Does the rest of the world think we are crazy?

[theHawk]

Our political system has never been, and was not designed to be, harmonious and without rancor. Quite the opposite. And in every generation there have been ignorant hysterics screeching, "Oh my gosh! It's never been this bad!"

Our military is unmatched.

Our economy is still the largest and most important in the world. We innovate, we produce, we export, we import, we educate, and we influence the rest of the world.

Private, competitively-based education in the US is the best in the world.

You are right about the US military. But as for the rest ....

I suggest that the Chinese economy is the more important. The US only survives because of loans from China; if they stop lending you are in big trouble. Lots of countries innovate as much as the US. You produce less and less. You export a bit and import stupendous amount. At the top - MIT say - US education is the best, as you say. But lower down the scale it is poor. International tables of children's attainments indicate that your pupils perform badly.

And there is something wrong when you spend more on healthcare than any other developed country and have about the worst outcomes on almost every measure.

The Chinese are not more important. They are still a third world shithole, full of slaves that work for a communist government. They depend a lot more on the US than the US does on China. If we stopped using them as slave labor and had our shit manufactured anywhere else, they would be in a world of hurt.

 

[rightwinger]

WHO CARES what the rest of the world thinks?

grow up, finally. it is not a high-school cafeteria anymore.

We sneeze, the rest of the world gets a cold

Political instability in the US affects the rest of the world. Our ability to assume a moral high ground in negotiations is also affected.

Do as we say, not as we do is not a good negotiating position

 

[Peterf]

Nobody gives a fuck what the rest of the world thinks of us.

Which is why we're the most respected and loved Nation in the History of Man.

This is the perfect example of why some people do not like Americans.

...and we STILL don't give a fuck. They can suck our giant American dicks.

You're right. You don't need other countries to like the US. But you do need them to keep on lending you more and more and more money.

 

[Peterf]

Our political system has never been, and was not designed to be, harmonious and without rancor. Quite the opposite. And in every generation there have been ignorant hysterics screeching, "Oh my gosh! It's never been this bad!"

Our military is unmatched.

Our economy is still the largest and most important in the world. We innovate, we produce, we export, we import, we educate, and we influence the rest of the world.

Private, competitively-based education in the US is the best in the world.

You are right about the US military. But as for the rest ....

I suggest that the Chinese economy is the more important. The US only survives because of loans from China; if they stop lending you are in big trouble. Lots of countries innovate as much as the US. You produce less and less. You export a bit and import stupendous amount. At the top - MIT say - US education is the best, as you say. But lower down the scale it is poor. International tables of children's attainments indicate that your pupils perform badly.

And there is something wrong when you spend more on healthcare than any other developed country and have about the worst outcomes on almost every measure.

The Chinese are not more important. They are still a third world shithole, full of slaves that work for a communist government. They depend a lot more on the US than the US does on China. If we stopped using them as slave labor and had our shit manufactured anywhere else, they would be in a world of hurt.

Is it wise to insult the country that is lending you the money that, for the moment, keeps your economy functioning? Note the question mark - it's for you to decide.

 

[rightwinger]

The US is the most powerful nation on earth. Politically, militarily and economically. Everything we do impacts the rest of the world.

What does the world think of us?

1. Politically: The US is unstable. Our government is broken. We cannot accomplish the most simple tasks let alone act as leaders of the free world. We can't pass a budget, agree to keep our government going, agree to pay our debts.

2. Justice System: We have more of our citizens in prison than any nation on earth. We are one of the few "civilized" nations in the free world that still relys on capital punishment. We continue a fruitless "War on Drugs" than encourages violence and fills our prisons

3. Gun Violence: We have a murder rate three times that of similar nations. We have endured assasinations of our leaders and an endless stream of massacres and yet we show no will to do anything other than accept it

4. Environment: We allow science to become a political issue, ignoring scientific reason because it interferes with our politics. 95% of scientists agree that manmade global warming exists and still we treat is as a political threat not a natural threat

5. Education: America used to set the standard for education but we now settle for "good enough". If our students can pass an arbitrary exam, we are satisfied with the level of education. Our students perform poorly when compared to our peers and we are unwilling to do anything about it. Our education system is disjointed and unfocused

The world thinks the US is stupid since it apparently believes its OK to run up trillion dollar deficits every year, keep raising the debt limit, keep borrowing more money, just to keep adding to the debt.

Its funny that you complain about our justice system as if it has too many people in prison. Our problem is we let too many people out of prison, people with violent criminal past. Which in turn leads into that "gun problem", as most of the murders and gun violence is directly linked to gang bangers and thugs with a criminal history.

Education, well liberals have controlled that sector for decades. They brought it down to almost third world standards, which is typical of everything progressives get their hands on. Bet you can't wait for the government to take over all of the health care industry too, eh?

Other countries are probably astounded that the US let itself be destroyed from within thanks to liberal policies, such as lax immigration standards, little to no border enforcement, a justice system that favors thugs, and an education system run by greedy corrupt government bureaucrats.

