Why America can't have nice things...

[gloomy-optimist]

We do have great hospitality here, in comparison to Europe. People talk to each other, and yeah, some people are rude, but for the most part, there's definitely an appreciation for politeness.

I'm not going to lie, I'm happy in America. I love culture and the world and I would like to live in many different places, but I think I'll always come back here in the end. Many countries may have so-and-so a government that does this-and-that, but really, it's the people that count. And the USA has a great number of people that would like to truly care.

Where I went camping this weekend, in Indiana (didn't take the pictures, though)

And my friend works at this restaurant in Vincennes, Pristinegirl

They say Vincennes has a high druggie population, and I think statistically that's true. But I think it's a very pretty place as well, and there are a lot of towns that are just so quaint out here.

 

[Shaz]

I really shouldn't read threads about health care and praises of capitalist mentalities, they make me so angry... aaaah what am I going to do now???

 

[Pristinegirl]

We do have great hospitality here, in comparison to Europe. People talk to each other, and yeah, some people are rude, but for the most part, there's definitely an appreciation for politeness.

They say Vincennes has a high druggie population, and I think statistically that's true. But I think it's a very pretty place as well, and there are a lot of towns that are just so quaint out here

I definetly agree haha I feel so affirmed. Beautiful pictures! I'm glad you are a happy American and I personally feel that as long as the American mentality is kept, things can only get better.

wow, I didnt get that impression of Vincennes at all. I would never have guessed. Although I've heard that it is common in small towns. And there were police <3 here and there in the evenings. [I have never seen kinder and more responsible police than the American]

 

[gloomy-optimist]

In most small towns, if there's something going on like that, it's usually someplace under-the-surface where it will be harder to spot. So, often times, even if there's something "wrong" it won't affect the majority of people (at least in small towns -- there are always exceptions, though). And the police are usually pretty cool, although like everywhere else you can get assholes in that position. I've never had much problem with anyone of an enforcement career, except in Chicago (and after a concert, so I'm not too surprised about that at all).

If (when) you ever come back, you should give me a heads up and maybe we could arrange something

 

[Pristinegirl]

In most small towns, if there's something going on like that, it's usually someplace under-the-surface where it will be harder to spot. So, often times, even if there's something "wrong" it won't affect the majority of people (at least in small towns -- there are always exceptions, though). And the police are usually pretty cool, although like everywhere else you can get assholes in that position. I've never had much problem with anyone of an enforcement career, except in Chicago (and after a concert, so I'm not too surprised about that at all).

If (when) you ever come back, you should give me a heads up and maybe we could arrange something

So I've heard. But apparently methaddiction is spreading and is becoming extremely common in small towns.
Recently I have been crying every single day when watching Extreme home makeover haha. It is so beautiful & inspirational and it makes me think I simply need a chance you know. One single chance!!! ... But the sad thing for me is that the chance doesnt even exist here...

WOW I'm so hopeful!! ^^ Exactly When, not If, I go back I'll be staying with my stepdads for a month!!

 

[Pristinegirl]

The Land Of The Free and Home Of The Brave

 

[The Jester]

We do have great hospitality here, in comparison to Europe. People talk to each other, and yeah, some people are rude, but for the most part, there's definitely an appreciation for politeness.

We definitely don't have that here in Europe.
We don't get up for old people in the bus.
We don't say hi to our neighbors.
We close ourselves off from everyone, and are opportunists.

/sarcasm

 

[gloomy-optimist]

We definitely don't have that here in Europe.
We don't get up for old people in the bus.
We don't say hi to our neighbors.
We close ourselves off from everyone, and are opportunists.

/sarcasm

I wasn't trying to say you never do that But I do know that where I traveled, if you bumped someone, you didn't apologize. You didn't really greet people you didn't know. And service at restaurants/shops tends to be more polite in America.

 

[The Jester]

I wasn't trying to say you never do that But I do know that where I traveled, if you bumped someone, you didn't apologize. You didn't really greet people you didn't know. And service at restaurants/shops tends to be more polite in America.

The greeting people thing is a bit broad.
I mean, I greeted co-workers on my vacation job, and people who worked there whom I didn't even know their name. (Like the people who clean the hallways)
And if I bump into someone, I'll say sorry.
About the service I'm not really sure, because I just don't go a lot to shops.

I just find it hard to say: this country is better than this country at this, because you can never get a general view from a country.
There'll always be good and bad areas.

 

[Shai Gar]

why apologise? It's hardly on purpose.

and the service is more polite because they depend on tips.

 

[Pristinegirl]

I Believe In America…
we’re a nation of hopes and dreams,
Sweet freedom will fill our needs.
I Believe In America...
we must fight for peace,
My faith in us will never cease.
I Believe In America...
we are united in democracy,
Defeating evil and hypocrisy

 

[Shai Gar]

Psychic spies from China
Try to steal your mind's elation
Little girls from Sweden
Dream of silver screen quotations
And if you want these kind of dreams
It's Californication

It's the edge of the world
And all of western civilization
The sun may rise in the East
At least it settles in the final location
It's understood that Hollywood
sells Californication

Pay your surgeon very well
To break the spell of aging
Celebrity skin is this your chin
Or is that war your waging

 

[AUM]

I Believe In America

 

[Satya]

The primary issue that exists in America now is the fact that it's operating as a full blown democracy and not a republic which was the design and intent of the founding fathers and the documents they created.

