Americans don't suck.

[Akkula]

Hey, if Americans will invest and lose their life savings in Hawk Tua girl crypto, who says a cheap product hawking failed reality TV star can't be president?  We are Americans and THIS is Ameica by God! 

What is the over/under on when Trump will be offering his crypto scam to his idiot followers too?

[Madmartigan]

On 12/9/2024 at 10:43 AM, BYUcougfan said:

I don't think @StealthLobo was making a political statement in his post.  Just his observation.  The U.S. is a giant country in every sense.  Gross generalizations comparing the U.S. to much smaller countries are just opinions.  I have not been to New Zealand, but I am sure Kiwis are a great bunch.  I am fairly well traveled and I think Americans are just fine, in general.  I just laugh at the folks on this thread thinking they are better than folks that voted for the other team.  Get over yourselves.  Thinking like that is part of the problem.

POTY. Well done. 

[CPslograd]

On 12/10/2024 at 3:47 AM, HR_poke said:

This was my exact point. Not to mention the feeling of home/familiar generaly outweighs the warts of your own country over time.

I lived in Ensenada for six months.  Loved it.  
 

My brother lived in Japan on and off for over ten years.     II can’t tell you how many Japan > USA arguments we had over the years.  He was definitely ready to move back to The States when he finally came home for good.

In the long run I actually think living abroad makes you appreciate the USA more, but it’s a journey and process.

I am grateful every day to be born in this country at this point in history.  We are the luckiest people in the history of the world.

One of my brothers best friends is a Kiwi who was living in Kobe and has since moved back to NZ.  I got to know him when I visited.  Awesome guy.  It cracks me up when I read his Facebook posts railing away at how unfriendly towards businesses the NZ government is.

[Billings]

On 12/9/2024 at 1:53 PM, halfmanhalfbronco said:

So Americans have it harder off than many countries but still donate exponentially more?

BTW, charitable giving as a percentage of income in the US is higher the lower down the income brackets you go.  Those struggling the most tend to be the most generous.

Sounds like an awesome quality of people here.

Oh I agree on Americans but, for example, the Scandinavian countries simply don't have the extreme poverty we have and people don't worry doubt medical bankruptcies.  Those are two big drivers of donating

[SharkTanked]

Americans are not terrible people and they don't suck. But they sure choose terrible leaders who DO suck, and they do not prioritize civic engagement to keep said leaders in line. And while it is tempting to blame our work/life which requires over 40 hrs of work per week for most people, I do believe that even if Americans had all the time in the world, they wouldn't give a shit about participating in democracy except in November ever 4 years to cheer on their team.

So while Americans are generally good and generous people, they don't do enough to participate in their own democracy.

[halfmanhalfbronco]

On 12/15/2024 at 5:57 PM, SharkTanked said:

Americans are not terrible people and they don't suck. But they sure choose terrible leaders who DO suck, and they do not prioritize civic engagement to keep said leaders in line. And while it is tempting to blame our work/life which requires over 40 hrs of work per week for most people, I do believe that even if Americans had all the time in the world, they wouldn't give a shit about participating in democracy except in November ever 4 years to cheer on their team.

So while Americans are generally good and generous people, they don't do enough to participate in their own democracy.

I would agree.  However I DO think the reason is most America's are more concerned with work and making rent/mortgage while still being able to buy food.  Add in childcare costs for many and we are generally an exhausted people.

Also, electing shitty leaders kinda seems to be a global trend at the moment.  I think social media has really made it more teams and shit, everywhere.

[SharkTanked]

On 12/15/2024 at 5:38 PM, halfmanhalfbronco said:

I would agree.  However I DO think the reason is most America's are more concerned with work and making rent/mortgage while still being able to buy food.  Add in childcare costs for many and we are generally an exhausted people.

Also, electing shitty leaders kinda seems to be a global trend at the moment.  I think social media has really made it more teams and shit, everywhere.

It's a factor, but from my life long experience in government, along with my readings of historical accounts of prior generations, Americans today simply do not prioritize civic engagement. It's not due to a lack of time or energy. 

What percentage of the population couldn't even name their mayor or governor? I'd bet it's close to 50%.

[halfmanhalfbronco]

On 12/15/2024 at 8:48 PM, SharkTanked said:

It's a factor, but from my life long experience in government, along with my readings of historical accounts of prior generations, Americans today simply do not prioritize civic engagement. It's not due to a lack of time or energy. 

What percentage of the population couldn't even name their mayor or governor? I'd bet it's close to 50%.

I think that is more a product of media coverage.  Local media focuses on Washington.  

There is just not much media coverage of local affairs.

[SharkTanked]

On 12/15/2024 at 7:54 PM, halfmanhalfbronco said:

I think that is more a product of media coverage.  Local media focuses on Washington.  

There is just not much media coverage of local affairs.

Probably a chicken and egg thing, but is it the media giving people what they want or the media driving it.

But it is symptomatic of the larger disassociation from government participation. 

Maybe the new GOP focus on pushing things more local will help.

[halfmanhalfbronco]

On 12/15/2024 at 9:05 PM, SharkTanked said:

Probably a chicken and egg thing, but is it the media giving people what they want or the media driving it.

But it is symptomatic of the larger disassociation from government participation. 

Maybe the new GOP focus on pushing things more local will help.

Yes.  Right now if you want to be informed on local issues and government you have to do research.  It's not fed to you.

And it's not easy to find.  

People just don't have the energy to invest in it.

I would love to get @smltwnrckr in on this conversation 

[HR_poke]

On 12/15/2024 at 10:48 PM, SharkTanked said:

It's a factor, but from my life long experience in government, along with my readings of historical accounts of prior generations, Americans today simply do not prioritize civic engagement. It's not due to a lack of time or energy. 

