Any Chance That America Would Have Turned Out A Bit More Humble If...

[DistressedAmerican]

Would we have developed the same arrogance as a nation if we had adopted the wild turkey as our mascot like Ben Franklin suggested? Probably not.

Any thoughts on what makes us so damn full of ourselves as a country? Is it like this in every country? I don't think so.

There must be some cause. Anyone?

As I see it, we aren't that fucking great. I don't know why we are all full of ourselves!

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

1. U.S. is just the "latest thing". History is long. As people in this

country will be learning very soon if not already.

The U.S. started with a lot of advantages. After stealing the land, it had a lot of natural resources. The country has never been conquered in a war (not saying it hasn't LOST one, just hasn't been conquered). The U.S. won WWII.

All of that is past now though. Imperial overstretch and the natural tides of history are taking care of all of it.

[wli]

7. the US won WWII?

The US' commitment to WWII was very significant, but the Russians did a lot more, and so many Russians died it is far beyond embarrassing to try to hold up the US' sacrifice as anything remotely equivalent.

[charlie]

11. A-yup

But there's no doubt we won the grand prize in the aftermath. Last man standing, with our possessions and backyards fully intact, and all that. We've been drawing on our running lead ever since. So, perhaps in terms of the advantages MM is talking about, we "won" WWII. Won big.

[wli]

13. that much is true

Compared to the US, the Russians were naive, and got royally screwed.

[indepat]

2. Absolute power corrupts absolutely?

[Cobalt Violet]

3. We once had a thriving middle class.

The average citizen believed that we had it better than the rest of the world. I think that thought got passed down to the next generation. We not longer have a thriving middle class yet people are slow to learn that we don't have it better than rest of the world. They don't know anything about the rest of the world.

[The Backlash Cometh]

4. No, I think it all started because we allowed Texans to exaggerate

about everything, and get away with it.

[charlie]

6. Heh

I once heard of an Alaskan telling a Texan that if Texans didn't knock that crap off, Alaska would split itself in two and make Texas the 3rd largest state.

[The Backlash Cometh]

9. A war of wits.

Aye, there's the rub.

[ktowntennesseedem]

16. Wish we had let Mexico have Texas.

Santa Ana, you can have the Alamo and everything. Only one condition: over the next 150 years, there will be a family in Texas by the name of Bush--you have to take them, too.

[rainy]

5. lack of genuine education: Smarts gives you the ability to

empathize with others. Reading broadens your spectrum. An education here is meant to create good little consumers of propaganda and goods. Keeps the creeps in power and well funded.

[wli]

8. it's not education, it's obedience/dominance "training"

Education has actual content, not e.g. rote drill of multiplication/addition table memorization for a decade on end and moral equivalents of such in other subject matter.

[Swamp Rat]

10. We have our Caligula... Americans are high on violence and dope.

[DistressedAmerican]

15. NICE! Sure Makes Him Look Old. Presidents Frequently Die Young.

Burning Witches Is "Hard Work"!

Let's pray this takes it out of him!!!

[babylonsister]

12. I'd be careful to classify us all as 'full of

ourselves as a country.' Perhaps I once felt that way, or was at least proud; now all I feel is sick and embarrassed at the direction this misadmin has steered us in. The scorn other countries cast at the US doesn't help but seems, to me, well deserved. Right now the turkey symbol would seem applicable and would fly (or not!).

[wake.up.america]

14. America is no better and now worse than any other country, ...

I am sorry to say to those Americans who act as if America were the greatest country in the history of the universe.

It seems as patriotism is a vehicle for those who wish to place personal responsibility onto this vague notion.

It is Bush who decided to invade, not America.

Of course, we have to accept personal responsibility for either supporting or rejecting the war, if one follows such reasoning.

Politicians, especially, have such a knack for telling the world and Americans how great America is. Nice way to manipulate people.

America is attacking Iraq? No, George Bush and his supporters are attacking Irag.

I am a SF Giants fan. Bonds hits one deep into the nose-bleed section at SBC. Great, but I had nothing to do with that.

Bush drops a cluster bomb into what turns out to be home for Iraq orphans. That was not you.

I hope I making a little bit of sense.

We, the people was never more than a catchy phrase. Laws are and always will be made by the rich and powerful for the rich and powerful.

Personal responsibility and not this blind USA.USA,USA is what the world needs.

Look what happened when people in the 30's in the streets of München screamed Heil, Hitler.

Just some thoughts...

Peace