Let's list 10 POSITIVE things about America today!

[bluedawg12]

There is a heck of a lot to complain about, no doubt.

But-sometimes it’s good to take a break.

A positive attitude is healthy. I submit that it is a motivator for more productive outcomes than negativity and it is more sustainable.

It draws people towards a movement and not push them away.

Can we list 10 good things about America and Americans today?

I’ll list one, but it won’t count: Generosity of Americans in spirit and in deed.

Can you guys list 10 or more?

Let’s take an inventory, have a moment of gratitude, or as we used to say pass on good vibes.

Peace

[jobycom]

1. The people are smarter than the president. Most of them.

[punpirate]

4. You're sure of that?

Look at how many voted for him....

[dajoki]

16. i have to agree...

with you punpirate, way too many dumb fucks voted for that moron.

[jobycom]

45. Positive. You really think there are that many people stupider than Bush?

That's got to be a minority of the population.

Bush didn't win by convincing people he was smart. He "won" (in as much as he did) by having the media convince people that his opponents were more flawed. People were fooled, not stupid.

[punpirate]

46. Sorry, I'm not a positivist. I'm a realist.

I didn't say that Bush won by convincing people he was smart. That's a straw man argument meant to deflect the reality of the situation. Bush convinced people to vote for him--there's a difference.

If Bush were able to fool that many people (and the polls now strongly suggest that people feel they were fooled by him), yes, he was smarter than they were. He managed to convince them of something they wouldn't have done otherwise. He outsmarted `em.

Cheers.

[jobycom]

48. Outsmarting someone doesn't mean you are always smarter

Bush had a lot of people lying for him. He was more a corporate candidate pushed by the media. He's still dumber than a crooked stick of wood.

[punpirate]

65. I wish that it were true...

... what you are saying, but it's not.

The proof of that is Bush's success in attaining office. By whatever means, he won. Twice.

That could not have happened without the cooperation of a great many people who didn't know any better. You may parse this as you wish--apply semantics as you wish--but there's a reality to be dealt with--Bush is in control, and he could not have done so without the cooperation of a great many not very bright people--not very bright voters, in fact.

Yeah, it's a pisser. No one wants to admit it, but it's still true. A significant portion of the American public are fuckin' stupid--if only because they were fooled by a not-the-sharpest-knife-in-the-drawer Bush.

Try sophistry, or semantics, or solipsism. The results are still the same. Bush is President. If he weren't smarter than a majority of the people, he wouldn't have outwitted them, would he?

Geez, it's tiresome trying to describe reality, at times. God, the man won. Period. He did so by being smarter than the people voting for him. Why is that so hard to admit?

America is pretty stupid. Its people tolerate a great many things they shouldn't--and it's been that way for a long, long time.

We're going to get exactly what we deserve. Unfortunately.

Churchill was an asshole in a lot of ways, but he did say this, which is probably true: "Americans always do the right thing, after first trying everything else."

Think on that one in the context of our current times.

Cheers.

[magnolia]

40. That may be true...

...but it's not a good thing.

[Totally Committed]

47. I don't believe this is true...

I believe the main reason for Bush's appeal is that most people are exactly as "smart" as he is. In him, they see themselves, only successful -- POTUS, in fact -- and it makes them feel good about themselves. He stumbles over words, can't remember people's names, is proud to say he doesn't read the newspapers, and "delegates" all the important or difficult decisions to those who are "experts", and then tells the masses, that's how a CEO does things ("This will be a CEO Presidency" is a famous quote from early in his first term). Regular "peeps" look at him and also sees someone who tells them with a wink it's okay to look down on their neighbors, that people unlike them are not to be trusted, and people of color are out to suck up all their tax dollars in welfare.

He makes them feel good about being average. He shows them it's okay to be morally lax and prejudiced. He convinces them things like science and math and hard things they couldn't understand in school anyway don't matter, or worse, aren't real. And, he appeals to their feelings of "moral superiority" by telling them when they voted for him, they voted for the man God chose to be President.

