Non U.S: What do you think of us?

[chubbsman7]

Guys... you could chill out a little bit? It's a little hot in here and we should cool down a bit. Remember, this is an opinion thread about America, and not as much an argument/debate thread. Please? Thank you.

[Lovetobedare]

Most Americans are ok *At least the ones that know their history and/or were part of the military, or ones that own a business* I think its just the goverment, The way the USA Runs, it trys to goveron the world, it intervenes in Other countrys politics not to mention the CIA ops that that have placed in almost every forigin Office, and they Operate over the Canadian border Breaking the law, they disreguard are Borders to catch a Terroist and the rights we have, they also Let money rule their goverment more then the people do, As said in the Anime CANAAN "Capitalism is like Starvation, your slowly Rotting away untill you can't sustain yourself anymore" This is called Social Collapse just like the romans, Japanese, and the Mongols who fell because they had no land to espunge and take over and ran off the resorces they stole from them, the USA is just like them, however they will collapse not because of land, but because Lack of funds needed to sustain itself, this is what happens when your country loves Credit, people don't pay for there car/house, then the bank takes it but can't sell it so they foreclose it, then they end up with all those houses they can't sell due to the econmay so they ask the goverment for a loan, then the goverment ends up loseing even more money then asks other countrys for a loan because they can't sustain their budget, eventualy not being able to pay it back because they keep digging themselves deeper with the banks, then the other countrys Forclose on the Loan and denie any more, cause the Countrys that give loans to the USA to slowly stop doing it, then the USA slowly dies of starvation of funds because it can not sustain its on econamy, this is what happens when you become too big to sustain yourself, you run out of the funds/Resorces needed.

[daremaster 1]

I am American and I just want to point out one thing for you people! When natural disasters hit Americans do everything they can to help those people in need! I am sure everyone has herd of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan we have been doing so much to help! So I just wanted to say this!

[SilverScar]

Originally Posted by Id.

There is no such thing as "free" health care or education. It does not exist, just like there is no such thing as a free lunch. You may not pay for it when you go to the doctor or start school, but those services require scarce resources just like everything else and those resources are taken from the economy for those purposes, usually through taxes of some kind. The only question is whether the scarce resources are allocated by coercive government control or by the voluntary transactions of free people.

I hate in americans that they think governmental control is always coercive :P Governmental control is safe, much safer than a bunch of free people. Don't misunderstand me, I'm not a communist, but having too much freedom is as dangerous to a society as full governmental control.

[cbtslave4u2]

Originally Posted by SilverScar

I hate in americans that they think governmental control is always coercive :P Governmental control is safe, much safer than a bunch of free people. Don't misunderstand me, I'm not a communist, but having too much freedom is as dangerous to a society as full governmental control.

I agree. Obama and the dems didnt coerce anything. obama campaigned on the healthcare we voted for him we win, game over. we said we wanted it when we voted for him. if we didnt want it we would have voted for the elderly man and his dumb nurse. lol

[arbyter500]

I just want my government to think a little harder about where it sends its money...prolly should stop sending $1 billion a year, that we don't really have, to Pakistan when a lot of them clearly hate the US...-_-

On another note, I just wanted to say I feel that this thread would adore the anime, Hetallia: Axis Powers. XD

[Id.]

Originally Posted by SilverScar

I hate in americans that they think governmental control is always coercive :P Governmental control is safe, much safer than a bunch of free people. Don't misunderstand me, I'm not a communist, but having too much freedom is as dangerous to a society as full governmental control.

There are many good arguments for both less and more government and everything in between. Clearly I disagree with you about where and how much government force should be applied, but I understand and respect the counterarguments. However, you cannot avoid the fact that government is coercive.

That's why laws are ultimately enforced by people with guns. And I'm not just talking about laws that say, "Don't kill anybody." I'm talking about everything from the federal health care law to the fence height regulations of the city codes. You can say that "we" voted for it, but countless people did not. Voting just means that the majority can do what it wants to the minority by force. What do think is going to happen to those who refuse to comply with the new health care law? What about those who refuse to obey the prohibition on pot? What about those who want to board a plane without being groped? The answer is coercion. Most people just comply because it's less costly than fighting against the force of government, but it's force nontheless because their behavior is involuntarily changed.

I'm sorry guys for turning this into a sort of debate thread, but obviously I feel strongly about these things as you do. Please don't take it as being personal.

[SpiderSophie]

Australia: The country with all the good things that America has, and none of the bad. Ah, jingoism...

