Rant on the american people.

[Dennis Toy]

Some recent events including the passage of the " Detainee Bill" has gotten me to rant about what i consider the servility of the american people. This is not going to be a long rant.

I am so sick and tired of the servility of the american people, they allow our leaders to pass bills that allow torture, they allow their civil liberties to be taken, they allow monitoring of their phone calls, e-mail and mails and for what? To be safe from the "3bol T3rr0ri$ts" The allow idiot leaders to run our country into the ground so they could sleep a little easier.

This has become a generation of people who need to be coddled. They need to be coddled so they could be safe and buy their SUV's or drink their latte's or live in McMansions. Nowadays people act like little kindergarten children who need to be coddled and told "Everything is OK, the boogeymen ( read: terrorists ) won't get you, mommy or daddy will protect you". What happened to the people who protested and got themselved arrested and even hurt because they felt the Jim Crow laws were wrong? What happened to the people who protested and got themselved arrested or even shot because they felt the Vietnam war was wrong? What happened to "Go GET IT" attitude by the american people of the 80's( This was a slogan by Reagan who got this quote from the Rambo movies.) What happened to the country that defeated the USSR in the cold war and got a economic boom and great times from it?

[Xenophobe3691]

We got comfortale. I have a nice quote about this on my facebook profile.

The gist of it is, we're always on the lookout for people who'll take away the rights we care about...but we're never on the lookout for the people who'll give away those rights provided it makes them feel a bit safer, without ruining too much of their daily life.

We've spent millions of years finally getting into a position where our lives and livelihoods aren't threatened on a constant basis. Who the hell are we to take that away from them?

Of course, everyone forgets that what people want, and what's best for them, are oftentimes completely at odds..

[JLTucker]

I am also sick of this bullshit. I can never have a conversation about the shit that is going on with my parents or my close friends. They insist that Bush is a great president. Whenever some new immoral bill is passed, I just think about what Maynard from TOOL sang:

Some say the end is near. Some say we'll see armageddon soon. I certainly hope we will because I sure could use a vacation from this silly shit, stupid shit... One great big festering neon distraction, I've a suggestion to keep you all occupied. Learn to swim... I'm praying for rain and I'm praying for tidal waves. I wanna see the ground give way. I wanna watch it all go down... I wanna see it all come down. Suck it down. Flush it down.

[Shinova]

People just don't care.

The average American's daily life involves so little politics, that it's become taken for granted. The sheer volume of consumerism that is exposed to the average person also dominates their lives to the point that it completely fills their non-essential considerations.

The biggest problem thus, the way I see it, is that people's perceptions are so confined to their immediate vincinity and lives. Their daily routines, their immediate friends, families, jobs, and everything that comes with those things so fully dominates their attention that they either can't or don't pay any attention to stuff outside their "sphere of attention" or "sphere of consideration."

Basically, the average American's radius of Give a Shit is limited to their immediate vincinity, and everything in it. Everything outside is just beyond their consideration, so things that happen over in Washington or in another part of the world almost literally don't exist in their lives.

Like I said before, the American lifestyle is awesome and is one of the highest living standards in the world, but its particular brand of lifestyle so forcibly dominates a person's mind that it pushes everything else out of the way.... things that are subtle but undoubtedly important like this detainees bill.

[Darth Wong]

A combination of the greatest entertainment technology in human history and interminably long working hours has lulled the American people into an inattentive stupor. But that in itself is not an excuse; ultimately the biggest problem is the vast wellspring of pride that Americans have in their nation. That pride seems like a good thing but it tends to blind them to the country's problems because they take criticism of those problems as an attack on their country and react defensively.

[Darth Fanboy]

I agree with DW's above sentiment but there is a little more to it. THere is a significant number of people I believe that see the current administration as a bunch of idiots, but they're idiots that lower THEIR taxes and advance causes THEY believe in. People that would otherwise be inclined to vote otherwise and speak up for themselves don't care because life is a lotter better form, even though it may be at the cost of other people elsewhere.

There is however, a lot of people that are speaking up. HOwever this country has become so partisan that nobody wants to listen to people on the other side of the argument anymore. American politics has become one giant "Either Or" Fallacy and everyone's too busy waving their dicks around to do anything about it.