I think, most of the American people are JUST as smart as George Bush, and among them are a large number so lazy, they won't turn off America Idol to get informed. And, that's okay with them.

This America is the one they created for the rest of us to live in...

TC

[CoffeeCat]

2. Route 66! (nt)

[hardrainfallin]

3. No. America has been wallowing in positive re-casting of its faults for

centuries. We need to come to grips with REALITY, and the reality is...


As journalist William Greider notes in One World Ready or Not: The Manic Logic of Global Capitalism, in comparison with Germany:

German social consciousness was anchored in the country’s tragic knowledge of guilt and defeat, a humbling encounter with self doubt that Americans have so far evaded in their national history. …American history did provide ample basis for humility and social introspection: slavery and the enduring wounds of race, "winning" the West by armed conquest, Hiroshima and the nuclear potential for mass destruction, the bloody failure of the neocolonialist war in Vietnam....The social meaning of these experiences was usually deflected, however, and repackaged by the optimistic American culture as stories of triumph...Thus, Americans generally managed to evade any national sense of guilt or defeat. Critical reflection on the national character was discouraged, ridiculed as “un-American.

That was almost ten years ago. Today, the situation borders on apocalyptic.

Sorry, no good vibes here. None.

:puke:

I want my country back. Until then.
:argh:

[Shine]

5. Well, given that this is my very first post....

I just HAD to answer this one b/c I'm grateful such a place as DU exists. I am honored and happy to finally be joining such good company. A hearty greeting, One and All!
~Shine

[SeattleGirl]

6. Welcome Shine!

:hi:

[dajoki]

17. welcome aboard Shine

:hi:

[deadparrot]

20. Welcome to DU!

:hi:

[Psephos]

23. Shine on you crazy diamond :-)

[AmBlue]

29. Glad to have you with us!!

Welcome! :hi:

[Broken_Hero]

30. Welcome...:)

I can list a few things actually. Hmm, America hasn't killed of Metallica yet, hmm, well...ha..:) I have to agree with the genoristy thing, but only to an extent, if people are so able to donate to NO so fastly, how come i see a lot of people begruding a homeless person on the street some loose change, and they usually say "get yourself a job jeeves!"...well, you know...:)

[npincus]

43. hello and welcome!

[pop goes the weasel]

7. diversity

my favorite part of being an American!

[joemurphy]

8. The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue? n/t

[SeattleGirl]

9. Seattle, Las Vegas, San Francisco, and Victoria

Seattle, San Francisco and Victoria for their beauty, and Las Vegas for the escape it allows me.

[Arugula Latte]

13. Victoria is part of Canada, no? nt

[PuraVidaDreamin]

10. gas is only 3 buck chuck!

[snowbear]

11. Hockey is back this year!

http://eliteleague.co.uk/forum/images/smilies/lol!.gif

[JNelson6563]

58. Go Wings!!

:woohoo:

[calmblueocean]

12. America accepts.

In most countries, no matter how long you live there, you're still not *from* there. You'll always be a foreigner if you weren't born there. But it's different in the US. The day you get your American citizenship, you're as American it gets. You're just as American as someone whose family came over on the Mayflower. I think that's something wonderful and unique about our country and its people.

[Arugula Latte]

14. The people are usually friendly

even if a good chunk of them are dumbasses ... (sorry, couldn't resist)

[Arugula Latte]

15. We've got some spectacular nature!

Red rock country, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, redwoods, jagged coasts, honkin' huge mountains, Alaska, tropical paradise in Hawaii, the fruited plain and all that ...

[calmblueocean]

18. That's totally true.

We've got a gorgeous country, stunning in every way. And you can see most of it within a couple days drive.

[magnolia]

41. That's true...

...I was born in Europe have always been considered an American since childhood. Funny thing is though...I've lived in the south for 17 years and I'm still a "come here"!!! When do I officially get to be a southerner????

