Was America ever really Great?

Originally posted by cavalryscout
The USA is and always has been the greatest country on Earth.

No, I think it was Egypt

I know the U.S. was a lot better when there was no political correctness. (basically, before 1992) It is the beginning of the concept of a 'thought crime', where one censors themselves, and there is a 'wrong' way to think. By having to think about how you are saying something, instead of truly speaking your opinion, you are already on the road to being controlled. This is why Scientology, like communism, has a distinct language all it's own. If you control the type of language people use, you control the flow of ideas by making it impossible or difficult to express certain views. Think 1984.
At 36 years old, I have already seen the very social fabric of this country change so much that I now no longer believe in the possibility of the "great" America ever coming back. By great, i mean free. Free to insult, ridicule, party, work, or whatever. That is not to say that you were guaranteed success - you constantly had that to worry about that, which led to people being hard-working and creative. Not so much anymore.
It's hard to explain the 'great' America to someone that doesn't know it, and I have to say the incessant self-hate perpetrated by some people that live here is one of the main factors in the decline. This mindset permeates education, tv, print, web, etc. If you tell a person all through their life that their country has more faults than achievements, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy.
So thanks to all the American U.S. bashers. You finally have your miserable little country full of angry, miserable, self hating people who are awash in guilt. Wow, now you can feel like you've built something you can be proud of. A lame, sterilized, politically correct, anti-christian, anti-white dunghole that everyone thinks sucks, except for miserable people such as yourself. Your grandparents would be so proud of you, to have destroyed everything they worked for.
You suck.

17 trillion in debt yet militray contractors making record profits. [Halliburton].
At war consistantly since WW2. [Give or take a few years to top up the supplies].
Foreclosure crisis. [Yet the bankers get a bailout].
Occupy movement. [Proof that people have had enough of the lies and corruption]
False-flag attacks to strip the rights of its own citizens. [Terrorist Act, Patriot Act, TSA, NDAA]
Large early founding fortunes made from the opium and slave trade. [Yet now we have a 'war on drugs'].
Inner circles within Government. [
A mainstream media that cuts the footage of anyone on camera not sticking to the script.
Malcom X, Martin Luther King, JFK, all killed for for using the exact free speech that apparantly makes the US so great. [You're entiltled to free speech, you're just not allowed to practice it].
Inventing excuse's to invade another country [WMD's].
Using chemicals on its own soldiers. [Agent Orange, Gulf war syndrome].
Hunting of Wikileaks and Julian Assange for doing nothing more then revealing all the US Governments lies, back-stabbing and corruption that was going on behind the scenes. [The US Governemnt was caught with its pants down, and 'National secuirty' is no valid excuse for trying to cover it up].
Promotes Democracy around the world, while having military bases all around the world. [Thats called enforced Democracy].
The most advanced and expensive miliatry in history. [But took 10 years to "find" and "kill" Osama, then "dumps" the body overboard so no proof or testing could be done to confirm it. Why wouldn't they showcase him just like they did with Saddam ?].
The 'greatest country on Earth', yet you met your match in Somalian's, Vietnamese, and Afghani's, and not forgetting it took 2 wars and several attempts to get Saddam. [All the resources in the world will never beat a people with nothing to lose. A lesson that the US Government seems to keep forgetting].



Muhammad Ali thought he was the "greatest" too, and with no disrespect to him, have you seen him lately ? All Empire's eventually fall no matter how great they thought they were. and the US will be no different. The only thing in question is, when it will happen, not if !

I am aware that i focused on negative points, but if someone is going to say they are the 'greatest', then all sides must be looked at before making this claim. And those that claim to be the "greatest" only tend to look at it from the positive point of view while ignoring or turning a blind eye to the negative things that should have equal impact when determining the "greatest".

OP - you are asking the wrong generation. This answer is to all the Merican haters.

I'm sure our grandfathers would be able to answer this better than we...that, and they'll slap the crud out of you for even doubting America. Not just grandfathers from America, but ALL grandfathers from all 'modern' countries. Ask them if they ever dreamed of heading to America to make their mark...they would surely say yes.

[North America, aka USA specific response]New times and new generations - for the better right? I see more entitled mentality 'kids' now-a-days than I have ever dreamed of when I was them kids. I actually had homework for the weekend while in public school...now, not so much. Book reports - pages and pages followed with a class summary of it that the class can ask you questions on.... now, not so much.

So if you ask if America was ever great - Yes, Yes it was. Just because your feeble-minded reality can't see it, doesn't mean that it ever wasn't great. Just means that you have a very hard time adjusting to the handouts that are given...

