<p>America is the richest country in the world, therefore, I can safely say that it is the best country at creating wealth.
America also has 13 of the top 20 universities in the world according to [World’s</a> Best Colleges: Top 400 - US News and World Report](<a href=“http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/worlds-best-colleges/2009/06/18/worlds-best-colleges-top-400.html]World’s”>http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/worlds-best-colleges/2009/06/18/worlds-best-colleges-top-400.html) so its safe to say that America has the best system of higher education.
I think its also safe to say that America has the best army in the world (although that might not be if measured per capita)
America is also responsible for the modern automobile, the airplane, nuclear energy, light bulbs, the television etc… you get the point.
No other country is as good at as many things.</p>
<p>Being the richest is something to be proud of because if you’re rich you must have a morally fulfilling life and be happy?</p>
<p>Having the “best” universities (again best is subjective and can not be verified, and even it could it wouldn’t be because it was: ) ranked by US News, a US company with vested interested in US colleges and all things to do to the US.</p>
<p>Having the largest army is something to be proud of because you can kill and murder with ruthless efficiency.</p>
<p>I don’t see a whole lot to be proud of. And if you have any Christian values at all you know that pride is one of the seven deadly sins.</p>
<p>If you’re going to be proud of something be proud of humanity or the world as a whole. All the things that WE have accomplished, all the things that WE have done and seen and made. I think it’s much more satisfying than drawing imaginary lines and dividing people.</p>
<p>Cuse, all of NATO gets to enjoy the benefits of the USA being the most powerful country in the world.</p>
<p>sounsure, why do you want America to fail? Whatever beefs you have with the US, it doesn’t seem to affect you in any way since you’re a comfortable college student posting on the internet.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>There’s plenty to be proud of, and plenty to condemn and learn from, like slavery and manifest destiny.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Why? It’s lead to wars in the past but at the present seems to be a great tool for economic and scientific competition.</p>
<p>Oh I don’t want the US to fail. I quite like the US and I respect them. As I said I have qualms with them because them because of certain things.</p>
<p>I just have to play devil’s advocate to people who are so up their own asses they can’t see anything except “USAUSAUSA”</p>
<p>I’m not a college student either.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Um, no. Take a look at places like Somalia and Sudan and see how morally fulfilling and happy those people are. Wealth buys stability. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Yep. Peace through strength. No organized nation wants to mess with us because they know that we can pound them into the ground. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Cool, you aren’t an American, so that would make sense. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Ah, so you are an anarchist then? Hate to break it to you, but international borders are anything but “imaginary”.</p>
<p>Well, instead of attacking the blind supporters themselves, give examples to show that the US is not flawless. We’ve been hit harder by the global recession than pretty much anyone besides Iceland and maybe Spain, and we haven’t won a prolonged war since World War II.</p>
<p>“Being the richest is something to be proud of because if you’re rich you must have a morally fulfilling life and be happy?”
It means that we are the most successful. Success is measured in money, the payment given for goods.</p>
<p>“Having the “best” universities (again best is subjective and can not be verified, and even it could it wouldn’t be because it was: ) ranked by US News, a US company with vested interested in US colleges and all things to do to the US.”
Don’t play ignorant. You know that HYPMS and Caltech are among the best 10 schools in the world.</p>
<p>“Having the largest army is something to be proud of because you can kill and murder with ruthless efficiency.”
And we can defend the interests of humanity from great evils like the USSR and Islamism.</p>
<p>“I don’t see a whole lot to be proud of. And if you have any Christian values at all you know that pride is one of the seven deadly sins.”
I’m not Christian. Pride is not a sin, it is a virtue. Self victimization is the greatest sin.</p>
<p>“If you’re going to be proud of something be proud of humanity or the world as a whole. All the things that WE have accomplished, all the things that WE have done and seen and made. I think it’s much more satisfying than drawing imaginary lines and dividing people.”
I’m not proud of humanity as a whole because much of it has worked against good. Look at Communism, Islamism, Nazism, Juche, etc. I’m not proud of all of America’s history either (slavery), but I think overall, and certainly since Carter lost reelection, we’ve been doing right.</p>
<p>Success is most certainly NOT measured in money.</p>
<p>In all honesty, I do not think those are anywhere near top schools looking from a holistic scope.</p>
<p>“[G]reat evils like the USSR and Islamism”? Are you serious? I don’t want to offend you but you’re a bit deluded if you think these are great evils. Have you ever noticed how every country always thinks they’re the good guys?</p>
<p>Pride is a sin or a virtue only in context. For those seeking wisdom and knowledge it is definitely a sin because it obscures and distorts the truth of things.</p>
<p>On average, America has done just as much damage as any other part of humanity. Indeed America is just a small part of humanity. So whether you like it or not you share all our accomplishments and all our faults.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Once again, look at places like Sudan and Somalia and then look at places like the United States. I’d say that wealth has worked out for us.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Are you serious? The USSR murdered tens of millions of its own citizens, exiled political dissidents into labor camps in Siberia, and effectively denied freedom to anyone within its own borders. The USSR ranks up there with Nazi Germany as one of the great evils of the 20th century. Islamism is a rapidly emerging evil. How can you consider either one to be a good thing?</p>
<p>You know what I’ve realized, it really doesn’t matter what you think, and I don’t care what you think. America’s the best either way.</p>
<p>There’s that arrogance again. I don’t really care what you think either. I’m just happy to not be so far up my own ass. But neither of us can say what country is, or is not, the best because it’s all subjective anyway.</p>
<p>
And the US has murdered millions of other country’s citizens. Look, I know to you there is probably some intrinsic difference between killing going on between two side of a fence. However, to me, murder is murder is murder.</p>
