being born in england but spent the ages 4-14 (in 16 now) in america id say that, just like everywhere else, it has its awesome qualities and it has alot of negative aspects too. for example things are bigger, staff are more courtious and polite, things are reasonably priced.
however there is a big gang culture, people tend to be close minded about the rest of the world (america isnt the only superpower you know), religious fanatics are abundant. the constitution was a great idea , in theory, but people abuse it now to the point that it is being overlooked in many court cases. and another thing, if something happens people want something to sue.
we use up more natural resources than anywhere else. shit i am litterally terrified of what will happen when we run out of oil, the basic foundatioun of the american household is dependent on oil: electricity, run cars, the list goes on.
and before i make any more enemies im going to stop there and finnish by saying: i dont think america is awesome, or that it is crap. im just saying that, like most countries, it has its positive and negative aspects. and with banks closing and the economy practically falling apart right now, we are all going to see tough times.
vamp rocks: being born in england but spent the ages 4-14 (in 16 now) in america id say that, just like everywhere else, it has its awesome qualities and it has alot of negative aspects too. for example things are bigger, staff are more courtious and polite, things are reasonably priced.
Can you back these up with statistical information? Can you quantify the courteousness of staff? If not, why bring it up?
The Rusk: One of your points I would completely disagree with. From what I know, America's college system is by far one of the most corrupt college systems in the world. It doesn't matter how smart someone is, if they don't have the money to get into the top end universities/colleges then they're not going to. It's a system that basically helps the rich people stay rich.
That's not corrupt, it's called capitalism and it's one of the reasons why America's colleges are the top in the world.
And you are very wrong on another point. Universities grant TONS of scholarships and full rides if you are smart/hardworking enough, so your whole point of "it doesn't matter how smart you are" is complete bullshit. I know you probably want to cry out, "OH THE OLD MAN IS JUST KEEPING THE WORKIN' CLASS DOWN" but that's largely an exaggeration. How hard you work in life is far more important than what school you go to. I know plenty of kids who have graduated from top universities but failed in their jobs because they didn't work hard enough. Likewise, I know of people who attended community colleges (where the costs are much cheaper) and have gone on to great jobs because of how hard they worked.
So I don't want to hear the excuse that it's just a way of keeping the rich in power because it largely isn't. If you are smart enough and you work hard enough, you can succeed in your career even if you can't afford to go to a big university.
The Rusk: Just another little thing I wanted to ask was whether or not you've watched any rugby? If I'm being honest I've never sat down to watch a game of American football, but from what I've seen it seems fairly similar to rugby, minus all the padding and helmets.
Quick little history lesson on American football for those of you who don't know.
American football has gone through significant changes since it's appearance in the late 1800's. When the first game of American football was played, the only way you could score was by kicking it; holding or passing the ball was not allowed. This is why the game got it's name football. The earliest games of football were almost exclusively played by colleges against one another.
In the beginning, two different types of the game were played: a version of the game that was similar to soccer and a version of the game that was similar to rugby. However, the version of rugby proved to be the most popular version and the soccer version was largely phased out. It was during the late 1800's to the early 1900's that the game expanded and it's rules began to change. The forward pass was added in the early 1900's because large amounts of fatalities in the game began to pile up.
The game of football continued to morph and change while also gaining larger popularity on a nationwide scale. Eventually the game morphed to what it is now. Instead of kicking the ball, as it was originally played, it has morphed into a game of physical contest of moving the ball on the ground and in the air.
So to answer your question: yes, American football has many similarities to modern rugby because American football started as a mix between rugby and soccer.
And for you foreigners who have never sat down to watch a game, you really should some time. It's a fantastic game that features not only physical strength, but also speed, precision, teamwork, and huge amounts of strategy. I'm not joking when I say that it's pretty much the equivalent of chess in the sports world.
Yeah sorry about the college system part. Someone already quoted me on it, explaining pretty much what you said. My American friends at university are just exaggurating me thinks...
Thanks for the info on American football. I would sit down and watch a game sometime but over here in England they never broadcast the sport. Ah well, rugby's still my favourite sport and I don't think that's going to change anytime soon. Another quick question. What are the crowds like at American football games? I mean is it common for there to be trouble?