And yes, I didn't post any solid links or proof - Ask your Grandparents this question for proof. Ask them if America was ever really great...then just shut up and listen to their stories (good and bad). They already hate our MTV generation, don't give them reason to hate the Internet generation.

Mine opinion is that you, Americans were always just spreading propaganda, is coming to be true.. Just cause u can speak english (not american) doesn't mean that you are on the top of the world.. If u wanna'be there, go and take Mt. Everest like you did with all you wanted.. Haha, different country then usual, yes ?

Anyway, you can run, but you cannot hide from past.. u just need to realize that your ancestors came from EUROPE and that u conquest land that was not yours.. like you are doing now !!

Shame on you..

SHAME ON YOU !!

1950`s/60`s when the Unions and middle class were the strongest, when our manufacturing,engineering,schools were the stongest,when family ment nuclear family, when a person could retire in comfort after working 30yrs for the same company at a place that valued the workers.I agree we also made the coolest cars back then.


Now

unions are bad, manufacturing is bad, labor is bad, middle class is bad,free speech is bad,self defence is bad, self sustanability is bad,debt is good,welfare is good,being a freak is good,big brother is good,big government is good...so while we are slowly circling the toilet of history....we still rock! just think of how it could be if we brought all those things back.

Bill

Originally posted by gncnew

Just a note: When the nation was founded, what were they doing that wasn't the norm for the entire civilized world at the time?

Supposedly creating a nation and constitution that created a country of FREE people, with the right to the pursuit of happiness, guess the founding fathers didn't follow the same document they authored?

Oh wait... that's right - EVERYONE treated women that way, had slaves... bla bla bla.

Context is everything - as usual.

Where in my thread did I say that America was the only country doing this? Just because it was the norm doesn't make it right, doing it because everyone else is doing it doesn't making it right. Use your common sense.

Originally posted by LiberLegit
reply to post by Uniceft17

 

The only thing this nation has become is a nation of whiners and moaners like yourself and most of the posters in this topic.

I'm not whining about anything, just stating the facts and asking a question that seems to offend you so much.

No other nation in the world has been as economically prosperous, militarily strong, and culturally diverse as America. The types of people who focus so much on social issues in the past are the same people that are keeping us there.

Yep, that just makes America grand, Economically strong: Trillions in debt since the 80's. Militarily strong: But we police the world and are probably the number one killer of innocent civilians in modern times thanks to our needless wars. And Culturaly diverse is the probably the only thing I can commend us on.

I love having infinite opportunity, I love having so many amazing universities

Yet our educational system keeps falling further and further behind of the rest of the civilized world.

I love my streets, towns, people

I wasn't talking about America in the context of civilians or infrastructure.

Originally posted by SilentKillah

I think you of kind of contradicted yourself. Those permits that you need come from county in most instances.

The county issues them, the State/Federal legislated the requirement for them.

So... those who black inner city kids who don't have the opportunity to go to the top schools, should be left behind? Left behind when most work centers in America still only employ the minimum requirement of minorities? Maybe you should have studied a little harder to beat out one of those other 9 white guys hired while the out of the 10 hired for those positions. Just saying...

Affirmative action is largely not needed anymore. I would love to see some sources on your claim that MOST work centers in America only employ the minimum. What's sad is that you can be more qualified for a posistion yet a minority who isn't as qualified gets hired because of the color of their skin. And yet you can get turned down from going to a school because there aren't enough minorities. But I guess when it happens to a white person it's ok? Yeah, makes total since.

Originally posted by cavalryscout

Originally posted by alldaylong

Originally posted by cavalryscout
The USA is and always has been the greatest country on Earth.

To those who think otherwise you can kiss my ass.

The title goes to Britain. After all we are called GREAT Britain

Really you had to put it in the title so people would think it was true.

You're on the top five list but not "The Greatest"

I agree, although a fair few people from your country think Britain is one of your "States".....lol

To the people getting so butt hurt about my thread, the point of this thread was asking a simple question, why do people say in posts when they read something bad about our country say 'our once great nation' along with other phrases etc. I'm not bashing this country, just saying it isn't great and has a long way to go to get there. Clearly what I AM saying is that it IS better than it once was. So read this thoroughly before you even comment.

Originally posted by Trustfund
reply to post by Wrabbit2000

 

Additionally, the United States is home to things like the Centers for Disease Control, John Hopkins Medical Center and a wealth of research facilities who come out with things that insure the multiple-drug resistant infections starting to become common and beginning to actually kill people...won't remain drug resistant forever.

