Another mass shooting

lol thanks

Right back at'cha

 

Whatever... If you think I really said something wrong just state what I said wrong. Instead of acting like I don't know what I'm talking about, simply because you dislike it.

 

With all due respect though, people outside of the US probably do know more about the US than the average American knows about any other given country

And the fact that so many Americans still believe America to be the only "free" country in the world proves that pretty easily

 

You make sense but we have 8000 kids each year getting shot and now we have right wing neo Nazis who will kill anyone who disagrees with them and vote. They killed Alan Berg just because he talked on the radio.

 

I disagree Deidre. sorry

 

If you hate the US, or think it sucks, that's fine, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But, it seems like people jump on the bandwagon with putting down the US, and if you've never resided here (traveling for a few weeks vacation isn't going to show you much), it just doesn't make sense to me. I wouldn't pretend to know everything that's right and wrong about a particular country that I've never resided in, or even traveled to, and bash it on a forum. I could see traveling to a particular country and not liking certain towns, or venues, etc...but not bashing an entire country based on what the news networks are spewing, or what I'm casually reading from an online news source. Or even hearing about another country from those who reside there, themselves, even. I have friends who live in the UK for example and some love it, some hate it. I would need to spend a lot of time there to get a good sense of it for myself, though. There will always be people who hate a particular country, as citizens of it, and those who don't. I see a lot of problems within the US, but it's not this horrible place that some on here paint it to be. Trump is not the US. I think that is also another fallacy that people have about the US.

Anyways, that's more of my point. It also seems like the ''in'' thing for many Americans to hate on the US. No one is forcing you to live here, lol

 

I don't hate the US, but it's our leadership's job to recognize votes. That's something that it seems to be overlooking.

 

Agree, but that's a whole other thread

By ''you,'' in my above post, I'm just speaking in generalities.

 

You will find out how people feel about your proposition to have the State Police come onto their premises to go through their property with a fine-tooth comb in search of guns. Voters will express their opinion of that kind of police action. And you haven't addressed my point concerning my right to defend my home against intruders with more than my fists. Nor have you acknowledged the fact that hundreds of thousands of guns are stolen each year. You're hanging on to the idea that all of those guns will also somehow be confiscated. That's a fantasy.

And you do realize that even in the highly unlikely event that the public voted in favor of having the cops sniff through their properties and businesses to confiscate their guns, those who would rather keep their right to home defense would simply bury their gun until the cops were gone . . . unless you're also in favor of surprise inspections.

 

I was born in the US and agree there is great opportunity here but that doesn't stop me from pointing out the many flaws that still exist. The death penalty in general, and its unequal implementation when it comes to race; the war on drugs and the lives it has destroyed; civil forfeiture laws that make it damn near impossible for people who are found not guilty to get their property back; our continually meddling in the affairs of other countries (as long as those countries are militarily weak)...and of course all the goddamn violence. I'll stop there. I think it's important to be aware, and even angry, that these problems exist and that it is our responsibility as free citizens to correct the problems created by our leaders. We're supposed to be the ones in charge, not them.

 

Agree with this.

 

There's a lot I like about the US which is precisely why I criticize it. I was taught growing up that the US was the best country in the world. This isnt true of course, what makes something the best is entirely subjective but even by measureable standards the US is mediocre in many areas compared to other first world countries. But still, I criticize this country precisely because I was raised in a culture of American exceptionalism. We CAN be the best, we're certainly still one of the richest, so there's really no excuse for not being better than we are. I criticize the US because I want it to live up to its potential and it disappoints me that it doesnt.

 

Yes. Other countries are free. No one's debating this. But two things: one, they're free because they followed the template the US created. And two, Americans have a loyalty. You never, ever--ever--root against the home team.

 

Who is rooting against them?

 

You didn't say anything wrong.
It's not THE land of the free, I don't know what else you could have done to emphasize "the".
That doesn't mean it's not free...it's just not the epitome of a "free country", as it was advertised to be for a long time.

For example:
Human Freedom Index - the US is not even in top 10
Global Peace Index - the US is not even in top 100
You can hate these index thingies, but personally, I like having something to compare.

Quite a bold statement for someone who keeps repeating you can't judge a country unless you lived in it for a year.
You haven't lived anywhere outside the US, have you?
What do you base your conclusion on then?
Surely you judge based on whatever factors, and I would honestly like to hear.


You have foreigners like Asmo, who is a pretty reasonable guy and comes from a developed western European country that scores pretty high on all them lists (and yes, it matters, yall have that long liberal democracy experience), telling you what they think, and you are not even interested and choose to dismiss it (that "you know nothing" was rather condescending, but that's just my opinion).

I get that you are sick of people hating on your country, but no one in this thread did that.
And I disagree that you cannot judge a country without having lived in it. We judge a lot of things without having a first hand experience.

 

I don't think that's true in many cases. I won't dispute there are some, but not so many to warrant a blanket statement.

 

QFT

 

I didn’t say anything like this but I get I’m not your minion so...

Carry on

 

Wut

 

I didn’t say anything of the sort that she posted and I’m not agreeing with something I never said.

You don’t know me Eloise, so save your lecture for someone else.