Can you back these up with statistical information? Can you quantify the courteousness of staff? If not, why bring it up?
ok first of all, its an opnion. seccondly i know that in some places it is bad, but im speaking generally.
and my evidence is:
in the U.S. if you severely do not like your meal or there is some sort of a problem, the staff deal with it in an appropriate manor, i.e. apologising getting the manager, knocking the item off your bill all while in a polite and gracious manor..
however when i was in glasgow, Scotland, (a nice part of glasgow) my drink arrived with not a cube of ice and the drink was warm, so i politely aksed the waitor if it would be possible to get some ice for my drink. the waiter looked at me as if i was an idiot, literally laughed in my face, and walked off. this happened to me on more than one occasion and the waitors/waitresses are always discourtious
that is my OPINION of the matter, and no i cannot back it up with statistics because it is my OPINION. you cannot only use statistics in an argument like this when you are saying how good you "think" a place is.
That doesn't answer the question. I'll be damned if I work my ass off and then have to give 50% of my hard earned money to some welfare sponging jackass, because he doesn't feel like working.
Laissez Faire is the economic principle of free enterprise. The government takes no action in the operation of businesses or the welfare of it's citizens. It is the most extreme form of capitalism on the social economic scale. Which means no welfare, worker's comp, minimum wage, minimum age for work, FDA or other socialistic ideologies. As for an example, I'll direct you to the industrialization era and third world labor. If you want an actual text, read The Jungle by Upton Sinclair.
Edit: changed political to social
You don't have to quote economic terms to me. I never said Laissez Faire was a good ideology to have. Its an extreme form of economics and extreme forms of anything is not good. Conversely the exact opposite of Laissez Faire isn't good either.
I've already read The Jungle. The first half of it was alright, but the second half was a pathetic attempt at socialist propaganda. And in case anyone has forgotten, everything in the Jungle took place almost 100 years ago. The U.S. has kept almost none of the policies from that time period.
Anyway that point that I was trying to make in my previous post is that the average American (regardless of IQ) thoroughly enjoys their freedom and usually will not give those freedoms up (unless they are astronomically stupid).
Also, the U.S. isn't any better or worse than any other country, and I'm getting tired of all these damn America hating threads. I'm surprised the Mods here don't delete them with the same gusto that they do for anything else that attracts this many trolls.
I will say this though, the U.S.'s time as a superpower is coming to an end. We are trying desperately to hold on to our power, as all superpowers are wont to do.
It's the internet you have to assume people don't know what you're talking about.
The Jungle took place of 102 years ago, but that's just nitpicking. The Jungle was what started a socialistic outlook with government regulations.
The Patriot act has already taken several of those freedoms away, so all Americans (including myself) must be astronomically stupid.
savandicus: America is great because their adverts are HILLAROUS, i saw an advert there once for a 4 by 4 that was 'now able to hold up to 4 tonnes' and looking around you see that a large chunk of americas have these and i bet the heaviest and biggest thing they've ever carried with it is a broom.
OK so it seems you're forgetting their morbidly obese selves and all the bibles they need to convert all the heathens...
It's the internet you have to assume people don't know what you're talking about.
The Jungle took place of 102 years ago, but that's just nitpicking. The Jungle was what started a socialistic outlook with government regulations.
The Patriot act has already taken several of those freedoms away, so all Americans (including myself) must be astronomically stupid.
Yeah but the Patriot Act is more of a personal privacy issue anyway. Yeah it was a stupid act to pass, and we won't know how many so called terrorists we caught till 20 years from now when the files are declassified.
I think everybody's bitching about it was completely irrelevent anyway, it didn't turn the U.S. into a fascist dictatorship as was predicted. Besides it will most likely be repealed when Obama takes office.
There's not much we can do about it anyway, when we elect senators and the like who don't give a flying damn about the citizens.
americans are multicultural all right. they eat German food, practice French adultery, and all weigh as much as vatican city.
Uhhh.. your country is rated more obese then America. That's a fact. Now, why don't be a good little Australian, sit down, grab a fork, and eat those words. Eat them right up. You little porker.
In all reality, I couldn't care less what country is rated more obese then the other, but your comment was shining with such an illuminating ignorance, that I couldn't help myself but call you out on it.
