Thread: Whats so Great About America

Before I came to T-I, I had never really been on an Internet forum. I had never met and mingled with other cultures. Coming to T-I opened my eyes to the world in ways I can't even begin to describe. It showed me that there is so much more to the world than the country I live in. Of course I knew this already but knowing it intellectually and seeing it yourself, are two very different things.

Hanging out in the IRC, I've had a lot of discussions, some of them silly, some of them very deep. Hearing some of the not-so-positive opinions of people not from my country, made me wonder if America wasn't the great and wonderful place I thought it was. I have always been a patriotic girl, very proud of the country I was born too. I could not imagine living anywhere else, could not imagine being anything but the American I am.



Over the course of the past year, I have learned a lot about other cultures and seen American from a point of view I might never have otherwise understood. However, I have also come to the conclusion that America IS the wonderful and bountiful place it is known to be. Even in the midst of recession, our "poor" class has opportunities and luxuries that the poor in other countries do not. Maybe this is a materialistic view point, but we live in a material world, where "things" matter. Air conditioning, central heat, a nice car... these are things I take for granted. I grew up with a family that struggled to pay the bills, a hand to mouth existence. And yet, I never went without. I always had what I needed and a lot of what I wanted.

Then there are the other freedoms I take for granted. The right to privacy, the right to a free education, the right to speak my mind. My boyfriend said he would give up Freedom of Speech for free healthcare. I could not. I would rather die than live in a place that oppressed me. For all the complaints about America, for all the corruption and greed, I can STILL go outside and say I hate my president (I don't btw) and not be thrown in jail.

I read an article about this very subject and I wanted to share it with you all. Please read it in it's entirety - it's eye opening and it made me think. I hope it does the same for you.

Townhall - Dinesh D'Souza - What's So Great About America

Please post your opinions below and please remember the rules of the section - flaming and nastiness is not allowed.

For me I could never fathom the idea of living in another country you ask what so great about America I tell you where else can you walk the streets at any hour of the given day with out having to worry about that you are violating a curfew and can be arrested just for being out at the wrong time. What other country can you freely express your opinion whether positive or negative about your Government without having to worry of any reproach or censorship by said Government. You ask what so great about America and to this I answer you the Constitution that provide us with the liberty and the right of live that every living Human being in the world should be provided with, and in closing I reflect on my man Don King words of wisdom "only in America".

Originally Posted by shadowbuild

For me I could never fathom the idea of living in another country you ask what so great about America I tell you where else can you walk the streets at any hour of the given day with out having to worry about that you are violating a curfew and can be arrested just for being out at the wrong time. What other country can you freely express your opinion whether positive or negative about your Government without having to worry of any reproach or censorship by said Government. You ask what so great about America and to this I answer you the Constitution that provide us with the liberty and the right of live that every living Human being in the world should be provided with, and in closing I reflect on my man Don King words of wisdom "only in America".

You know that there is a lot of countries where you can do the exact same things you just described.

There is a lot of European countries where you can enjoy the same freedom as in the US.

I'm a movie fan since i'm 10 years old, i love US movies and tv shows, i'm watching more US content than french one wich is my homeland. I learned english during the past 10 years of my life because of Jack Bauer, Vic Mackey, Tony Soprano and all the shows i could get my hands on.

So when i tell you guys i love america, please don't doubt that i'm telling the truth.

But what sometimes amazes me is how much a patriot you have to be when you are an american !

I have met a lot of people from around the world and i'm not talking about online friends, and i believe Americans are a not only a "proud of their country" people but a lot of them actually thinks that their country is the best.

I love my country but i honestly don't make charts about which country is the best, what is the meaning of " best " anyway when it comes to a country ?!

At that point, i'll say that i'm not targeting anybody here, just trying to add some foreign perspective on the matter.

I'm just wondering if that exalted sense of patriotism could be a byproduct of Uncle Sam's propensity to go to war and thus having to recruit and win the hearts and minds of the american people.

You have a great country, vasts territories, some of the most magnificient landscapes.

I remember only good things about americans when i got there many times. I remember how i was surprised to see how much it was easy to meet people, to engage in talks about everything.

But i'm in awe seeing how mass medias are manipulating public opinions, how channels like Fox are able to shape people's fears in order to control them.

