Why is America so awesome?
- Thread starter Sensenmann
- Start date
Recommended Videos
America rocks because the 55 guys who created the constitution were all rock star super heroes. Also, we pwnd Britain not once, but twice. I mean, the British were the strongest military threat in the world and a bunch of backwoods cretins BEAT them. I know the whole expense argument; it cost Britain WAAY too much to keep sending reinforcements across the Atlantic, but come on!
Then the war of 1812, we had Andrew freaking Jackson, one of the craziest SOB's to become a general and then go on to presidency. James K Polk then freaking raped the English and the Mexicans in the Manifest destiny. He was also the only president to fulfill all of his campaign goals, which included lowering the tariffs on foreign trade, creating an independent treasury that lasted until 1913 and seizing the whole west coast. Polk was also unusually angry and uncharismatic.
We all know Lincoln was part machine, and made of pure unadulterated awesome. He managed to keep the union AND after the North won, lay the foundation for a peaceful restoration of the southern cities to be rebuilt.
That's not even in the 20th century!
The United States of America just has a pretty cool history and a LOT of freedoms that most of it's inhabitants take for granted. The US, because of it's revolt against the Crown with the declaration of independence, spurred many of the other monarchies in Europe to limit the amount of power their sovereigns had over them with similar documents. (i.e. The Declarations of Rights of Man in France, the independence of Serbia in 1815 and the independence of Greece from 1821-30)
So yeah... A lot of history classes.
Then the war of 1812, we had Andrew freaking Jackson, one of the craziest SOB's to become a general and then go on to presidency. James K Polk then freaking raped the English and the Mexicans in the Manifest destiny. He was also the only president to fulfill all of his campaign goals, which included lowering the tariffs on foreign trade, creating an independent treasury that lasted until 1913 and seizing the whole west coast. Polk was also unusually angry and uncharismatic.
We all know Lincoln was part machine, and made of pure unadulterated awesome. He managed to keep the union AND after the North won, lay the foundation for a peaceful restoration of the southern cities to be rebuilt.
That's not even in the 20th century!
The United States of America just has a pretty cool history and a LOT of freedoms that most of it's inhabitants take for granted. The US, because of it's revolt against the Crown with the declaration of independence, spurred many of the other monarchies in Europe to limit the amount of power their sovereigns had over them with similar documents. (i.e. The Declarations of Rights of Man in France, the independence of Serbia in 1815 and the independence of Greece from 1821-30)
So yeah... A lot of history classes.
The US is neither good or bad, i suppose what matters is which way your looking at it. Im sure there are some north koreans that believe their country is the greatest in the world and thats fine by me, patriotism is nothing to be ashamed of and by all means love your country.
in response to people proclaiming how america has 'saved the world' or at least some of its countries on numerous occasions, the US is the worlds current superpower, so basically its your duty to help out other countries. were all part of the same planet arent we? just because we live on different floating pieces of land across the globe doesnt mean we have to stick to looking after ourselves and screwing everyone else. i mean, when it comes to financial help, wot could Britain (im english by the way) possibly contribute to the US that the US doesnt already have? the US has a GDP approximatly 6 times the size of ours.
ive never been to the US personally but i have relatives who have, all of which tell me how friendly everyone was and how welcomed they felt. i think that people get an unbalanced view as to what americans are really like due to thier portrayal in most of the worlds media as loud, crass and often arrogant people who would just as soon sue you as look at you.
and finally, and i dont mean to offend by saying this, i think a lot of what makes people hate america so much is pure jealousy. the US IS the worlds current superpower and some people seem to get upset and pissed of that their country isnt. i used to dislike america due to the fact that my current government sucks american penis (for want of a better term) so much, but that isnt really the US's fault, its ours.
in response to people proclaiming how america has 'saved the world' or at least some of its countries on numerous occasions, the US is the worlds current superpower, so basically its your duty to help out other countries. were all part of the same planet arent we? just because we live on different floating pieces of land across the globe doesnt mean we have to stick to looking after ourselves and screwing everyone else. i mean, when it comes to financial help, wot could Britain (im english by the way) possibly contribute to the US that the US doesnt already have? the US has a GDP approximatly 6 times the size of ours.
ive never been to the US personally but i have relatives who have, all of which tell me how friendly everyone was and how welcomed they felt. i think that people get an unbalanced view as to what americans are really like due to thier portrayal in most of the worlds media as loud, crass and often arrogant people who would just as soon sue you as look at you.
and finally, and i dont mean to offend by saying this, i think a lot of what makes people hate america so much is pure jealousy. the US IS the worlds current superpower and some people seem to get upset and pissed of that their country isnt. i used to dislike america due to the fact that my current government sucks american penis (for want of a better term) so much, but that isnt really the US's fault, its ours.
