[youtube:12olja3f]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMqcLUqYqrs[/youtube:12olja3f]
Been seeing the quote alot, but never had seen the video nor where it was from. Really good clip.
One of my favorites.
Thanks. And it's so true.
Quote from: "Shiranu"Writer posted a YouTube video (//http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMqcLUqYqrs)
Been seeing the quote alot, but never had seen the video nor where it was from. Really good clip.
What is it from?
True, if not a bit dramatic.
Quote from: "Fidel_Castronaut"Quote from: "Shiranu"Writer posted a YouTube video (//http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMqcLUqYqrs)
Been seeing the quote alot, but never had seen the video nor where it was from. Really good clip.
What is it from?
True, if not a bit dramatic.
Newsroom, an HBO I believe show.
I accept that America has problems, but in all seriousness, if the greatest country isn't America, then what is it? Australia? Norway? Germany? Qatar? Japan? South Korea? *shudder* China? I do agree that we are squandering our inheritance, greatest country or not.
Quote from: "zarus tathra"I accept that America has problems, but in all seriousness, if the greatest country isn't America, then what is it? Australia? Norway? Germany? Qatar? South Korea? *shudder* China?
That's a good question. I suppose it depends on how you define greatest. America is great in some areas, bad in other areas (education, homicide rate), and downright awful in a few areas (prison population, income inequality, religiosity)
According to the Human Development Index (//http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_Human_Development_Index) (an aggregate measure of life expectancy, literacy, education, standards of living, and quality of life), Norway and Australia are beating us.
I've noticed that in a lot of country comparisons, the US is generally pretty close to the top, but not quite there. For example, the quality of life index (//http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quality-of-life_Index), and education index (//http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_Index), and GDP PPP index (//http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_%28PPP%29_per_capita).
I would say France, England, Scandinavia, Australia, Canada, Germany all have us beat. Amongst them I don't know who would be on top, I would say probably Norway, Germany or England.
Who the greate.... who gives a fuck.
There's a difference between wanting to improve yourself, and not being happy unless everyone's your inferior.
The former is having ambitions, the latter is having issues.
Let
that
desire
go.
I thought of this scene. it's not "why is america the greatest country" but close.
[youtube:b4vdyp3f]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tY3V0JJqnqo[/youtube:b4vdyp3f]
I loved the Newsroom and it's one of the only things I miss now that I don't have cable. Bill Maher I can still get via podcast and the daily show on the online. This quote was from the first part of his first episode where he decides to change from being popular, but bland and noncontraversial to controversial and hard hitting.
The idea that we aren't the greatest country because we aren't at the top of all those lists he names is debatable. I see us as a great country that the strongest, but also the fattest and laziest. Remember the Rocky movies? In one, burgess Meredith is telling Rocky that he shouldn't fight Mr T. That he lives a life that revolves around his family and product endorsement, he wears nice clothes and is revered in the city. He doesn't have the hunger for the fights anymore that he had when he first became the champ. America is like that, to me, now.
When people look for stocks to invest in, one way to judge a company is to look at it's growth. If you looked at countries that way, you could say places like Brazil, India and China do look very promising. Lots of people moving out of abject poverty into a semblance of middle class. There's something to be said for that. Back in the 80s and 90s I used a brokerage that put AT&T on it's suggested list month after month for years. At&t was, for a long time, the most popular stock in the sense that more people owned it than any other. But during the years I followed it, the price stayed about the same for years. It was still a huge company, but growth was pathetic and the management couldn't seem to figure out how to make it great again. America is a little like that. Only with us, we and our leaders can't even figure out what direction to take. There is so much diversity of opinion on what we should do, that we we can't make any progress in any direction.
We are the biggest bully on the beach and can kick sand in anybody's face. Some people think that makes us the greatest, but I do not agree.
I've never understood why Americans are unable to look at their country with a critical eye.
Patriotism is one thing, I just don't understand this rabid fanaticism.
It's just tribalism. People are apparently hardwired to belong to and love their tribe. Look at the Dallas Cowboys. They've sucked since the 90's, they suck now, and they're going to suck for the foreseeable future yet the fans love them, they are "america's team", and worth more $$ than any team in the league. Go figure..
Now the Rangers on the other hand....................