Is America the greatest country in the world?

[there4eyeM]

Where does the first amendment specify that freedom of expression is limited to expression in English?

 

[Foxfyre]

Sure would be, but that has never been and will never be 100% the case.

It was once the case for new immigrants.

NO, it was not.

Yes it was. Yes there were people who struggled with the language. My sister's mother-in-law was one but she still did not ever expect anybody to accommodate her native Italian. She really had to work at it but she gradually did master English sufficiently enough to take her oath of citizenship and in time she did become fluent. But she also never worked outside the home and therefore it did take her longer. Her husband became fluent quickly and insisted that his children speak only English in the home, which was sort of unfortunate as most never became fluent in Italian, but he and all seven of them have prospered.

And again, being heavily involved with teaching English as a second language and the other components of America life and culture to new immigrants, I know what they ALL once did. If there was an occasional exception to that rule just 30 to 40 years ago, it was extremely rare.

 

[Unkotare]

In the 'old days' you want to imagine, there were very clearly defined 'neighborhoods' for the Irish, the Italians, the Polish, the Jews, the blacks; there was Chinatown. People lived in very segregated areas and everyone knew what happened if you ended up in the wrong place or with the wrong girl. People had 'their' shops and social clubs and houses of worship, etc. It was everything you are afraid of. In the hospitals in or near this or that neighborhood there would be one or several nurses working who were from X or Y ethnic group and could interpret. If not, a younger family member (from that 2nd or 3rd generation that had assimilated - just like today) would come along and help out.

In the 'old days' people didn't hop off the boat and immediately start reciting Shakespeare and winning hot dog eating contests.

 

[Unkotare]

It was once the case for new immigrants.

NO, it was not.

Yes it was. .

NO, IT WAS NOT. It never has been and never will be. Ethnic groups have always relied on mutual aid societies and the support of their fellows to transition to assimilation - JUST LIKE TODAY. Drive around any big city and see the faded old signs above the entrance to the Knights of Columbus, the Portuguese Association, the Ancient Order of Hibernia, etc. The Italian family that came here with very little money and no tradition of education gravitated to Little Italy where the first generation survived and sacrificed so their kids could get a good education (including the obvious mastery of English) and then move out of Little Italy to the suburbs where with each generation they became more and more assimilated. Eventually there weren't enough new Italian immigrants to maintain Little Italy the way it was and it became a part of town with several really good restaurants but not a haven for new immigrants finding their way in a new land. Instead, a new part of town became that same thing for Brazilian immigrants, or Mexican, or Hatian, etc. It's the same process repeating itself. Just because you have become the old curmudgeon on the front porch shouting at those damn teenagers to get off your lawn doesn't mean anything has changed as much as yourself.

 

[Foxfyre]

You, you confuse shared societies with multiculturalism. Not the same thing at all. Yes, it is natural for people who share a heritage and who appreciate the same things to group together. Most especially during the difficult years of assimilation. That same Italian family that I referred to was part of a much larger group of Italian immigrants who sponsored each other as they came into the country, and helped them get on with the coal companies in northern New Mexico. A large group eventually broke off and formed a new "little Sicily" in southeastern New Mexico. Remnants of those important pieces of culture are still strong in both places, but both are 100% American. You see the same phenomenon in the German, Swedish, Bosnian, Irish et al communities of North Central Kansas. Strong remnants of those imported cultures are evident but the people are 100% American. These examples are NOT multiculturalism.

I don't think you are understanding what multiculturalism actually is and why it is harmful to the cohesiveness and natural culture of a nation. And while it is definitely fed by the looney aspects of the Left, it is its own phenomenon. Arteveld understands it. I think he understands it very clearly. And he doesn't even live here.

 

[Unkotare]

Yes, it is natural for people who share a heritage and who appreciate the same things to group together. Most especially during the difficult years of assimilation. That same Italian family that I referred to was part of a much larger group of Italian immigrants who sponsored each other as they came into the country, and helped them get on with the coal companies in northern New Mexico. A large group eventually broke off and formed a new "little Sicily" in southeastern New Mexico. Remnants of those important pieces of culture are still strong in both places, but both are 100% American. You see the same phenomenon in the German, Swedish, Bosnian, Irish et al communities of North Central Kansas. Strong remnants of those imported cultures are evident but the people are 100% American. .

And the same process is at work with today's immigrants.

 

[Foxfyre]

Using Unkotare debate method: No it isn't.

 

[Unkotare]

Using Unkotare debate method: No it isn't.

Using your own: Yes it is because I see it all the time.

 

[Foxfyre]

Using Unkotare debate method: No it isn't.

Using your own: Yes it is because I see it all the time.