Well, what about all the shit we sent you? The military equipment? The destroyers? (Sure, we got island bases, but we gave you 50 freaking destroyers!)Furthermore, the British and French did much more to further the cause of Germany's expansionism than the U.S. did (good old Mr. Appeasement Chamberlain) and the U.S. certainly did not want to see the rise of Nazism (or can you provide me proof?)rattling_bean said:
And to "take advantage of weakened countries." How so? Our war foundries gave equipment to everyone, we banded with the British and helped get back France, we helped beat back the Nazis, then waited and let Russia have the honor of taking Berlin. Europe belongs to you guys, we didn't take any colonies from it (well, we got parts of Berlin, but it was given back) and we helped rebuild everything. How did we take advantage of you guys?
However, we did go drunk with power after WW2 and started attacking everything that moved. I'll give you that.
I love how everyone gets pissed at America for being so patriotic, but the majority of this thread is America being bashed (or being ignored) by most Americans.
I am an American and don't get me wrong, I love my country and the ideals it was founded on, the freedoms we used to have, and how it didn't take a catastrophe to get us to care for one another. (R.I.P. George Carlin, making angels wet themselves laughing in heaven.) Also, I would like to say thanks to all of the brave men and women in the armed forces risking their very lives on the front lines defending those ideals. But I don't think America is awesome. The landscapes in this country are incredible, or those that haven't been overturned and added into the coast-to-coast shopping mall. The people though here seem to have an almost pathological need to swell their wallets and bank accounts. Oh and lord protector of all that is good and holy deliver us from fat people in short pants (again, RIP George Carlin.)
America isn't awesome. Not in the slightest. Those who prattle on about its awesomeness are just morons on a bandwagon; ignore them. We've had some good runs, we've done some good things, but right now we have oh so little to be proud of. Ironically, it's the time that we seem the most proud. Also, to quote the late George Carlin, we are the only people to take this new and pristine land and turn it into a giant transcontinental shopping mall.
Ah, modern America. If the founding fathers could see what we've become, they'd hang their heads in shame.
That being said, we're not the devil. We just took a good many wrong steps. We just need to stop of acting like a bunch of better-than-you rednecks and start fixing things.
Ah, modern America. If the founding fathers could see what we've become, they'd hang their heads in shame.
That being said, we're not the devil. We just took a good many wrong steps. We just need to stop of acting like a bunch of better-than-you rednecks and start fixing things.
All right! You should come to america and we'll make fun of hardcore christians together!george144 said:
You friend, have put a smile on my face. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to blow the dust off my bottle of bourbon and join this crazy ass party!Triffid said:
The U.S.A. in general is just the safest place to be, I mean we never had a magor war on our soil.
Plus the fact that, well I dunno....... EVERYONE COMES HERE!
I guess its mainly the american dream for the most part.
Plus the fact that, well I dunno....... EVERYONE COMES HERE!
I guess its mainly the american dream for the most part.
I actually registered an account on the escapist to respond to this (I normally just lurk and read over the conversations that frequent the forums)Jaythulhu said:*Snort* Egotistical claptrap. Australia is a far superior country to america
But jumping directly to my point: I've met about 20 Australians. Every last one of them says Australia is a superior country to America. You can say I'm ignorant for basing this on the words of a few; however, merely claiming to be superior than us is a case of 'the pot calling the kettle black'.
EDIT: And saying that I'm ignorant in this assumption is another case of the above. That's how the people of the U.S. are always treated (the voice of the ignorant always seem to come out over the rest of us)
And here's some reasons the U.S. is awesome:
1. Stereotypes are a joke here. The only time they're even mentioned is in jest. Seems like everywhere else bases their entire conception of us on the stereotype.
2. As stated above, we give out arse loads of money without asking for anything in return.
3. No matter how much we're mocked (for various things), we continue trying to prove those misconceptions wrong.
4. 'Jefferson's Revolution'. If you're not from here, you've likely never heard of this. It's the first occurrence in history that two completely different parties have shifted power without bloodshed. And it continues to this day.
5. Despite how 'nationalist' we are, if you check through all of the threads similar to this one, guess what you see? People like Zorro and I, calmly debating that we're not all ignorant bastards who inhale cheeseburgers and exhale propaganda. You only see the occasional ultra-nationalist around (just like the country itself!). And as I said in the original response, you see more people who aren't from the U.S. claiming to be from a superior country.
6. -See Zorro's excerpt from that Canadian writer (I didn't copy it even though I should have >.> )
7. We actually accept another country mocking us. The videos posted here alone would be enough to incite wars if the U.S. made them about other countries.
