Americansareobese.Asa

whole,wearealsomorewastefulandharderworkersthantheBritsih,but

thoseareequallyirrelevanttothediscussionathand.Theremaybeaserious

weightproblemintheUS,itdoesnot,however,negatetheessentialhelath

benefitsconnectedwithregulardentalhygeneanddentistappointments.

DespitetheabsurdclaimsofBritsbeingunconcernedwithappearances(the

shortskirts,bleachedhair,andorangespray-ontansupanddownOxford

Circusbegtodiffer),Americansareencouragedtocarefortheirteethfor

non-cosmeticreasons.Admittedlyasaresult,straightwhiteteethisnowthe

normandthus,perhapsvainly,expectedofthepopulationatlarge,butlooking

moreattractiveisasmall"pricetopay"toafewmoreyearswithoutdentures.

Theobesityargument,besidesbeingentirelyofftopic,isnotaparticularly

strongoneeither.Twentyminutesinthedentistchairtwiceayearand2

minutesofbrushingadayisaneasywaytoimproveyourhealthand

appearance.Whilenotparticularlypositive,theamountofworknecessaryfor

theaverageAmericanfattytogetphysicallyfitwouldbefarmoreintensive.

Thequestionthen,forthepurposesofTHISdiscussion,is"Whywon'tthe

Britsinvest40minutesperannumand2minutesadaytolookandfeelbetter

andlivelonger(notflossingregularlyhasbeenlinkedotheartdisease,gum

diseaseleadstohighbloodpressure)?"

James,Washington,DCUSA

•IcanonlyspeakforBelgiumandtheneighboringcountriesbutIalsoseethe

"tenibleteeth"syndromehereaswell.Thereisnothingwrongwithhaving

crookedteethornothavingteeththatareperfectlystraight.Whatthereisno

excuseforisinfactdisgustinghygiene.IseehereinBelgiumtonsofpeople

withrotting,yelloworbrownstainedteethandIdonotunderstand

it,consideringtheavailabilityofinexpensivedentalcare.Donotbeafraidofa

toothbrushandtoothpaste.ltwillnotbite.

dino,losangelesBelgium

•Youhaveallmadesomeprettygoodpoints.Somebetterthanothers,buthey

werrealldifferentkindshere.OK,sothemajorityofAmericansarealittle

obsessedwithdentalwork.Mydad(ababyboomer)wastormentedbythefact

hehadtowearheadgeartoschoolintheearlysixties.Mygrandparents

wantedbetterfortheirkidsthentheyhad.,andwhenitcametimeformeto

havebraces,youbetIhadthemstrappedonmymouthforacoupleofyears

eventhoughIdidn'tevenneedthem.Perfectionright!Now,allthatmoney

spentonbraceswentdownthedrain...Ididn'twearmyretainer.Istillget

complimentsonmyteethbutIdon*treallygocrazyonmakingthemperfect.I

brushtwiceaday,sometimesfloss,butIdouseawhiteningmouthwash.,it

helps!So,FmgoingonadatewithafineguyfromNewcastletonight,and

althoughIhaven'tseenpicturesofhimsmilingteethandall,I'llhavetheworst

thoughtsofnightmareteethimaginable,butI'mmoreexcitedtoseewhatkind

ofpersonheis!!Yes,apersonwithhisownidentityandflavor!Sorry,ifthis

wasn*treallyrelevant.Weareallnotperfectnomatterwherewecomefrom,

weshouldembraceourdifferencesandjustsimplygetalong.

Tina,LosAngeles,UnitedStates

•IamnotsureofthisbutibelievethatitmaybebecauseAmericanshavebeen

puttingFluorideintherewater.IntheUKbout10percentofthepopulation,

sixmillionpeople,receivefluoridatedwater,mainlyintheMidlandsand

north-east,andthegovernmentplanstoextendthis,withManchesterexpected

tobenext.About170millionAmericansliveinareaswithfluoridatedwater.

GaryBell,BlackpoolEngland

•OkmaybeitisduetoAmericanshavingfluoridateddrinkingwhereitis

advailableto170millionbutinEnglandonly10%ofthepopulationget

fluoridateddrinkingwater.IknowthisAmericanguyhedoesnotbrushhis

teethfordaysonendwhereasiamconstantlybrushingmineandmyteethare

nasty-wellnotthatbadconsidering,buttheydofeellikeit.

GaryBell,BlackpoolEngland

•Americaisinsecureandwillpickoutanylittlethingthatpromotesthemselves!

