Why America is better than England, a Independence Day Thread

Originally posted by DeepThoughtCriminal

I've asked them about all the problems within their nation before, and they still insist that it's better than everywhere else. They can acknowledge the issues yet still claim that it's better there than any other country. They tend to "compensate" by claiming to have practically invented the modern world through popular culture and (believe it or not) democracy. Yeah... some of them actually think they invented democracy.

Statistical proof is required.

my house is the best house in the universe, period...
Why? because I have an emotional attachment to the people in and around it...
Is it objectively the best? nope...just my subjective view.

Your speaking to people speaking subjectively about their house, they are simply confused about subjective verses objective fact.
If they insist on their country, state, town being the best, well, thats when you ask which area and require it to be backed up with sourced reports showing this.
Eventually they will understand its not about one place or another being a objective best, its about just enjoying their home...

But really, when you talk to people like that...meh, just ignore em if logic and reason fails...not everyone is clever enough to understand this.

Hmm
No...come on now...places like north korea and such are horribly brainwashed and pariah level patriots.
I think you may be thinking "lazy". aka, americans often don't know facts and details about other countrys..I blame the school system and their endless teaching of american history verses world history. when you graduate, you will know far more about the underground railroad and hardly anything about other nations on earth.

I'm aware of places such as N. Korea and China, etc. I meant that U.S. Americans are brainwashed subtly through their media that they don't even realise it. People in N. Korea and China know what's going on - they're just silenced. U.S. Americans don't even seem to be aware of the extent their media and forced patriotism has upon their minds.

I agree that the typical american has to deal with endless corporate brainwashing
sorry, -chooses to deal with-
Also, the championship sporting event called politics has to "out american" each other in order to win sponsorship, which in turn does make people less likely to question the supremacy.

Nope, no retort to this...I agree overall...american tv watchers are generally brainwashed.

The internet is slowly altering this though..this contraption is allowing for a more global mindset to occur..at least, easier access to wake one up should they want it.

So, you start thinking America has done and invented everything ever...before us, people generally hid in caves.

THIS. Is this actually what is being taught in schools? I know you guys have problems with funding for tertiary education, but if this is what most people's education is like... how can you say your society is not, to some extent, brainwashed?

Was an overexaggeration on my part
I was saying that the focus of our high school (pre 18 year old education) is focused on the maths and sciences, and the history of this nation primarily...there is world history taught, but equal time is given
aka, you will know a year of what happened to this young nation, and a year of the rest of the world and all time
then 2 more years of various...point being, you can not cram in even the major events of the world in the time given...so, the american kid is taught specifics about the nation they live in, and very general aspects of the rest of the world.

Funny thing
You are not actually required to read threads that you dislike the topic of.
Its not like some massive test where you have to weigh in on all topics, regardless of like or interest...pick and choose and you will find your experience far better.

I still have to see the title lines. What I meant is that I thought this site was better than the mere promotion of U.S. agenda, and it is saddening to see so many people get sucked into it.
If I see one more post by a U.S. American insulting other countries yet again, well, ATS will lose this member.

Ya, my pet peeve are partisan threads
I totally hate it...its nonsense, it suckers me in often, and its not why I came to ATS.
I become grumpy and if I spend too much time in them, I end up losing my composure..yet it is hard to avoid.

But, well...there will not be any censoring of subjects because some members simply dislike the general context...thats not what ATS is about..so, you might as well just leave and save yourself some rightous indignation...because there will be plenty of anti-american threads, pro-american threads, anti and pro israel threads, etc etc etc..

Come on man, your an Australian...you lot wrestle crocks out of boredom...your a bit stronger than that, aren'tcha?

I'm not Australian, I live here for work at the moment, but I am Argentinian. Also, whether you jest or not, that sentence really does show your ignorance of the rest of the world. I assure you, it's becoming tiresome outside the U.S.A.

If joking about steriotyping a personality based on a nation is tiresome, the entire earth should be tired of everyone at this point.
read this thread...watch how often people satire themselves, others, etc...

Perhaps you simply have no sense of humor?

Sounds like you may need some therapy. a conspiracy website in general invites a lot of opposing debate regardless of the subject.
if you find its personally effecting you...if subjects and debates are having that impact on you...then I would suggest it has little to do with the topics and probably something to do with the processing.

