What do you think of America?

Alternatively, I think Bush is doing a great job! :D America needs somebody that will radically shake the foundation of its stupor to force unpleasant changes both good and bad down upon the whining masses in order to make people wake up and finally get off their rear ends to start making a change for themselves, rather than waiting for others to do it for them. For good or ill, chaos needs to reign for a while, before actual changes get made, because human nature will continue, and people will go back to sleep soon after, back to their stupor and reliance on handouts and least path of resistance until they are cattle prodded awake again with another radical change...

The US has grown spoiled and complacent after the 50's of the last century, taking things and the world for granted for far too long...misplaced pride and even a greater misunderstanding of the freedoms so cherished is what undermines the respectability of the great nation as it attempts to democratize other nations trying to survive...that and corporate incompetence and corruption...

Although many nations and individuals often complain about the negative aspects the US has done in the world and domestically, that is the typical rant and whining often attributed to human nature...and it's always comfortable to rant and whine about the negative aspects of one nation or another....much harder, however, to offer the positive aspects of a nation, or a rival, or competitor, since that forces people to think and behave in ways that causes people to leave their comfort zones and admit weaknesses they may also possess in their failure to attempt to better their fellow man or woman or animal or robot or themselves...

While I agree with many of the negative aspects that are the US of A, I challenge you all to come up with positive things the US or your own country have contributed to the advancement of our world and the beings that live in it. perhaps that deserves a thread of its own... :D

Do or do not, but there should be no whining! :D
 
*gasp* You do know something, den! :D

No, I really do agree with your post. I think you make some very good points. My stepdad and I were just talking about that very subject. That maybe it is a good thing that a nutcase like Bush is president. Maybe he will screw up so badly that it will spark a revolution or something. If not that, at least get people to take a second look and actually start to question what he's doing.

There are a lot of good things about where I live. I was just telling my friend today, as a matter of fact, that I don't like a lot--and I mean a lot--of things about the way this country is run, but I do like my home. I like that I have a nice piece of land with trees and grass--and yes, lots and lots of leaves to rake--in a nice and friendly community, where I can semi-confidently say that my children will be able to grow up pretty peacefully. I can easily have a 4 bedroom house, 2 cars, a motorcycle, an acre of land to go with it, where my children can run and play freely, and many other things that I would probably never be able to have somewhere else.

To me, there are always good and bad things about every country.
 
kirei_na_me said:
*gasp* You do know something, den! :D
Click to expand...

Brain Burped...sorry....

Ok..hiccups all gone now.....you are all safe again....I know nothing once again.....you can now sleep easy knowing that den4 knows nothing once again....
 
I recall once upon a time when people actually spent time discussing the good things in life.....then media came along and all you ever see is the negative aspects of life....seems like a brainwashing snowjob to me... :D

and all of you keep falling for it....and you claim you believe in freedom of choice..... :D
silly people....
 
nikki_the_insane said:
The republicans have been very week these last ten fifteen years, until now they have finally stand up and are starting to change.
Click to expand...
how so? because if i remember correctly the previous bush was engaged in a war with saddam 12 years ago, and clinton was in office for only 8 years...

Also things were going bad before Bush ever got in. Did you know Clinton had the chance to put Laden's filthy a** in jail but he let him go. Clinton was lazy and was just president for the glam of it. I don't know why you hate Bush just because he happened to be the president when the attack on the world trade center happened doesn't mean he is a bad president. I for one think he is a decent president. One of the most decent we've had in a while!
Click to expand...
yeah clinton could have gotten bin laden before, and bin laden was also our ally for a time. at least clinton was gettin the enconmy back on track. which bush has successfully made worse. i dont hate bush because he just happened to be president when the attacks happened, (he shouldnt have even been president in the first place) i hate him becuase hes a stuck up a**hole who doenst know what the hell he is doing. this is just my personal experience from meeting him when he was governor. what hes done since hasnt helped my opinion.
 
I've not been there before, so I don't think I can say a lot about it... and umm... from what you hear around in the news etc., it's not the ppls fault is it? '.'
 
@den
you do make some really valid points. so to meet your challenge some good things about this country are i can sit here and stat my adverse opinions on the president without fear of being prosicuted. i can also buy mintchip ice cream at the grocery store, which isnt as easy in foriegn markets. america has endless potental for everyone in it.


kirei_na_me said:
...Maybe he will screw up so badly that it will spark a revolution or something...
Click to expand...
rachel, your words may turn out to be very true...
 
jeisan said:
@den
you do make some really valid points. so to meet your challenge some good things about this country are i can sit here and stat my adverse opinions on the president without fear of being prosicuted. i can also buy mintchip ice cream at the grocery store, which isnt as easy in foriegn markets. america has endless potental for everyone in it.

rachel, your words may turn out to be very true...
Click to expand...