YEP! aussies are fat... wait. australians are allmolst all overweight, but not Obese. whilst more australians are overweight, a lower percentage is obese. my sister worked at WHO and the US fuges the figures. now, why dont you go back to your McMansion and watch annother reality show about taking advantage of a third world contry whilst eating a ridiculusly big plate of food you got for $2 whilst people in africa starve and you steal their rice?
also, isn't america being charged with crimes against humanity by the UN because of their push to put more ethonol into petrol. it also rose food prices exponetially so the poor contries are literally starveing to death.
and why is america so againt the idea of socialisum? Australia is a Democratic-Repuplic Socialist nation. whilst america is a Democratic-Repumlic-minimalist-socialist. if people are not going to help each other, what is the point of society? socialisum is the idea of people supporting each other through govermental bodies.
americans are multicultural all right. they eat German food, practice French adultery, and all weigh as much as vatican city.
Uhhh.. your country is rated more obese then America. That's a fact. Now, why don't be a good little Australian, sit down, grab a fork, and eat those words. Eat them right up. You little porker.
In all reality, I couldn't care less what country is rated more obese then the other, but your comment was shining with such an illuminating ignorance, that I couldn't help myself but call you out on it.
YEP! aussies are fat... wait. australians are allmolst all overweight, but not Obese. whilst more australians are overweight, a lower percentage is obese. my sister worked at WHO and the US fuges the figures. now, why dont you go back to your McMansion and watch annother reality show about taking advantage of a third world contry whilst eating a ridiculusly big plate of food you got for $2 whilst people in africa starve and you steal their rice?
also, isn't america being charged with crimes against humanity by the UN because of their push to put more ethonol into petrol. it also rose food prices exponetially so the poor contries are literally starveing to death.
and why is america so againt the idea of socialisum? Australia is a Democratic-Repuplic Socialist nation. whilst america is a Democratic-Repumlic-minimalist-socialist. if people are not going to help each other, what is the point of society? socialisum is the idea of people supporting each other through govermental bodies.
Did you not actually read my post? Try reading my second paragraph again, and you'll realize why I stopped reading yours about half way through.
Can I ask a question. Is america the only place with Obese people? Is it the only place with bible thumpers? Is it the only place that has carried out military actions that were unpopular with the rest of the world?
My nation has flaws, I'll admit that. But why is it that everyone seems to think that its all just well and good to make us the whipping post for larger problems. Bush? My understanding is that most every English speaking nation in northern hemisphere was run by some sort of wack-job with no idea what the hell he was doing. Religion in government? Who here can say their government is not unduly influenced by either a single special interest or a small set of them? Military action? Yes its dumb that we got into Iraq but it seems nobody over there understands the level of protest that has gone on about these conflicts for years.
Almost everything I hear from those people bashing America is sadly a stereotype. Yes our government has flaws but whos to say the others don't. We now have a set of leaders that are totally different from the predecessors with a new president on the way, so its obvious we can learn from our mistakes like everyone else. Everything outside of the goverment aspect seems more like the crap you hear Jeremy Clarkson spewing out of his mouth in between insulting various EU nations and talking out of his ass about how little global warming will impact us (Love top gear, think hes amazing on it, I'd probably hit him in person)
America is not so bad. Yes we have some bad points and our nations govenrment is about as screwed up as any other. Its easy to lay blame on us for our transgressions of past and present. Truth is though every nation has done wrong and the people in every nation have those among their numbers who 'make them look bad'. I still think that plenty of things make America awesome, and most of those still involve its people, its places, and the fact that behind all of the muddled globalization and cost cutting and corporate BS we are still a nation with the potential to quickly and masterfully innovate if we set our minds to it.
americans are multicultural all right. they eat German food, practice French adultery, and all weigh as much as vatican city.
Uhhh.. your country is rated more obese then America. That's a fact. Now, why don't be a good little Australian, sit down, grab a fork, and eat those words. Eat them right up. You little porker.
In all reality, I couldn't care less what country is rated more obese then the other, but your comment was shining with such an illuminating ignorance, that I couldn't help myself but call you out on it.
YEP! aussies are fat... wait. australians are allmolst all overweight, but not Obese. whilst more australians are overweight, a lower percentage is obese. my sister worked at WHO and the US fuges the figures. now, why dont you go back to your McMansion and watch annother reality show about taking advantage of a third world contry whilst eating a ridiculusly big plate of food you got for $2 whilst people in africa starve and you steal their rice?
also, isn't america being charged with crimes against humanity by the UN because of their push to put more ethonol into petrol. it also rose food prices exponetially so the poor contries are literally starveing to death.
and why is america so againt the idea of socialisum? Australia is a Democratic-Repuplic Socialist nation. whilst america is a Democratic-Repumlic-minimalist-socialist. if people are not going to help each other, what is the point of society? socialisum is the idea of people supporting each other through govermental bodies.
