Thanks, Chess.com:)

So I just applied for membership to "Team Iran", and "Remember Palestine". {I'm not religious, Iranian, or Palestinian} If accepted, it would feel really good to play matches for those groups because it would mean something, in my imagination. It would probably be comparable to the "Chess Olympiad", where players play for their country. I don't have a country, so this would be the closest thing to realizing that feeling. It's just a new perspective I have on the Chess.com community. A virtual chess World Cup!

Did you know, it is estimated that only 20% of Americans hold passports?

i-am-the-slowest-player-on-chesscom?quote_id=1540736&page=2

Hm. I didn't know that, artfizz.

Who gives a crap?

Then I bet you didn't know that only 5% of Americans know ... that only 20% of Americans hold passports?

I actually assumed that only 5% of Americans know anything at all

I didn't know that.

Yeah, every time you foreigners see some American tourists being obnoxious in your country just remember... that's our top 20%! You should see the 80% that never leave! 

I would have to say the loveliest Americans in my experience, have been almost poor. Too poor to go abroad more than once in their life, if at all. In my experience...

We do see them, why do you think American reality t.v. shows are so popular abroad? 

Quick aside : I spent 6 weeks in Montana/Idaho last year and loved it. Some of the friendliest, honest and nicest people I've ever met 

trysts wrote:  .... I don't have a country, ...

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trysts, I am puzzled by this bold statement...do you care to elaborate? I believe your story might be very interesting. 

The government is criminal. The history is propaganda. The free press is State-run. Corporations are persons under law. Continuous invasions, infiltrations and coups highlight foreign policy. Technological advances are weaponized. Everything of national importance is made clandstine because of national security. "Dumb" is everlastingly entertaining. The military is fast becoming the most horrible in the recorded history of human crimes. Religions dominate, still. Even science has aquired the dogma of scholasticism. Fake elections. Lies about "democracy". People enveloped in their self made confusion of "rights" somehow being freedom. The country is no good, is getting worse, and threatens individuals, peoples, and sovereign nations around the world.

There is some of it, jesterville. It's not my country. When I was born, all hell was breaking loose. Then the Soviet Wall came down. Whatever hope there may have been for this country disappeared rapidly, as dominance and privilege became the emblem of this country.

Sadly, I have to agree with most of that. I have often contemplated traveling the world and finding some place I like better. Unfortunately, most of those things you lament about America are true most everywhere else too.

The main thing that grieves me about america is the just outright lie of it all. Everyone knows that our government is utterly corrupt, they really don't even bother to hide it anymore. But yet, nobody ever really tries to fix it. Instead we sanctimoniously (not to mention stupidly) attempt to export our system elsewhere (see Iraq, Afghanistan). And every few years, we make a big deal out of an election that is largely meaningless, as the only thing that will change is whether or not the bought and paid for whores pander to the left, or to the right.

And even that would be tolerable. I could just ignore politics completely, and hope that the system can last another generation or two before it falls in like the house of cards that it is. But then, look at American "culture." Look at the idiotic pap that courses through the airways, is displayed in our theaters, and is published in the vapid rags we call books and periodicals. I like to think that maybe, just maybe, that is better in other parts of the world, but I doubt it. From what I can see from afar, most countries just copy our pap and put it on their own stations.

The truly scary thing is that I think these type of sentiments are becoming fairly universal in America (by which I mean everyone agrees that the system is horribly broken, not that they agree on why, or how to fix it.) But nobody really seems to give a damn.

Anyway, this is a chess site, so I'll shut up and go back to pushing digital wood now. Sorry for the rant, I just agreed with the prior poster.

Ouch... so there's no need I start critize America, good :)

Nice comment, Flamma_Aquila!

 I have a passport, and I know that most Ameriacns don't. But in our defense, we only border Mexico and Canada and until recently didn't need a passport to get into those countries.

You can hop on a train and be in France in a relatively short period of time. Its an expensive proposition to leave the North American continent.

Nah, if I wanted to hear people with a spanish accent and poor grammar bash America, I can go down to the corner store and listen. 

(Just messing with you!)

Thanks, dnleary

Aw shucks. 

That prompted me to look... North Korea has no team. I think I'm gonna start one. You in trysts? Just because they have no internet is no reason to exclude them!