Follow up per your example: No it isn't because I have seen just the opposite up close and personal.

 

[Unkotare]

Using Unkotare debate method: No it isn't.

Using your own: Yes it is because I see it all the time.

Follow up per your example: No it isn't because I have seen just the opposite up close and personal.

Exactly what opposite have you seen up close and personal?

 

[Foxfyre]

Using your own: Yes it is because I see it all the time.

Follow up per your example: No it isn't because I have seen just the opposite up close and personal.

Exactly what opposite have you seen up close and personal?

If you haven't figured that out by now, I doubt anything else I said would convince you.

 

[Unkotare]

Are you ducking? Is that your less than honest way of conceding you have been emoting without a basis in fact?

 

[Foxfyre]

Are you ducking? Is that your less than honest way of conceding you have been emoting without a basis in fact?

Nope. I'm not ducking nor have I ducked. Your constant questions however, have already been asked and answered and you did not wish to engage in those answers. So I 'm not ducking. I'm just not taking any more of your bait in whatever dodge and weave and obfusication plot you have here. Thanks for understanding.

 

[Unkotare]

No "bait." You have repeatedly made false statements that you cannot support.

 

[Artevelde]

Your country has 3 official languages and it doesn't seem to have dissolved yet. And please do tell of this substantial expertise.

It has to all intents and purposes dissolved. There are no national political parties (only parties within each language group) and there is no real national democracy. The federal government is - in fact - a permanent diplomatic conference - between the leading parties of the two main linguistic groups. There are no Belgians.

So, what does it say on your passport? Where do you pay taxes? Can someone from Greece vote in your local elections?

First of all it's not strictly accurate that there are three official languages in Belgium. In the area of Flanders Dutch is the only official language. In Wallonia French is the only official language. In the Eupen-Malmedy German is the only official language. Only the capital - Brussels - has two official languages (Dutch and French).
To answer your questions: the passport i Have is Belgian. I do not consider myself Belgian however, very few people here do. I am a Fleming, that is the nation to which I belong.
I pay taxes to the local authority, the region and the federal state. The budget of for example Flanders is bigger than the budget of Belgium.
Greeks and other people who live here and register have voting rights in local elections.

 

[Unkotare]

To answer your questions: the passport i Have is Belgian. I do not consider myself Belgian however, very few people here do. I am a Fleming, that is the nation to which I belong.

Oh, is that an independent nation?




And you still haven't told me of your expertise.

 

[Euroconservativ]

The video is a monument of left-wing populism. It has gone viral; you can even find it translated to many languages. The scene is perfect: a smart "independent" guy, a diverse young audience... But using those average figures to describe such a complex and big nation, is very opportunist.

He talks about education. Ironically, american students scored better in math and science when there was not a department of education. Didn't they?

The US life expectancy is 78.2 years. Similar to many european countries.

Border control: The U.S is the only rich country in the top10 and top25 with fastest population growth, together with Nigeria, Congo, Philippines, Ethiopia, Pakistan... The U.S. is adding 100 million new people each 3 or 4 decades, most in the South. As you can see, poverty rates are not the same in Arizona and New Hampshire.

More facts. The number of Nobel laureates coming from US universities is higher than ever.

The U.S. is the second exporter of goods behind China, not the fourth. And is the world largest exporter of capital goods (aircrafts, turbines, machinery, semiconductors, earthmoving equipment, medical equipment, etc).

Defense spending? America spent even more in the "good old years". More than 10% of GDP in the 1960s.

 

[editec]

Is America the nicest country in the world?

Is America the greatest country in the world?

Is America the coolest country in the world?

Is America the grooviest nation in the world?

All these sorts of questions are meaningless until we agree what the operative words: nicest, greatest, coolest, or grooviest actually MEAN.

 

[Foxfyre]

Is America the nicest country in the world?

Is America the greatest country in the world?

Is America the coolest country in the world?

Is America the grooviest nation in the world?

All these sorts of questions are meaningless until we agree what the operative words: nicest, greatest, coolest, or grooviest actually MEAN.

I gently disagree. Each is a subjective concept in the minds and hearts of each individual. You personally will have a yes or no or yes and no answer for each question, and in this regard, the only opinion that matters for you is your own.

There's no hope for our resident trolls, but I had hoped our more thoughtful members would think about it and answer the questions honestly. I think most have. But there was a time, not all that long ago in America, when almost all people would have answered the questions the same because they mostly shared a common culture, the same values, the same symbolism, and the same mores.

In my opinion, we are in serious danger of losing that aspect of America. And I think it is worth fighting for.

 

[Ava]

America is still the biggest ass kicker on the planet however...

Our vote in November, `12, will determine whether we stay that way.