Being a reasonably patriotic American, I am concerned about some things. I like that America is the best. I can't hate. The USA is the best, but I am concerned about our national sin: namely arrogance.

It seems no one thinks they need to listen to anyone in our country. Everyone is too proud, like they know everything. But then when they don't make it in life, they complain.

Is there any reason I am so smart? One reason: I listen to everyone that speaks to me.

But people are too good to listen to others, because they are always trying to control people, which is arrogance itself because in the end you can't control anyone, everyone justs does what they want to do anyway.

What is to be done. Either we love ourselves too much like Narcissus or we are smug and arrogant, and vanity and pride are the two forms of stupidity.

I think that if we Americans just start listening instead of criticizing before they have even taken the point in, we will make long strides at pursuing truth, justice and the American way, hell, for the good of the whole world.

I for one have also felt this way for a long time. We as a nation are so involved with ourselves. We beleive that we are the top 1# nation,but i am afraid that if we still continue to beleive that then this, our arrogance, will ultimately be our down fall....a double edged sowrd if you care to call it.......mabye we will become the next Babylon(hope that is spelt correct), or the next roman empire set on cruise control to destruction.......:eek:

OH GOD must control self here....

Look at it this way USA brought up people love themselves.....USA culture which is soaked in "individualistic" ideology supports love for self and in the teaching of this culture USA parents forget to teach the little bastards ...."give a fuck about somebody else you shit"..... Americans have been told to love themselves and appreciate themselves...(which is funny because Americans pop Prozack like candy).....


But in general nobody listens to anybody else....no one cares about anybody else.....i have yet to meet someone that doesn't think of themselves when doing anything and rightly they should..it's survival baby......survive.:rolleyes:

thats it guyute, you are right on the money.

I think we must attempt to avoid our downfall.

"Mere survival is a mean end for a life." -Fredx

thats it guyute, you are right on the money.

I think we must attempt to avoid our downfall.- fredx

thanks fredx.....but im going to have to agree with the sarge.....it's survival baby......survive.- sargentlard


there is no way to turn a whole nation around(you can always hope i guess?)....it is survival of the fitest, and everyone is on there own.......good to hear from you agian sarge.

Originally posted by Guyute
.......good to hear from you again sarge.

Thank you...don't mind me...i am hostile right now..you can tell by high levels of swearing in my posts.

It's true you can't turn a whole nation around...one fucked up apple will ruin the whole lot of them and plague the bunch.

mabye im being to pessisimestic.....fredx, do you have any ideas(on how to help the nation) that might be able to convince me to think otherwise?




no prob sarge.....you know i love you deep down inside me:eek: ....j/k.......:)

There is an American culture? We don't even really have a national language. I go to miami I speak spanish, then you can go to china town and speak chinese etc etc..

Being a reasonably patriotic American Err... ok?

Is there any reason I am so smart? One reason: I listen to everyone that speaks to me. You speak of arrogance, yet you display it? Listen to you, "why am I so smart?"



Now, to which country should we listen? China? Human rights are sure flourishing there. What about Uganda? Same thing. Wait! Germany! But they're experiencing negative growth in the economy and double digit unemployment. Perhaps Canada? But they can't defend themselves from an armed toaster. Maybe France? Erm.. no.

The rest of the world is pretty much a pile of shit. Until they prove that they can do something right why exactly should one listen to them? Does the father ask the toddler advice on spending money? (Hint: candy, candy, candy!)

yup arrogance

i should track down emma goldman's writing on patriotism for this thread.

well that was easy. here it is: http://www.connix.com/~harry/emma.htm

forget arrogence jerrek.....show us your feet:D !!!!!!!!