Thank you for making my case.
And again I will restate we are awesome because the common citizen knows about the fact that the rest of the world uses us as a whipping post so that they can feel better about themselves and vilify us, and we just shrug it off. Its not that we are oblivious to the criticism, the vast majority of us simply try to go on about our lives as best we can and try to call for changes we think will make our nation better without pointing out the flaws in other peoples governments and bursting their bubbles.
americans are multicultural all right. they eat German food, practice French adultery, and all weigh as much as vatican city.
Uhhh.. your country is rated more obese then America. That's a fact. Now, why don't be a good little Australian, sit down, grab a fork, and eat those words. Eat them right up. You little porker.
In all reality, I couldn't care less what country is rated more obese then the other, but your comment was shining with such an illuminating ignorance, that I couldn't help myself but call you out on it.
YEP! aussies are fat... wait. australians are allmolst all overweight, but not Obese. whilst more australians are overweight, a lower percentage is obese. my sister worked at WHO and the US fuges the figures. now, why dont you go back to your McMansion and watch annother reality show about taking advantage of a third world contry whilst eating a ridiculusly big plate of food you got for $2 whilst people in africa starve and you steal their rice?
also, isn't america being charged with crimes against humanity by the UN because of their push to put more ethonol into petrol. it also rose food prices exponetially so the poor contries are literally starveing to death.
and why is america so againt the idea of socialisum? Australia is a Democratic-Repuplic Socialist nation. whilst america is a Democratic-Repumlic-minimalist-socialist. if people are not going to help each other, what is the point of society? socialisum is the idea of people supporting each other through govermental bodies.
YEP! aussies are fat... wait. australians are allmolst all overweight, but not Obese. whilst more australians are overweight, a lower percentage is obese. my sister worked at WHO and the US fuges the figures. now, why dont you go back to your McMansion and watch annother reality show about taking advantage of a third world contry whilst eating a ridiculusly big plate of food you got for $2 whilst people in africa starve and you steal their rice?
If Australia had anywhere near as many people as the U.S. had, the world may very well go off its axis.
Seriously, I go back to my "I don't really care" statement. I just found it highly amusing that an Australian is calling America obese (which we are), and making fun of us (which is hypocritical, because you are too.)
americans are multicultural all right. they eat German food, practice French adultery, and all weigh as much as vatican city.
Uhhh.. your country is rated more obese then America. That's a fact. Now, why don't be a good little Australian, sit down, grab a fork, and eat those words. Eat them right up. You little porker.
In all reality, I couldn't care less what country is rated more obese then the other, but your comment was shining with such an illuminating ignorance, that I couldn't help myself but call you out on it.
YEP! aussies are fat... wait. australians are allmolst all overweight, but not Obese. whilst more australians are overweight, a lower percentage is obese. my sister worked at WHO and the US fuges the figures. now, why dont you go back to your McMansion and watch annother reality show about taking advantage of a third world contry whilst eating a ridiculusly big plate of food you got for $2 whilst people in africa starve and you steal their rice?
also, isn't america being charged with crimes against humanity by the UN because of their push to put more ethonol into petrol. it also rose food prices exponetially so the poor contries are literally starveing to death.
and why is america so againt the idea of socialisum? Australia is a Democratic-Repuplic Socialist nation. whilst america is a Democratic-Repumlic-minimalist-socialist. if people are not going to help each other, what is the point of society? socialisum is the idea of people supporting each other through govermental bodies.
Thank you for making my case.
And again I will restate we are awesome because the common citizen knows about the fact that the rest of the world uses us as a whipping post so that they can feel better about themselves and vilify us, and we just shrug it off. Its not that we are oblivious to the criticism, the vast majority of us simply try to go on about our lives as best we can and try to call for changes we think will make our nation better without pointing out the flaws in other peoples governments and bursting their bubbles.
Can anybody in Australia read? So far we're batting 0. What the hell are you even talking about? Somebody from Australia (I don't even know who now, because I care so very little) poked fun at America for being obese. I pointed to a recent study showing that Australia is more obese then America, so why would you be making fun of us for that? This: "YEP! aussies are fat... wait. australians are allmolst all overweight, but not Obese.", isn't even true. That's not a valid argument. Easily ignorable.
