What is GOOD about America?(for once)

[Madame Adequate]

So, in other words, America is great to you because of our "every man for himself", "screw everyone but myself" attitude?

Nope, America is great to me because that is, at least ostensibly, a choice for people to make for themselves.

You clearly have no idea what the realities of income, taxes (which are not all federal; county and city taxes are extremely high and getting higher, particularly property taxes), crime, and healthcare are in this country. Many of the poorest people whom I mentioned are white and are not demanding reparations from anyone. Many are working eighty hours a week and are still barely able to support themselves because minimum wage hasn't gone up in nearly a decade, there is little to no public transit, and "wonderful" American companies like Wal-Mart treat their workers terribly while putting all of their competitors out of business, eliminating alternative jobs. I can't believe the generalizing racism in your last post. And while I agree that those who have children should only do so when they can support them, you are sadly ignorant as to the reality of trying, as a young woman, a low-income woman, or a woman far from a large city, to get birth control or even adequate information.

Many of your previous points centered around how everything was terrible outside of suburbia. Apologies if I equated your hasty generalizations with everyone else's hasty generalizations that it's the minorities who have the most difficulty. I certainly wasn't reading anything whatsoever into the phrases "So, yeah, the US is great, if you're white, male, Christian, and have a decent income." and "(unless you're a poor black male teenager in Gary, Indiana, or a Hispanic girl in south or East Chicago, in states you laud for their wonderful friendliness!)" :rolleyes2

Agreed on the Wal*Mart issue though.

But your comments on women finding it difficult to get information or access to birth control? I must apologise, there are no smilies which sufficiently display my mirth at your statement. I simply can't believe that. And even if it's true, the rising and inexorable tide of communications technologies renders the point moot within a decade or two at the outside.

And just because your friends happen to get adequate financial aid doesn't believe that's available to everyone. Financial aid has been slashed hugely in recent years.

Can't argue here, I've got a very small sample to draw from and it's completely inadequate for offering anything other than a couple of anecdotes.

[DocFrance]

Uh-oh! Looks like those masturbating, self-congratulating flag-wavers are up to no good! How dare they show even the slightest shred of support for such an awful, horrible country?

But wait! Here comes Asorie, charging in on her white steed of justice, ready to show those good-for-nothings a thing or two! That'll teach them to ever look on the good side of things!

Thank you, Asorie! You've saved the day!

[Shoeberto]

Okay, now. No personal insults, alright? Keep it at a debate or keep it out of the forums.

[Dr Unne]

I think one of the good things about this country is that working hard can get you what you want, and there is sufficient freedom, equality and opportunity for mostly everyone who wants and deserves to be successful, to be successful.

The way for everyone to be equal is for everyone to sink to the level of the lowest person, because some people will never rise. I'd rather be happy and successful and everyone else be miserable than everyone be miserable including myself. One good thing about America is that not everyone is equally successful, and that my own success is almost entirely in my own hands.

I say, screw everyone but myself and the people I personally feel deserve something from me. I expect not a single penny from anyone who doesn't feel I deserve it through some deed of my own. America is good insofar as I'm allowed to live this philosophy, and bad insofar as I'm not. I am thankfully able to live this philosophy here to some extent.

[qq=Asorie]And while I agree that those who have children should only do so when they can support them, you are sadly ignorant as to the reality of trying, as a young woman, a low-income woman, or a woman far from a large city, to get birth control or even adequate information.[/qq]

Of the many things I disagree with in this post, I must comment on this one. If people stop having sex, they won't have babies. This is free. A person is 100% personally responsible for their own reproductive activities. Being female, poor, young, or living in a populous city is not even a partial excuse for having an unwanted child.

[Asorie]

But your comments on women finding it difficult to get information or access to birth control? I must apologise, there are no smilies which sufficiently display my mirth at your statement. I simply can't believe that. And even if it's true, the rising and inexorable tide of communications technologies renders the point moot within a decade or two at the outside.

You are so detached from reality -- particularly on this issue -- that it's impossible to argue fact with you. Do you know nothing about sex "education" in America? About the number of people who have virtually no access to healthcare? Are you aware of the near impossibility for a woman to get sterilized, or the scarcity of reproductive care unbiased by religion? I give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that's because you've seen such a miniscule portion of this country that you have no real frame of reference whatsoever, but I think it's rather sad that because you perceive our economic system as being better than that in your country of origin, you assume these problems are a moot point.

I concede this argument because there's no point in trying to have a civil discussion with someone who's clearly so indifferent to the plight of others, if not outright amused at their suffering. I fervently hope that you one day find yourself in the fortunate positions of these people, so you can see just how great the system really is, and appreciate it firsthand.

[Madame Adequate]

But your comments on women finding it difficult to get information or access to birth control? I must apologise, there are no smilies which sufficiently display my mirth at your statement. I simply can't believe that. And even if it's true, the rising and inexorable tide of communications technologies renders the point moot within a decade or two at the outside.

You are so detached from reality -- particularly on this issue -- that it's impossible to argue fact with you. Do you know nothing about sex "education" in America? About the number of people who have virtually no access to healthcare? Are you aware of the near impossibility for a woman to get sterilized, or the scarcity of reproductive care unbiased by religion? I give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that's because you've seen such a miniscule portion of this country that you have no real frame of reference whatsoever, but I think it's rather sad that because you perceive our economic system as being better than that in your country of origin, you assume these problems are a moot point.

Internetlolz. Or, you know, abstinance. And uhhh... I dunno about anyone else? But I was rather under the impression that most religious groups were quite happy to control sex. Certainly outside of marriage. And people being forced into marriage is a far more significant issue for you to worry about than people who don't know how reproduction works (If there are any outside of Africa over the age of 10.).

I concede this argument because there's no point in trying to have a civil discussion with someone who's clearly so indifferent to the plight of others, if not outright amused at their suffering. I fervently hope that you one day find yourself in the fortunate positions of these people, so you can see just how great the system really is, and appreciate it firsthand.

Hey, I didn't know Cloud No.9 had another account. Oh, sorry, I was totally so used to his wishing of suffering on people with differing viewpoints on political or economic issues that I got the two of you confused. Yet again, I point out that I have no desire at all to actively see other people suffering. I simply don't think anyone else is legally responsible for helping them out of it.

[Cloud No.9]

various hukman rights act actually state that it is the government's duty to help people out of suffering. this is actually an international obligation.

and i've never actually wished suffering on anyone. i merely said that they are happy to not care about other people because they have never experienced anything but luxury in their life. and that their point of view comes from that and to get a better insight into the world they need to experience it.

[Rye]

Wow, I cry in the inside. Can people not read that this thread is called "What is GOOD about America?(for once)" and not "Let's bash Americans for the 1,000th time in EoTW today?" :rolleyes2

[DK]

Not to be tolerated. See you in two weeks.

[Cloud No.9]

"Wow, I cry in the inside. Can people not read that this thread is called "What is GOOD about America?(for once)" and not "Let's bash Americans for the 1,000th time in EoTW today?"

nope. because the answer to the above quesation has 3 answers, hee haw, very little, or nothing that isn't seen in another country.

[Lindy]

You know, I'm not the biggest fan of America, but even I wouldn't go into a thread about what is good about America and troll the hell out of it like our little Scotch buddy is doing.

*snip* That's not appropriate

[eestlinc]

Lots of things make America good. One of them is the right to complain about America's problems. Obviously this thread has reached the point where animosity and personal attacks overtake the discussion and debate, so we won't be continuing it.