And you can only use those medical advancements if you have insurance! How great. Either that or be debt ridden your whole life. And even if you have insurance you can be debt ridden due to it not covering everything. The US is the only western nation that doesn't have nationalized healthcare. It also has the worst quality of care and most expensive. What good is medical research if only the privileged can use it?

Worst quality of care? Quote some sources, Sparky. I've been on both sides of healthcare in this country and I beg to differ. 3 days after being admitted into the ER for SVT (look it up), I was having open heart surgery. That simply would NOT happen in ANY of your heroic countries with socialized medicine. The government pays crap to the providers and only the most desperate choose to be doctors in those countries.

What you're on about is YOU think YOU are entitled to free everything. I would be willing to bet you have an un-skilled job at Wal-Mart or fast food chain and think the world owes you for the fact that you didn't get an education and a job with real benefits and a sustainable wage.

People like you will go through their entire life enjoying all of the luxuries of living in the US and bitching about it at the same time. Stepping on those around you, your hand out at every opportunity to take from others then you'll whine about how bad you have it.

For those of you digging into our past and citing how we have treated minorities, I ask you this; If we are so bad, why are Mexicans, (a minority) coming here in droves?

Tell me one other country that has the illegal immigration problem the U.S. has. People don't leave other countries to go to Canada, by the thousands. They don't leave Mexico to go to Canada. By a substantial margin, the US is the number one place people want to migrate to.

We have invented, created or innovated 95% of the modern technology that makes live comfortable and convenient. Just because YOU can't have the result of that effort for FREE is YOUR problem and people like are are what is pulling the US further and further down the evolution ladder; leaches, parasites.

To say, "what do I care about the technology in a Lexus, I'll never get to have one", is narcissistic and that makes your type one of the biggest drags on America. ME, ME, ME! People like that make me sick and America would be better off without you. Go to Mexico, I hear they have an outstanding standard of living and excellent health care.

reply to post by ChuckNasty

Originally posted by ChuckNasty
OP - you are asking the wrong generation. This answer is to all the Merican haters.

I'm sure our grandfathers would be able to answer this better than we...that, and they'll slap the crud out of you for even doubting America. Not just grandfathers from America, but ALL grandfathers from all 'modern' countries. Ask them if they ever dreamed of heading to America to make their mark...they would surely say yes.

And yes, I didn't post any solid links or proof - Ask your Grandparents this question for proof. Ask them if America was ever really great...then just shut up and listen to their stories (good and bad). They already hate our MTV generation, don't give them reason to hate the Internet generation.

Funny you should say this. I visited my paternal grandfather for the first time in two years in the West Indies, just after the US election. Although he somewhat grudgingly supported Obama, he's always had a few bones to pick with America. My maternal grandfather did think it was a great nation. Both, however, preferred and still prefer the UK, which is ironic, since although the state accepted them, the nation didn't at first. Then again, getting beaten up by teddy-boys would be preferable to a lynching, so I won't argue with their wisdom on that one.

America has innovated. America has championed human rights. I have a lot to thank the US for, so I respect it highly and confer my gratitude. I will not, however, bow down to it, worship it, overlook its shortcomings or hold it in higher regard than my own nationality. Is it a great nation? Not sure if there is one, to be honest. But overall, it is close, as are many others.

Originally posted by axslinger
For those of you digging into our past and citing how we have treated minorities, I ask you this; If we are so bad, why are Mexicans, (a minority) coming here in droves?

Tell me one other country that has the illegal immigration problem the U.S. has. People don't leave other countries to go to Canada, by the thousands. They don't leave Mexico to go to Canada. By a substantial margin, the US is the number one place people want to migrate to.

We have invented, created or innovated 95% of the modern technology that makes live comfortable and convenient. Just because YOU can't have the result of that effort for FREE is YOUR problem and people like are are what is pulling the US further and further down the evolution ladder; leaches, parasites.

To say, "what do I care about the technology in a Lexus, I'll never get to have one", is narcissistic and that makes your type one of the biggest drags on America. ME, ME, ME! People like that make me sick and America would be better off without you. Go to Mexico, I hear they have an outstanding standard of living and excellent health care.

You are way off the mark if you really think that America has invented or created 95% of the worlds technology. A study a few years ago carried out by M.I.T.I (The Japanese Department of Trade And Industry) showed that 54% of inventions over the last 100 years where British, 25% American and 5% Japanese. You can read the article here:-


www.thebis.org...