Next thing I know, I'm being drilled about socialism, which has nothing to do with anything I said. Why are you replying to me? I told you right after I wrote my first paragraph, "I don't really care". I was only pointing out your hypocrisy. If it doesn't have to do with that, quit replying to me. It's almost getting creepy.
Thanks for listening this time.
I seriously doubt I'll reply to anyone else's posts in this thread. It just doesn't make sense to. I don't get into Flag Vs Flag warfare. I'm just nowhere near patriotic enough. In fact, as I said in an earlier post in this thread (which I'm sure nobody read), I want to move out of this country eventually.
It's the internet you have to assume people don't know what you're talking about.
The Jungle took place of 102 years ago, but that's just nitpicking. The Jungle was what started a socialistic outlook with government regulations.
The Patriot act has already taken several of those freedoms away, so all Americans (including myself) must be astronomically stupid.
Yeah but the Patriot Act is more of a personal privacy issue anyway. Yeah it was a stupid act to pass, and we won't know how many so called terrorists we caught till 20 years from now when the files are declassified.
I think everybody's bitching about it was completely irrelevent anyway, it didn't turn the U.S. into a fascist dictatorship as was predicted. Besides it will most likely be repealed when Obama takes office.
There's not much we can do about it anyway, when we elect senators and the like who don't give a flying damn about the citizens.
Wait... there are people running for office that care about us.
This kind of a interesting, but completely irrelevant fact; did you know that PETA is on the list for suspected terrorists?
Being a Canadian that has lived in America, I'll give the same answer that I always give about the ol'yanks.
It depends on where you are in America. New Englanders, for the most part, are not so brash about their identity. Vermont, New Hampsire, Massachusetts, and Maine harbor Americans of a much more moderated, self-conscious stock. Again, I'm speaking generally here.
I wish the same could be said for the south central states, such as Texas, Alabama, and Louisiana. The incredibly negative stereotype associated with Americans was birthed in deep republican territory. That's not to say that all people from these states are arrogant boobs, but a lot of them are.
Standing in the middle of it all is Ohio. Having gained a reputation for being America's 'biggest swing state', it houses everything from the hard core right to the hard core left.
California is...well...California. I don't know how to put it any other way than that.
savandicus: America is great because their adverts are HILLAROUS, i saw an advert there once for a 4 by 4 that was 'now able to hold up to 4 tonnes' and looking around you see that a large chunk of americas have these and i bet the heaviest and biggest thing they've ever carried with it is a broom.
OK so it seems you're forgetting their morbidly obese selves and all the bibles they need to convert all the heathens...
4 tonnes worth of bibles would be impressive and so would a 4 tonne person :P But what of the heatens who dont have bibles to put in their pick up truck. Maybe 4 tonnes worth of magazines?
americans are multicultural all right. they eat German food, practice French adultery, and all weigh as much as vatican city.
Uhhh.. your country is rated more obese then America. That's a fact. Now, why don't be a good little Australian, sit down, grab a fork, and eat those words. Eat them right up. You little porker.
In all reality, I couldn't care less what country is rated more obese then the other, but your comment was shining with such an illuminating ignorance, that I couldn't help myself but call you out on it.
YEP! aussies are fat... wait. australians are allmolst all overweight, but not Obese. whilst more australians are overweight, a lower percentage is obese. my sister worked at WHO and the US fuges the figures. now, why dont you go back to your McMansion and watch annother reality show about taking advantage of a third world contry whilst eating a ridiculusly big plate of food you got for $2 whilst people in africa starve and you steal their rice?
also, isn't america being charged with crimes against humanity by the UN because of their push to put more ethonol into petrol. it also rose food prices exponetially so the poor contries are literally starveing to death.
and why is america so againt the idea of socialisum? Australia is a Democratic-Repuplic Socialist nation. whilst america is a Democratic-Repumlic-minimalist-socialist. if people are not going to help each other, what is the point of society? socialisum is the idea of people supporting each other through govermental bodies.
Thank you for making my case.
And again I will restate we are awesome because the common citizen knows about the fact that the rest of the world uses us as a whipping post so that they can feel better about themselves and vilify us, and we just shrug it off. Its not that we are oblivious to the criticism, the vast majority of us simply try to go on about our lives as best we can and try to call for changes we think will make our nation better without pointing out the flaws in other peoples governments and bursting their bubbles.
