Poll: What's wrong with America?

[Samurai Goomba]

*snip*

it makes me sad that im considered a "moderate conservative" although i would like to see everyone even connected with fox news beat with a thorn bush then thrown into lava

Yeah, it's too bad the definition of "R"epublicans and "C"onservatives went from being someone who agrees with liberals/democrats on most things but believes they are going too far and/or too fast, to someone who has an Objectivist view on the right to property, a Dominionist view on the right to liberty, and a Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland view on the right to life.

I think I'm going to officially change my political affiliation to Libertarian. Because while I do agree with Democrats about many things, the extreme Liberal factions annoy me just as much as the extreme conservative ones. And Democrats always seem to pander to their extremist groups. Which is not to say Republicans don't.

But either way, I guess what I'm saying is that there really should be a political party for people who disagree with the way Democrats do some things that doesn't have such a negative stigma attached to it. I mean, not everything Democrats do (especially economically) is always amazing. This country needs a few more heartless fiends to get America's finances back in order. Not that I'm saying Republicans are heartless, just that I am. So really, I'm the one who should be running the treasury/economy. Say goodbye to your tax refund and social programs!

Can't we just stick all the extremists from both sides in FedEx boxes and mail them to some island miles from civilization?

 

[Terramax]

That's an interesting idea, we did try that once, and ended up with the bloodiest war in our history. The problem with doing that though, is that we'd get the split where New England, which has NYC and Connecticut, would be a very wealthy nation all on its own while the rest of the countries would be shabby compared.

Sorry for sounding ignorant because I really don't know, but is New England really rich anyway or would it only be rich if they were divided?

Perhaps it'd just be better if, instead of calling everyone from America 'American', we'd call you by where in America you're from? I'm sure people from various parts of the US have already adopted slang terms for those in other regions much in the same way that Aussies call Brits 'Poms', etc.

Although I'm also sure some would consider this slanderous, racist, elitist, even though that's not the intention.

 

[Reep]

The only American export i know of is in the entertainment industry. Tv shows, majority of games and Hollywood.

Aside from that, i don't think there are any other exports.

we do have major exports, we export highly complicated heavy machinery such as guns, tanks, mining machinery, and other machines used for war, or other large heavy machines. however, not many people have use for a sherman tank or a large drill for tunnel drilling. so in essence, people saying "buy american" are really saying "buy a gun, a tank, and start drilling tunnels under your house with a large over sized drill bit."

Hahaha, i was thinking more of something for the civilian population.

 

[ThePurplePirate]

The U.S military is making an invisible laser death ray.I don't have any problems with the american people per se,just their forthcoming laser death ray.

 

[Gashad]

Actually, Red China as opposed to Imperial China has always been *very* concerned with interventionism. Korea and Vietnam were basically proxy wars between the U.S. and Red China. And China is currently engaged in a form of economic neo-colonialism in Africa.

The think that North Korea and Vietnam both have in common is this: they border China. When China intervened there they did it so they would not have a US puppet right by the border, hence were reacting to a perceived direct threat rather than intervening in a distant internal conflict(like the US intervenes). Moreover this was under Mao, with later Chinese leaders being even more isolationist. The "colonisation" of Africa you accuse them of is nothing like interventionism. The Chinese have no interest in controlling or changing the African nations government. It mearly makes a deal with it so it can mine its natural resources-greedy yes, interventionist no.

On the US I think the problem in its foreign policy is that it often combines a militant interventionist policy with a strongly anti-international policy. It signs a bare minimum of international treaties and promises and never abides by those they do sing insisting that it plays by its own rules(For instance leaving the ICJ over Nicaragua[whom I believe that you still legally own reparations], and strongly working against the ICC). At the same time it insists over its right to invade other countries to force them to defend its interests (always citing violations of international law as one of their reasons for war).

It has been said, I can't remember by whom or indeed the exact quote, but something like this:

"America is willing to invade countries in the name of international law, but not willing to abide to it themselves".

This hypocrisy is what I would say is the heart of my gripe with America, Its tendency to use violence to resolve its disputes with other countries claiming to be promoting peace, stability and democracy in the world, while constantly undermining international institutions meant to promote these(not to mention its rich history of toppling democracies in South America).

 

[ThePurplePirate]

slightly off topic but Russia saved our ass in WW2 im British/French btw

Woohoo go Russia

 

[Dahemo]

It has been said, I can't remember by whom or indeed the exact quote, but something like this:

"America is willing to invade countries in the name of international law, but not willing to abide to it themselves".

This hypocrisy is what I would say is the heart of my gripe with America, Its tendency to use violence to resolve its disputes with other countries claiming to be promoting peace, stability and democracy in the world, while constantly undermining international institutions meant to promote these(not to mention its rich history of toppling democracies in South America).

I understand your concerns, but i think the US is often an extension of the President you elect. Bush Snr. was hard nosed, hard talking and savvy, Clinton was popular, diplomatic and smooth, Bush Jnr was stupid, greedy and a war addict. I think these are fair reflections of international feelings towards the US during those periods as well. I think we can look forward to a move away from your concerns in the near future with Obama, and hopefully some future justice against those who perpetrated these crimes.

The one thing I don't understand about the US is why Obama is shielding Bush from prosecution, there are plenty that want to get him for war crimes, but Obama is refusing to allow it. What possible benefit does it have to not prosecute war criminals in your own country? We undoubtedly would, it just perplexes me...

 

[captainwolfos]

I think the only thing which could be said about any country if you want anything to go your way is :

DOWN WITH THE MAN.

 

[Sansha]

In short: It's full of Americans.

