What aspects of America are you most proud of and of what aspects most ashamed?

What aspects of America are you most proud of and of what aspects most ashamed?​

For the sake of this question I assume that most members of this sub are American, even though that may not be the case. I don’t mind hearing answers from non-Americans, but I am most interested in those of Americans. The answer could involve all things: politics, culture, religion, the landscape, sport, everyday life and interactions, you name it.

Spunkylama said:

What aspects of America are you most proud of and of what aspects most ashamed?​

For the sake of this question I assume that most members of this sub are American, even though that may not be the case. I don’t mind hearing answers from non-Americans, but I am most interested in those of Americans. The answer could involve all things: politics, culture, religion, the landscape, sport, everyday life and interactions, you name it.

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You first.

I'm proud we get to say what we think without fear of the government (unless the governor is Desantis).
Military kicks ass

I'm ashamed the criminal justice system is broken. The tax system is broken. The healthcare system is broken. The political campaign funds system is broken. The education system is broken. Next to no childcare to speak of. Huge homeless problem. And...

70 MILLION PEOPLE VOTED FOR TRUMP. We may be doomed.

1st Amendment.

Peaceful transfer of power ever four years.

Opportunity

I am very proud of the idea of having limited (specific enumerated) federal government powers, leaving all else to the several states or to the people. I am very ashamed that our federal government’s power is constantly being increased. We have reached the point where if something is deemed ‘important’ then ‘dealing with it’ it is allowed to become a (new) federal government power.

Education, mentioned nowhere in the constitution as being a federal government power, now has a cabinet level federal department despite having no federal schools (except possibly the service academies).

The primary mission (over 80% of its spending) of the federal department of agriculture has become subsiding full retail (plus profit) ‘grocery’ purchases (including fully cooked and seasoned deli chickens) for ‘poor’ households - but based on what specific constitutional federal government power?

Spunkylama said:

What aspects of America are you most proud of and of what aspects most ashamed?​

For the sake of this question I assume that most members of this sub are American, even though that may not be the case. I don’t mind hearing answers from non-Americans, but I am most interested in those of Americans. The answer could involve all things: politics, culture, religion, the landscape, sport, everyday life and interactions, you name it.

Click to expand...

Proud: That America was based, for the first time in history, on secularism and the rule of law, on democracy, on tolerance and pluralism, and on principles of reason, science, and rationality over primitive tribalism and superstition.

Ashamed: these principles are under such vicious siege and attack by a major party here.

THESE are the ideals that America was based on:

“ The United States of America have exhibited, perhaps, the first example of governments erected on the simple principles of nature: and if men are now sufficiently enlightened to disabuse themselves of artifice, imposture, hypocrisy, and superstition, they will consider this event as an era in their history... [T]he detail of the formation of the American governments... may hereafter become an object of curiosity. It will never be pretended that any persons employed in that service had any interviews with the gods, or were in any degree under the inspiration of heaven... it will for ever be acknowledged that these governments were contrived merely by the use of reason and the senses... Thirteen governments thus founded on the natural authority of the people alone, without a pretence of miracle or mystery, which are destined to spread over the northern part of that whole quarter of the globe, are a great point gained in favour of the rights of mankind.”
[A Defence of the Constitutions of the United States of America, 1787]”
― John Adams, The Political Writings of John Adams

"History, I believe, furnishes no example of a priest-ridden people maintaining a free civil government. This marks the lowest grade of ignorance of which their civil as well as religious leaders will always avail themselves for their own purposes."
-Thomas Jefferson to Alexander von Humboldt, Dec. 6, 1813.

"'The government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion"
-John Adams

"Mingling religion with politics may be disavowed and reprobated by every inhabitant of America...All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian, or Turkish (Muslim), appear to me no other than human inventions set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit."
-Thomas Paine, 1794

"The experience of the United States is a happy disproof of the error so long rooted in the unenlightened minds of well-meaning Christians, as well as in the corrupt hearts of persecuting usurpers, that without a legal incorporation of religious and civil polity, neither could be supported. A mutual independence is found most friendly to practical Religion, to social harmony, and to political prosperity."
-James Madison

“The United States have adventured upon a great and noble experiment, which is believed to have been hazarded in the absence of all previous precedent—that of total separation of Church and State. No religious establishment by law exists among us. The conscience is left free from all restraint and each is permitted to worship his Maker after his own judgement. The offices of the Government are open alike to all. No tithes are levied to support an established Hierarchy, nor is the fallible judgement of man set up as the sure and infallible creed of faith. The Mahommedan (Muslim), if he will to come among us would have the privilege guaranteed to him by the constitution to worship according to the Koran; and the East Indian might erect a shrine to Brahma if it so pleased him. Such is the spirit of toleration inculcated by our political Institutions.... The Hebrew persecuted and down trodden in other regions takes up his abode among us with none to make him afraid.... and the Aegis of the Government is over him to defend and protect him. Such is the great experiment which we have tried, and such are the happy fruits which have resulted from it; our system of free government would be imperfect without it.”
-John Tyler, July 10, 1843

(cont'd next post)