Sounds like clinical depression more than anything else.

you sad bro?

I am not a "bro", I am not a male. Nor am I an idiot. I am familiar with the concept of debate, etc. What bothers me here is all the posts dedicated to promoting how "great" U.S.A. is and how much "better" it is than other nations. I would like all the rabid patriots to get off their high horse and cease to speak with such irrationality.

I agree..irrational mindsets and posting is lame..however, debate and jabbing one another in the name of good spirited friendly competition is always welcome.

It is not just posts in this forum that bother me - it is all and any U.S. Americans, usually in person, who insist on such disrespect.

So, your tolerant of say...french people whom insist on disrespect, or chinese, but not americans?
Bit bigoted if you ask me.

You have done nothing but reinforce my already negative view on U.S. Americans.

And here I thought we were becoming BFF's

You have resorted to the infantile argumentative tactic of attempting to personally insult the other person - such as accusing me of having "clinical depression".

There is a difference between insult and analysis
You are saying threads...chatter on the internet...text is having physical and mental consequences on you.
That is going far beyond the passionate distaste for a subject, that is taking it personally, taking it far beyond anything I could possibly do
and that IS a sign of something going wrong deeper than just a crappy day.

It was not a insult though, and I do believe there is some sort of depression issue going on here...or you could simply be irish
(omg, if you took the irish thing seriously, that will confirm my thoughts about you)

What the hell? I'm not some idiot teenager. I'm a successful geologist in my mid-twenties and have travelled widely all over the world, including the U.S.A.

I totally envy you. Not only are you paid to travel, but to uncover really cool stuff,
What would you say is the most fascinating place you have been?
Its America, isn't it...

(I will force you to smile at it eventually...or explode)

But seriously, what is the job of a geologist today? what is the "hot spots" in the world at the moment?

What I say is based on my myriad of personal experiences, and even though English is not my first language, it does give me some pride that I appear to use it better than you do.

Perhaps. I think you may have misunderstood some aspects overall. I speak quite often in conversational style typing...meaning I leave out words now and then in order to relate better to a spoken language verses a linguistics course

I am going to go to the store. Do you need anything,
verses
Going to the store. Need anything?

Although if I was preparing a paper, I would type full and proper sentences, and maybe run a spellchecker on it..leave out the slang and nettisms...perhaps not use soo many periods per pause...etc.

reply to post by woodwardjnr


I call foul The British knew Mike Myers was a Canadian, the Americans didn't know Hugh Laurie was English LOL

Nice try though.

Originally posted by thequietone
reply to post by SaturnFX

 

Just wanted to point out that our tv liscence is per household not per tv otherwise we'd all be broke!!

Also you forgot to mention healthcare, i presume that in the states its also free?? your taxes do go towards that dont they?

Is healthcare free in the US? I thought that's what Americans were fighting against when Obama wanted to have an NHS style system over there and they preferred their "we'll pay for our healthcare thanks and if we can't afford it, screw it" methodology?

Here's a good thing about the UK, our ad breaks are generally every 15-20 minutes.

Seriously. Watching wrestling live rarely on monday nights (2am-4am, damn the time zone differences), they have ads every 5-10 minutes and it gets real annoying but the reasonable thursday evening repeat doesn't cut to commercial until every 20 minutes has passed to fit around UK ad scheduling.

Good thing about the US? Most (I say most though my girlfriend has to work to keep her fellow Americans stocked up on hot dogs) get July 4th to celebrate with family while we have to spend our national day - St George's Day - with no national day off work to celebrate. Which sucks.

Originally posted by alldaylong
reply to post by SaturnFX

 

Only an Englishman could go to America and pretend he is an American and get away with it. I give you Hugh Laurie.

www.youtube.com...

So come on my American cousins beat that

Gonna call foul also

We gave you Madonna, you in turn gave us Hugh Laurie
Fair is fair!

Now, in a few years, we can discuss giving you Katy Perry and Lady Gaga in exchange for the Ian McKellen...(will settle out of court for Patrick Stewart and Emily Blunt)

reply to post by curious7


Who eats hotdogs on the 4th?

I grill a nice tender Rib eye steak.

Medium rare with tators and corn on the cob with Beer.

