United States, before and after

Many people here think I hate the United States but I really don't. I hate their foreign policy and what they have become but I admire what the US represented at some point and it had to do a lot with why it became a great country. I have several american friends, who I consider one of my life's mentors is half american and he lived in the US for a long time and many of the stuff I know about the country comes from him. He also has a view that the US used to be a great country with many worthy and amazing people but he's sad of what it has become. Today he sent me this link about the death of the oldest man in the world who happened to be an american, a midwesterner

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110415/ap_on_re_us/us_obit_world_s_oldest_man

I think it is hard not to admire a person like him, even if I disagree with some of his views he is definitely a person I would be proud to be associated with under a same nationality and culture. If those are the kind of people that made the US then it is not so hard to see why the US became as respected and powerful as it once did. But then I look at it today and I see it in such a sad state and in many ways the anthitesis of what this person here represented. The US of old, that powerful idea that came to be with people like him is dying along with him.

Of course the US was never perfect, no country or nation ever was or will ever be, but give credit where is due, the US didn't become the most powerful nation in the world by chance and that guy was a first hand witness of that.

For some reason, that article makes me realize how short life is. How I got that feeling from reading that article, I don't know. I now want to do as much living as I can and experience all that I can and do my best at everything so that when I'm old and look back, I can say I did all that I could during my lifetime.

I can't take seriously any one who makes these claims.. If we look back in history we will see numerous problems and benefits in every decade.. There is no clear best decade...... People like to cite decades like the 1950s.. Completely ignoring the Cold War, Korean War, racism, sexism, the Red Scare etc etc..

I can't take seriously any one who makes these claims.. If we look back in history we will see numerous problems and benefits in every decade.. There is no clear best decade...... People like to cite decades like the 1950s.. Completely ignoring the Cold War, Korean War, racism, sexism, the Red Scare etc etc..

sSubZerOo

I can't take seriously any one who makes these claims.. If we look back in history we will see numerous problems and benefits in every decade.. There is no clear best decade...... People like to cite decades like the 1950s.. Completely ignoring the Cold War, Korean War, racism, sexism, the Red Scare etc etc..

sSubZerOo

That's true, but his grandad told stories about killing Confederates, so we at least know he learned one of the most important lessons in life:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aspp1r0tS4

[spoiler] Rebels are scum. [/spoiler]

I can't take seriously any one who makes these claims.. If we look back in history we will see numerous problems and benefits in every decade.. There is no clear best decade...... People like to cite decades like the 1950s.. Completely ignoring the Cold War, Korean War, racism, sexism, the Red Scare etc etc..

sSubZerOo

It would be unfair to focus only on the bad and not consider the good.

The U.S. did help save Europe in two World Wars, freed many third-world nations from the tyranny of world powers, and so on.

Good and bad with everything

its natural to be jealous of and hate entitites better than you.

nothing to be ashamed of, its human nature.

its natural to be jealous of and hate entitites better than you.

nothing to be ashamed of, its human nature.

markinthedark

[QUOTE="markinthedark"]

its natural to be jealous of and hate entitites better than you.

nothing to be ashamed of, its human nature.

kuraimen

no veil, pretty blatant... im not the biggest US foreign policy enthusiast around, even though i live here.

but i dont appreciate having my individuality stripped and insults levied at me for my birthplace alone. You paint a picture with a very broad brush. Criticise my government, not my country... and especially not me for living here.

[QUOTE="kuraimen"][QUOTE="markinthedark"]

its natural to be jealous of and hate entitites better than you.

nothing to be ashamed of, its human nature.

markinthedark

no veil, pretty blatant... im not the biggest US foreign policy enthusiast around, even though i live here.

but i dont appreciate having my individuality stripped and insults levied at me for my birthplace alone. You paint a picture with a very broad brush. Criticise my government, not my country... and especially not me for living here.

