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The United States is the Greatest Country in the World. Why don't you think so?

Greatest Country in the World

  • United States

    Votes: 41 50.6%

  • United Kingdom

    Votes: 2 2.5%

  • Western European countries/ either France, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Netherlands

    Votes: 6 7.4%

  • Japan

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Nordic countries / either Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark

    Votes: 20 24.7%

  • South Korea

    Votes: 1 1.2%

  • Canada

    Votes: 8 9.9%

  • All hail China

    Votes: 3 3.7%
  • Total voters
    81
ModernDiogenes said:
The presence of opportunity is the foundation of greatness.
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That's what I was thinking. What gives this country the edge is opportunity. You have the opportunity to achieve whatever you want, but you have to supply the hard work and ambition. As it should be.

Wow, lots of leftists on this thread hating the country, no surprise there.
 
ModernDiogenes said:
The presence of opportunity is the foundation of greatness.

Opportunity allows people to excel. If you have an abundance of people excelling you achieve greatness.
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OK, and are you saying that people in America have more "opportunity" ?
If so, why would the USA have more of it than say Germany or China ?

What about things like infant mortality, life expectancy and adult literacy ?
 
If you voted for the US and you are a US citizen, then your answer is biased.

Need an independent/non-biased group to answer this.


now go get your panties in a wad.
 
forn said:
That's what I was thinking. What gives this country the edge is opportunity. You have the opportunity to achieve whatever you want, but you have to supply the hard work and ambition. As it should be.

Wow, lots of leftists on this thread hating the country, no surprise there.
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There are as good if not greater opportunities elsewhere, from Sweden to German to Britain to Canada, there are 'opportunities' and gross shortages of certain trades. You have to compete for talent and brains now.

To criticize is to hate in your world?. Yeah, in the hippy days that's what The Man told us: "Love it or leave it"

I left.
 
madman said:
If you voted for the US and you are a US citizen, then your answer is biased.

Need an independent/non-biased group to answer this.


now go get your panties in a wad.
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US citizens not casting an objective vote ?
 
Fearandloathing said:
Accept everything or get out?

That's not a country, is a prison.
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There's a difference between complaining about a little bit of stuff and complaining about a lot or complaining about the complete foundation of the country.
 
I repeat what I believe I posted when this thread started. The whole “greatest country in the world” thing is self absorbed, borderline fascism, part of a great power’s our-shit-doesn’t-stink patriotism. Have we created better music than Germany with Bach and Beethoven, better art than Italy, better food than France? We can be proud of jazz and rock, of the times we have supported democracy, gone to the moon, of things like rebuilding Japan post WWII. And we can be ashamed of the tyrannies we supported in the name of mindless anti-communism, or mindful greed.

I imagine the Greeks, the Romans, the Spanish, French and British dabbled in the “we are the greatest” fantasy. But “The Greatest” himself, Muhammad Ali, had the good sense to brag about that with a twinkle in his eye. ;)
 
Rich2018 said:
OK, and are you saying that people in America have more "opportunity" ?
If so, why would the USA have more of it than say Germany or China ?

What about things like infant mortality, life expectancy and adult literacy ?
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I’d argue it’s a sound argument as a measure of potential for greatness.

No one, let alone I, is saying we haven’t fallen in areas of standard of living, infant mortality, even literacy. I’ve made those same points myself in other threads.

What I am suggesting is that this nation still presents a greater personal opportunity to rise to the individual potential for greatness than most, if not all, nations of this planet. If that potential is made kinetic that gives the US of A a high probability of aggregate greatness. It’s a matter of whether it’s achieved or not.

Why we have more opportunities are a matter of resources available to be utilized by the individual, in a situation that presents fewer obstacles to their utilization. Imperfect as our society and our governing are it is less invasive on individual liberty than most in a asset rich environment. The combination of those assets and the utilization of free will are the catalysts of opportunity.
 
ModernDiogenes said:
I’d argue it’s a sound argument as a measure of potential for greatness.