<p>
Oh I agree. Wealth, up to a certain point, is a great indicator of success and life quality. However, I believe after a certain threshold is crossed it becomes not only not indicative of success and quality of life, but detrimental. And yes I think Americans are way to prosperous for their own good. I’ll give you a rudimentary example: food. Food has become such a taken for granted luxury that most of your country is over weight. Taking advantage of this your capitalist rulers have decided to start reducing the calories in food and then selling it at a mock up price. So you are now paying more for food with less calories simply so you can have the pleasure of stuffing your face more without the extra pound. Meanwhile, in the real world, some families have to plow fields and work crops just so they don’t die. Try tell someone from one of these countries you go to a place to lift heavy stuff around because your normal life is so fantastically lazy and he won’t believe you.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>If you can’t see the difference between dropping a bomb to end the deadliest war in history and systematically starving and murdering millions of your own citizens, I have little hope for you. Love your revisionist history. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Now I really have heard everything. Who cares if we can afford to eat what we want? Inequality will always be present in the world, and nothing is ever going to change that. If you believe that we are too prosperous for our own good, by all means, feel free to come here and hang out on the streets. Bring your friends, and don’t get jobs. Maybe if you recruit a few million people to come here, hang out and do nothing all day our GDP will drop to a level that you find is acceptable.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Killing citizens is never “good”, but the US’s wars have all been in the interest of protecting itself or its allies. While I and many others disagree with the motives for going into Iraq, if that’s what you’re referring to, it removed a dictator and created a democracy in an unstable region. The USSR on the other hand killed civilians out of paranoia and fear and left millions dead and many more poor.</p>
<p>
I wasn’t talking about that. I’m talking about a number of countries the US has invaded for no reason. Vietnam is probably one of the better known.</p>
<p>It’s interesting though, if you’re speaking of hiroshima and nagosaki. Because I believe history has shown that both those bomb drops were unnecessary and that Japan had infact surrendered prior to their dropping. (or perhaps one or the other, I am not versed in history)</p>
<p>
I agree inequality will always exist in the world, but that wasn’t quite my point. My point was the US has become to prosperous for it’s own good. I mean you have a fake economy for god’s sake that is suspended by almost nothing but credit and people buying **** they don’t want or need with money they don’t have.</p>
<p>
See I agree. I am just trying to say the line between good and bad becomes very blurry. I don’t think all the US wars are as noble as you think they are. And I don’t think the USSR was as evil as you think they are. It has to do with a lot of propaganda. I have spoken to Russians who say they felt safer in the USSR, so go figure. Also there is a tendency in the US to think “Oh alright we can do this and this and this, but we still won’t be as bad as the USSR or the Nazis”, “We can take away these rights and we’re still not as bad”, “We can kill these people and take this from this country and we’re still not as bad as THEM”</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>How are they not also propagandized?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Are you kidding? Look at the backlash to even mild torture.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Last I checked we intentionally “murdered” about 300 innocent civilians in Vietnam, although a large number more were killed as a result of collateral damage. Where are the “millions” of people that you are talking about?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Absolutely false. The Japanese were prepared to fight to the last man, woman, and child in the event that the United States invaded the Japanese mainland. Estimates at the time figured that there would be close to a million Allied casualties, with many, many more Japanese civilian casualties. Hiroshima and Nagasaki ended up saving countless lives on both sides. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>A “fake” economy? So that’s what we are calling the world’s largest economy now?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Exactly. Once people living behind the Iron Curtain got a glimpse of what the outside world was actually like, it was the beginning of the end for the USSR. They knew they couldn’t compete with capitalism and the west, and did their best to shield this fact from their people. That, and they killed or exiled anyone who they disagreed with. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Right-because it would take a good amount of effort to ever come close to being as evil and destructive as the Nazis or Communists under Stalin were.</p>
<p>
They were. That’s my point. Everyone displaying nationalistic ideals is usually brain washed in some way or the other.</p>
<p>
That’s good. I have great hopes for the American public (well some). But think how long this torturing has been going on? And that’s only what has reached the public. I can almost assure you that there has been some seriously sick **** go on that hasn’t and will never be disclosed.</p>
<p>
It’s hard to find good statistics. Especially when they’re probably propaganda from the government. I am sure the figure is much larger. And that’s only the civilians. Soldiers are people too. And I can’t remember the exact name of the incident but there was a case where a troop of soldiers raided a village in vietnam of women and children and men and killed them all for no ****ing reason. All civilians.</p>
<p>
Check your facts. I am almost positive you have it wrong.</p>
<p>
I can’t be fake because it’s big? Nice logic. Anyway the ****storm the US economy is in now is because of how messed up your credit system is. It will eventually crumble anyway.</p>
<p>
What?</p>
<p>
Well the US has certainly come close.</p>
<p>Hiroshima and Nagasaki were probably effective, although we’ll never know for sure. We’ll never have another chance, either, since bombing citizens to coerce an enemy to surrender, regardless if it saves lives or not, became illegal with the Geneva Conventions.</p>
<p>It worked then, but hopefully we’ll never have to do it again.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>The US has killed 10’s of millions of its own people?</p>
<p>No I meant in killings in general around the world. However, during world war 2 I believe Japanese Americans were sent to internment camps and kept there without any rights, and without due process of the law. Similar to Nazi Germany and the USSR? Yes. On the same scale, not quite.</p>