8. Despite us having a corrupt government (which all countries do), there's a new chance every few years for a fresh start. (And I am well aware that our electoral system needs to be seriously revised)
I'll stop there for the time being. But I've another counterpoint to make to a frequent response I've seen. One of American propaganda being the cause of nationalism here. Two words to that.
Pure.
Bollocks.
Even though we're assaulted with messages saying we're the best country in the world, we're smacked around by all the foreigners here and on the internet (along with general geopolitical opinion we hear of) that says quite the opposite. I would even venture to say there's more negative propaganda about the U.S. than positive.
Rightio then. I think I've made my thoughts clear enough. Hopefully this appeal to my fellow citizens of the world won't come off as ignorant, egotistical, or any other terms that are applied to the U.S. and it's people.
I don't think I've managed to enrage someone enough to join just to counter me before heh. Still, despite all your well thought out reasons, I'll still call australia the better country.Vindictive Fox said:I actually registered an account on the escapist to respond to this (I normally just lurk and read over the conversations that frequent the forums) *snip*Jaythulhu said:*Snort* Egotistical claptrap. Australia is a far superior country to america
Here's a couple of quick reasons (I have stuff to do today, sorry I can't devote more time to this) Oz > USA
1: We have no KKK.
2: Our religious nutcases just spout to their flock, they don't go protesting at the funerals of homosexuals. They mostly get ignored in politics too.
3: Check out of our rates of violent crime. Many of us may not like the fact the government took our guns away some time ago now, but it has been a greater boon than hinderence to the majority of aussies.
4: Almost everyone around the world loves us.
5: Our beaches. 'Nuff said on that one really.
6: Our beer. 'Nuff said there too.
7: Down here, if you're an egotistical moron who think they're top of the world, we'll tear you down several pegs, not put you on a pedestal (celebrity culture being a little different here. Kanye West, for example, couldn't have claimed to be the "voice of this generation" if he'd been an aussie. Not if he wanted to keep his pride anyway).
8: George W Bush would NEVER have gotten the leadership of a major political party. He'd have had extreme difficulties in getting a ministerial position too.
I could probably go on and on and on, but I've gotta scoot, so enjoy. I'm sure there are plenty of aussies here who could flesh this out further, but I imagine that will need a new thread.
You know... Its amazing how much you sound like a 'Stereotypical American' right now with the name of the nation shifted. Seriously it is. I mean ignoring for a second that your beer is not Irish and therefore does not matter any more than ours, and frankly saying 'the rest of the world loves you' is delusional since most people just don't care.Jaythulhu said:I don't think I've managed to enrage someone enough to join just to counter me before heh. Still, despite all your well thought out reasons, I'll still call australia the better country.Vindictive Fox said:I actually registered an account on the escapist to respond to this (I normally just lurk and read over the conversations that frequent the forums) *snip*Jaythulhu said:*Snort* Egotistical claptrap. Australia is a far superior country to america
Here's a couple of quick reasons (I have stuff to do today, sorry I can't devote more time to this) Oz > USA
1: We have no KKK.
2: Our religious nutcases just spout to their flock, they don't go protesting at the funerals of homosexuals. They mostly get ignored in politics too.
3: Check out of our rates of violent crime. Many of us may not like the fact the government took our guns away some time ago now, but it has been a greater boon than hinderence to the majority of aussies.
4: Almost everyone around the world loves us.
5: Our beaches. 'Nuff said on that one really.
6: Our beer. 'Nuff said there too.
7: Down here, if you're an egotistical moron who think they're top of the world, we'll tear you down several pegs, not put you on a pedestal (celebrity culture being a little different here. Kanye West, for example, couldn't have claimed to be the "voice of this generation" if he'd been an aussie. Not if he wanted to keep his pride anyway).
8: George W Bush would NEVER have gotten the leadership of a major political party. He'd have had extreme difficulties in getting a ministerial position too.
I could probably go on and on and on, but I've gotta scoot, so enjoy. I'm sure there are plenty of aussies here who could flesh this out further, but I imagine that will need a new thread.
I might give you violent crime, but overall the funny thing is that the key thing that you seem to get on America about is the overall attitude of Americans. That seems to be the key gripe of most of the people here who bash the US and its rather amusing that while doing it you act the same way.
My nation has flaws, I will admit that, but I really think that perhaps you should look at your own behavior before mocking that of others, especially when trying to make one nation into some scapegoat to let you ignore all the other problems in the world.
How are we not awesome? We're the land of opporunity, home of the free and the brave...as well as the realm of corrupt government, greed, and murder. America is neither superior nor inferior to any other given nation and to say otherwise, in my humble opinion, is prejudice.