[kheegster]

Like I said before, the American lifestyle is awesome and is one of the highest living standards in the world, but its particular brand of lifestyle so forcibly dominates a person's mind that it pushes everything else out of the way.... things that are subtle but undoubtedly important like this detainees bill.

I'm sorry, but I've been to quite a few First World countries, and I think that the US has one of the lowest qualities of life in my opinion anyway. For example, last night we had a blackout, the first I've ever experienced in a developed nation.

You guys are just exposed to all the propaganda extolling the virtues of America, and never have the opportunity to see anything different.

[Stofsk]

Are you serious? One blackout and you think that's enough to judge the American quality of life standard to be the lowest you've ever encountered?

[kheegster]

Are you serious? One blackout and you think that's enough to judge the American quality of life standard to be the lowest you've ever encountered?

The blackout was an example. I've spent 4 years living in the UK and I suspect that some of my British friends don't know what a blackout.

And I said that average American quality of life is the lowest among First world nations. I have no doubt that the richest 20% of Americans have the best living standards in the world, and I'm not saying that Americans live worse lives than Lithuanians.

[Stofsk]

The blackout was an example.

Yes, I know it's an example. It's the only one you provided, so it was the only thing I had to respond to.

I've spent 4 years living in the UK and I suspect that some of my British friends don't know what a blackout.

Yes, but I've lived in Australia - not just anywhere but one of it's major cities, Melbourne - for 23 years, and sometimes utilities like electricity suffer disruption.

And I said that average American quality of life is the lowest among First world nations.

Thanks for clarifying. I might actually agree with you, but I found your example of a single blackout to be strange is all.

[salm]

I think what would reduce the living quality in particular about living in America (besides obvious political and religious points) would be the lack of public transport and the fact that everybody is scared shitless and needs burglar alarms, guns, gated communities, 50 locks per door, neighborhood watches...
Both of these examples are less of a materialistic nature but more of an omnipresent feeling which, i believe, influences daily life qute a bit.

[FSTargetDrone]

Blackouts? I live within 10 miles of a nuclear power plant, yet anytime there's a heavy wind, power lines (which should ideally be underground, I'd imagine) are knocked over, and we lose power. Heavy electrical storms, we lose power. Heavy snow storms? Down come the lines and we lose power. Every once in awhile some idiot drives into a powerline pole, down comes the pole and the wires, and we lose power.

It's a big country. With large countries come large infrastructure and in thi scountry, the infrastructure alone is aging. I see all sorts of bridges around where I live (suburban Philadelphia) in various states of disrepair (I know of 3 smaller concrete bridges (on well-traveled secondary roads) that are literally crumbling. The highways are generally poor and are always under some sort of resurfacing projects.

[theski]

Like I said before, the American lifestyle is awesome and is one of the highest living standards in the world, but its particular brand of lifestyle so forcibly dominates a person's mind that it pushes everything else out of the way.... things that are subtle but undoubtedly important like this detainees bill.

I'm sorry, but I've been to quite a few First World countries, and I think that the US has one of the lowest qualities of life in my opinion anyway. For example, last night we had a blackout, the first I've ever experienced in a developed nation.

You guys are just exposed to all the propaganda extolling the virtues of America, and never have the opportunity to see anything different.

How many died in France and UK. because of a Heat wave..

[Darth Wong]

What harms the American living standard is the omnipresent insecurity, more than anything else. The American health-care system basically puts working people in a very precarious position, because it will not cover you if you get really sick and start costing them money on a continuous basis. The insurance company will find a way to drop you; this has been proven by the fact that health-related bankruptcy filings are no less common among those with insurance than those without.

Also, things like crime rates, persistent racial issues, religious intolerance, and crumbling infrastructure are serious detriments to its living standard. Part of the infrastructure problem is due to the geographical nature of the country; with vast amounts of land, it is not as conducive to the kind of technological renovation that characterizes Japan or Western Europe. But you can't lay the blame for all its ills on geography; at some level it's politicians who know that infrastructure is not a sexy campaign platform.

[Big Phil]

I'm curious about something - the foreigners who complain about America, fine, go for it, I've no problem with it... although I don't think you really understand what it's like to live here unless you've actually lived here. It's not like I know what it's like to live in Europe based on a three week vacation...