"During almost fifteen centuries has the legal establishment of Christianity been on trial. What have been its fruits? More or less in all places, pride and indolence in the Clergy, ignorance and servility in the laity, in both, superstition, bigotry and persecution...In some instances they have been seen to erect a spiritual tyranny on the ruins of the Civil authority; in many instances they have been seen upholding the thrones of political tyranny: in no instance have they been seen the guardians of the liberties of the people. Rulers who wished to subvert the public liberty, may have found an established Clergy convenient auxiliaries. A just Government instituted to secure & perpetuate it needs them not.”
-James Madison

"It was the belief of all sects at one time that the establishment of Religion by law, was right & necessary; that the true religion ought to be established in exclusion of every other; and that the only question to be decided was which was the true religion. The example of Holland proved that a toleration of sects, dissenting from the established sect, was safe & even useful. The example of the Colonies, now States, which rejected religious establishments altogether, proved that all Sects might be safely & advantageously put on a footing of equal & entire freedom.... We are teaching the world the great truth that Govts do better without Kings & Nobles than with them. The merit will be doubled by the other lesson that Religion flourishes in greater purity, without than with the aid of Gov. "
-James Madison,

“Who does not see that the same authority which can establish Christianity, in exclusion of all other Religions, may establish with the same ease any particular sect of Christians, in exclusion of all other Sects?”
-James Madison

1. I am proud of the opportunity -- if one has enough get up and go -- to become successful in almost any field of endeavor that interests you.

a. Hear tell that in many countries, there is no upward mobility possible. If one is born poor, most likely one will stay at that level more or less.

2. Of course, I am most ashamed of the outrageous, disgusting, and sickening amount of violent crime that occurs every single day in our cities, thus making it dangerous to walk on the sidewalk or to take public transportation.

TheParser said:

1. I am proud of the opportunity -- if one has enough get up and go -- to become successful in almost any field of endeavor that interests you.

a. Hear tell that in many countries, there is no upward mobility possible. If one is born poor, most likely one will stay at that level more or less.

2. Of course, I am most ashamed of the outrageous, disgusting, and sickening amount of violent crime that occurs every single day in our cities, thus making it dangerous to walk on the sidewalk or to take public transportation.

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I think your first point used to be true but it is not anymore. It takes a lot of money to get somewhere in today's America.

TheParser said:

1. I am proud of the opportunity -- if one has enough get up and go -- to become successful in almost any field of endeavor that interests you.

a. Hear tell that in many countries, there is no upward mobility possible. If one is born poor, most likely one will stay at that level more or less.

2. Of course, I am most ashamed of the outrageous, disgusting, and sickening amount of violent crime that occurs every single day in our cities, thus making it dangerous to walk on the sidewalk or to take public transportation.

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America is pretty much middle of the pack or even toward the bottom of the list of economically developed nations in terms of its opportunities for upward mobility . That's because there is this funny misconception by one of our major parties that if you just leave everyone and everything alone, rich or poor, they will have equal opportunity to make it. Other countries which do not operate on this silly premise do much better:

TheParser said:

2. Of course, I am most ashamed of the outrageous, disgusting, and sickening amount of violent crime that occurs every single day in our cities, thus making it dangerous to walk on the sidewalk or to take public transportation.

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There are only 2 possible explanatory factors that separate us from other peer nations which do much better in this regard:

1) More socioeconomic disparity between the extremes of wealth and poverty in our nation
2) Lack of any common sense gun control

Proud of:
- maniacal devotion to rule of law that draws people and capital from all over the world
- creativity, ingenuity
- incredible diversity - where I live in San Jose, about a third of the population is Caucasian, a third Asian and the rest a mix of Hispanic and Black. Where else in the world can one find that kind of diversity?!
- our universities
- our pioneering work in space exploration and computing
- our energy efficiency efforts
- the constitution

Not so proud of:
- our pioneering work in standing up present day Trumpism
- our repeated military misadventures
- our obesity
- the level of violence in our culture

TheParser said:

Of course, I am most ashamed of the outrageous, disgusting, and sickening amount of violent crime that occurs every single day in our cities, thus making it dangerous to walk on the sidewalk or to take public transportation.

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You of course are entitled to your opinion but I don't believe this to be true of most major American cities. Which is not to say there is not violent crime, but much more often than not, that crime is between fellow criminals living in neighborhoods with other criminals where few of us would plan to go for a walk.

Spunkylama said:

What aspects of America are you most proud of and of what aspects most ashamed?​

For the sake of this question I assume that most members of this sub are American, even though that may not be the case. I don’t mind hearing answers from non-Americans, but I am most interested in those of Americans. The answer could involve all things: politics, culture, religion, the landscape, sport, everyday life and interactions, you name it.

Click to expand...

I am most proud of our ability to rebound from our past. We had slavery, but then we had Civil Rights and eventually a Black President. We hated gays, but now they have the right to marry. We lived in a world of primitive technology, but we led the world in the tech revolution in the 20th century.

I am most ashamed of our inability to recognize all our past, which keeps us from rebounding more. Too many Americans want to censor Black history and censor LGBTQs. They want to censor the parts of history that don't paint America in the best light yet are absolutely a part of its history. By failing to learn, we learn to fail again.