When history looks back on the 20th century, it will see two defining moments. Two that will stand out like beacons, while the rest blur:
1945. Manhattan project - Atomic bomb.
1969. Apollo program - Moon landing.

The last great achievement of America was more than 20 years before I was born. What the hell happened?

I don't want to live in a world led by the fucked up pseudo communist little bastard non-entities that misrule China. Neither does anyone else. America! You have the wealth, you have the strength, you have the spirit. Pull your finger out of your ass and take the goddam lead again...

[chubbsman7]

That's a pretty big stretch to say we haven't any accomplishments recently, mainly because they haven't been written in the history books. Major science discoveries occur in America yearly, as well as our NASA program... well, it practically wants a monopoly on Space as a whole.

And I certainly disagree that Australia doesn't have everything bad the United States does.

For instance, your government is nuts about censorship (such as green blood in some cases? Fallout 3 was censored, file-sharing is practically a life-sentence felony, etc. etc.)

That's what I've read and understood, at least. Don't rant off on me, I don't like that. It's annoying. :P

[dareupyourparty]

From an European point of view:

I respect the freedom and independence of the Americans. But I would never leave the relative safety and order to go there.

I have a problem with how the Americans seem to disregard other opinions (from a political point of view). That is perhaps because the big parts of the world sort of automatically agrees with what the Americans say.

Just my honest personal opinion though

[Ranzid]

A while back I remember reading someone who said they didnt want to come to europe as bad things might happen because they were american,

here in europe we learned a long time ago simply having different political beliefs or being from a different country doesn't automatically make you bad, and people wont set upon you like wild dogs if you sound american.

so please feel free to visit .. those americans who actually have passports and see different cultures cant help but be better people because of it

[slaveboy321]

in my country people think americans dont deserve to live *jocking*, but we dont believe they are good people, mainly due to the fact that they supported a dictatorship which killed hundreds and tortured thousands, and then again there was this time which they cut our communications with Cyprus and the Turks attacked the island, and then again when they called Skopje Macedonia and we had to veto their entry to NATO, and maybe when they supported the UCK movement against Serbia and we were the only ones to help Serbia. But on the whole, i think that they are nice people (never mind the rocket that was launched against their embasy in Athens, that was an honest mistake).

[nellybell]

I find the pictures ot be very amusing so I figured I would add another for those who don't have the attention span to actually read the whole thread like me xD

[cbtslave4u2]

Originally Posted by Ranzid

A while back I remember reading someone who said they didnt want to come to europe as bad things might happen because they were american,

here in europe we learned a long time ago simply having different political beliefs or being from a different country doesn't automatically make you bad, and people wont set upon you like wild dogs if you sound american.

so please feel free to visit .. those americans who actually have passports and see different cultures cant help but be better people because of it

I think you are referring to my earlier comment. That's not what I said. I said it might be best for me to stick to western countries (western europe, australia, north america, some carribean countries) and japan and south korea so i don't get treated like shit. I am basing that off of what SilverScar and that German guy (whose username slips my mind) said about the view point of some or most eastern european's. I said I didn't think anything bad would happen to me if I went there, I just don't want to be treated like a stupid american.

I'm not saying everyone would be rude to me though. I have a co-worker from Moscow and he is awesome. He has a very strong Russian accent, some times I don't understand what he is saying so I just agree with whatever he is saying. He even tried to teach me Russian.

Another guy from work had just moved here from Baghdad, Iraq. He joined our military in Iraq as a translator. He was a big Baghdad baller when he lived there but the military had to send him here (the US military has the best military hospital and the soldier burn unit here. plus 5 military bases and two training bases) because he started to get death threats. He too was awesome and we talked alot about things.

I don't care where some one is from or any of that. it doesn't matter, people are people. I'd like to go every where in the world but there are misconceptions, falsehoods, stereotypes, and hatred out there that I don't want to be subjected to.

[chubbsman7]

I find it funny, whoever said the earlier comment about Europeans able to have political diversity and are still able to get along. I wish that were the case here in America.

Basically, politics are a public "no." For example, unless you are having a discussion specifically about Politics, it's best just to not discuss them and leave your politics to whatever your preferred News Network. The Liberal's have CNN, the Conservative's have Fox, and personally, I occasionally listen to NBC, as it's not AS biased as Fox.

Honestly, the best source for American news is truthfully foreign papers. They put it in a different perspective and a more unbiased manner.

I haven't traveled to Europe, sadly, but I plan on it. I'm not expecting to be mugged because I'm American, but I do sort of expect a little... I'm not sure how to put it, but people treating me differently than other Europeans because some generally think we're just plain ignorant.