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Australia v USA – The gloves are off

International e-punchup kicks off

Reg style wins plaudits

Poor old Guy Brush has opened a right can of worms with his strong pro-British / anti-American sentiments in last week's letters. We are printing a selection of readers' replies purely by way of encouraging open and democratic dialogue. And not to start a punch up between Oz and the States. Oh no. Take it away Bruce Standlee:

As an American (Yank, Colonial, Rebel, what ever you want to call us) new I.T. professional I have to take exception to what one of your Australian reader, Mr. Guy Brush, stated:

In my experience the American people are better off staying on their own geocentric little country, if they are offended so easily by any suggestion that "American" is not pure English. I would also suggest that any American reading The Reg would probably just be some kind of fluke and I would make moves to perhaps arrange for his ISP to siteblock the UK. Just to be on the safe side.

Point 1: On Mr. Brush's contention of American's geocentrism, I feel that a great many of The Register's American readers are among the least geocentric, or at least more aware of the global nature of I.T., than he gives us credit for. Your publication does an amazing job at remaining "British" in tone while still reporting on global I.T. issues and subjects.

Point 2: Mr. Brush contends (possibly jokingly) that "any American reading The Reg would probably just be some kind of fluke . . . ." I would counter that every I.T. professional I know appears to read The Register, as a source of both good reporting on the whole of the I.T. world and for the humor you're reporters inject into many of their reports. I find The Register valuable as both a news service (much less dry and corporate white washed than many I.T. e-papers based here) and as a source of "Flame" and general humor on I.T. subjects.

Thank you, keep up the great work.

No, thank you. Andre A. Smith then weighed in with:

So sorry to be a rude yank but I rather object to being called an egocentric fluke. Oh and go ahead and try to block my ISP I connect through five of them so it my be fun for one of your admins to play tag with my connection. And please tell me what being Australian has to do with being able to read English are you some how blessed to know all the slang and colloquialisms from both countries, if so a couple of linguists I am sure would love to talk to you and mine your vast knowledge. As far as being offended by American not being pure English, that would be rather stupid on my part all I have you have to do is go to any large city slum no matter what the country and you are almost speaking a different language. Or do you think you would understand a boy from a New York City 'hood. Of course maybe I am a fluke considering my mother was born in France and my father was/is an college educated red neck born in a one room dirt floored shack. So before you before you can me ego centric please check your own ego at the door.
As to the Reg I like the style , it's more like talking to someone sitting next to you rather than some puffed up news figure preaching your ignorance to you.

Well I have wasted enough of your time please keep up the good work.

Hold on a minute, this is all too well reasoned. What we want here are more like this, courtesy of Brian A. Stefanish:

that guy doesn't know crap. i'm an american and i love the reg and understand it too. why do aussies think they are so special? they should learn how to treat their women first.

Blimey! I can't believe the Sons of the Outback are going to let it go at that...

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