Your whimpering is duly noted...

The percentge of our population in prison dwarfs the rest of the world. It is not that we are more violent but we have archaic drug laws that create gang violence and fill up our prisons with drug offenders. We are always willing to build more prisons (to keep us "safe") but have no money for schools or infrastructure

Only 12 percent of our murders are due to "gang bangers". Most murders are from someone you know with domestic violence accounting for about a third.

Funny how you repeat the myth that liberals run the schools. 90% of school funding and control is at the state and local level. There are an awful lot of red states out there....why did they elect liberals to run their schools?

 

[ClosedCaption]

Who cares what the rest of world thinks! It's like 9/11 never happened.

 

[Unkotare]

I suggest that the Chinese economy is the more important. The US only survives because of loans from China; if they stop lending you are in big trouble. .

You got that backwards. The American economy is mature and durable. If China does not have a steady market for cheap-labor exports its economy would grind almost completely to a halt at this point.

 

[Unkotare]

International tables of children's attainments indicate that your pupils perform badly..

Public schools in poor and/or inner city areas perform horribly. Our private schools - including at the Jr and senior high school level - are so good that students are flocking to them from all over the world, including students from those very countries typically held up as having 'better' education.

 

[Unkotare]

have about the worst outcomes on almost every measure.

"Almost every measure"? No. But, it is very likely about to get much worse, I'm afraid.

 

[Unkotare]

WHO CARES what the rest of the world thinks?

grow up, finally. it is not a high-school cafeteria anymore.

Every nation, including yours and mine, can sometimes learn from others. Getting away from the notion that if something is American is it automatically the best would be a useful step. And grown up.

You are welcome to apply those ideas to your own country. Best of luck.

 

[Unkotare]

Wake Up America

Where are you from?

 

[Esmeralda]

Why does there have to be a downside?

The US used to be the political and cultural leader of the free world. Where did we go wrong?

Why is the rest of the world laughing at us or looking on in shock?

The rest of the world is not laughing at the US or looking on in shock. While there is some substance to the points you make, I believe the problems and the situation, as you portray them, are exaggerated.

For one thing, the US was never (never ever) the cultural leader of the world, especially not of the free world. That is an impression Americans have gotten possibly from school or more likely from Hollywood, Motown, glossy magazines, etc. America has sometimes led the way in pop culture, but overall, we are definitely not and never were the cultural leader of the free world.

The idea that everyone on Earth sought the American Dream is also a myth, one which we were fed in school and through Hollywood. Immigrants certainly made their way to the US in the millions, but they also sought to fulfil their dreams in Canada, the UK, Australia and Europe.

WWI lasted 4 years and 3 months. The US was only in it for one year and 7 months. It was not until after WWII that the US became a world military leader. It is only since the mid 20th Century that the US has been at the top, so to speak, economically and militarily. So, why Americans believe we have been the greatest nation on Earth for such a long time is beyond reason. But, in school, and certainly through Hollywood, we have been taught, programed if you will, to believe it, and told we created, invented, achieved so much more than any other nation on Earth. It simply isn't true.

Our government is strong and will last: it isn't about to crumble and it is in as good a shape as it ever was. There have always been problems; I don't think the current ones are worse than any others. The Republicans also shut down the government over the budget when Clinton was president. We have always had less than stunning results from our politicians, and the list goes on and on.

I think your post is analogous to the story of Chicken Little: the fact is, the sky is not falling. One of the great weaknesses Americans seem to have is the ability to put things into perspective. And I think needing to believe we are the biggest, the best, the greatest is silly. That's what Mohamed Ali used to say about himself. But even he didn't actually believe it: he did it to build up his steam, to pump himself up before a fight.

I don't think America has 'gone wrong.' I think it is changing and evolving. The British Empire once ruled about half the Earth's surface. Then bit by bit they lost it and became something less than a military and economic strength, but now they are both. From one extreme to the next, they were still in no way a failed nation. I'd like to see the US a less violent nation; I know you would all like a healthier economic climate, and that will come. But expecting to always be the best, and if you aren't you're a failure, that's just foolish.

As far as education, America is a very complex country, very large and very mult-cultural. Actually, literally comparing your education successes and failures to countries like Finland or Japan or Norway is ridiculous. They have far, far smaller homogenous populations: it is much easier to achieve success in education because of that. What America needs to do regarding education is not look to what Finland and other similar countries are doing, but look to what America could be doing. And, I am an extremely firm believer that improvement is not to be found in high scores on standarized testing.

 

[Unkotare]

WWI lasted 4 years and 3 months. The US was only in it for one year and 7 months. .

Oh, how shameful of us to be tardy to go across the ocean to die for Europe!

 

[Vox]

Once again this is the clearest example of Republicans being FOR making the mud then crying when it gets on them.

Want people to represent you? Take the fucking money out of politics.

Want people to ignore you? Keep giving the most access to the guy with the bigger pockets

Its that fucking simple

you forgot to mention how Democrats also cry when the mud soils their 500 dollar shoes......