I like how freedom is a respected value in the US, and how much you can enjoy it but i wouldn't protect the right to own a firearm considering the crime stats, the fact that the US are a more violent country than most of Western Europe.

I'll spare you the torture of reading a very long post and finish by saying : there is so much goodness, creativity, integrity in America that it should be a better country than what it proved to be.

The right to bear arms is an important freedom. It prevents the US military from gaining so much power over the citizens, that we lose the ability to defend ourselves. The country deserves the opportunity to rise up against the government if we so choose -- just like we did when we boycotted England and left to make our way in the world.

I know there is crime but taking guns away from citizens is not the way to stop it. As they say, guns don't kill people -- people kill people.

People from other countries don't like 'merica cuz we're better than them!

Think about it:

-we have rights
-we don't get shot when we walk outside our own homes
-we're the melting pot of like every culture, so we get to eat the tastiest foods and see the coolest things from different cultures around the world
-we don't have chicken shit laws regarding piracy, like some other places do (3-strike laws n stuff)
-we're the only place where someone who would never "make it" in any other country CAN make something of themselves here

Most of the other countries dislike us because we probably use the most shit of any country - imo

I do like other countries but I'd never want to live in any of them .

The better question to ask: What's there to hate about America?

Originally Posted by GiGA

-we don't have chicken shit laws regarding piracy, like some other places do (3-strike laws n stuff)

Aren't a majority of these rules coming about because of the pressure America is placing on the world?

"We don't like your laws, we are going to black list you and stop trading with you in other areas until you modify it to the way we want it."

I believe this also gets applied to a lot of medicines as well, which can't be good for the health and wellbeing of people in poorer counties. Didn't America put Canada on a "places to watch" black list because they had a fairly decent set of copyright laws that allowed fair use by everyone but didn't allow media companies in the US to squeeze every last cent out of them? Concerns me a little thinking about what America might forcing into the new ACTA discussions at the moment. Edit: Found that watch list info: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/download-decade/article1127052.ece

Never been to America, so I can't really comment on the actual lifestyle of its citizens but I saw that TV show where that guy lives like someone on minimum wage for a month, first day on the job he gets injured and has to visit an emergency room then can't afford the medication he needs or take time of work, making the injury worse, because he has the bill for the consultation to pay and doesn't have any health cover. That was a real eye opener. Is this really how it is for a majority of Americans? Edit: 30 Days: Minimum Wage (http://www.tv.com/30-days/minimum-wa...2/summary.html)

Everyone feels the effects of policies that are pushed out into the world even if we don't want them and I guess that does cause some countries to view the US from the outside a little negatively. But entertainment wise, TV, Games and Movies, America's doing alright. Keep it up.

Q

I enjoyed reading the article by Dinesh D'Souza, and his opinion is something I can absolutely relate to; however I believe this represents just a facet of America.

I was in the US for awhile as a kid but don't recollect much first hand. A lot of my relatives and friends have been there and many have settled there too, and after interacting with them I'd like to think my notion of USA isn't limited to what a huge number of people in the world perceive the US as. A majority (of our generation at least) thinks of the US as depicted in movies or based on TV sitcoms and shows like Friends and Seinfeld and Entourage.

Two hundred years ago the US was founded, it had already stepped into spotlight as the 'New World' since discovery - a place without borders, the land of dreams, where everyone is welcome to start anew. It was fresh land, built in an advanced world, with better technology and communication, with diverse cultures uniting with different ideals and thoughts - something that gave this country an edge no other civilization has had the luxury of. It was branded and has always been the land of opportunity because of this manner of projection of itself, a trait it has carried on and advertised very well till date.

They’ve been so successful at this, if today you ask people outside the US where they would prefer to live - America or Norway; a mighty percentage will unflinchingly say America! There's nothing wrong with this; it's just that they are most probably unaware of Norway, and very familiar with the US. Consider this though -when it comes to worldwide prosperity indexes and human living indexes, the best of the best places in the world to live in, it isn't the US but Scandinavian countries such as Norway, Sweden and Finland that emerge as cream of the crop. I’m not saying this in any way to diminish the US – it does rank amongst the top ten living indexes in the world (which is basically ten of the best countries to live in), but it has much better exposure in comparison to others.

