Problems With America?

[Desertfox]

You know, IQ test aren't the best way to measure intelligence, so someone that could be fine could be sterilized for nothing really(No good way to judge if someone is intelligent or not, save if they are affected by mental retardation). If someone wants to eat food that is unhealthy, so be it, we shouldn't have the right to tell them what they can and cannot do, especially since most things are fine as long as you don't eat too much of it.

[Stefan]

I hate america cause of their freedom

this article might describe one of the bigger issues which are being discussed now over there

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100514/ap_on_re_us/failed_drug_war;_ylt=AqgdWUpeLdAsB7PpnYq8TMys0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTFpZWEzbXY0BHBvcwMzNgRzZWMDYWNjb3JkaW9uX21vc3RfcG9wdWxhcgRzbGsDYXBpbXBhY3R1c2Ry

[[130.Pz]S.Lainer]

  Some great ideas!  Maybe instead just sterilizing people we could also round up all the religious types, retards, fatties and homosexuals and put them in work camps so they don't harm the public at large.  Anyone who hates this idea can go into camps as well.     

Josef M. Brazil

[hOMEr_jAy]

Why should we Europeans try to "improve" the USA?
I as a German will most-likely never be affected by religion-based laws or too fat food, so why should I care to improve society and laws over there? People will change themselves, sooner or later and if not, well, I don´t have to live in the USA if I don´t like its countries laws...

[Alakazou]

With smart people breeding smart people, passing laws based on reason and intelligence your country will flourish.

- Canadian, 20 years old.

Yeah right  

You know what? You think with your ass
Québécois 25 ans

[Paasky]

There's so much, I have no idea where to begin, so I'll just make a short list:

- Stop teaching creationism at school. If a parent wants their child to believe in a talking snake and  a magical man from the sky, go ahead. But don't teach it at schools.

I live in a country with a state religion, and we had Religion as a class in school. But we never looked at a bible, our religious studies were about the history of religion, all of them. You know, birth of the first religions, then judaism & hinduism, then the greek & roman gods, then buddhism, then christianity, then taoism, then islam, etc etc.
And yes, you can teach the concept of creationism, but not as truth but as a part of religion. The bible isn't "God's true word on earth", it's what a few stuffy old men decided christianity should be in Nicea around 200AD IIRC.

- Well, that's just a pet peeve of mine, the real problem is: Stop Corporate hold on power. Although, with the recent ruling that money = freedom of speech, this isn't going nowhere... But this + religious nuts is what's "destroying America". You know there are over 100 lobbyists for every Senator + Representative? Whenever anyone tries to enact any kind of reform that doesn't include throwing money at corporations & the rich, these leeches spring into action. And well, as you can see from the state of the states, that's not good.


There are a ton of other problems as well, but they all boil down to one of the above. All the fat people = Unhealthy food = corporate profits. All the sick people = Unhealthy food + low medical care = Insurance & Pharmaceutical profits. etc etc.


Btw, this term, "Hates America" is also ridiculous. Saying theres something wrong with something isn't hating, it's called criticism. Even the people who plainly say "I hate America" actually hate the system, not the people or the country.

Oh, and about fat people: I just watched the SNL episode with that woman from Precious: My God! Disgusting! That's not a human, that's a carnival attraction. "Come see the big fat lady!" Seriously, I can understand genes making someone a bit bigger, but how is it physically possible to eat so much???

[DLFReporter]

Ohoh I see this thread really going down in flames sooner or later. ^^
Alas at least at the moment only people from across the Pond are bashing themselves.


Mr.Deceptive, you're neither thinking with your head, nor your butt, but with the full simplicity that has led to the idea of Eugenics time and time again.

[Mr.Deceptive]

Mr.Deceptive, you're neither thinking with your head, nor your butt, but with the full simplicity that has led to the idea of Eugenics time and time again.

I'm not sure if that's a compliment or an insult.


I don't like it how people claim threads are bad or up in flames simply when people disagree, that is called productivity in my opinion.

[Tedacious]

The Medical Sytem, and your constant obsession with freedom (like Stefan said).

1. Medical System
Take it to new levels than what Obama has planned, don't be afraid of the word "social healthcare" and think it's communism. Currently there are seperations between who's rich and who's poor (don't tell me there is not, that seperation is there no matter what they say).




Also, you need to get more international. One simple example that pops just in my mind is why you need to make your own version of everything?
The Office was a huge success, guess what! America will make it's own version!
The swedish books/movies "Millenium" was a huge success and made millions of sales, guess what! America will make it's own version of the films! Leave things as they are, don't ruin them by making them screwed up hollywood-versions just because you can't bear to actually read subtitles.

[DLFReporter]

I'm not sure if that's a compliment or an insult.

Take it as a small wave with a sign from me to read up the idea.

To come back to the topic, I believe that all problems can be extracted to every western and eastern society in large. But Americans have a somewhat special ability to make these problems so apparent and obvious that everyone else conceives them as the main root for these problems.

Anyhow if I were to make one thing better, then I would eradicated the selfish notion in humans, that egoistical tendency to cause harm to society just for personal gains. And I believe that this is something that can be taught to children.

I think that is the 'bad' obsession with personal freedom (ia.k.a. become rich or die trying mentality) that many perceive from Americans/Westerners.

[Battlefieldfan45 (CroPanzer)]

A little less nationalism wouldn't hurt 

[Ts4EVER]

I don't think there is much wrong with the American healthcare system. If you think about it, it is just that Americans value there personal freedom more, even in areas where many Europeans might think it is unnecessary/ dangerous. Now the system is in trouble, but so are many European systems. Both worked for 50 years, now they are in jeopardy. Makes me think we should look for an external cause for that instead of a fault in the system of distribution.
The only thing that I as an European really think is utterly wrong is the Creationism stuff. I always thought our system here covered that nicely: You have biology to learn the whole evolution stuff and religious education to learn about religion (albeit in a very "outside" standpoint). As in, learning the basic ideologies of all major religion, about the danger and methods of certain sects and ways religion deals with certain topics like death, sex etc.
But as Homer said, nothing of my business.

[Smiles]

I am amazed some countries still practice the death penalty. Chasing angry beards and threatening oil swimmers a'right, but still killing your "own citizins" is pretty weird aint it.

[Desertfox]

I'm not sure, this may depend on the school, but at my school we are taught pretty much like you said for Europe TS....Don't know where the notion is that "oh you're taught creationism" comes from...But like I said, it may change depending on the school, but I have never heard anyone say they were taught that, save if they went to a private school.

[[WDW]Megaraptor]

Seems like everyone wants to change America to make it more like Europe.

Well, we aren't Europe. And most people here don't want to be.

As comedian Brad Stine puts it "America is better than Europe. That's why we left!"

America was founded by people who fled Europe's big government in search of a country that would allow more personal liberties. It's something that is deeply ingrained in the American mind, and I for one hope it stays that way.