Lots and Lots of beer

Originally posted by NotTheOne

Originally posted by syrinx high priest

Originally posted by randomname
go visit detroit. it looks like beirut 1986. i have never seen a city like that, not in england, not in south america.

well then I guess all those metal bands from birmingham bragging about what a tough childhood it was are just whimps ?

Birmingham isnt too bad, probably worse town/city 30/40 years ago is Liverpool/Manchester, a lot of poverty and some crimes.

Depends where you go and when you lived there.

Admittedly I'm in a place bordering Warwickshire and not inner city but even in my town, it has a reputation for being full of illiterate drug addicts who seem to have had almost all of the town's residents spend some time in jail. Sort of like, in my teens you'd get those tough looking people older than you looking to start a fight and most likely carrying a knife and when they asked where you were from and got their answer, they'd back off.

The closer you get to the inner city, the worse off the place and the people look/are.

Tough childhoods?

Most metal bands came from the Black Country (Wolverhampton, Dudley, places like that) while Black Sabbath came from Aston where you get most of the black gangs stabbing and shooting each other these days (not like the old days when fights were settled with fists).

Originally posted by SLAYER69
reply to post by curious7

 

Who eats hotdogs on the 4th?

I grill a nice tender Rib eye steak.

Medium rare with tators and corn on the cob with Beer.

Lots and Lots of beer

Well it sounds better than the hot dogs her store is stocked up on. They can't even sell beer and fireworks are banned in her state.

Totally ridiculous but damn, I'm hunkering for some steak now lol

reply to post by SLAYER69


and I smell pico de gallo, fajitas, arroz, and frijoles.

Beats hotdogs any day of the week.

forgot the Tequila.

Kinda sad we have a fire ban and won't be able to pop those Made in China fireworks.

Originally posted by SLAYER69
reply to post by curious7

 

Who eats hotdogs on the 4th?

I grill a nice tender Rib eye steak.

Medium rare with tators and corn on the cob with Beer.

Lots and Lots of beer

I eat bangers and mash on the 4th

mostly for the irony

Originally posted by curious7
I'm hunkering for some steak now lol

AND........




BEER!
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/49ee10b82b6e.gif[/atsimg]

I personally don't like the idea of an island. It feels claustrophobic to me. It can be subject to blockades etc, and no escape. I love the continental USA.

reply to post by jam321



Yeah whats up with that?
Growing up in LA we couldn't pop fireworks for the 4th because of it being a "Fire hazard" but people over in China Town were able to pop off tons for their Chinese "New Years"

"In America, the average person has 63 televisions in their home (give or take)."


Only one licence required per household thus you could have 1000 Tv's under one roof and you only pay for the one so dont worry about you 63 television.. (wtf?)



Anyway a TV licence indeed funds the BBC but in return you get to watch quality TV with NO ADVERTISING before during or after the programs. that in so many ways is worth the £ not to mention that BBC programs are some of the most original and entertaining out there.


Moreover, I'm happy to pay the £145 a year for a TV licence.. because in the UK you don't pay squat for Health insurance. which in America (last time i checked) you do.. which sucks!

Originally posted by SaturnFX
THIS IS NOT A TROLL THREAD!

ok, I wanted to have a somewhat light and "happy" thread about the pro's of the USA.
First I was going to go with comparisons in places like North Korea, China, etc..

But thats too simple, they are not even remotely on the same level...its like comparing a ferrari to a coal powered motor scooter.

I decided then to go with the country most loved by us generally, the UK...and more specifically, England.
our Independence day celebration is based off of breaking off from England and starting our own nation (Which England gladly accepted with no fuss

)

Anyhow, its hard as hell to figure out what is actually better between the US and England...the nations quality of life generally are matched point for point, which makes it even more interesting on the minor differences. And yep, there are differences...so, what is better then.

__________________
Well, lets start with the ole boob tube.
__________________

In the United Kingdom and the Crown Dependencies, any household watching or recording television transmissions must purchase a television licence, every year. As of 2010, this costs £145.50 for colour and £49.00 for black and white.[1] The licence is required to receive any television transmission, whether it is received via terrestrial, satellite, cable, or the Internet. A licence is not, and never has been, required simply to possess a TV set, for the purpose of watching pre-recorded content, or use as a monitor for video games or computers. Although income from the licence is primarily used to fund the television, radio and online services of the BBC, a licence is needed to view all broadcast channels, including commercial services. Total levies from the licence fee were £3.45 billion in 2009–10[2] of which £556 million or 16% was provided by the Government through concessions for those over the age of 75.