[tnlefty]

62. Come on down, we'll have a glass of wine on the porch, chat a

while. I'll take you!

[trogdor]

69. More, actually.

Naturalized Americans represent the essence of what it means to be an American. It's one thing to be born here, but quite another to choose this country, warts and all.

/Wife naturalized in 1995, votes straight Democratic ticket, thinks Bush is a moron.

[Psephos]

19. I love your idea for a post, bluedawg

"A positive attitude is healthy...a motivator for more productive outcomes than negativity and it is more sustainable."

I couldn't agree more. Anger has its place, but it's a smaller place than many give it. Depression has its place, but you'd need a microscope to see it. Positive attitude leads to increased energy and to action. Action is everything. Words are next to nothing.

- This is a country where individual action still moves mountains. I'm deeply grateful that remains a deep element of American culture.

- I appreciate that we can post whatever we want on this forum and not hear an ominous knock on the door at 3:00 am.

- Most people in America go to bed with dinner in their stomach and a pillow to rest their head upon. It's not impossible to imagine that with work we could make that include all Americans, not merely most.

- If you have a dream here, and don't listen to others who try to talk you out of it, or explain to you why the odds and the gods do not favor your chances, you actually have a shot at making it happen. Not a guarantee, but a real shot.

- Ella Fitzgerald, Loren Eiseley, Cole Porter, Michael Jordan, Ralph Emerson, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Abraham Lincoln...and about five hundred more names I'd like to add to the list.

- Casablanca. The Incredibles. Shawshank Redemption. Bladerunner. Cuckoo's Nest. And Joss Whedon's new movie Serenity will be out in two weeks. Heh.

Ok, that's a start....


Peace.

[lala_rawraw]

21. The Courage of the citizens who

Stand up against greed run amok!

[bluedawg12]

22. Americans who opened their homes to the survivors of Katrina

and with out a word Americans took in total strangers into their lives and homes, not for money, but bcasue of American good heartedness.

This is the America I dream of and have hope for.

[Hailtothechimp]

24. The food.

Since people from all over the world come here, and bring their eating habits with them, you can eat literally any kind of food on earth in this country. You may need to be a little more adventurous than the neighborhood Chili's, but it's usually worth it if you are.

[Hardrada]

25. Sense of humor

Most of us can take a joke without feeling our clan or some other dumb shit concept is insulted and therefore cause for a vendetta.

[nadinbrzezinski]

26. Hope, for a better tomorrow even today

[bluedawg12]

27. Black Hills of South Dakota

Especially Dead Wood, and Old Wild Bill Hicock's last table where he was shot. The old west .

[hardrainfallin]

50. too bad they had to carve those ugly faces of Indian killers into

this, one of the single most sacred sites known to the indigenous population of the country (specifically the Lakota)


you can't fix that. It's permanent. Permanent insult. Irreversible assault.

:(

[longship]

28. Albert Gore Jr.

Vice President Gore was not only instrumental in rescuing some 270 people stranded in NOLA, most of whom were in desparate need of medical care and whom might not have lived long without help, he did so with a level of class and caring that is refreshing in today's mean spirited world. He eschewed publicity, not wanting any grandeur for himself. He didn't want to detract from the task at hand, saving lives. He also used his influence and his political power to jar loose FEMA red tape and blind idiocy, remarkably without casting blame. Nobody who has seen the picture of a sleepless, sweaty, and disheveled Gore at Louis Armstrong Airport is not moved by its vision of a guy who is just doing what he can, not for self grandeur, not for publicity, not for any reason than to save life and limb. He could have been anybody. He could have been you or me. This was a former Vice President looking extremely Presidential. The only thing is that without the Net, nobody would know anything about this.

For these reasons and more I nominate Albert Gore Jr as one of the top ten positive things in America today. He walks the walk, and is also talking the talk.

[bluedawg12]

31. Big Sky County- Custer's Last Stand Memorial haunting at

sunset, colors running riot across a big, very big, sky.