No one, let alone I, is saying we haven’t fallen in areas of standard of living, infant mortality, even literacy. I’ve made those same points myself in other threads.

What I am suggesting is that this nation still presents a greater personal opportunity to rise to the individual potential for greatness than most, if not all, nations of this planet. If that potential is made kinetic that gives the US of A a high probability of aggregate greatness. It’s a matter of whether it’s achieved or not.

Why we have more opportunities are a matter of resources available to be utilized by the individual, in a situation that presents fewer obstacles to their utilization. Imperfect as our society and our governing are it is less invasive on individual liberty than most in a asset rich environment. The combination of those assets and the utilization of free will are the catalysts of opportunity.
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Your point mean that one can *possibly* make a lot of money, and if the ability of *some* to make huge amounts of money is the definition of "greatest," you perhaps have a point. Others might quarrel with the notion that the existence of Elon Musk makes the US the greatest country in the world. As you suggest, our "aggregate greatness" still leaves a lot of people behind: our general health, income disparity, high levels of crime, etc. Others might prefer a society that tries to minimize those problems, having Musk a bit less rich and those on the bottom a little less poor.
 
America the best? 😂. Like i wanna congratulate all the trumpists as you have made me absolutely hate America and want to leave. You finally got me to do the thing you guys always accused me of.
 
I mean we go weeks on end without the ability to pay for the stuff we already legislate because we cling to traditions that we barely even understand and just plain dont ****ing work! Like religiously we cling to shitty parliamentary rules that benefit nobody but those who want to destroy the US government. Slow and deliberate my fluffy ass. We’re just ****ing slow.
 
Nickyjo said:
Your point mean that one can *possibly* make a lot of money, and if the ability of *some* to make huge amounts of money is the definition of "greatest," you perhaps have a point. Others might quarrel with the notion that the existence of Elon Musk makes the US the greatest country in the world. As you suggest, our "aggregate greatness" still leaves a lot of people behind: our general health, income disparity, high levels of crime, etc. Others might prefer a society that tries to minimize those problems, having Musk a bit less rich and those on the bottom a little less poor.
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Did I mention money? I didn't. You are supposing and I politely suggest incorrectly.

One can make money, but one can cure disease, invent the better mouse trap, bring entertainment or delight to others, use your own opportunity to create even more opportunity for others. There are many kinds of greatness one can achieve with one's own potential gone kinetic. Money is only one of them.
 
ModernDiogenes said:
Did I mention money? I didn't. You are supposing and I politely suggest incorrectly.

One can make money, but one can cure disease, invent the better mouse trap, bring entertainment or delight to others, use your own opportunity to create even more opportunity for others. There are many kinds of greatness one can achieve with one's own potential gone kinetic. Money is only one of them.
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Excellent response. Couldn't agree more. But there is something to be said about countries who take care of their citizens.
 
Nickyjo said:
Excellent response. Couldn't agree more. But there is something to be said about countries who take care of their citizens.
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I don't have anything against sensible, common sense, application of democratic socialism. Unemployment insurance, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, all very good things. Like anything else democratic socialism can be taken too far afield and then it has the negative consequences of reducing drive/ambition, innovation, and other good things that actually create opportunity.

Balance in all things.
 
ModernDiogenes said:
I don't have anything against sensible, common sense, application of democratic socialism. Unemployment insurance, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, all very good things. Like anything else democratic socialism can be taken too far afield and then it has the negative consequences of reducing drive/ambition, innovation, and other good things that actually create opportunity.

Balance in all things.
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How Greek of you. I seem to remember being taught the phrase about balance in Greek class, but can’t remember it.

Any luck with the “honest man” thing?
 
Nickyjo said:
How Greek of you. I seem to remember being taught the phrase about balance in Greek class, but can’t remember it.

Any luck with the “honest man” thing?
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This?
“Virtue is the golden mean between two vices, the one of excess and the other of deficiency” — Aristotle
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As to my search: Not so much. Probably has to do, at least in part, with where I’m currently looking: the federal government and our state houses.
 
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