Personally I think the Australians and Americans are a tougher people then many (not all) of those in their original homelands.

I think it makes sense on a few different levels.  

1)  Look at the type of people who went to these new countries.  They had to be the bravest to even consider going to these new lands.  They also needed survial skills and a great work ethic to make it.


2)  Darwinism.  The conditions were so tough that the weak were killed off by the tough conditions.


3)  Passionate, many who came to America at least really believed in being free and would go to a new world for it.


4)  There were no real social systems in either country to take care of the weak so they didn't come or died if they did.


5)  Think of the bravery of all of those who fled there home counties to come to the uncertainty of these new counties.  Certainly the complacent did not come.

What are your thoughts?

Maybe a couple of hundred years ago this was true.  Now, (last 100 years) we seem to be determined to reverse any natural selection and spend our resources ensuring the survival of the weakest.

Norm

Yup they were a penal colony.

Think of all the brave people who came over in the 1900s.  It is pretty brave to travel half way around the world with nothing to your name to live in a country where you can't even speak the language.

That's about it in a nutshell. But, I guess I am still not sure of the question? Are you asking : Are we physically and mentally superior given "our" heredity? Well, no. The people who make up this Country had to come from somewhere. So, I guess the countries they all came from are pretty "tough". You have to remember, this Country is only a couple hundred years old, not a lot of Evolution has occurred. Which is probably a good thing....The most overweight country on Earth! Just go the shopping malls....Yuck! [puke]

...not to mention all the superficial American fake-breasts, capped-teeth, and artificial heatlh-club bodies.

You meet and marry what LOOKS like the ideal woman, not realizing that she's a genetic mess.

ALWAYS check out the parents...
Keep America tough!

My wife is from Denver, CO and I always kid her about that the people who ended up in Denver.  I point out that the settlers were the ones who blazed out across the plains headed for California, got to the foot of the Rockies and said, "Ah, that's far enough."

Not that I really blame them. Flat, Flat, Flat, straight up.

Of course, all the Californias are coming back now.

Back on Topic:
I would say that Americans are inherently more violent.  I really don't know why.  Isn't it in Switzerland that most adult males have a REAL assault rifle and a couple hundred rounds at home, and you never hear about them (or their kids) going postal.

Maybe in some ways, but give the devil his due.  Your list is too short.  You have to include the Russians.  Just look at WWII for examples.  Then if you want an example of really tough look at what happened to the Russians when they decided to invade Finland.  Those Finns are very tough.

I wouldn’t say that Americans (or Australians) are at all genetically superior to the populations they came from.    In fact, it could be credibly argued that the gene pool of those who came over was inferior to those who remained.   Those who came over were almost universally unable (or unwilling) to fit in to their original societies.   Commercial incompetents, religious dissenters, fanatics, political undesirables, convicts, slaves, peasants, expelled crofters, “tired, … poor, …huddled masses yearning to breathe free, …wretched refuse…the homeless, tempest-tost.”  

Maybe this is some of what is at the root of a bit of the “Europe Vs US” hostility that is recently going on.

Add in that we (US) were the first successful and most successful of the revolutions of the modern era to explain our ambiguous and mixed attitude toward violence.

Trouble is -- I'm an American, and I LIKE my attitude,

I think that Raf has fallen for the logic that ani-gunners use.  He says that since the ammo is in stored containers, and there is a high penalty for opening it, people would be less apt to shoot up the town.

The only problem is:  If you are going to do an illegal act, like kill or terrorize, why would the restrictions on the ammo make any difference?  People bent on mayhem aren't going to be stopped by firearms laws that are prosecutable after the act.

"I was thinking about offing my boss and family, but if I open the ammo container I might get in trouble."  Now that is deterence.

Americans are a violent bunch.  I don't know why, they just are.

[b]bad[/b]


[b]bad[/b]
[b] What about that is wrong? Do you not believe in phyical conditioning?[/b]

[red][size=4]PRK

Madden, I think you are right on one part of it. They   were "unwilling," not unable to fit in or not allowed to fit in.RANT ON. If the ruling class won't let you play in their game, then you take your game elsewhere, it's the smart thing to do. It has nothing to do with genetics, unless of course you're arguing from the perspective of the ruling class, let's say the Brits vs the Irish for example. why do you think so many Scotts or Irish came here? The Brits treated and still treat them like second class dirt in their own country. In Northern Ireland, the Brits still own and control everything of value. Why do you think Sin Fein (pardon my spelling) wants to "redistribute wealth." They want it out of the hands of the Brits and back in the hands of the Irish. Europeans think of the US as a bunch of politically naive cowboys with no regard for the past or history. However, their own recent history is forgotten, as they've proven they cannot live together without fighting a major war every few years and we have to come in and clean up the mess. They've no guts for a fair fight, economic or otherwise. Their economics are socialist, pure and  simple. Their politics totalitarian or authoritarian. They can't  stand up to anyone unless they've got a massive majority and the US along side them. They try to gang up on us whenever they can, even though they owe us their freedom.  Over several hundered years they sent us their bravest and most innovative. They kept the meek, the complacent, the arrogant rich, the socialists..you name it..and they can keep them. RANT OFF

This is kind of funny.....

I commented to my wife that we are not the same nation that won WWII... our soldiers did not lose the war in Vietnam.

I don't know how to cure it. but as an old man I still stand ready. So does my wife.

It's still going on today. Except we call them wet backs and boat people and they are looked down upon like the Irish, Italians, Eastern Europeans and Jews once were. There lays the future of the USA. The face of America is changing before our very eyes.