Originally posted by SwedishFish
yup arrogance

i should track down emma goldman's writing on patriotism for this thread.

well that was easy. here it is: http://www.connix.com/~harry/emma.htm

What if your patriotic because of your liberty?

i thought our thick headed friend could use a little raw data on how "great" we are

http://hdr.undp.org/reports/global/2002/en/indicator/indicator.cfm?File=index.html

click on pdf file

if you carefully compare the figures, you will notice that the us lags behind in nearly everything. economics alone is what keeps it so high, at a measly #6.

You can't quantify those sort of things and compare them. telecommunication =! unemployment. So basically human development report is good for nothing really.

yes you can! and they did. geez man.

Ok you can but it will be worthless and only for one thing, fullfiling an agenda. You can also say 5 gallons * 11 vynal seats = 55 happy meals i guess. Did they even take immigration into account?

Be careful what you wish for.

Not a very original point, is it. I want solutions!

I mean........this is basicly a complaint.

I say we be positive! Figure out when we're right, and when we should stand aside!

Find a middle ground between hating your country and being a nationalist butthead!

I'm gonna go eat prozak:D :m: :D

I am completely opposed to arrogance unless you really are the best, in which case arrogance should be encouraged.

I am completely opposed to arrogance unless you really are the best, in which case arrogance should be encouraged.
Why to encourage it? Will it help to even perform better?

No, but why not. If your the best, then you can afford to be. Have fun with it.

(All Hail Cowboy Bebop)

Americas symbol "free country" is wrong

nothing in this country is free..NOTHING! i got a ticket for now front plates NO FRONT PLATES! no thats some stupid shit ! My friend had a rose marry hanging on the mirror (were the airfreshener was ) she gota ticket for abstruction of view hahaha thats real stupid.. shit icant even fart on the way to walgreens .free country my fucking ass!

The original post was focused on america and its arrogance.

I'm canadian and i think the question is much bigger. My own country is arrogant in the extreme, perhaps less blatant than yours but our pride is just as deep (and pig headed) nonetheless. We, like you, believe we know what's best for the world (we just have less power/money to force our ideals on the planet but i have no doubt if we could, we would). My point is, I think this goes well beyond north america. I honestly can't name a single country that doesn't have that deep pride in their home and utter confidence that their point of view is the correct one. I don't think its necessarily an american problem, it seems to be a fundamental cultural flaw shared by all of humanity ... how do we fix that?

In the long run (in my humble opinion) that seems to be the core of the problem.

Join my counrty = Earth

Im from earth "america" is a name for a piece of land that is neither owned or better then any other . believe me the grass is the same everywere. America is not the best but just the richest.

I live in America and I was born in America Id like too move too Japan some day :D I wanna be a NINJA! hehe

The original post was focused on america and its arrogance.

I'm canadian and i think the question is much bigger. My own country is arrogant in the extreme, perhaps less blatant than yours but our pride is just as deep (and pig headed) nonetheless. We, like you, believe we know what's best for the world (we just have less power/money to force our ideals on the planet but i have no doubt if we could, we would). My point is, I think this goes well beyond north america. I honestly can't name a single country that doesn't have that deep pride in their home and utter confidence that their point of view is the correct one. I don't think its necessarily an american problem, it seems to be a fundamental cultural flaw shared by all of humanity ... how do we fix that?

In the long run (in my humble opinion) that seems to be the core of the problem.

u said that already

arrogance is not endemic to America alone.It is a Universal problem created by the lack of love and tolerence.People are becoming more introverted and lonely and this carries with it the self presevation mechanism of self protection. Arrogance , pride are forms of self defence and self destruction.....People are turning to more forms of isolation socializing.....the only way to overcome arrogance is with humility...and people are not prepared to do this

PacingYourName

ya i know, i keep forgetting that going back in the browser can cause a message to repeat.

thanx for the blindingly obvious though.:D

If you were really the best then there would be no need to be arrogant...


ergo....

NO, YOU'RE WRONG.

Living in the best nation ever gives me the right to condemn American nationalism...

