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Post by Anja on Jun 22, 2005 9:59:36 GMT -5
Well, I never realized my country was such a piece of crap!
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Post by quartermetis on Jun 22, 2005 10:32:21 GMT -5
I find it fascinating that many of the Americans here speak with absolutes; as if things are always going to stay the way that they are, with Americans being the most "superior" nation in the world. With the gap between rich and poor growing at such and exponentially rapid rate that US Federal Reserve is concerned that our shrinking middle class can threaten the stability of our nation (most third world nations don't have a strong middle class just extreme wealth and extreme poverty); as well as the fact that our Educational System isn't even in the top 10 and the economies in Asian are growing at such a rapid rate our gas prices have reached an all time high (China is expected to surpass us as the worlds largest petroleum importer before the year 2020) how much longer do you expect us to stay on top. I often wonder if our own cockiness and overconfidence will be our demise. Most of us have grown up in an era where we no nothing else beside US dominance so we just assume it will always be that way, but every great empire has fallen, usually as a result of its own ego. I'm sure that at the height of the Roman Empire the average Roman citizen would have laughed at the idea of their great civilization being reduced to nothing but ruins and legends of ole.
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Post by topdog on Jun 25, 2005 2:05:37 GMT -5
It doesn't matter what anyone says, the U.S. is the most superior nation in the world overall. Europe now finds itself in the precarious position of playing second fiddle to the U.S. If it wasn't for the U.S. most of Europe would be speaking German as their first or second language, why is it so hard to accept this?
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Post by nockwasright on Jun 25, 2005 7:52:53 GMT -5
It doesn't matter what anyone says, the U.S. is the most superior nation in the world overall. Europe now finds itself in the precarious position of playing second fiddle to the U.S. If it wasn't for the U.S. most of Europe would be speaking German as their first or second language, why is it so hard to accept this? Yawn I knew the trite common place of "you would be speaking German" would not have been spared us. And if it wasn't for Europe in most of Africa there wouldn't be roads, houses made of bricks or any trace of modern civilisation, say thanks to us now. And if it wasn't for France the USA would still be an UK colony. How do you like this? States are the ultimate egoists, this is the minimum knowdlege required to talk about history. The USA did what they did because deemed in their interest doing it, no thanks is due to any state, never. Plus, I would like to know where you stand. Do you want to be proud and deafen us with chest pounding aboud the big deeds of the USA, even if they are not related to you personally by any means? Do you think we should be proud of things done by our ancestors and compare this with other deeds of long forgotten people and finally measure our respective personal worth on this basis? Do you want Germans to bow to you because someone who is not you defeated someone who is not them in a war? Then prepare to bow till ground before all people of European descent for creating most of what is of any worth in the world. Under your standards a fishermen of Cefalonia should have his feet kissed by Colin Powell. How do you like your collective pride now?
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Post by topdog on Jun 25, 2005 8:01:21 GMT -5
And if it wasn't for Europe in most of Africa there wouldn't be roads, houses made of bricks or any trace of modern civilisation, say thanks to us now. And if it wasn't for France the USA would still be an UK colony. How do you like this? The modern civilisation appeared in Africa *BEFORE* it appeared in Europe. If Europeans would not have came into Africa there would be no Rwanda conflict.
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Post by nockwasright on Jun 25, 2005 8:07:42 GMT -5
The modern civilisation appeared in Africa *BEFORE* it appeared in Europe. If Europeans would not have came into Africa there would be no Rwanda conflict. This is 1) not true 2) off topic. I give up, you never answer to what I actually say. Bye
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Post by topdog on Jun 25, 2005 8:09:13 GMT -5
The modern civilisation appeared in Africa *BEFORE* it appeared in Europe. If Europeans would not have came into Africa there would be no Rwanda conflict. This is 1) not true 2) off topic. I give up, you never answer to what I actually say. Bye Yes, civilisation appeared in Africa before Europe. That is a fact, not a lie. What you said about Africans and Europeans earlier was way off topic.
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Post by Toasty on Jun 25, 2005 19:23:27 GMT -5
It doesn't matter what anyone says, the U.S. is the most superior nation in the world overall. Europe now finds itself in the precarious position of playing second fiddle to the U.S. If it wasn't for the U.S. most of Europe would be speaking German as their first or second language, why is it so hard to accept this? Yawn I knew the trite common place of "you would be speaking German" would not have been spared us. And if it wasn't for Europe in most of Africa there wouldn't be roads, houses made of bricks or any trace of modern civilisation, say thanks to us now. And if it wasn't for France the USA would still be an UK colony. How do you like this? States are the ultimate egoists, this is the minimum knowdlege required to talk about history. The USA did what they did because deemed in their interest doing it, no thanks is due to any state, never. Plus, I would like to know where you stand. Do you want to be proud and deafen us with chest pounding aboud the big deeds of the USA, even if they are not related to you personally by any means? Do you think we should be proud of things done by our ancestors and compare this with other deeds of long forgotten people and finally measure our respective personal worth on this basis? Do you want Germans to bow to you because someone who is not you defeated someone who is not them in a war? Then prepare to bow till ground before all people of European descent for creating most of what is of any worth in the world. Under your standards a fishermen of Cefalonia should have his feet kissed by Colin Powell. How do you like your collective pride now? I like it a lot.