Can anybody in Australia read? So far we're batting 0. What the hell are you even talking about? Somebody from Australia (I don't even know who now, because I care so very little) poked fun at America for being obese. I pointed to a recent study showing that Australia is more obese then America, so why would you be making fun of us for that? This: "YEP! aussies are fat... wait. australians are allmolst all overweight, but not Obese.", isn't even true. That's not a valid argument. Easily ignorable.
Next thing I know, I'm being drilled about socialism, which has nothing to do with anything I said. Why are you replying to me? I told you right after I wrote my first paragraph, "I don't really care". I was only pointing out your hypocrisy. If it doesn't have to do with that, quit replying to me. It's almost getting creepy.
Thanks for listening this time.
I seriously doubt I'll reply to anyone else's posts in this thread. It just doesn't make sense to. I don't get into Flag Vs Flag warfare. I'm just nowhere near patriotic enough. In fact, as I said in an earlier post in this thread (which I'm sure nobody read), I want to move out of this country eventually.
yes, what a great report. an internet article about a single study of 14,000 people in the same geographic location, and in a poorer suburb of a city, is representitive of a nation of 30 million.
and as for australians not being able to read? dont get me started on your education system, especially your universities.
ChromeAlchemist: ok now bear in mind I am about to simply argue for the sake of argument now. As I said I like America, but still...here we go. (put's asshole hat on)
Right.
You called Communism 'oppressive' so you either have the american flag tattooed to your arse or your middle name is America. Communism is an ideology of a classless structure, one that works AGAINST oppression. And since when has America protected the world from communism?
You give out more money than any other foreign government because you are the richest nation on earth. However there are many promised obligations and responsibilities that you have not followed through.
The reason they go to you to study is probably because they couldn't get into Oxford.
You don't own up to what you do. And if you do, then it takes years of protest and public outcry, or simply because you have no choice but to do so. Look how long it took for Bush to say what he did in Iraq was wrong, and it wasn't like a public declaration either, he kind of left it as a passing comment. And don't even get me started on the Iran-Contra Affair.
There is somewhere else where you can experience such a diverse array of cultures, it's called great Britain, or hell, let's just go for London.
There are many places you slander your president/prime minister and get away with it, London for one, Italy for another.
The science part is due to the funds that you own, that is why you ended up doing such a large percentage, and that is a good thing after all.
As for the healthcare part, isn't Cuba's far better than your's, Britains, or anyone elses for that matter?
The missiles in Poland are simply there to flex the American muscle, because they simply want to rattle some cages on the Russian front, to me the protection of poland is a byproduct. The chances of Russia invading poland are low, the last time someone invaded poland they got their arse handed to them, and publicly. If they were invaded now many major countries would go there to help. What stopped America from giving them the financial power and means to defend themselves, rather than openly installing missiles to increase tension?
No one is shooting said nutjobs, it's not like their lives are in danger, plus this is hardly a valid comment, there are people who would say that they would leave their country for various reasons, and are still there, part of the reason being because they aren't keen on drastic change.
What tends to happen is that the 'stepping on a few toes' ends up being violation of international law, and murdering millions for something that is better in theory, but in practice makes things worse.
It is one thing to like America, but the weapons-grade Jack-assery that you appear to be showing in that post is something I can't sit idly by and let stay unscrutinised.
1. Oh yeah North Korea is working out quite well.
2. Don't act like where you are from is poor, you can give out money to.
3. That isn't the point of what he was talking about.
4. The point is you CAN do those things, because if you haven't noticed in some places you can't.
5. Why would I want to go to Oxford? I have perfectly fine Universities right here closer to me, and maybe I will being a citizen of Poland and get it cheaper there.
6. Look at Japan in 1945.
7. People whine other places.
8. Name one example.
I haven't numbered my point's, so I don't think you responded to all of them, so I will do this to what I think you have responded to.
1. That is the people running the communist ideology, not the ideology itself. And why did you choose North Korea? Why not Cuba? And cuba is one of the nations that Could have done a lot better had America not interfered (One example being the embargo) and is possibly one of the countries that disprove the whole 'communism is evil' nonsense that has gone around for long enough.
2.Who said where I am from, we do not give out money? because I sure didn't. And for your information we do.
