America is the Best, Most Free, and Most Prosperous Country on Earth: Change My Mind

[brinny]

brinny said: ↑
Aynaz Anni Cyrus, in escaping Iran (and sure death or disfigurement or rape or all mentioned and more), and coming to America, defends America now and says that America is worth fighting for, because it IS, as you posted in the quote from Abraham Lincoln, "the last best hope of earth", according to not only Aynaz Anni Cyrus, but other survivors as well. That is why she, and many others fight for America and believe that America is worth fighting for.

Do you think America has to be "best" in all the ways we have been discussing in order to be worth fighting for?

When it's referred to as a "beacon" on a hill by so many, there's a reason for that. It has to do with life and death issues. It is in THIS area that America is so loved and as stated already "worth fighting for" by not only Aynaz Anni Cyrus, but other survivors as well. I agree with them. In fighting for America, we are fighting for the very freedoms and liberties that these survivors are speaking of, which boils down to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, amongst other things.

 

[usexpat97]

The United States (of America) is neither the best, most prosperous, nor most free on earth; nor are they the least. They lie in the middle. Get your passport and get out of town more often; there's lots to see.

 

[DamianWarS]

Now that would be a very interesting information! I would like to see that, and since you've already found it, would you offer some link(s)?

Quantifying Love Around the World

The full listing (for example where the US is ranked) is here but you're going to need a Bloomberg subscription to read it all (which I don't have)

 

[Dare 2 B A Daniel]

You are quite right, it is not a debatable topic. On a yearly basis several organizations publish the results of surveys on similar topics to those raised in the OP. Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway and Switzerland all regularly place ahead of the USA. Whenever I return to Canada from the USA, I instantly feel a real sense of relief.

To be fair, were Canada not such a peace-loving, next-door neighbor to the U.S., you might not be so relieved to be home again. Pick up Canada and set it down gently between Turkey and Syria and then give us a report on your sense of well-being. Canada might not then be so peace-loving, either. And aren't you glad you have us as a buffer against the savagery of Mexico, by the way?

 

[DamianWarS]

The United States (of America) is neither the best, most prosperous, nor most free on earth; nor are they the least. They lie in the middle. Get your passport and get out of town more often; there's lots to see.

But probably best not to show that passport to others (for some reason people through out the world have some negative opinions about Americans)

 

[Speedwell]

To be fair, were Canada not such a peace-loving, next-door neighbor to the U.S., you might not be so relieved to be home again. Pick up Canada and set it down gently between Turkey and Syria and then give us a report on your sense of well-being. Canada might not then be so peace-loving, either. And aren't you glad you have us as a buffer against the savagery of Mexico, by the way?

The savagery of Mexico??? Have you ever been there? There's nothing savage about Mexico but the drug cartels fueled by US dollars.

 

[DamianWarS]

To be fair, were Canada not such a peace-loving, next-door neighbor to the U.S., you might not be so relieved to be home again. Pick up Canada and set it down gently between Turkey and Syria and then give us a report on your sense of well-being. Canada might not then be so peace-loving, either. And aren't you glad you have us as a buffer against the savagery of Mexico, by the way?

While we are doing that let's pick up America and place it in the middle of Africa and see how prosperous it is. Geography (and land mass) has a huge role in the development of countries but it's a strawmen to say if the country was in the middle east it wouldn't be so peace loving... it may be true but what it also means is it wouldn't be Canada so the whole point is lost.

 

[Halbhh]

Quantifying Love Around the World

The full listing (for example where the US is ranked) is here but you're going to need a Bloomberg subscription to read it all (which I don't have)

Interesting! I had gotten a chance to talk with someone from the Philippines recently, and got a strong sense of familial love going on there. Also, good to hear about the U.S.
"In the United States, feelings of love were a bit more widespread, with 81% of Americans experiencing it for a lot of the day. That's good enough to be ranked toward the top of the list."

 

[Dare 2 B A Daniel]

The savagery of Mexico??? Have you ever been there? There's nothing savage about Mexico but the drug cartels fueled by US dollars.

I've been there many, many times. From Cozumel to Tijuana.

 

[Dare 2 B A Daniel]

While we are doing that let's pick up America and place it in the middle of Africa and see how prosperous it is. Geography (and land mass) has a huge role in the development of countries but it's a strawmen to say if the country was in the middle east it wouldn't be so peace loving... it may be true but what it also means is it wouldn't be Canada so the whole point is lost.

It is not a straw man. It is a comparison by stark contrast. I know that it is impossible. I'm merely pointing out that very, very much of the tranquility of Canada is provided by the very things many Canadians hate about America. Try to keep up, eh?

