TIP: V tomto článku, stejně jako kdekoliv jinde na tomto webu, si můžete neznámá slovíčka jednoduše vyhledat ve slovníku tak, že na slovo v textu dvakrát kliknete tlačítkem myši.

Otázky v tomto článku jsou převzaty ze zaslaných soutěžních příspěvků v soutěži "Everything you wanted to know about an English speaking country".

Question Time With Kelly

1. Are you proud of being an American?
Unlike most of my family, I'm not very patriotic. I wouldn't say that I don't like being an American, I'm just sort of neutral.

2. Is it true that Americans only eat hamburgers and drive everywhere?
Actually, I've not had a hamburger in about a month, so, for the first part, no. But as for the driving everywhere, in the South, yes. The last city I lived in didn't have any sort of public transportation, and everything was really spread out, so walking wasn't really an option. Every day, I hitched a ride with a friend to and from campus. We drive everywhere. It's a little ridiculous.

3. Is there anything you don't like about your country and if so, what is it?
Where to begin.... The education system really is crap, too much standardized testing. Health care is really only for the rich. Taxes are horribly unfair. We're not really a democracy... I could go on and on.

4. If you could choose five people to represent your country (actors, singers, politicians etc.) who would you choose and why?
Eesh. Hard one. Alright, I'd choose Oprah, just because everyone already loves her, so there'd be no problem with her. Francesca Lia Block, because I really love the way she writes, so I think she'd be a good representative. Stephen Colbert; I think he could effectively keep things on track. If I could have dead people, probably Dwight Eisenhower, because he was a great leader, I think, but that's probably against the rules, so... Dr. Ruth so that she could help make sensible sex laws, unlike half the laws on the books now. Oh, and Bono, just 'cause he'd be funny.

5. Do you know any joke about Americans? If so, what is it and how do you feel about it?
I only know one:

It's true. Most Americans only speak English, and we speak that horribly. I'd love to see any other jokes you know, if the humor carries over in to English.

6. If you had to describe America with one word only, what would it be?
Deluded. (I hope none of my family see this... They'd kill me!)
I think that America tries to delude its citizens into thinking that being a world power means we don't need the world. The American dream has evolved from one of hard work to one of stuff. "If I achieve the American Dream, that means that I have lots of stuff, like Paris Hilton or Angelina Jolie, right?"
Because of the change in thinking, a lot of Americans have gotten lazy, complacent, and that's bad. We think that war is something over there, never here, until we, the individuals, have to fight. It doesn't feel real. When my friends and I discuss the war on terror (Really? On a concept? Even an idiot can see that's a bad name. Oops, sorry Bush.), we can only talk about it hypothetically. None of us are eligible to die (unless a draft is instated, then I'm royally screwed), so why worry about it.
Ack, I'll get off my soapbox now.

7. Did you learn about the Czech Republic at school? What did you learn about it?
I think I remember hearing about Czechoslovakia when I was in the first grade (so, like, 1991, before the split), but beyond that, no. I can't remember any one of my teachers explicitly mentioning the CZ. In their defense, though, they don't talk about a lot of countries. Wow, that sounded better in my head...

8. Who do you think should be the next American President?
Not Hillary. I met her once, she had cold hands. Personally, I'm liberal, so I'm voting for Obama. I'm just glad that presidents can only have ten years in office, or we might be stuck with bush for another four years. Eesh.

9. What American monument, landmark, national park etc. (which you have been to) did you like the most?
The Botanical Gardens in ATL are beautiful. If I can count famous places in there, I really like River Street in Savannah. OH! I know! I LOVED the Okefenokee swamp! It was really beautiful, in a smelly, dangerous sort of way.

10. What was your first car? Did you call it a "she"?
My first car was a burgundy Pontiac Bonneville. Her name was Portia (because I loved Merchant of Venice). My mom gave her to me when she got a new car, which was right around my sixteenth birthday. I had her for two years before I totaled her. I haven't had a car for about four years now, which, let me tell you, has been hell. My first college was a three hour drive from my parents' house. And I had to get a friend to drive me. It was so hard getting home!!!

Footnotes:

Oprah: Enormously popular daytime talk show host. Her name was originally supposed to be "Orpah," but it was misspelled on her birth certificate. Good for her, though.
Francesca Lia Block: Author of Weetzie Bat and I Was a Teenage Fairy.
Stephen Colbert: Host of a late night, political parody of a show, The Colbert Report (pronounced with self-aware humor as "The Colber Repor")
Dwight Eisenhower: Thirty fourth president of the US. The one with the fairest tax policy, in my opinion.
Dr. Ruth: Host of a call-in show about sex. She's gotta be about eighty by now, but she's still shocking people.
Bono: The lead singer of the band U2; he gets involved in every celebrity cause he can.
Paris Hilton: Heiress to the Hilton fortune, she's famous for doing nothing. Oh, wait, that's not true. She's famous for drunk driving and frequently saying "That's hot."
Angelina Jolie: Movie star. Recently in the movie Wanted, which I have yet to see. I really want to, though.
Hillary Rodham Clinton: wife of former president Bill Clinton, (former?) governor of New York; democratic candidate.
Barack Obama: the first minority candidate with a real chance of winning; democratic candidate.
ATL: Atlanta, Georgia.
Merchant of Venice: A play by William Shakespeare