Anyway... the Americans on this board complaining about how lazy, service, coddled, etc., Americans are - what are you doing that makes you so different from everybody else?

[theski]

What harms the American living standard is the omnipresent insecurity, more than anything else. The American health-care system basically puts working people in a very precarious position, because it will not cover you if you get really sick and start costing them money on a continuous basis. The insurance company will find a way to drop you; this has been proven by the fact that health-related bankruptcy filings are no less common among those with insurance than those without.

Also, things like crime rates, persistent racial issues, religious intolerance, and crumbling infrastructure are serious detriments to its living standard. Part of the infrastructure problem is due to the geographical nature of the country; with vast amounts of land, it is not as conducive to the kind of technological renovation that characterizes Japan or Western Europe. But you can't lay the blame for all its ills on geography; at some level it's politicians who know that infrastructure is not a sexy campaign platform.

Its also the everpresent 24hr news cycle of Fear.. Terra/Hurricane/Shootings/..

[Darth Wong]

I'm curious about something - the foreigners who complain about America, fine, go for it, I've no problem with it... although I don't think you really understand what it's like to live here unless you've actually lived here. It's not like I know what it's like to live in Europe based on a three week vacation...

I never actually lived in the US, but I lived across the river from the US for 5 years: so close that I could see what people were doing on the other side. I got their TV, their newspapers, their radio. There was really very little distinction in terms of the way I lived and the way the people a few hundred feet to the west of me were living, so I figure I have a pretty good idea what it was like over there.

[Big Phil]

I'm curious about something - the foreigners who complain about America, fine, go for it, I've no problem with it... although I don't think you really understand what it's like to live here unless you've actually lived here. It's not like I know what it's like to live in Europe based on a three week vacation...

I never actually lived in the US, but I lived across the river from the US for 5 years: so close that I could see what people were doing on the other side. I got their TV, their newspapers, their radio. There was really very little distinction in terms of the way I lived and the way the people a few hundred feet to the west of me were living, so I figure I have a pretty good idea what it was like over there.

Canadians, Mexicans, and Americans, at least those close to the border, get to see a lot of each other's culture on a daily basis. Everybody else, however, only sees a few choice things, either on the news, the Internet, or in person while on vacation.

[theski]

I'm curious about something - the foreigners who complain about America, fine, go for it, I've no problem with it... although I don't think you really understand what it's like to live here unless you've actually lived here. It's not like I know what it's like to live in Europe based on a three week vacation...

I never actually lived in the US, but I lived across the river from the US for 5 years: so close that I could see what people were doing on the other side. I got their TV, their newspapers, their radio. There was really very little distinction in terms of the way I lived and the way the people a few hundred feet to the west of me were living, so I figure I have a pretty good idea what it was like over there.

Canadians, Mexicans, and Americans, at least those close to the border, get to see a lot of each other's culture on a daily basis. Everybody else, however, only sees a few choice things, either on the news, the Internet, or in person while on vacation.

ED hates it and he lives here

[kheegster]

I'm curious about something - the foreigners who complain about America, fine, go for it, I've no problem with it... although I don't think you really understand what it's like to live here unless you've actually lived here. It's not like I know what it's like to live in Europe based on a three week vacation...

I currently do live in the US, and I've lived about 4 developed countries (by 'living' I mean staying and working for more than a month, which definitely gives a deeper perception than as a tourist). Although, yes, one shouldn't bitch about a country if they've only visited short-term.

[Rogue 9]

I think what would reduce the living quality in particular about living in America (besides obvious political and religious points) would be the lack of public transport and the fact that everybody is scared shitless and needs burglar alarms, guns, gated communities, 50 locks per door, neighborhood watches...
Both of these examples are less of a materialistic nature but more of an omnipresent feeling which, i believe, influences daily life qute a bit.

I regularly leave my door unlocked with no fear of burglary or anything else, and would do the same with my car if I had one. From conversations with Dahak, I got the understanding that this is not only unwise in Germany; it's actually illegal. Seems we're not the only ones scared shitless.