Please it is not a sin to be against the status quo.

ok then...americans are best in being arrogant...well done lads...

there is no best Nation, there is only the best of the worst NATIONS:)

Originally posted by PacingYourName
Americas symbol "free country" is wrong

nothing in this country is free..NOTHING! i got a ticket for now front plates NO FRONT PLATES! no thats some stupid shit ! My friend had a rose marry hanging on the mirror (were the airfreshener was ) she gota ticket for abstruction of view hahaha thats real stupid.. shit icant even fart on the way to walgreens .free country my fucking ass!

Driving on goverment owned property is a privalige not a right.

Swedish Fish- Sweden rank#2 Yay, go Sweden. We're better than America!:p

We may not drive the best cars, or own the richest companys, but dammit we have mooses!

Originally posted by mouse
Why to encourage it? Will it help to even perform better?

If somebody is perfect in every possible way I think it would be nice to know

Originally posted by Thaug
Driving on goverment owned property is a privalige not a right.

Owning land is funny ..it belongs too no one and I will die if I dont get my grocries! lol :D

thank you for that aritcle by Emma Goldman, Swedishfish, I will read it later. good job.

Blueapples, the problem with your thinking is that it is not enough to just defer, sometimes you have to assert yourself.

I read the Emma Goldman, I don't agree with a word she has said, but good research nonetheless.

Hi fredx,

You said - "the problem with your thinking is that it is not enough to just defer, sometimes you have to assert yourself."


I think thats a good point but i notice when a country does assert it's will on another it rarely acknowledges any responsibility for the consequences until decades later (if at all).

We, in North America and Europe, have a very checkered track record regarding our involvement in the affairs of less affluent countries. We have a bad habit of jumping from place to place staying only long enough to achieve our needs and then abandoning them. Often, not only do we not leave the country better off, they are usually (not always but usually) worse off economically, politically, etc. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying we are the sole cause of whatever went wrong but we usually had a hand in it.

Asserting yourself has to be done but until we start facing the repercussions of our actions how can we expect the countries we leave in our wake not to be angry ... if we continue acting this way we can look forward to war after war after war. IMO asserting ourselves they way we have in the past doesn't really serve our needs in the long run.

Just my opinion.

So another words leave Iraq and Afganistan alone, until they build up enough technology to nuke the world. I am not going to fall for that and although I am not a big George Bush fan, I am glad he didn't fall for that either.

Its no secret that we want oil but we also saw what "evil" people like Saddam Hussein are willing to do even to their own people, nevermind us. So you know what, I am tired of being openminded about the "Arab Problem" because everytime we put our arms down, they punch us in the face.

Everybody hates America. Screw the French. They are just jealous that we know how to make life good for ourselves. If they don't want American TV or American politics then don't buy into it. They only complain about it because they secretly love it.

Look we beat the British for our independence and they are not holding a grudge against us, and this is at least partially because they are the most civilized people in the world. I can say I am proud to have England as an ally, who needs the goddamn French, they have never been able to govern correctly themselves anyway.

No you misunderstand. I'm not talking about present actions, im referring to our past. Im not nearly smart enough to know whether our present course is wise or not but im saying if our past is an indicator we will not make the world any safer, its usually the opposite.

Its hard to comment on the merits of our actions in Iraq and Afghanistan until our involvement is concluded. Its not the present action itself that concerns me its what we do after. From my small understanding of history this is where we often fail and end up causing the most damage.

Thnx for the reply

I hardly ever misunderstand.

LOL,

well either you have been graced with omnipotence or like most of us you just don't admit it (or realize) when you do misunderstand.

By the way if you are omnipotent I could use a new transmission for my car and some mirror dice would be nice too.

done.

by the way, are you the vampire slayer?

No, but dont feel bad people often confuse us. I'm buffys, the sleigh slayer. Im committed to the destruction of all the undead sleighs, sleds, toboggans etc. that darken every corner of the world and wait for the chance to enslave mankind.

The vampire slayer is just a pale copy of me.