[QUOTE="sSubZerOo"]

I can't take seriously any one who makes these claims.. If we look back in history we will see numerous problems and benefits in every decade.. There is no clear best decade...... People like to cite decades like the 1950s.. Completely ignoring the Cold War, Korean War, racism, sexism, the Red Scare etc etc..

ravenhost91

Yes a typical lib answer is when your being objective :roll:. Every decade has its problems.. The people who claim America was once great and is not any more.. When exactly are they thinking of? Because if you look into it, it usually is always through rose colored glasses.. Many people foolishly enough uses the 1950s as some kind of golden standard of once when America was great.. What about the 60s or 70s? Opps no, massive civil unrest, increase of drug usage.. Allt he famous serial killers seem to have come across in that era.. 80s? No not that one either.. 90s.. Well can't use that one because the radical majority that make this absurd claim now are the ones that depise any and all the social changes that were occuring in the 90s much more thoroughly. 30s? Boy that was a great time! Depression, mass crime.. Same old sexism and racism.. So seriously I am waiting, where exactly is this golden period that we have some how fallen so far from?

[QUOTE="ravenhost91"][QUOTE="sSubZerOo"]

I can't take seriously any one who makes these claims.. If we look back in history we will see numerous problems and benefits in every decade.. There is no clear best decade...... People like to cite decades like the 1950s.. Completely ignoring the Cold War, Korean War, racism, sexism, the Red Scare etc etc..

sSubZerOo

Yes a typical lib answer is when your being objective :roll:. Every decade has its problems.. The people who claim America was once great and is not any more.. When exactly are they thinking of? Because if you look into it, it usually is always through rose colored glasses.. Many people foolishly enough uses the 1950s as some kind of golden standard of once when America was great.. What about the 60s or 70s? Opps no, massive civil unrest, increase of drug usage.. Allt he famous serial killers seem to have come across in that era.. 80s? No not that one either.. 90s.. Well can't use that one because the radical majority that make this absurd claim now are the ones that depise any and all the social changes that were occuring in the 90s much more thoroughly. 30s? Boy that was a great time! Depression, mass crime.. Same old sexism and racism.. So seriously I am waiting, where exactly is this golden period that we have some how fallen so far from?

I dunno... I think you can point to the end of WWII up to the 1960's as America's "golden age." I can agree that everything wasn't perfect, but it certainly represents a time of prosperity. Economic domination, a higher sense of community, the rise of suburban lifestyle, the grand era of the automobile industry, a rise in the standard of living, and a number one ranking in 25-34 year olds obtaining college degrees, the economic competition index, etc. Compare that to now, where the only number one ranking we have is in obesity.

I think it's fair to argue the U.S. has been in decline since the start of the Vietnam War, and it's all because of this rise of selfish culture. Which the gentleman in this article certainly did not have.

[QUOTE="sSubZerOo"]

[QUOTE="ravenhost91"] Bohoo typical lib answerManiacc1

Yes a typical lib answer is when your being objective :roll:. Every decade has its problems.. The people who claim America was once great and is not any more.. When exactly are they thinking of? Because if you look into it, it usually is always through rose colored glasses.. Many people foolishly enough uses the 1950s as some kind of golden standard of once when America was great.. What about the 60s or 70s? Opps no, massive civil unrest, increase of drug usage.. Allt he famous serial killers seem to have come across in that era.. 80s? No not that one either.. 90s.. Well can't use that one because the radical majority that make this absurd claim now are the ones that depise any and all the social changes that were occuring in the 90s much more thoroughly. 30s? Boy that was a great time! Depression, mass crime.. Same old sexism and racism.. So seriously I am waiting, where exactly is this golden period that we have some how fallen so far from?

I dunno... I think you can point to the end of WWII up to the 1960's as America's "golden age." I can agree that everything wasn't perfect, but it certainly represents a time of prosperity. Economic domination, a higher sense of community, the rise of suburban lifestyle, the grand era of the automobile industry, a rise in the standard of living, and a number one ranking in 25-34 year olds obtaining college degrees, the economic competition index, etc. Compare that to now, where the only number one ranking we have is in obesity.

I think it's fair to argue the U.S. has been in decline since the start of the Vietnam War, and it's all because of this rise of selfish culture. Which the gentleman in this article certainly did not have.