:D
I felt the same way when I was in Japan, buying Doritos at the Kinokuniya international grocery store in Ometesando (when it was there...haven't been there in years now, so I have no idea what's where, but I know nothing anyway, so that shouldn't come as a surprise :D ). And when the ultra small bite sized kiddie pack size you could get at the local 7-11 for 79cents or less in the US cost $5.00 approx at the time, I often felt America was a great nation where you didn't have to pay 500 yen for a bag of Doritos.....

but now that I'm back in the good ol' US of A, and I get hungry in the middle of the night and want to get a 7-11 onigiri and they don't have such things here, it pisses me off that all I can find are some stale hotdogs and maybe an oversized slurpy for the overweight masses.... :D

oops....I was supposed to have a positive tone in this thread..... :D

see what human nature does to you? :D

:sorry:

can't get no satisfaction I guess.....:p
 
All your Americans are belong to us

the classic that started it all :D
http://www.planettribes.com/allyourbase/download.shtml

I think this movie fits the mold of how many americans feel about other countries.... :happy:

I am also reminded of the one scene in the first Indy Jones movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark, where the girl is captured and hauled away by the Arabs and she's screaming, "You can't do this to me, I'm an American!" as if that is somehow supposed to explain why americans won't do as Romans do when they travel to Rome? or Egypt? :D

ok....back to thinking happy thoughts :happy:
 
Resistance is futile ...


That was really cool, Den4! I've never seen that before.

:happy:
 
take off every zig....now if I can figure out what a zig is, maybe I can learn to cope with unemployment better... :D
 
The United States of America is not the biggest economy anymore. The European Union with it's recent enlargement became the biggest economy in the World. Sorry USA you're now number 2 economically hahahaha.

The iron curtain, which has separated Europe since the end of the WWII has finally collapsed, as on May 1 Lithuania together with nine other states: Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Cyprus and Malta joined the European Union. The EU now unites 450 million people and is the biggest economy in the world.

Celebrations took place in all the 25 member states of the enlarged EU.

http://www.lda.lt/cgi-bin/lda/db.cg...mh=1&sb=&so=descend&view_records=View+Records

The European Union (EU) is the largest economy in the World covering 25 countries with a total of 450 million inhabitants.

http://www.prc.dk/software/pqm30/DK-Euro.htm
 
Oh, this is a really great discussion, though most people are basically of the same opinion... and it's basically my opinion as well.
Still I'd like to try to add some thoughts, difficult as it is. :?
There are so many topics, which would be interesting to discuss in itself to somehow get to the roots of what is happening in this world, and I mean in this world, it's not the States alone, who are creating this kind of chaos, I think... let's raise a question:
Are we really practicing democracy, still, or are we caught in the economical trap, meaning, aren't all the 'political systems', all the nations, under the control of the economy, which is controlled by, compared to the worlds population, a rather small group of people? :worried:
I mean, that G.W. Bush became the president of the USA has to do with his (and his family's) connection to the oil-business (which is a very powerful one) and others, and all over the world politicians are supported by important people of the economy;
terrorism is motivated by economical injustice/unbalance and religion is a tool to have an ideological (often questionable) background;
ignorance, arrogance etc. of people (not only of many Americans) is wanted, because otherwise we would be able to find out what is really going on and how much we are used and exploited; I think that we are not only manipulated by e.g. the media, but information is kept away from us;
globalisation is happening, but the economical part is again not shared but the huge benefit flows into the same pots as it does since ages; only if we will have a word to say, too, the big chances of globalisation (they are definitely not only economical) will be a benefit for all of us;
etc., etc.
I sometimes come to the conclusion that all these wars, this suffering, torture, injustice, exploitation will never end until there is no 'third world country' to use anymore. The crucial point is, that our system of steadily growing economy is founded on exploitation of countries which are less in power, politically and economically.
What will happen, if we can't produce T-shirts, shoes etc. with the labour of people who are almost eager to work for a monthly salary for which we wouldn't even work for a day? Things will get much much more expensive compared to the money we earn!!! We wouldn't be able to pay for the things anymore! There will be not enough production to raise enough money to pay for service, social things etc., etc.
There could come a point when our economical system breaks down and that would be more than painful for us. (see "Wirtschaft, die arm macht" ("economy, which creates poverty") by Mr. Afheld, German economist)
Okay, and to postpone this scenario, the most powerful nation of this world, the USA, which could erase terrorism from the earth by helping to create an economy that is fair, balanced, does not take out the root of terrorism by that, but pours oil in the fire of prejudice, hate, fear...

Well, I don't know, if I really do point out what I mean. I want to make us think about the fact, that there is more involved. It's not depending on America were we will be going in the future, though it has a big part in it and a bad president is a danger, but, as den4 pointed out, could be able to wake up enough people. But a mad president in a small country can be a big problem as well - and still it is not right to just military enter such a country and throw everything over with no idea what happens afterwards!

Let's wake up and wake others up and let's get interested in what is happening around us! Let us not being controlled! Let's not be a herd (is that an English word?) of sheep that gets excited for a moment, before it starts concentrating on the sweet grass again! Democracy means that the people has the power! We are the people! The people of this world!