As for public transportation, it's simply impractical over the vast expanses of rural land it would have to cover. Public transportation is grand in densely populated areas, but most parts of the United States have a low population density relative to most of Europe. I would love to be able to catch a train to Evansville or Bloomington for a day, but there's not much of a way to make it work and be economical, at least if the trains/buses/what have you are to stop in small towns in between major cities. (I'm not arguing against mass transit; I think it would be an excellent alternative to highways full of individual cars, but that's one of the many, many reasons why it will take vast changes in the economy and infrastructure of the United States to make it ever happen.)

[Darth Wong]

I think what would reduce the living quality in particular about living in America (besides obvious political and religious points) would be the lack of public transport and the fact that everybody is scared shitless and needs burglar alarms, guns, gated communities, 50 locks per door, neighborhood watches...
Both of these examples are less of a materialistic nature but more of an omnipresent feeling which, i believe, influences daily life qute a bit.

I regularly leave my door unlocked with no fear of burglary or anything else, and would do the same with my car if I had one. From conversations with Dahak, I got the understanding that this is not only unwise in Germany; it's actually illegal. Seems we're not the only ones scared shitless.

Locking your doors doesn't mean you're scared shitless; it just means you're being prudent. What the fuck does it cost you to lock your doors? Nothing. It's a simple matter of risk and cost/benefit analysis, and there is no region in America which is immune to robbery. One of the reasons we saw so many robberies when I lived in a small town in the 1990s was that I actually bothered reading the local newspaper, and many of my neighbours didn't. They were often shocked to hear how many robberies were taking place in our quaint little town, facilitated in many cases by morons who didn't lock their doors. You can play the odds and maybe get away with it because there are an awful lot of houses out there and not as many criminals as people think, but it's still foolish.

As for public transportation, it's simply impractical over the vast expanses of rural land it would have to cover. Public transportation is grand in densely populated areas, but most parts of the United States have a low population density relative to most of Europe. I would love to be able to catch a train to Evansville or Bloomington for a day, but there's not much of a way to make it work and be economical, at least if the trains/buses/what have you are to stop in small towns in between major cities. (I'm not arguing against mass transit; I think it would be an excellent alternative to highways full of individual cars, but that's one of the many, many reasons why it will take vast changes in the economy and infrastructure of the United States to make it ever happen.)

The problem is that even cities are not amenable to mass transit in North America because of the suburban sprawl that has been made possible by our land area but also by our lifestyle preferences. We live in a society where you are considered a failure in many circles if you don't have a nice house with a medium-sized backyard by the age of 30.

[TrailerParkJawa]

I think what would The problem is that even cities are not amenable to mass transit in North America because of the suburban sprawl that has been made possible by our land area but also by our lifestyle preferences. We live in a society where you are considered a failure in many circles if you don't have a nice house with a medium-sized backyard by the age of 30.

I can attest to that. I'm 35 didn't buy my first place until I was 30. I felt like a loser for not being out on my own sooner but the dot com boom made an already expensive area to live prohibitive. Now I've sold my condo and am house sitting for my dad but have no real hope of ever owning a single family home with a yard. New homes dont come with medium sized yards yet still run 800k. Older homes have giant lots that command 800k even though the house is smaller.

Demand for single family homes, combined with the local geography have pushed the suburbs of the Bay Area out to areas that were once considered to be rural backwaters. Mass transit stands little chance to work well in such environs. We do have BART here which works well if you are going into the city but most people commute from suburb to suburb and not to a city core. I could actually take light rail to my job but it would take about 45 minutes vs a 15 minute drive so I end up driving.

[FSTargetDrone]

I no more purposely leave my door unlocked than I'd leave the bathroom without wiping my as sand washing my hands. I live in a relatively well-off and secure area, with lots of lights on at night and there is no way in hell I would leave my place with the door unlocked unless I'm out front checking the mail or some such. I also don't leave my car unlocked or with its windows down. It's just common sense these days, no matter where you live in the US.

[Mlenk]

ultimately the biggest problem is the vast wellspring of pride that Americans have in their nation. That pride seems like a good thing but it tends to blind them to the country's problems because they take criticism of those problems as an attack on their country and react defensively.

As an American I see nothing wrong with having pride in America and what it has historically accomplished in a broad spectrum of things. But I take issue when that pride becomes arrogance, detrimentally affecting our views and knowledge (the lack therof in most cases) of the rest of the world.