I have yet to see any Dem publicly support Citizens United. Of course they support it behind closed doors because they're getting that money too. But the public support for it and how great it is only comes from one party.

Either you can deny it or not...either way I'll know your response by what you don't say

Let me get it straight - support of Citizens United is acceptable if you lie and deny it publicly? You leftards are really hilarious

 

[kaz]

The US is the most powerful nation on earth. Politically, militarily and economically. Everything we do impacts the rest of the world.

What does the world think of us?

1. Politically: The US is unstable. Our government is broken. We cannot accomplish the most simple tasks let alone act as leaders of the free world. We can't pass a budget, agree to keep our government going, agree to pay our debts.

2. Justice System: We have more of our citizens in prison than any nation on earth. We are one of the few "civilized" nations in the free world that still relys on capital punishment. We continue a fruitless "War on Drugs" than encourages violence and fills our prisons

3. Gun Violence: We have a murder rate three times that of similar nations. We have endured assasinations of our leaders and an endless stream of massacres and yet we show no will to do anything other than accept it

4. Environment: We allow science to become a political issue, ignoring scientific reason because it interferes with our politics. 95% of scientists agree that manmade global warming exists and still we treat is as a political threat not a natural threat

5. Education: America used to set the standard for education but we now settle for "good enough". If our students can pass an arbitrary exam, we are satisfied with the level of education. Our students perform poorly when compared to our peers and we are unwilling to do anything about it. Our education system is disjointed and unfocused

Actually, that's just what leftists want the world to think of us.

 

[ClosedCaption]

you forgot to mention how Democrats also cry when the mud soils their 500 dollar shoes......

I have yet to see any Dem publicly support Citizens United. Of course they support it behind closed doors because they're getting that money too. But the public support for it and how great it is only comes from one party.

Either you can deny it or not...either way I'll know your response by what you don't say

Let me get it straight - support of Citizens United is acceptable if you lie and deny it publicly? You leftards are really hilarious

No, read it again, think about it, then type

 

[zeke]

The US is the most powerful nation on earth. Politically, militarily and economically. Everything we do impacts the rest of the world.

What does the world think of us?

1. Politically: The US is unstable. Our government is broken. We cannot accomplish the most simple tasks let alone act as leaders of the free world. We can't pass a budget, agree to keep our government going, agree to pay our debts.

2. Justice System: We have more of our citizens in prison than any nation on earth. We are one of the few "civilized" nations in the free world that still relys on capital punishment. We continue a fruitless "War on Drugs" than encourages violence and fills our prisons

3. Gun Violence: We have a murder rate three times that of similar nations. We have endured assasinations of our leaders and an endless stream of massacres and yet we show no will to do anything other than accept it

4. Environment: We allow science to become a political issue, ignoring scientific reason because it interferes with our politics. 95% of scientists agree that manmade global warming exists and still we treat is as a political threat not a natural threat

5. Education: America used to set the standard for education but we now settle for "good enough". If our students can pass an arbitrary exam, we are satisfied with the level of education. Our students perform poorly when compared to our peers and we are unwilling to do anything about it. Our education system is disjointed and unfocused

My wife works for an international company. She speaks with people all over Europe and GB mostly every day. These people are engineers and mid level IT people. Not dummies.
My wife is not very political. But she says they never fail to ask her; what is wrong with your government. Why can't they accomplish anything. Work together.

It seems to bother them that we are dysfunctional.

For what it's worth. We are not losing our leadership position around the world. We are giving it away through negligence and dysfunction.

To bad.

 

[Vox]

WHO CARES what the rest of the world thinks?

grow up, finally. it is not a high-school cafeteria anymore.

YOU should care,the simple fact is,that if you were made to pay back your DEBT today,as a nation YOU would NEVER recover,and most of you would be living in MUD HUTS.

But Vox in a way you do live in the MUD because that's where YOUR HEAD IS BURIED.

I deal in Fact.......unlike your FICTION.

Wake Up America

***yawning***
now, wipe off all that spit of yours and give at least ONE real reason why should I care what some whiny loser from who-knows-where thinks about what we should do. So far you have not provided any and neither did Peterf

 

[Vox]

I have yet to see any Dem publicly support Citizens United. Of course they support it behind closed doors because they're getting that money too. But the public support for it and how great it is only comes from one party.

Either you can deny it or not...either way I'll know your response by what you don't say

Let me get it straight - support of Citizens United is acceptable if you lie and deny it publicly? You leftards are really hilarious

No, read it again, think about it, then type

You got caught and now retreating typical.

Leftards are not only liars they don't have any shame in parading that lie around - as long as you deny it publicly, supporting and using it privately is OK.

Leftards are the scum of the earth

 

[Vox]

This is the perfect example of why some people do not like Americans.

...and we STILL don't give a fuck. They can suck our giant American dicks.

You're right. You don't need other countries to like the US. But you do need them to keep on lending you more and more and more money.

Before showing to everybody how ignorant you are it is advisable to learn at first some basics. Like where does the borrowed money come from