3. I know, but the rest of the world does NOT go to america to study. How about some kind of citation before you throw claims like that around. Besides Why do so many Americans and other people come to Britain to Go to Oxford?
4. I don't understand what point this was aimed at. Please show me and I will respond accordingly.
5. Because Oxford is one of the best Universities in the world. I would assume that if all had your mentality then many universities would be quite empty.
6. Why?
7. What?
8. The Invasion of Grenada.
1. Cuba probably wouldn't be doing so great anyway. It's still an opressive government. 2. Well I assume you aren't from a poor nation because you can get on the internet. 3. Sure they don't. But there isn't that many people flogging just to Oxford anyway. 4. ( I have no clue what I was talking about either) 5. But no one does, I just prefer one that is closer to home. 6. I was refering to how you said we don't stand up to what we say. 7. I was talking about what you said about complaining people.
savandicus: America is great because their adverts are HILLAROUS, i saw an advert there once for a 4 by 4 that was 'now able to hold up to 4 tonnes' and looking around you see that a large chunk of americas have these and i bet the heaviest and biggest thing they've ever carried with it is a broom.
I have an SUV and I tow a trailer with motocross bikes almost weekly. I've also towed a 12 foot trailer across the country twice, and I go camping at least once a month.
Believe it or not, there are people that buy them that need them.
Living in Los Angeles I used to think that America was obviously better than Mexico. Then I moved to the midwest and discovered small family restraunts with worse hygene and health violations than any taco shack or food cart I have ever eaten at in Mexico.
Basically, Los Angeles is better than Mexico and every country has gnarly places with crusty carpet.
One awesome thing about america though is that the standard of living for poor people is higher than that of poor people in other countries. That's why our poor people are so apathetic is because though their situation sucks, it doesn't really suck that bad. (Yes I have been poor before.)
yes, what a great report. an internet article about a single study of 14,000 people in the same geographic location, and in a poorer suburb of a city, is representitive of a nation of 30 million.
and as for australians not being able to read? dont get me started on your education system, especially your universities.
See thats just it. You are the exact kind of person I'm talking about though. You NEED america to be this big, pathetic, worthless nation because it distracts you from the fact that your country sucks too. You need an America to point to. You need something to occupy the media and take the blame. "Australians are fat but not obease" Well Would you care to back that up with some empirical data? Would you like to present the facts and figures YOU have collected to support this claim? Or are you just going off of the fact that we have some numbers about obesity and you see people on the streets in Australia.
I'm not saying that the US doesn't have bad things, but its obvious that alot of the people here just don't care about the good and the bad. They just want to harp on the bad and point out how a nation that most of them have probably never been to has all of these problems that they don't have without stopping for a second to realize their own flaws.
Lets take starving people in Africa. First of all you seem to be ignoring the fact that people in america send money to charities that help people in africa and many of the churches here send missionaries there to help work on buildings and starting up farming where applicable and doing medical work. Yes I know your going to scoff that they are just over there to bible thump because you have made it clear before you don't like religion and so if a person goes to another place in order to help people according to the true spirit of their religion the only plausible explination is that they will deny food to those who don't read the bible. And yet if you went there and helped people youd know if that was true or not.
Which leads me to my next point. What makes other nations so much better about it? People in america send money like anywhere else. our government does offer aid to other nations. What exactly is it that you think america can do to stop it? I can name one thing, military action. As much as I hate to say it the one thing we could do is go in and remove the despots that make it hard for many of the people to live in many of these nations. Now I don't fully agree with this measure which is probably part of the reason I also disagreed with going into Iraq the way we did. However that is the only other thing america could do and everything else its done is more or less the same as the rest of the nations.
And the same as the rest of the people in prosperous nations. I would like to borrow a simple point from the sadly short lived 'dilbert' Cartoon by pointing out that until you give it all away, or at least all that you don't truly need to live on, your not more moral you just feel less guilty. That giving should be done for its own sake and decrying others for not doing so when you still spend money on luxury items is frankly the exact same as looking down on people for not going to church. By your logic you are yourself killing dozens of children by starvation every time you buy a game.
But its easier to blame the Americans isn't it? Its very easy to look away from your own nations flaws or look at us as simple people just like you.I just really hope that if Obama and the current house and senate administration work out as well as they should you have another scapegoat lined up though because you won't be able to blame us for the worlds woes.
end of story. America thinks its great, little do they know that to the rest of the world America is considered the most egotistical nation on the planet.