The sounds of battle, and men shouting and horses snorting wafts across the early evening mist.

[AmBlue]

32. The dream of what America should be

The dream of what we all, once upon a time, believed she was.

The dream that she can be that again.

[JNelson6563]

33. Michigan!

:toast:

[Psephos]

52. Shhh, you'll let the secret out :-)

[BlueIris]

67. Too late. :-)

[bluedawg12]

34. Americans who volunteered to help in gulf after Katrina. n/t

[Arugula Latte]

35. The musical legacy

birthplace of jazz, blues, R&B, rock, rap, bluegrass

(please don't make me say country & western, although there has been talent there, I'll admit)

[Freddie Stubbs]

36. We have the freedom to criticize the government

[LiberalEsto]

37. Presidential term limits n/t

[Hippo_Tron]

53. LMAO, gotta agree with that one

[Totally Committed]

38. (1) Wes Clark...

to me, he is a national treasure. Just wonderful... a heart, a mind, and a SPINE, all in one person.

(2) Other gutsy vertabrates (rare) of the Democratic persuasion: John Conyers, Barbara Boxer, Howard Dean, Stephanie Tubb-Jones most of the Congressional Black Caucus, Ted Kennedy.

(3) Bobby Kennedy, Jr.

(4) Cindy Sheehan, and the Goldstar Families for Peace.

(5) Medea Benjamin, and all the warrior women of Code Pink.

(6) Michael Moore, Jon Stewart, and Bill Maher (thank gawd they're on our side, is all I can say...), and all the "entertainers" who provide more real truth and "news" than the corporate media ever would dare.

(7) Seymor Hersh, George Galloway, Siebel Edmonds and all the whistleblowers and truth-tellers.

(8) All the Liberal and Progressive grassroot organizations, blogs, and online forums that are growing our influence for us exponentially, and giving us a voice.

(9) The people and things that make me laugh. Most recent find, for those who have an odd-ball sense of humor: "Flight of the Conchords". They make me laugh until my cheeks hurt. The people and things that make me think (thank you, especially, fellow DU-ers!). The things and people who create the music that makes me want to sing along and calms my spirit. And the people who write the things that educate and entertain my mind. And, the people (both public and private) who live the lives that inspire me, and make me proud to be human being in these soulless days.

(10) All my wonderful family and friends. Love is so important to happiness, and their love sustains me.

TC

[Hidden Stillness]

39. A Spirit of Fairness in the Best of Us

Well, I will list one: I love our wonderful people, I know that we are the greatest country on Earth (with apologies to our wonderful neighbor, Canada), that we are a good, honest and generous people, and that when given the facts, we will rise up against evil, whether it is Bush, the media, the Taliban (get back on it, you asshole Bush--where is bin Laden?), Hitler or anything else. We always give huge amounts to those who suffer, whether it makes up for what Republicans took away from them or not. Most of all, we have a Constitution that makes us the closest thing to Justice on Earth--listen, if you have a chance, to the way Sen. Robert Byrd explains the beauty and the importance of the Constitution. It, and not the flag, is the essence of democracy itself.

[cassiepriam]

42. Can I get back to you on this one?

It will take a bit of time.... I know there has to be
something good about American today.....

[alfredo]

44. In no particular order: Glazed donuts

Sundance Festival
little known but excellent artists working their craft all over America.
Lance Armstrong
Rock & Roll
Jazz
Michael Moore and other brave social critics
DU
Daily Show
DailyKos

[renie408]

49. Ok, now I am depressed.

I thought I could come up with ten things by myself. And I did, but for everything I thought of, I kept thinking how somebody could refute it because while these things were true for ME, they were not true for everyone.

Now I am depressed.

[mrcheerful]

51. Don't be....................

At least you can see that theres people out there that through no fault of their own they aren't doing well. Unlike the RW's that think they are doing well everyone else should be doing the same. One such moron said all big money started out as a small amount and people just invested well and got rich.

