Why you love America

by jamesmahon 35 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  jamesmahon

  It struck me, as I guess it has a lot of people, that there are so many threads from both Americans and the rest of us that seem to descend into America bashing. I thought it might be quite nice to have a thread solely (and I mean solely - if this just turns negative I will call foul) on what we think is great about America. As a Brit who has lived and been over a number of times there are many parts about America that I think are great and thought is would be healthy to have a positive thread for a change.

  So a starter for ten (with a few gross generalisations thrown in):

  • The land itself. I have only seen a fraction and little of the best known parks and landscapes but the bits I have seen. Well, wow. I guess I like more subtle landscapes so loved New England (especially Maine) but was in Florida last year and some of the springs around Orlando made me wonder why anyone goes to Disneyland
  • Disneyland. Having just said the above if there is a better place for kids on the planet (appart from the heat) I would be amazed. Only the Americans could pull it off
  • The 'can do' attitude and general lack of cynicism. Being cynical is good - but not if all you see is things being bad and insurmountable. Americans lack the cynicism I think is a positive thing and coupled with the 'can do' mentality is why only they could pull of disneyland
  • Whilst not a huge fan of the american accent, all American's can be clearly understood. Compare that to someone from Glasgow
  • The space program. Say no more. Very jealous.
  • NFL
  • American spellings which make so much more sense than most British ones
  • Scholarships to university and the whole college sports 'thing' - coupled with the acknowledgement that investing in your own education is a good thing

  I realise that is only eight but thought I would save a few back. The more I think about it the more I think American's should be thankful they live where they do (although I know most of you are )
• 

  NewChapter

  Well I like that we have that sea to shining sea and purple mountains majesty thing going. Whatever your preference, mountains, beach, tropical, desert, cold, temperate--whatever.

  I love that we have Native American ruins and that history here. You won't be finding any castles, but you'll sure turn up a spearhead here or there in your garden.

  We have a huge variety of people and cultures here---from big cities to tiny southern towns. There are many things to experience that way.

  And I like how inventive we Americans have been over the years. Many improbable things are now possible, and I do credit America with a lot of that, and I hope those days have not passed us by.

  NC
• 

  King Solomon

  Without doubt, the BEST thing about America, bar none, is our Constitution/Bill of Rights/Declaration of Independence, documents upon which all of our citizen's freedoms are based: freedom of speech, religion, assembly, right to peaceable protest, right to bear arms, separation of church and state, etc. While they're not necessarily unique documents, they were revolutionary at the time they were written by offering an alternative to other forms of government that inextricably combined religion with government.

  That said, the movement to erode those rights by modern-day McCarthyists and Xian fundamentalists (e.g. types like Bachmann) is disturbing to me, as they would have us move toward's their extremist beliefs.

  Despite what they may say, we're NOT a "Xian Nation", and the thought was abhorred by the Founding Fathers enough to motivate puttingrestrictions in place to prevent one religious group from seizing the reins of power.
• 

  Ucantnome

  Wrigley Field watching the Cubs play.
• 

  sooner7nc

  Wild Turkey 101, the Oklahoma Sooners, 1911's, AR-15's, and the Great State of Texas. That's enough for me.
• 

  skeeter1

  No Almighty King or Queen, the right to vote out the current politicians, and the right to say/do almost anything you want.

  Whale Wars. Yes, Whale Wars says alot about Americans (and others too). Brave, brash, and standing up for injustice. That's what I love.

  Oh, and Sam Adams Lager. That's what I love about America.

  Skeeter
• 

  Star tiger

  Hi,

  I love the American dream, love Florida for the kids, myself being one of them, lol,and the whole can do attitude, very little negative attitude, beautiful scenery and lovely people.

  However I don't think the world policeman does not do you any favours, succesive governments have attacked other countries without thinking about the consequences, our government has always backed you, now we are both hated, a more reasoned approach is now necessary to guide the world forward more of understanding of these other nations who do not share our ideals.

  America and the UK need to realise that our way may not be the best way forward and we need a bit more compassion rather than tanks and missiles!

  The American dream and ideals are fantastic but need some adjustment so that the rest of the world can benefit.

  By the way I do on the whole love the American people, but you just need to chill out a bit, to coin your phrase!

  Best Regards,

  Star Tiger
• 

  Band on the Run

  The most important part to me is the American character. We cherish certain rights. Americans have a spunky image.

  I recall viewing Triumph of the Wall, a great film about the prewar Olympics in Berlin made by a Nazi filmmaker. It is exceptional even tho it is Hitler propaganda. When the athletes parade around, in front of HItler, the Brits and the Americans engaged in protest. The Brits refused to face Hitler but their posture was so erect. They marched in slightly exaggerated fashion. The Americans were so different in their body language. They, too, refused to acknowledge Hitler but they walked. It was interesting to see the same protest executed by two nationalities.

  America is blessed with its natural resources and variety of terrain.

  We excelled at democracy for the most part.

  Sorry, I just can't rave. I fear American exceptionalsim was the result of our competitors losing their infrastructure due to war. We are not rankling well on tests of health, education, employment.

  One of our unexpected bounties to me is cultural. The arts thrive in countless cities, particularly New York and Los Angelos. The melting pot diversity has allowed new art to emerge. Much of it may be due to our being such a strong military power but people speak English around the world, rather than universal French, because of Hollywood.

  Our subcultures are important, too. Not everyone blends together.

  I am proud to be an American b/c I was born here and it is my home. Viewed objectively, America has many pressing issues as to whether it can maintain its grip on power. I do not believe American exceptionalism ever existed. When I am in Manhattan, I meet tourists. Europeans have this intense hatred for the US government but adore the American can do spirit. They are crazy about cowboys and Indians, too. It would be sad if the frontier/pioneer culture we had for so long disappeared.

  This is my home and I want it to be the best country in the world. Given our diversity, we do a passable job.

  Sometimes you need a hard crisis to leap forward.
• 

  jam

  What I find unique about America, our diplomats that

  represents the US in various countries around the world.

  You may have a Vietnamese as an ambassador to Vietnam,

  an Mexican American ambassabor of Rwanda, a woman

  in Afghanistan, African American in Sweden. Hell one never

  knows what nationality when come from our country as a

  representative. There may be other countries but I can,t

  think of any other country that have the diversity.

  You can believe an ambassador of Japan will be Japanese,

  Korea Korean, Mozambique African etc.
• 

  tootired2care

  1. Freedom.

  2. Opportunities.

  A while ago a relative of ours moved from Italy to the America, we asked him why he would want to leave such a beautiful place as Italy. His answer was that there just isn't good opportunities in Italy. You always hear of stories of people who immigrate here with next to nothing and are able to become millionaires. There aren't too many counties in the world that have the right conditions to foster such a high number of success stories like America IMHO.

  3. Natural beauty.

  4. Ethnic diversity.