In long: The fact that you're waging war on what hardly appears to be a threat, your love of oil and corporate ventures leads us to believe that's what you're there for, you create more pollutants per head of population, the average American weighs 300 pounds, your obsession with the media and how you worship money all leads to you having a terrible image to the rest of the world as shallow, self-centered, materialistic egotists with the brain of a gnat and attention span of a housecat.

 

[Sansha]

I understand your concerns, but i think the US is often an extension of the President you elect. Bush Snr. was hard nosed, hard talking and savvy, Clinton was popular, diplomatic and smooth, Bush Jnr was stupid, greedy and a war addict. I think these are fair reflections of international feelings towards the US during those periods as well. I think we can look forward to a move away from your concerns in the near future with Obama, and hopefully some future justice against those who perpetrated these crimes.

The one thing I don't understand about the US is why Obama is shielding Bush from prosecution, there are plenty that want to get him for war crimes, but Obama is refusing to allow it. What possible benefit does it have to not prosecute war criminals in your own country? We undoubtedly would, it just perplexes me...

I agree with what you said about your Presidents. From what I understand, Clinton left the office with America in a $300,000,000 surplus, and all everyone from the rest of the world remembers him for is the goddamn Lewinsky scandal.

Then there's Curious George, who I think Obama just wants the country to forget about and move on from.

 

[xXGeckoXx]

I have a question: Why do so many people complain so much about one country?

I actually think that it's because, well at least in my experience, that...alright I'll use "I", I was raised to believe, from all of our history books, that America is the shit! And now that I'm older and have actually seen what things are like, that it's not like that at all. It's unfathomable for a 10 year old to think that any country other than the Middle Eastern ones hate us, and that people from the Middle East can actually like us.

I have an explanation. It may be because people are raised to believe that america is the shit (I know what that means). It raises a nation proud of shit (and unfortunately a lot of america is covered in it today). In Britain I was raised to believe my country was shit. Now I am older I appreciate the country more for what it is because I never had the shock. Also america has problems, obama has not fixed most of them. Even if a country has a competent leader it means nothing if he does not clean up george bushes huge pile of political and economical crap.

 

[yosophat]

What is really wrong with America is: far right conservatives and anyone who lives in a bubble and doesn't know or care about what is going on outside their secular large house big car excessive spending that their lives become.

What you can be proud about is your vote, at least before the electoral college lumps you with the majority, and being able to influence government.

 

[xXGeckoXx]

obama sucks it hard

You my friend are the problem.

 

[Knonsense]

*snip*

Your article on dog whistle politics has a tag for unbalance, and for good reason. It's full of "allegedly," "claimed," "some people say," etc. Here's a snip from the Southern Strategy one.

"Some professional academics[who?] (historians, political scientists, sociologists, culture critics, etc.) and most Democratic Party supporters[who?] argue that support for what conservative acolytes depict as a new "Federalism" in the Republican Party platform is, and always has been, nothing but a code word for the "politics of resentment", of which racism provides the fuel."

And, no, I did not add the "[who?]"s.

Now, I'm relatively trusting of Wikipedia, but I try not to cite articles that are dotted with missing citations or accused of being slanted.

The problem is that it is hard to provide any real evidence here. You have shown that some exploitation of race has occurred with the article, but the date makes it irrelevant to the situation that we were discussing.

You can construe a code word out of anything. Just as easily as Obama's supporters may say that "socialist" is a code word for "black", I could say that "change" is a code word for "kill whitey" or something absurd like that. Obviously the purpose of code words would be to maintain plausible deniability, but circularly this fact makes unfounded accusations of code words work.

The problem with the race card is that you dilute the standards for truth and evidence in an argument. If you do something that anyone can do to win an argument, then you are an argument whore.

 

[Avernus]

It was said early, the right of entitlement. I think that might be a fairly major one, but I don't think it's the most damaging (though it is damaging).

I think what hurts ol'USA the most are those people who align themselves along party lines.
'I am a Democrat'
'I am a Republican'

?

It's brutal, it's a media frenzy, it's even passionate hate at times.

Dare I say it, America loves labels, even to attach to ourselves as well as one another. But if you are reading this, and you are a self-identified Democrat or Republican... does the above thought even give you pause?

 

[creatiwe]

there is nothing wrong with america. america is the best country in the world. there is not a man with a gun behind me either

 

[Hafnium]

OP: The rest of the world sucks too.
Well most of it any way, in varying degrees. USA is still fairly high on my list when comparing to all nations.

(I have only read the original post, no other posts, so sorry if someone else has said the same)

 

[katsa5]

As the Jedi in Knights of the Old Republic said, "Everyone thinks the time they're in is the most important."
The Past has the advantage of seeing the entire Picture. They see the consequences of their actions and they have been resolved to some degree. But even then in the immediate, there would have been anti-whatever cries. There might also be tiny details that have been lost. Or maybe, what we're dealing with now might not have any significance at all. But we wouldn't know until it becomes a Past long after we're gone; and future generations will get to see the Big Picture.
My point is; this is nothing new. There will always be that feeling of lacking or immediacy, that's being Human. I guess, in a way, its like society reinventing itself and thereby continuing.

 

[HonorableChairman]

We are at the front lines of most scientific fields. That's worth some props, I think.

And I also sort of have to disagree with the whole "Americans are fat lazy douchebags" generality since I, for one, are none of those things. The people I associate with usually can only fall into one of those, two at worst. And in general I hate it when people decide they can just attach a label to some 300-million people just because it makes them feel superior. Are there American fat, lazy, douchbags? Of course! Are there, say, British fat, lazy douchebags? Without a doubt! Are there more American FLBs than British? Certainly! Is the population of America about 5 times that of Britain? Most definitely!

I could go on, but my point is clear.