What's so great about America anyway?

As an AMERICAN, I wonder. What makes us so special?

I'm kinda patriotic. I like Fourth of July, if I went to another country, I'd be proud, not ashamed, that I was an American. I don't want us to give up our sovereignty to a global government.

But when is a flag, really worth dying for, worth worshiping? Our Constitution has some great ideas, but a lot of it is just common sense.

I don't get how America as a country is basically part of the religion here.

What i see about American patriotism is that. They are only concerned about their own right to be free. And they want every one else to be like them.

When i hear a American say: I am proud to be an American. Its like i should be sorry for being a Norwegian. But what can a American do that i can't do?

If i cant do it. It probably is because America wont let me.







[edit on 27.06.08 by spy66]

I have been to America on a few occaisions and would love to go back someday. I love visiting the States, everthing is so well organised, the people seem to be genuinely warm and friendly. your service industry is 2nd to none, you have some of the most amazing lanscape and countryside in the world. I will never forget my trip to the Grand Canyon, Yosemite National park and Death valley.

I also made a trip to Chicago to visit the old Warehouse the home of House Music. This music has had a huge impact on my life and provides me with a career.

HBO shows like The Wire, Generation Kill......
NIKE trainers


So there's a few great things about America from a Brit.



[edit on 9-12-2009 by woodwardjnr]

Its not so much as America nowadays as it is the idea behind America and how it used to be. We are the very first nation that every citizen are sovereigns, and the kings of their own castle. We have a freedom of speech no matter what, and we still have alot of rights. Now you asked if America is worth fighting for. The answer is yes, but you should be wise and pick the right war. Right now we are in a war with are government to gain our lost rights back, ones stripped away by the patriot act (bush), and by the socialist ideals set forth by obama. America has been knocked down, but by the will and patriotism of the people we can pick her back up.

Now people from other countries might bash us for things, even the rights we have! But America is still the best in rights by far.

reply to post by kingoftheworld


Also, Don't forget America is still the land of opportunity. Nowhere else in the world can so MANY people achieve success. It doesn't matter who you are or where you come from, you can do anything. Your not locked in to a caste system or a "tradeskill" system. Anyone "can" become a CEO of a company or their own company they created. Anyone "can" become rich by ideas, luck, chance, skill, blind opportunity, etc.

So many people in other countries are "locked" into a "labor" career with little opportunity to achieve due to the "systems" in place.

reply to post by infolurker


Yeah, because of capitalism, and now liberals are starting to attack this! We really need to stop all of this crap before we become the Socialist States of Amerika.

We got lots of nukes, and that makes us special. Doesn't it, rest of the world? Come on rest of the world, say it, say "Americans are SPECIAL!" Come on, say it, or we'll bomb you next. Oh, and keep taking our funny money in exchange for your cheap labor and natural resources, or we'll be EXTRA SPECIAL to you all! Yup, we're damn special alright! And we got the bombs to prove it! The rest of the world better get use to it and start bowing down to US!

The best thing about America is it's people. Not the fat cats in Washington or on corporate boards but the real people you meet on the streets.
Contrary to our public image as portrayed by the media or our politics, most Americans are just decent, hard-working people that care about their neighbors and friends. Normal people, just like in Europe or anywhere else.
I do have to add that our landscape is pretty incredible. Come visit our national parks if you can, we have a little bit of everything here. As for me I love Virginia and it's little mountains (or big hills), must be the English in my heritage.

Good question, though I doubt you'll get many really honest answers.

The truth is that America isn't any better or worse than any other nation, and we, as Americans are no more "special" or "great" than the citizens of any other nation on the planet.

What sets Americans apart?..........

Ego and Arrogance.

Sad, but true.

reply to post by infolurker


OPPORTUNITY ?

Yes a lot people think they are superior : and they want to play the game : ( for example studies say that most student think they have their chance : in fact : no fives years later, they will not be the king of the jungle : this is most statistically more probable 30 years later ).

So opportunity is part of the illusion.

I don't want a system build upon opportunism (because it is illusion , an blind illusion that does watch those which didn't get their opportunity) : but i accept that some people want to take their opportunity.

Opportunity works only in an irrationnal system : ie commercial, biased.


[edit on 9-12-2009 by psychederic]

Originally posted by infolurker
reply to post by kingoftheworld

 

Also, Don't forget America is still the land of opportunity. Nowhere else in the world can so MANY people achieve success. It doesn't matter who you are or where you come from, you can do anything. Your not locked in to a caste system or a "tradeskill" system. Anyone "can" become a CEO of a company or their own company they created. Anyone "can" become rich by ideas, luck, chance, skill, blind opportunity, etc.

So many people in other countries are "locked" into a "labor" career with little opportunity to achieve due to the "systems" in place.

What makes the U.S any more of an opportunity over the U.K, Austrailia, Canada or any other well off nation. I'm in Canada, lots of everything here, how are you better?

What's so great about America?

How long have you got?

America is both a place, and an ideal; that's not something many places can boast.