What percentage of the population couldn't even name their mayor or governor? I'd bet it's close to 50%.

I don't know man, I used to be really engaged in politics and it made me anxious and unhappy, and at the end of the day I could impact very little change beyond my vote.  I disengaged after doing a self analysis and realized that regardless of party or proposed changes, very little impacted my day to day life and frankly I had other things going on in my life that were more important.  Yes we should all be more engaged, but in todays environment I don't believe it to be healthy mentally to be so.  

[SalinasSpartan]

On 12/16/2024 at 6:46 AM, HR_poke said:

I don't know man, I used to be really engaged in politics and it made me anxious and unhappy, and at the end of the day I could impact very little change beyond my vote.  I disengaged after doing a self analysis and realized that regardless of party or proposed changes, very little impacted my day to day life and frankly I had other things going on in my life that were more important.  Yes we should all be more engaged, but in todays environment I don't believe it to be healthy mentally to be so.  

I think there is a medium where you engage enough to be informed while also accepting there is very little we can do individually to change things.
 

I mean even after making this realization of yours, you thinking about politics enough to post this message on a message board after consciously trying to engage less is more engaged than the majority of adults in the U.S. 

[smltwnrckr]

On 12/15/2024 at 8:48 PM, halfmanhalfbronco said:

Yes.  Right now if you want to be informed on local issues and government you have to do research.  It's not fed to you.

And it's not easy to find.  

People just don't have the energy to invest in it.

I would love to get @smltwnrckr in on this conversation 

I'll have to go over the thread here for a bit before making any sort of real comment on anything said. But initial, uninformed thoughts:

As for the OP and thread title, I think most people suck in general. Myself included. But I do think the election results, though ultimately closer and more complex than they appeared on election day, reveal that Americans largely have by very, very dark motivations. And that's not really a deviation from history. 

But I've always been a child of Mencken and Thompson. So I've never had a particularly optimistic view of Americans as a single unit. I generally have faith in the person. I rarely have faith in the people. Are Americans uniquely less worthy of my faith? Probably, but it likely has more to do with structural things than anything else. But I dunno...

 

[Spaztecs]

On 12/9/2024 at 1:27 PM, AztecAlien said:

No, not really. I think he, like myself, is tired of elitist Americans that think they're better than everyone else and crap all over others. There's a lot of anti-American sentiment being thrown around here lately and in the other thread. And some approve of it. And you know what direction it's coming from. If it's so bad, and you don't like it here, maybe you should head southeast like the New Zealand guy and check to see if he has some extra rooms for you. 

The problem is, Americans are not in charge and they should be. Our lawmakers that are supposed to represent the Americans that voted for them, are not in charge either. It doesn't matter what letter is next to a name. The corporate bureaucrats, oligarchs and the media are actually running the country and are crapping on everyone and some of our allies. They love and crave division. That keeps them in power.  

The aniti-American sentiment that is being thrown out by Americans who have had the ability to succeed in the U.S. more than most parts of the world is because of the hardworking Americans that they now crap on. 

America has its problems, but I disagree with the other thread. Especially admitting that you're doing more for the people in another country that you just moved to when you could stand up for Americans that helped you get where you are. See ya!! 

I'll add, that I do a much better job expressing myself in person rather than typing on a phone that spells worse than I do. 

 

[Spaztecs]

On 12/9/2024 at 1:41 PM, AztecAlien said:

I haven't had a social media account in 10 years. But you do you as always. 

What do you call this place and your account ?

[Spaztecs]

On 12/9/2024 at 2:53 PM, halfmanhalfbronco said:

So Americans have it harder off than many countries but still donate exponentially more?

BTW, charitable giving as a percentage of income in the US is higher the lower down the income brackets you go.  Those struggling the most tend to be the most generous.

Sounds like an awesome quality of people here.

The system is designed to enrich the haves and push the have nots off the edge. Our charitable giving usually ends up in the hands of the haves.

Whether it's through the high prices CEO' s running or financing these charities, or the charities having to buy the subsistence charitable products like clothing and food from the rich established Corps, the charitable giving ultimately ends up in the hands of the haves.

[Spaztecs]

On 12/9/2024 at 4:06 PM, bornontheblue said:

Well you shit on this country so much I thought that you might want to completely disassociate with us. 

My daughter Just got back from a year living in New Zealand.  She had a great time and her employer offered to sponsor her so she could stay longer but she wanted to come back to the USA to be able to snowboard and then she is going to live in Australia for a while. 

 

Don't know why she had to come back to America to snowboard. There's plenty of it in NZ.

[bornontheblue]

On 12/17/2024 at 9:50 AM, Spaztecs said:

Don't know why she had to come back to America to snowboard. There's plenty of it in NZ.

You understand that it is Summer in New Zealand now right? 

 

[renoskier]

No, Americans don't "suck", nor are we anything special or exceptional.

I do feel that many Americans collectively believe we are somehow better than citizens of other counties; we're not. My personal observation has been that many folks who believe we're superior are often the least traveled. Experiencing other cultures, especially if you can do so for an extended period, can give you a greater appreciation for the social evolution of mankind; Americans are relatively new to the "game".

and remember, most of us are Americans by accident of birth...we chose our parents well

 

[Spaztecs]

On 12/9/2024 at 5:11 PM, SalinasSpartan said:

You are giving social media companies a pass with this take.

Corp America's gonna do what Corp America does best, suck money out of our pockets. It's up to us to disavow it, use it responsibly, or otherwise.