A comic I stumbled across explains well what I mean when referring to Norway -

Norway Comic

Image is a very powerful media, and America has excelled in projecting itself as such. People are rarely exposed to other quintessential Americana which distorts this image - Native American reservations in the Midwest, the inner city urban ghettos of Detroit, the vast bareness as well as the overpopulated rural colonias of Texas, segregated townships in Florida, etc. When you think America these pictures don’t come to mind.

My cousin (with college mates) recently went to Fort Worth, Texas for an aero design competition. He stayed at his friend's relative’s place which was close by. One fine day, there was no one at home, since the residents had gone to work, just the four of them who were here to attend the competition. They wanted to go out and were searching for a mode of transportation. There wasn't a landline home to contact anyone since the residents used mobile phones, so they decided to walk down. Searching, there were no public phone booths accessible nearby. They had to walk for miles before they found an auto repair shop, which was dispatching a truck on which they took a lift finally - since there was no public transportation nearby or cab services available.

I know this isn’t prevalent everywhere – I brought this up because this isn’t something people expect when they think about visiting the USA.
Regarding healthcare - when my uncle and aunt went on a trip to visit their daughter (who is a US citizen) my aunt had a lumbar injury. She did not have medical insurance but required treatment. The medical expenses were very high. They flew back home to India later and admitted her here – and realized the cost of flight plus treatment would have been cheaper than what treatment alone was in the US. I know majority of US citizens do have insurance and may not face such a problem, but just mentioning a few incidents which tints the glossy imagery the US presents.

The fact that most people can live in America with not just bare necessities - but can afford luxuries too is something which not every country can boast of, and it’s something its citizens should rightly be proud of. You’re all incredibly fortunate to live in a country where a majority of the population can spend on 4$ non-fat lattes daily – whereas over here the 4$ could feed a family of four - three whole meals for a day or two (this is the gap in the cost of living)!

I’ll have say that despite these amenities, the idea of America projected is still a romanticized one, even the one Dinesh D’Souza writes about.

BTW - India has freedom of speech AND free healthcare – yes, free - which is quite a zinger, but then we are plagued with other problems. Due to its free public healthcare policy and otherwise cheap healthcare it is in the top three destinations of the world for medical tourism - and is known for providing quality healthcare at lowest cost. (Unfortunately the government sector doesn’t pay too well so it’s understaffed hence the outreach isn’t as large as it should be for our abundant population, so that sucks big time.)

I think living in the US can be very insulating. No doubt, America is a fantastic place to live and has many opportunities and I do think that ever since the internet exploded and more immigrants migrating there, the average joe has become more wordly.

The only 'bad' thing i can say about America is its consumerism. People are spending wayy too much and saving too little. Ofcourse, its good for the economy if people spend money, but to the point where you are maxing out your credit cards and taking second mortgages is going too far, but everyone has to keep up with the joneses.
Countries like China, India and others prey on this thus shifting the balance of power.

Nobody I know, who has ever visited the US on business or holiday has ever been disappointed. I've heard horror stories from all over the world, but never from the US.
I guess its because everyone just fits in well.

I think there's a lot of nationalist rhetoric that Americans are exposed to, especially when they're young. And I believe this creates a state of complacency in the general public. The self-aggrandizing is so thick it's almost unbearable. We're great, so why change or ask for more. The recent health care debate in the US was a great example of this.

D'Souza is making a case for America's greatness by comparing it to third world countries. The man's an idiot, or at least he thinks his readers are idiots. By way of a more appropriate comparison, here are some stats to compare how Canada (the US's closest ally in every sense) matches up to the US. Canadians are almost indistinguishable from Americans (culture, lifestyle, you name it), so I think this comparison offers a more valuable insight.

HDI - Human Development Index
Canada 4th
US 12th

HEALTHY LIFE EXPECTANCY
Canada 12th
US 24th

Preventable Deaths
Canada 6th
US 19th

Environmental Performance
Canada 12th
US 39th

Prison Population and Incarceration Rate
US 1st
Canada 93rd

Educational Score Performance
Canada: Reading 3rd, Math 5th, Science 2nd
US: Reading 33rd, Math 27th, Science 22nd

Privacy (read Liberty)
Canada 2nd
US 41st

Freedom of the Press
US 21st
Canada 25th

Dinesh D'Souza has got shit to sell. He's just another in a long line of pitch men looking to sell their junk by telling people whatever they want to hear. Do Americans really need another article or book on how great they are? Really?