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Post by nockwasright on Jun 26, 2005 10:26:10 GMT -5
Good for you. What are exactly you proud of by the way? This just in: The cheapest sort of pride is national pride; for if a man is proud of his own nation, it argues that he has no qualities of his own of which he can be proud; otherwise he would not have recourse to those which he shares with so many millions of his fellowmen. The man who is endowed with important personal qualities will be only too ready to see clearly in what respects his own nation falls short, since their failings will be constantly before his eyes. But every miserable fool who has nothing at all of which he can be proud adopts, as a last resource, pride in the nation to which he belongs; he is ready and glad to defend all its faults and follies tooth and nail, thus reimbursing himself for his own inferiority. Arthur Schopenhauer, The Wisdom of Life
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Post by topdog on Jun 26, 2005 10:35:16 GMT -5
I find it so hypocritical for Europeans to criticise Americans as chest-pounders when Europeans had entire ideologies placing them above everyone in this world. I wasn't chest pounding about American achievements, I was simply stating that the U.S. is the lone and most powerful nation in the world. I don't see why this is chest pounding when it is a irrefutable fact.
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Post by nockwasright on Jun 26, 2005 11:05:18 GMT -5
Is it because the U.S. is the most dominant nation in the world, a status that no country in Europe could ever have? Ok mister I ain't chest pounding, this above is how you started the thread. I noticed that your propostion was quite incorrect, as Europe dominated the world for far more than the USA did and you went: So you begin saying Europe never was powerful then you shamelessly backpedal and go: ok you had power, but will never do again. You don't even know past history and want to teach us future history? Why do you think so professor, let's hear. Finally I tell you I think this collective pride you are showing is per se wrong and you answer Proving that you simply do not care to answer. Even if all Europeans in all history had chest pounded as much as can be, this doesn't affect me. I'm not them, collective identity do not exist. I can criticise this puerile shows of national pride as much as I like, as I don't answer for similar showing of pride by anyone else, European or not. All this thread is a (with immense pleasure i write this word) strawman you created for bashing Europeans and feeling proud of being American. A very cheap satisfaction imo. Where is this american bashing you complain about? Finally, be advised that what made USA great was their being an European nation, with European values, legal system, technology, scientific method and a totally European ruling class. If you want to consider your person somewhat amplyfied by USA greatness you should at least cast off the AfroAmerican (and even more the African) costume, and put on the "unhypenated American" costume the hypocrites at the WSJ have sewn for you.
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Post by topdog on Jun 26, 2005 11:17:41 GMT -5
Is it because the U.S. is the most dominant nation in the world, a status that no country in Europe could ever have? Ok mister I ain't chest pounding, this above is how you started the thread. I noticed that your propostion was quite incorrect, as Europe dominated the world for far more than the USA did and you went. I over did it a little bit there, but I wasn't really chest-pounding. I meant to say Europe dominated the world, but in this day and age they do not, the U.S. does. I know the past history and Europe collectively as a continent dominated at one time but the USA as a single nation dominates world affairs. I think my worlds were unfairly taken out of context. You must feel pleasure[lol] accusing *ME* of making a strawmen, especially since I accuse other people of making strawmen arguments. Ok, you got your laugh now, are you happy? No, it was people of *ALL* races and backgrounds who contributed to make the USA the greatest and most powerful nation in the world. I'm well justified to identify as African American, black people did just appear in America via a puff of smoke in the air.
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Post by marduk1 on Jul 4, 2005 17:41:14 GMT -5
Why?
The whiney self-pitying of erudite's original post is one reason.
Nothing quite as nauseating as the self-pity of the powerful.
I can just picture some asshole peckerwood or stepinfechit house negro with a well-thumbed copy of LaHaye in his backpack breaking down a door in Baghdad shoving his rifle in the face of a 12-year old boy, throwing him down to the floor putting his boot on his neck and then going "why do you hate me?" "Are you jealous of me?" "Freedom is it that you hate?"
Whoops I don't know how that last question got in there.
I was thinking of a people in the region who exhibit the same exact tendencies as Americans.
Historically unparalleled hubris, a willful ignorance of history, a tendency to wallow in whiney self-pity and to paint all critics as "jealous of our wealth, success and power."
Of course, the next question is which came first? The chicken or the egg? Who's taking after whom?
And why are there still fifty stars in that rag/flag when one would do nicely and be way more honest?
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Post by mike2 on Jul 4, 2005 17:44:04 GMT -5
It's because America kicks so much ass, of course.
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Post by jp13323 on Jul 7, 2005 11:57:36 GMT -5
Amen
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