Butasstatedabove,I'drathercrookedteeth(althoughmineare100%perfect-

shockhorror)thanweigh400lbs.Andas“nice"astheAmericansmileis,half

ofthemdon*tknowwhereintheworldtheyare.Let'scompromise-Britsare

tospendmoreonColgate,AmericanstospendmoreonWeightWatchersand

education(Geographyinparticular).

MattGreen,Brighton,England

•Theissuefbrmecomesdowntobadbreath,plainandsimple.Idon'thaveany

problemwithuniqueteeth,butchronicbadbreath,well,Ithinkyoucansafely

saythatitisthesingleworstturnoffknowntoman.I*velivedinJapan,which

hastohavetheworstdentalhygeineinthedevelopedworld.Casesofdragon

breathabound.Partofithastobegenetic,becauseIhavelivedinNicaragua,a

developingcountrywheremostpeoplecan'taffordatoothbrush,toothpaste,

letaloneacheckup,andahighpercentageofthemhaddecentteeth.Pleasedo

theworldafavorandspreadsweetsmellingkissablebreath.Floss,andgoto

yourdentistatleastonceayear.Youdon*thavetogetbracesifyoudon*twant

to,ok?Deal?

Seth,ConnecticutUSA

•Afterreadingthearticleandcomments,Ihavetosaythatbothsidesareright,

andwrong.AmericansDOhaveamuchhigherhealthstandardwithour

dentistry.ButmanyoftheBritsarerighttooinwhichtheU.S.hasasickening

problemwithcoronarydiseaseandobesity.Crooked,plaqueinfestedteethare

disgustingandveryunhealthy.ButsoiseatingatMcDonaldseverydayand

manyAmericanschoolscuttingphysicaleducation.Webothhaveissuesto

workon.

John,Chicago,ILU.S.A

•IwouldnevergeneraliseandsayallBritshavebadteeth,anymorethanI

wouldsayallAmericansareloudandfat(althoughmanyare!)Itsjustthe

wayitis,withdentalcarehere.WhenIwasachildinthe70sand80smy

familyhadnomoney,couldbarelypaythelightbill,butmyMomscrapedfbr

thedentist.Notforvanity,butitwasequatedwithdoctorvisits.Yougotothe

doctor,yougotothedentist.Itmaybevanitynowwithwhitening,etc.but

therewasnoneofthatthen,itwasjustthoughtthehealthythingtodo.

Lisa,Connecticut,USA

•Ithinkit'saninterestingpointthatthepersonmadeabout"iftheAmerican

dentalstandardisbecauseof"healthconcerns11,whyisAmericaso

record-breakinglyunhealthyonsomanyotherfronts?'*Itstrikesmethatit*sto

dowithspendingmoney,andtheAmericanculturalattitudetowardsthat.It

costslotsofmoneytohavetheregimented,flawlessteethofanAmerican.It

costshardlyanythingtoeathealthilyandnotbefat.Infact,itcostsMOREto

befat.Thereinseemstoliethetruth;inAmerica'sspend-happy,consumer

culture,anythingwhichischeapisavoidedandanythingonwhichvast

amountsofmoneycanbespentisgravitatedtowards-irrelevantofhealth

issues.Sodentalcareiscostlyandcoincidentallyit'sgoodforyou.Eatingto

thepointofweighingliterallytwiceasmuchisalsoexpensiveand

coincidentallyit'sbadforyou.Buyingahuge,inefficientcarisexpensiveand

coincidentallyit'sbadforeveryone.TheaverageAmericanspendswaymore

onitemsrelatedtoin-activeentertainment,suchashomecinemasystemsand

videogameconsoles,thananyotherpersonintheworld;converselythey

spendfarbelowaverageonsportsequipmentandthingssuchasbikes.The

formerthingsarefarmoreexpensive(afterallitcostsnexttonothingtoplaya

gameoffootball,whereasaHDTVcancost$1000s)andis,coincidentally,

unhealthy.IfyouthinkintermsofAmericansbeing"preyed”onbypeople

wantingtheirmoney-whetheritbefoodcompaniesordentists-thenitall

startstomakesense.

WillOndore,MilanItaly

•Wow!Iwasluckytocomeacrossthisconversation.Iamactuallydoinga

projectonBritishteethformyHighSchoofsForeignLanguageClub's

MulitculturalWeek.FmsomewhatfascinatedwithGreatBritain(Iblameiton

youractuallyhavingahistory)andsoIchosetodomyprojectonthis.But

I'vehadtroublecomingupwithareas