Now, this is something that I found sucked when I lived over there.
Every television in the house, if plugged in, requires you to pay the government for the opportunity to play the signals shot in your house anyhow. This money is used to pay off their stations, and that makes sense, but the whole philosophy is screwy (We will blast signals into your home...should you have a device that makes sense of it, you must pay)

In America, the average person has 63 televisions in their home (give or take). Putting a rule in like this would have many simply melt down into primal rage.
___________
Guns
_____________

I am not a gun owner...unless the gun is made of pixels, then I am ultimately not a fan. I prefer swords..however, I do understand the enjoyment of gun ownership (I once owned a BB Gun, I was a mightly slayer of tin cans).
In the UK, you can own a shotgun if your a farmer...otherwise, nope...no collections, no handguns, etc...hell, even the average cop is left with little more than a billy club and a array of sarcastic remarks to stop crime.

This point can be argued either way...sure, murder and other violent crimes are far less than america, however percentagewise, the english have to deal with more burglery and other "minor" crimes.
Tradeoff? debateable..but its a difference that some would consider unacceptable (hold dead hands and whatnot).
And they are going to be in poor shape for the coming zombie apocolypse

__________
Taxes
___________
Rate Dividend income Savings income Other income (inc employment) Band (above prsnl allowance)
Lower rate N/A 10% N/A £0 - £2440 applies only if total income falls in this band

Basic rate 10% 20% 20% £0 - £37,400

Higher rate 32.5% 40% 40% over £37,400

Additional rate 42.5% 50% 50% over £150,000


So, here in America, we are flipped out that millionares may be taxed at 39%, yet the UK simply taxes anyone over 150k (sterling, thats what..about 200k USD?) is 50%.
This fuels the many social programs (NHS, University, etc). So, the bling bling golden pools are a bit less common over there...and we love our golden pools.

(Personally, I have no issue with the tax rate, just wanted to toss this in for perspective)

_______________
Weather
_______________
The english are creatures in the mist.
The average temperature (if you take all year and average it out) is 55 degrees(f) and they average at about 1457.4 hours of sunlight. Thats not a lot...

______________
The Monarchy
______________

This is a source of general pride for many, its a symbol of history and heritage..basically its their tourist trap.
In saying that, with the links to nazi's, the power they still hold and use (see shutdown of canadian government by order of the queen), and the forced taxpayer money going to support their existance, the whole structure itself is redundant and absurd.

We have our "royalty"...our famous tourist trap types...and we love them overall..however, their existance is built on the willful money sent to them by people (through movie sales, record sales, etc)...there is no threat of reposession on your crap or potential jail if you fail to give to them.



I am curious what you personally would suggest is better about America than England

Either way, happy Independence day ATS...

And to the english currently grumbling at this thread and ready to throw your tea at the monitor, Know that we jab because we love

reply to post by Kryties



I love you!!

That was so brilliantly said

This thread has been so entertaining!

I would just like to personally thank everyone who promoted England here, some of the words were inspirational and made me proud to be English again.

Some good Jokes about English by the Americans too (slayer)

But seriously this thread has turned out more pro English, any neutral readers can see the key differences that have been pointed out and agree we have logical ways that we are all quite content with.

I mean why would'nt you want free health care and no ads?

And a fair point I had'nt realised before to do with the gun issue. Youz are armed and so are your police (who can be very naughty at times)

Where as we are not AND the police are not. Everyones still on a even playing field here, just without punching holes in each other.

Over here its hand to hand combat. The real way to fight.

Oh yea..and them Scots are bloody good at it

I wanna move to the US, so I can have my 63 televisions.

well we brits made the bill of rights and the magna carta which inspired your constitution.
just saying.
Side note: I apologize on behalf of all brits for giving the usa the spice girls and Ricky Gervais
Have a good independance day! don't forget to say thank you to the french, spanish and the dutch!

reply to post by SaturnFX


Theyd be better off joining america. we could make em a state. Could you imagine the profits when the first gun show rolls thru there.