Physically, America boast beauty that few countries can match. From the Grand Canyon, Zion Nat'l. Park, the Grand Tetons, the coast of Alaska where the mountains come down to the ocean. The northern California coast. The Painted desert at sunset, or sunrise. Denali, in Alaska, on clear cold January morning as the sun rises and paints it in a million shades of vermilion. Some places can match some of it, but none have it all.

As an ideal? Again, America is something special to millions, perhaps billions, in other places not so blessed. Why else do they risk life and limb in the hopes of finding something better?

We who live here, and I, for one would live no where else, are somewhat spoiled, and perhaps arrogant... Your point would be? For all our faults, and we have more than a few, no one has ever done it quite like we have. In under two hundred and fifty years, America has gone from a group of former colonies huddled on the Atlantic coast to a colossus the strides the world...only Rome has ever come close to matching this.

Has it all been sweetness and light? No. Our skeletons are many, and gruesome; our late abolishment of slavery comes immediately to mind, along to the horrific treatment of subjugated native Americans. Yet no other country does as much introspection as we do...slavery has been dead and gone for well over a century, yet as a country we've still not moved far from our guilt. Whether that's a good thing or not, I leave to the individual. Nor have we moved far, with much more reason, from the guilt over the treatment of native Americans. Is there another country on Earth that does as much of this as we do? If so, there aren't very many, and none as loudly and publicly as we.

Some of you will, of course, disagree. Yet another thing that separates us from many a place on Earth. You are welcome to do so.

As for our actions in the rest of the world? Well...that's a bit more problematic. We tend, as a whole, to try to do too much. Be too many things to too many people, or the wrong people...

Many of you know the litany at least as well as I, maybe better. Just remember this, the wrongs done were done by our govt., not by America at large... Our weakness, if it can be called that, is we tend to trust that our leaders know what they're doing, which when combined with an alarming apathy leads to bad things. That apathy shows signs of weakening in recent months, so that's a good sign.

So...That's some of the faults of America...

What's so great about America?

This "egotistical and arrogant" American happens to think many, many things are great about America...

The people... We're loud, arrogant, surprisingly uninformed about the world around us, shockingly boorish at times. Yet at the same time, in the same breath, we'll give the shirts off our backs to those in need. Fly thousands of tons of relief supplies to countries loud in their hatred of us, and ask nothing in return. Name another country on Earth, that is both as hated and loved by some of the same people as the United States of America?

It'd be nice if everyone loved us. Sure. It's not going to happen though, and I don't want my country to try to change it's ways just to be loved. We are what we are...and that's pretty damned awesome, dude...even with the warts.

Originally posted by Donnie Darko
Our Constitution has some great ideas, but a lot of it is just common sense.

If it's just common sense then why do most of the people in the world not have something similar?

The Ideas/Ideals of America are what make us special/unique.

There is no where else I would rather be from.......except Tahiti, it's just too perfect down there.

Answering the question: What's so great about America anyway? has nothing to do with: Why is America better than the rest of the world?

The two are very different questions and the latter was not the one asked.

- America is great when "We the People" act like it's great.
- America is great when you see protesters surrounding the capital and not being randomly shot at.
- America is great when its people band together for a cause. Any cause.
- America is great because when disaster strikes -- here and around the world -- its the American people themselves -- not the government -- that step up to the plate and help our fellow American out. FEMA may have let Katrina victims down, but many Americans themselves did not.
- When the tsunami hit several years ago -- it was the American people that banded together and donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the relief effort.
- America is great because the American dream is alive in many of us, although it has been buried, I believe that when the time comes, it will once again shine.
- America is great because of its ideals -- not always its execution. Its founding principals are sound, just, and attainable. Losing one's way does not mean that the intial goal was flawed, but instead those in charge of protecting them are flawed.

I believe in the United States. I believe in the possibility that my children's children may one day again experience the American Dream as it was intended.

The greatest thing about America? The ability to leave if you don't like it here.

Originally posted by Rhetoric
Good question, though I doubt you'll get many really honest answers.

The truth is that America isn't any better or worse than any other nation, and we, as Americans are no more "special" or "great" than the citizens of any other nation on the planet.

What sets Americans apart?..........

Ego and Arrogance.

Sad, but true.

It is better than Somalia- you can take that to the BANK OF RELATIVISM and keep it as a sound investment

Originally posted by psychederic
reply to post by infolurker

 

OPPORTUNITY ?

Yes a lot people think they are superior : and they want to play the game : ( for example studies say that most student think they have their chance : in fact : no fives years later, they will not be the king of the jungle : this is most statistically more probable 30 years later ).

So opportunity is part of the illusion.

I don't want a system build upon opportunism (because it is illusion , an blind illusion that does watch those which didn't get their opportunity) : but i accept that some people want to take their opportunity.

Opportunity works only in an irrationnal system : ie commercial, biased.


[edit on 9-12-2009 by psychederic]

without opportunity you have skull crushing, life surpressing, the very essence of our being surpressing boredom, stagnation and, ultimately, a worse life for most of us

reply to post by Donnie Darko


You have to leave it to appreciate it. That is what everyone I ever heard that has left it to travel has told me.

I'll take their word for it. I have no desire to cross any borders.

And like it or not, the NWO globalists will never take us over. To get their way, they have to try. This is what will bring them down.