You dont want a hate speech? Then don't brag, because others disagree. Fact of life.
Democracy sucks. The only thing worse is everything else. And Baiting-Master, most appropriate name ever. That's all I have to say. As for why America is so awesome, it's because we have flaws, but recognize them and are willing to fix them. We don't just pretend there are no flaws. Well, at least not the intelligent ones.
There is absolutely no difference the people running the communist ideology and the ideology itself. Wanna know why? Okay here goes:
The fundamental precedent of communism is that its structure is specifically designed to take human choice out of the equation of government. Sure people say its designed to eliminate oppression, but in reality its only substituting one kind of oppression for another. The fundamental flaw in any type of communism, be it Marxism, Leninism, or Trotskyism, is that they all assume that humans will follow a set of rules, a set of rules which are against our very nature. The fact remains the Communism needs, nay demands that it be implemented via violent revolution. This has not worked since Marx came up with the ideas and it will never work, unless humanity becomes some weird robot race that is only interested in the collective. Until that happens, human being will continue to be self-centered, egotisic beings and communism will fail every time.
Eh, I could go on forever about the failings of whichever political system, but I particularly hate when people bring up communism like they know what they're talking about and then completely show off their ignorance.
EDIT: Once again, I appeal to the mods to please for the love of God, lock this thread because it got out of hand 3 or 4 pages ago. Now here is all I am seeing, "America suxorz just because."
See thats just it. You are the exact kind of person I'm talking about though. You NEED america to be this big, pathetic, worthless nation because it distracts you from the fact that your country sucks too. You need an America to point to.
I read this far and figured that I didn't want to read the rest of your self masterbation novel...Fact of the matter is, if America didn't do it, other nations would have.
Like a teenager with a nice car, America likes to boast with a big head. Its only until the car crashes and they become numb from the waste down from being wreckless, will they relize they should just shut up and keep to themselves instead of flaunting around like the world is their oyster.
The world is not yours America, and you are not the best thing on it. Last time I checked, the rest of the world is bigger than you.
I also find it hilarious that you all go on about heroic acts in all the wars you have fought (most for your own finacial gain and egotism) your country hasn't suffered nearly as much as other nations (Russia suffered more than 20 times the population of casualties that the United States of America did) yet you go ON AND ON AND ON about the people that do good in your country...but thats only because only so few of you actually do anything considered good in the scope of the entire world.
The only thing you have done for the rest of the world is tried to make parts of it yours by force and then by trying to buddy up with it because you think they need you.
I watch your T.V shows from time to time just to laugh at how fake the American nation is. Your television programs and films are full of so much self love and pride I am surprised you haven't collapsed under the weight of your own heads.
You have nothing more in America that would make me want to leave where I am situated now. So how bout you stop going on about how good you are to the rest of the world. Your flag is no bigger nor better than any other flag in the world. So be happy with where you are, and shut up about it.
The fact that you need other people to agree with how great you are so you feel great just proves how full of yourself and dumb-founded you are.
America isn't awesome, simply because they can't laugh at themselves and they can't take criticism. If you read through this thread you'll see a bunch of Americans overreacting to people criticising them (Granted, most of these people are being hypocritical because their countries suffer similar problems to America). But just because some people criticise doesn't give you the right to have a temper tantrum.
I'm Welsh and I can't tell you the number of times I've been the butt of a 'sheepshagger' joke and still laughed along because I thought it was genuinely funny, and I've heard plenty of people criticising Wales for whatever reason and I've just reacted either in agreement (Because a lot of the time, the criticism is right on the money) or apologetically, because I have contributed to the problem the person complained about, not going absolutely spare like some of the people in this thread.
i actually am american, but as far as im concerned its actually the same country as canada, so its actually called canarica or americanadia, havent decided which yet. anyway i always thought that american history was pretty cool, especially the civil war, world wars, and the cold war.
Whenever I am on Xbox Live (especially CoD4) Team killing is a must when my team mates are Americans that feel the need to bag me out for thinking I am English.
I then tell them I am Australian and they (and I have no idea why) think I am the coolest guy ever...
DI7789: Agreed, America needs to be able to accept other people looking down on it from time to time instead of having them looking down on everybody else. They are just not use to it I guess.
America is a country that is driven by its media...and we all know how controlling and full of shit that can be. So it says a lot.
poor at best..and yes im american...not too proud to be one though