[Hippo_Tron]

54. Our constitutional freedoms are still somewhat intact

Don't get me wrong, they are under attack EVERY MINUTE, but we still can criticize our government. For the moment.

[bluedawg12]

55. Young Americans who answered the call of duty post 9-11

let no one say Americans are soft, or weak, or afraid to fight.

Dedicated, young, bright and beautiful, many, far too many, of these young men and women have paid the ultimate price to fight for their belief in freedom and liberty. Far too many have been maimed and wounded.

We will never forget those we served and answered the call to duty and those who serve today, let no one say Americans are not united in support of our troops, let everyone remember that young Democrats, liberals, progressives as well as conservatives have shed their blood for our security and our nation.

Cindy Sheehan reminded us of one such brave young man, her son Casey, and that is call for us to remember the others who, like Casey, served with honor.

[Perrier]

56. The food, for one.

Because we're such a multicultural society, the food in this country is fantastic and very diverse.

I'd also have to add consumer choice to the list - there's no end to the wonderful products on offer to make our lives easier.

[UrbScotty]

57. I agree. Positive attitudes are healthy. So...

10. Robert Byrd
9. Jimmy Carter
8. Bill Clinton
7. Wesley Clark
6. Russ Feingold
5. Jennifer Granholm
4. Bush's sub-40% ratings indicate that a majority of Americans do have a clue after all
3. John Kerry
2. Howard Dean
1. DU

[VOX]

59. New Mexico's sky; baseball; Frank Sinatra; the 1965 Mustang...

Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal; the Monterey Bay Aquarium; the way all Americans pulled together right after 9/11; Native American arts and culture; the art of Edward Hopper; Jazz! :bounce:

On edit, added an image of the New Mexico sky:

[sepia_steel]

60. hmm

The Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco

The stars at my mom's house (in the middle of nowhere, Oklahoma)

Huge, dark, fairytale-like pine forests

The fact that anyone who works hard can set up a good life for themselves, and one can always start over

Music, food,culture of ALL kinds - everyone from everywhere lives here!

Seeing all kinds of landscapes on the same big piece of land

Hot dogs and Apple Pie - on the FOURTH OF JULY

America thrives on the concept of FAMILY! (don't believe this is american? Be a Japanese man for a day - and don't get me wrong because I love the Japanese and their country)

We used to be a generous nation - I believe we can be again.

The patriots - THE DISSENTERS!!

[bluedawg12]

61. The Declaration of Independence

http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/index.htm

The Declaration of Independence

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.

[mrcheerful]

63. Nice Except for one thing..............

Nixon made it illegal for americans to take over the government in 1971, after the Kent state murders. You can now be arrested tried and convicted of plotting to over throw the american government and can also be charged with inciting a riot.

[bluedawg12]

64. I thought it sounded

pretty radical as I was reading.

But this was interesting because of the debate about church v. state.

Rights may come from a creator- many saying that the founders were deists.

--We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

But, that governments are instituted by Men- and power comes from the consent of the governed and not from an specific Deity, or religion.

--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,

[ladylibertee]

66. HMMMM Okay here goes.....

1.Ladies can VOTE
2.Blacks can VOTE
3.I am here.LOL
4.We only have three more years of this shit
5.Natalee Holloway is NOT on the news nightly.Whew!
5.Mc Donald's has a healthier menu
6.DU(VENTERS)are always Welcome! LOL
7.Bush admitted he sucks
8.I live close to my job so I don't have to pay a lot in gas
9.1/2 of the nation shares my opinions.LOL
10.Bottled Water is still affordable

[gasperc]

68. FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, LIKE DU!!!!!!!!!!

:BEER:

:KICK:

[Township75]

70. Technoligical center of the world...

no one else comes close!

[Danmel]

71. A can think of a few

New York City
Baseball
Lots of people from everywhere
Toll House Cookies
Fall Foliage
Well stocked supermarkets (although it would be much nicer if everyone could enjoy the benefits of living in a land of plenty)