 

[DamianWarS]

Interesting! I had gotten a chance to talk with someone from the Philippines recently, and got a strong sense of familial love going on there. Also, good to hear about the U.S.
"In the United States, feelings of love were a bit more widespread, with 81% of Americans experiencing it for a lot of the day. That's good enough to be ranked toward the top of the list."

Western nations are very individualist and we find meaning in our ability to be independent and successful through that independence. Most of the world doesn't operate like this and especially Asian or SEA countries will have very strong family connections. For example in Malay the word for Mr/Mrs is the same word for Father/Mother so even among strangers family values and roles are embedded in the language.

 

[DamianWarS]

I know that it is impossible

That's what makes it a strawman.

The US is the US because of It's geography (and Canada is Canada because of its geography) and if you place it in any other spot in the world it is unsustainable as the US and becomes something else. The logic works the exact same way for any country (but it's still a strawman)

 

[Halbhh]

Mexico, the U.S., and Canada -- all doing fairly well (not necessarily perfect, but also not the worst) in the Real Measure of what is Good: Love between people.

Matthew 22:39 And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'

Map: The Countries That Feel the Most Love in the World

Western nations are very individualist and we find meaning in our ability to be independent and successful through that independence. Most of the world doesn't operate like this and especially Asian or SEA countries will have very strong family connections. For example in Malay the word for Mr/Mrs is the same word for Father/Mother so even among strangers family values and roles are embedded in the language.

It is not a straw man. It is a comparison by stark contrast. I know that it is impossible. I'm merely pointing out that very, very much of the tranquility of Canada is provided by the very things many Canadians hate about America. Try to keep up, eh?

The savagery of Mexico??? Have you ever been there? There's nothing savage about Mexico but the drug cartels fueled by US dollars.

As I was told this was a debatable topic, I figured I'd post here to let the debate ensue.

Definitions:

Best: most productive of good : offering or producing the greatest advantage, utility, or satisfaction

Free: enjoying personal freedom : not subject to the control or domination of another

Prosperous: marked by success or economic well-being

 

[Ada Lovelace]

It's heartbreaking that right now in a lovely suburb of my hometown children have died at their school. For America, school shootings have become so tragically frequent as a nation we don't even fall to our knees in grief and horror. Our politicians send out their thoughts and prayers, and then we wait for the next slaughtering of the innocent in a space where they should be protected and safe.
Santa Clarita shooting: 1 dead in high school shooting that wounded at least four others, officials say

 

[Halbhh]

It's heartbreaking that right now in a lovely suburb of my hometown children have died at their school. For America, school shootings have become so tragically frequent as a nation we don't even fall to our knees in grief and horror. Our politicians send out their thoughts and prayers, and then we wait for the next slaughtering of the innocent in a space where they should be protected and safe.
Santa Clarita shooting: 1 dead in high school shooting that wounded at least four others, officials say

Yes, that's a very high cost just to add a slight, small extra bit of freedom to gun lovers by the past work of the NRA lobbyists, that even the most reasonable gun laws were shot down.

So, that more people wouldn't have anything to slow them down in buying rapid fire assault weapons and large clips, so that an angry person could murder dozens in just a minute or 3.

It's an example of how wrong ideology goes. The NRA used ideology, and that ideology led them into increasing wrongs.

 

[Dare 2 B A Daniel]

Mexico, the U.S., and Canada -- all doing fairly well (not necessarily perfect, but also not the worst) in the Real Measure of what is Good: Love between people.

Matthew 22:39 And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'

Map: The Countries That Feel the Most Love in the World

So what's your point?

 

[Speedwell]

I've been there many, many times. From Cozumel to Tijuana.

So have I, but I haven't seen savagery. Perhaps I misunderstand what you mean by it.

 

[Dare 2 B A Daniel]

That's what makes it a strawman.

The US is the US because of It's geography (and Canada is Canada because of its geography) and if you place it in any other spot in the world it is unsustainable as the US and becomes something else. The logic works the exact same way for any country (but it's still a strawman)

Have it your way.

But you're engaging in your own type of logical fallacy, if you think that geography is the primary factor in determining the character of a nation. You're falling further behind.

 

[Halbhh]

So what's your point?

From that map, it looks like that if Russia were on our Border, by that map, it looks like we'd need to worry even more than many do now about our actual neighbors. But our actual neighboring countries, even the one with the violent criminal drug gangs that are a tiny fraction of its population, appear by that map to be generally people that are mostly sharing love, doing "love your neighbor as yourself". We can be glad for that.

 

[solid_core]

As I was told this was a debatable topic, I figured I'd post here to let the debate ensue.

Definitions:

Best: most productive of good : offering or producing the greatest advantage, utility, or satisfaction

Free: enjoying personal freedom : not subject to the control or domination of another

Prosperous: marked by success or economic well-being

I think that many European countries beat the USA in every aspect except of military spendings.

And few Asian countries, too.