And let's be careful, let's think which possibilities we have, this world does not have to work as it does now, there must be other systems, better systems. Let's look for something new! The known systems mostly failed already! And though globalisation is a chance, it bears problems, too. We should keep in mind that the austrian philosopher, Leopold Cors, proved, that every system (political, economical. physical or whatever) does collapse when it becomes too big! Let's think big and be small.... or think small and be big...??? This is too big for me!!!

Sorry, maybe I sound a bit rediculous.... maybe someone can see something in it.... :blush: :gomen:
Excuse my English, please
Interesting, difficult times we're living in! :umbrella:
 
There is a great polarization in thinking going on in America right now, mostly between Democrats and Republicans. Where I live and in almost every major American city, it seems that everyone hates Bush. Many Americans are very angry about recent events. But in places like the Mid-West, rural areas, the bible belt (places not known for their open-mindedness), they love him. Keep in mind, Bush got less than 50% of the popular vote, the rest of the votes were split between two other candidates, Gore and Nader.

Unfortunately America has a lot of country bumpkins who think Bush is the best president America has ever had and they're very vocal about it. Bush is a Republican and Republicans are always heavy-handed when it comes to foreign policy. It seems things are always more peaceful when a Democrat, like Clinton, is in office.

As an American, I regret the image that America has and presents to the world. I understand why people dislike America and I don't blame them. I just hope that people can distinguish between the politics of the country and its people. I often struggle with how I feel about being an American and I feel powerless to change the problems of my country. When I was young I thought that America was the good guy and would always do what is right, but now I'm not so sure. We have no control over our nationality. But I am a patriot and I love my homeland, I just think America has lost its way. I think, as the most powerful nation on Earth, America has a responsibilty to not only do what's best for its own interests, but to do what's best for the world. But for Republicans, it's usually all about, "Me, me, me, and get in my way and taste my wrath."

I think Bush will loose this next election. I just hope Kerry can get us out of this mess and get America back on track.
 
American people are fine, but the American government system is complete crap. It used to be good, but it fell in the hands of the wrong leaders to control it.
 
I am embarrassed by my government's actions; I am not one for nationalism... but I have never been more insecure with my national identity than now.

The day we invaded Iraq, I gave serious consideration to claiming dual citizenship (with my second as a Colombian national)... I foresaw, and to substantial extent still foresee (depending on this years election), a time when I will prefer to travel as a Colombian citizen, rather than a U.S.--and if you know anything about the difficulties of traveling on a Colombian passport, you'll know how deeply I fear for my identity as an American in a world that increassingly has good reason not to trust, or like "us"
 
It could be said...

That since people make up the system, it's the people's fault. I am tired of hearing people blame our "leaders." Most supported the business behind them, or didn't do anything to prevent it which is just as bad. I have more respect for someone who voted for Bush than someone who didn't vote at all but complains about the results now. I'm not directing any of this at Hachiko, btw. I just was reminded of hearing several groups of people recently complaining about the U.S., and each group had someone to blame, like mega-corporations, Republicans, Enron, Bush, etc. Everyone to blame but themselves.
 
Wang said:
The United States of America is not the biggest economy anymore. The European Union with it's recent enlargement became the biggest economy in the World. Sorry USA you're now number 2 economically hahahaha.

The iron curtain, which has separated Europe since the end of the WWII has finally collapsed, as on May 1 Lithuania together with nine other states: Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Cyprus and Malta joined the European Union. The EU now unites 450 million people and is the biggest economy in the world.

Celebrations took place in all the 25 member states of the enlarged EU.

http://www.lda.lt/cgi-bin/lda/db.cg...mh=1&sb=&so=descend&view_records=View+Records

The European Union (EU) is the largest economy in the World covering 25 countries with a total of 450 million inhabitants.

http://www.prc.dk/software/pqm30/DK-Euro.htm
Click to expand...

Where Do You Get Your Facts?
This site is completely false, first of all the European Union is not a Country, and the extremely poor countries of Eastern Europe are making much of that 450 Million Population, Most with a GNI per capita of less than $5,000, now tell me that is a healthy Economy! The GNI per capita of the UK is $25,510 Germany is US $22,740 and that is about as good as it gets, France is lower, Italy is less than $20,000 and Spain struggling with work problems at a GNI per capita of $14,580 all of these numbers averaged are far less than $15,000 per capita. The United States in it's entirety, Population: 291 million (US Census Bureau estimate, 2003) has a GNI per capita of US $35,400 (World Bank, 2002) The United States, and yours Truly, Japan with a GNI per capita: US $34,010 (World Bank, 2002) are the healthiest Economic countries in the world, but as you can see, America is clearly the winner. If Population were the factor, why not give the award to China? Let's just all have 30 kids, then the economy will be healthy! Largest does not mean most healthy. Europe is much poorer than the United States and Japan (The two are very close), we get to claim the award for best Economy, by far and you know what makes it even more funny, the biggest Economy in Europe is Switzerland, and they refuse to join the EU knowing it will bring down their strong economy and the extremely strong Swiss Franc (CHF) Isn't that ironic?

It is important that you realize the difference between biggest Economy and healthiest.

The basic fact still is that the European Union is not a Country.
 
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