To be realistic, our founding fathers envisioned a society in which white, male property owners were the only ones allowed to vote and serve in office. An inherent flaw in the system they designed was that it favored the elites, which isn't surprising considering that it was wealthy elites who wrote the Constitution. However, because of their design, the military industrial complex came into being, where the leaders of business and the military now take turns controlling the government. What we have now is a psuedodemocracy in which the majority think they have the power, but all the big decisions are actually orchestrated through a select few at the top of the government. The elite few cooperate with the owners of the media to use mass media to orchestrate public opinion toward support of their decisions. The media promotes the two party system (think of lack of coverage of third party candidates) so as to keep the American public in animosity toward once another so that they aren't aware that they are being controlled with propaganda, emotional appeals, and omittance of information.

 

[Pristinegirl]

The song makes me nostalgic, it used to be a favourite. So RHCP define what I have as Californication!!!

You were definetly born on the wrong country

I KNOW :'( What does it take to be considered an American?

 

[Satya]

Well they couldn't envision the amount of immigration nor the variety of races and ethnic groups that would come, I can guarantee that. As far as the White, Male, Landowner thing, what do you expect? Who else was here at that point and could they be expected to reasonably predict who would come here and at that point the only women in any sort of power were queens and other nobility. The landowner provision was what, a grab at those with vested interest? Pretty reasonable to me, can't have someone who showed up 10 minutes ago with nothing expecting to actually influence things, establishing ones' self at that point was important.

I agree with the rest of what you said completely, but I differ on the premise that the founding documents didn't grant true form Constitutional Republic powers and rights to citizens. There were some criteria at the time which may have been revolutionary war bias towards 'like minded folks' but the essence and fabric of a true republic was there from the beginning.

The rights to which you are inferring were granted via the Bill of Rights which were only added because some states initially demanded it before they would ratify it.

The "fabric of a true republic" must have consisted of slavery since that was the most heated topic of debate during the construction of the Constitution. As I recall, the initial Constitution declared that any slave was 3/5ths of a white man.

And considering the history of genocide perpetrated by the United States government on the Native Americans as a grab for the land they occupied, you really have to wonder how noble a republic this country truly is.

 

[Faye]

Katrina was a crisis -- that doesn't necessarily reflect the norm. You can't always be ready for something of that caliber.

Katrina does reflect the norm of discrimination based on social strata and the lack oversight of the executive by congress (break down of the system of checks and balances).

 

[the]

For everyone who doesn't understand me, the values of this short clip is why I Love USA.
(The university is not the point although it seems to have fantastic views!)

[YOUTUBE]j5KBo2-6MCA[/YOUTUBE]

Its just so incredibly sad and despairing.
This infinite homesickness of mine that aches so in my heart and soul will be my death.

I was thinking of going to that school next year! wooo!

 

[Satya]

I guess the Indians didn't fight back at all, and of course never snuck into settlements and killed people and stole goods, they also never attacked the initial English settlers either huh.

Actually the initial English settlers would have died off had not the Natives shown them how to grow food. It was the English settlers who first raided and massacred the very Natives who saved them from becoming a dead settlement. And yes, Natives did occasionally raid and attack. But to compare that to the organized genocide that was orchestrated by the United States government is like comparing a deranged postal worker to the Holocaust.

People always boohoo the poor Indians but they were warrior tribes who fought both aggressively and defensively. Conflicts have happened throughout human history due to expansion, wars have been fought and all that. The major travesty is some of the monstrous acts from both sides, the killing of women and children and cruel killing methods used by both sides, not just one.

Um...lets talk about numbers. The Natives probably killed somewhere in the area of tens of thousand of settlers, but there is no debate that the United States government killed hundreds of thousands, if not over a million, Natives. Why would you even consider them to be equal?

The whole "White people stole the Indians land" tearjerker is pretty lame.

Why? If I signed a treaty with you stating that you could have land in the exchange for the land that you occupied, and then once I discovered there was gold on the land that I gave you so I came and forced you off that land, would that simply be a "tearjerker" and "lame" thing? That was what happened with the Black Hills. How about when the Cherokees fought and won in the Supreme Court, the right to keep their lands but Andrew Jackson still forced them off of them onto a reservation hundreds of miles away? Ever heard of the "Trail of Tears'? You might wanna look it up and see how it got its name. Talk about a "tearjerker"! Frankly, after that comment you just made, I think you have a 5th grader's grasp of history.

Finally, the things that the founding fathers thought or did that were wrong don't negate the absolute beauty of what our republic stands for, what it provides people. Just as now the fact that subversion has made the country drift ever closer to socialism and there's widespread turmoil and crime doesn't make the American way of life evil. It's the like quote "guns don't kill people, people kill people." The American ethic didn't empower the various political criminals and wrongdoers, their own choices and the corruption and subversion of the system did. The heart of the founding documents is very pure, very noble and ultimately worth standing up for and defending.

The country didn't drift anywhere near socialism. This country is ruled by the elites just as it was ruled by them when it was founded. That is the product of a Republic. Do you even know what socialism is? Frankly, you sound just like one of the media driven pawns I was talking about in one of my prior posts.

Now you have glorified the Constitution, but it was written by men and it is by no means perfect. It has been amended hundreds of times and will continue to be so, and some day may not even resemble what it once was. A Republic is by no means a perfect form of government, and it has its own drawbacks like any government.

 

[Pristinegirl]

The new Treaty of Lisbon is fusing Europe into one! The United States of Europe'.

• There will be one president.
• A stronger parlament
• One foreign minister
• Same defense policies
• Eu legal control
• Same immigration policies
• Same currency

Does anyone else see the danger?!?
I believe it is attempting to rival against America to be honest. It will turn into a superstate and loss of democracy. In the end, I think that there will be war comming...


It is so funny how we are told that it is democratic, when IRELAND voted NO, but still EU didn't settle, instead they decided that the people of Ireland were 'not educated enough' to have a fair vote. So they had to REVOTE :S:S:S It just shows how they won't settle untill they have the answer they want...