[QUOTE="Maniacc1"]

[QUOTE="sSubZerOo"]

Yes a typical lib answer is when your being objective :roll:. Every decade has its problems.. The people who claim America was once great and is not any more.. When exactly are they thinking of? Because if you look into it, it usually is always through rose colored glasses.. Many people foolishly enough uses the 1950s as some kind of golden standard of once when America was great.. What about the 60s or 70s? Opps no, massive civil unrest, increase of drug usage.. Allt he famous serial killers seem to have come across in that era.. 80s? No not that one either.. 90s.. Well can't use that one because the radical majority that make this absurd claim now are the ones that depise any and all the social changes that were occuring in the 90s much more thoroughly. 30s? Boy that was a great time! Depression, mass crime.. Same old sexism and racism.. So seriously I am waiting, where exactly is this golden period that we have some how fallen so far from?

mems_1224

I dunno... I think you can point to the end of WWII up to the 1960's as America's "golden age." I can agree that everything wasn't perfect, but it certainly represents a time of prosperity. Economic domination, a higher sense of community, the rise of suburban lifestyle, the grand era of the automobile industry, a rise in the standard of living, and a number one ranking in 25-34 year olds obtaining college degrees, the economic competition index, etc. Compare that to now, where the only number one ranking we have is in obesity.

I think it's fair to argue the U.S. has been in decline since the start of the Vietnam War, and it's all because of this rise of selfish culture. Which the gentleman in this article certainly did not have.

I can't take seriously any one who makes these claims.. If we look back in history we will see numerous problems and benefits in every decade.. There is no clear best decade...... People like to cite decades like the 1950s.. Completely ignoring the Cold War, Korean War, racism, sexism, the Red Scare etc etc..

sSubZerOo

[QUOTE="sSubZerOo"]

I can't take seriously any one who makes these claims.. If we look back in history we will see numerous problems and benefits in every decade.. There is no clear best decade...... People like to cite decades like the 1950s.. Completely ignoring the Cold War, Korean War, racism, sexism, the Red Scare etc etc..

DivergeUnify

They can have a opinion.. I never stated otherwise, but all opinions are not some how above criticism..

[QUOTE="sSubZerOo"]

[QUOTE="ravenhost91"] Bohoo typical lib answerManiacc1

Yes a typical lib answer is when your being objective :roll:. Every decade has its problems.. The people who claim America was once great and is not any more.. When exactly are they thinking of? Because if you look into it, it usually is always through rose colored glasses.. Many people foolishly enough uses the 1950s as some kind of golden standard of once when America was great.. What about the 60s or 70s? Opps no, massive civil unrest, increase of drug usage.. Allt he famous serial killers seem to have come across in that era.. 80s? No not that one either.. 90s.. Well can't use that one because the radical majority that make this absurd claim now are the ones that depise any and all the social changes that were occuring in the 90s much more thoroughly. 30s? Boy that was a great time! Depression, mass crime.. Same old sexism and racism.. So seriously I am waiting, where exactly is this golden period that we have some how fallen so far from?

I dunno... I think you can point to the end of WWII up to the 1960's as America's "golden age." I can agree that everything wasn't perfect, but it certainly represents a time of prosperity. Economic domination, a higher sense of community, the rise of suburban lifestyle, the grand era of the automobile industry, a rise in the standard of living, and a number one ranking in 25-34 year olds obtaining college degrees, the economic competition index, etc. Compare that to now, where the only number one ranking we have is in obesity.

I think it's fair to argue the U.S. has been in decline since the start of the Vietnam War, and it's all because of this rise of selfish culture. Which the gentleman in this article certainly did not have.

The Cold War with the constant fear of nuclear war? The Red Scare? Jim Crowe Laws? Women still not getting equal rights in things like the work place? That decade spand also covered some of the worse parts of American history in foreign policy in regions of the world like Iran.. Even economically our standard of living wasn't the best than.. The only thing I can say positively about it economically (outside of the current woes of the economy) is the wealth difference was small smaller between the wealthy and middle class.. But yeah I say again I really can't say ANY decade is the best overall..