What does American mean to you?

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In summary: I'm ashamed and troubled by the way our political system bestows extreme destructive power into the hands of reckless bullies.When something goes wrong people don't riot and have coups.
  • #1
Loren Booda
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What does "American" mean to you?

Recent events have made me more humble about being an American. I acknowledge, though, that when the vast majority of the world criticizes Americans, they are actually referring to American leaders and U.S. policy, not individual Americans or their democracy.

I am ashamed and troubled, however, when our political system bestows extreme destructive power into the hands of reckless bullies. I am more proud, however, that I am given the right to dissent, live free and wage peace with humankind (and the universe in general) in what has proved to be the country I love.
 
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  • #2
How about baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet? :biggrin:
 
  • #3
Loren Booda said:
I acknowledge, though, that when the vast majority of the world criticizes Americans, they are actually referring to American leaders and U.S. policy, not individual Americans or their democracy.

Of course they're not referring to individual Americans, since that would be pretty stupid.
 
  • #4
" . . . of the people, by the people, for the people . . . "
 
  • #5
A big ogre that recently poked in the eye is on a blind rampage against the agressor, when more circumspect dealings with the little guys might have been sound preventative medicine.

A country who once was the planet's shining hope, now tarnished, with ever diminishing credibility

A great place to live

Home of the free and land of the ignorant

Once the bastion of scientific excellence, non pareil, has Hollywood and the music biz as its chief icons

A bully incapable of moderation w/o the existence of a rival superpower

A degenerate economic system that pumps wealth into the hands of a few while reducing the wealth of the majority

A country that overwhelmingly prefers creationism and conspiracy theories to anything sound

One of the more violent places on the civilized planet that has made this into a new economic frontier via an ever growing system of incarceration/slave labor.


My home, and a place that can be still be improved thru the process of democracy, and progressive politics.
 
  • #6
Loren Booda said:
" . . . of the people, by the people, for the people . . . "
Lincoln got that from Theodore Parker - a Liberal clergyman and colleague of Thoreau and Emerson.
 
  • #7
denverdoc said:
A degenerate economic system that pumps wealth into the hands of a few while reducing the wealth of the majority.
Do you hold that this particular meaning is based in fact?
 
  • #8
Good: When something goes wrong people don't riot and have coups.

Bad: We are myopic.
 
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  • #9
I tried to answer this about five different ways, but in the end, I don't know what "American" means anymore.

I know how I see it: The Constitution is "America", but this doesn't seem very important to 40-60% of "Americans". It appears that partisan politics now supersedes Constitutional concerns. I also see this as a greater threat to our way of life than any terrorist could be.

I also think Americans are being sold out by corporations and their direct or indirect influence in trade agreements. When industry in Mexico or China has the same OSHA and EPA requirements, not to mention being subject to a respectable minimum wage, as we are here in the US, which they should be, then we can talk about unregulated free trade. At the moment we are being played as fools for the sake of stock dividends.

While on a job in Peru, which is an up-and-coming country for industry, I oversaw the installation of a new system for the food industry. Their [Peru electricians] idea of wiring was to string 460VAC [up to a couple hundred amps] on wires of whatever size was handy, like clothes lines. I mean this stuff was hanging from the rafters like spaghetti, all around the installation! If an electrical inspector in this country saw an installation like that, the place would be shut down on the spot. But this is what US industry has to compete with in Peru. I have heard that in some places in Mexico, the workers just go outside and squat in the dirt when then need to relieve themselves - they don't even have restrooms. Here we provide special facilites for the handicapped.

And even at Toyota in Japan, a friend told me of open batteries filled with sulfuric acid that were lying all around a work area with high current cables strung all about. How are we supposed to compete with this? Industry world-wide must be subject to the same standards as we for free trade to mean anything other than unfair competition. As it stands now, free trade perpetutates abuse of the working class and the evironment in other countries, and it promotes the widening separation of the classes and consolidation of wealth in this country.
 
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  • #10
Inept government, playground diplomacy and bully boy tactics, corruption, lies, scandal, breach of personal freedoms and rights. Advocation of torture by signing law provided it's not on American soil; there are some good things but considering the last 6 years it's sometimes hard to remember what they were? It reminds me of the grip of facism really, they started edging so far right and using the idea of terror as a sort of scapegoat to restrict personal liberties and people bought into it, I just hope it's once bitten twice shy.

Oh alright movies, Coca Cola,Dr peppers, Pepsi, Peanut Butter, the 4th of July, and an obsession with automobiles that defies logic.:smile:
 
  • #11
Gokul43201 said:
Do you hold that this particular meaning is based in fact?

Which part? I believe there are a wealth of sound data from a variety of sources suggesting that the stratification of wealth has increased steadily over the past 50 years and at a faster rate, more recently. Whether that's degenerate or the way it was meant to be, I suppose depends on one's perspective.

What some studies (and being knew to this forum, I haven't bookmarked a backlog to draw upon) suggest is a strong negative correlation with the level of polarization and public physical/mental health. Notice I said, correlation; causality is trickier to prove because of so many coincident factors.
 
  • #12
http://www.economist.com/surveys/displaystory.cfm?story_id=E1_QTQRRRV

Anyway, what Americans seem to mind about most is equality of opportunity—and people do not feel there is any less of it now than there used to be. Some 80% (a higher proportion than in the 1980s) think it is possible to start out poor, work hard and become rich. A poll for the New York Times found that twice as many Americans reckon that their chances of moving up a notch have improved over the past 30 years than think their chances have gone down. Most Americans say their standard of living is higher than that of their parents, and that their children will do better than they are doing.

So, on the face of it, rising inequality is not affecting the optimism and ambition of average Americans, and these are what matter to the country's entrepreneurial spirit and social cohesion. But there are three big problems with this rosy view. The first is that America has never been as socially mobile as Americans like to believe. According to a long-term research project carried out at the University of Michigan, led by Gary Solon, America's score on social mobility is not particularly high or low, but middling.

That does not sound too bad. But it means that, if you are among the poorest 5% of the population, your chances of achieving an average income are only one in six. If you are among the poorest 1%, they become very dim indeed. Moreover—and this was the most surprising thing about the study—despite America's more flexible labour markets, social mobility there is no longer greater than in supposedly class-ridden Europe, and if anything it seems to be declining.

A study by Katharine Bradbury and Jane Katz for the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston found that in the 1970s, 65% of people changed their social position (that is, moved out of the income bracket in which they had started the decade). In the 1990s, only 60% did. Not a huge change, but consistent with Mr Solon's study showing that the correlation between parents' and children's income is even closer now than it was in the 1980s. The authors also found decreasing amounts of social mobility at the top and the bottom. This is squeezing the middle class. Americans may be sorting themselves into two more stable groups, haves and have-nots. This is the same trend that geographical mobility has been encouraging. Decreasing mobility may one day come to erode Americans' faith in the fairness of their economy.

That do you? :smile:

http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=E1_GVVJJR

http://www.economist.com/surveys/displaystory.cfm?story_id=E1_SJGTJTG

The second factor that links talent and inequality is that members of the talent elite are good at hogging “human capital”. They marry people like themselves. In the heyday of “company man”, bankers married their secretaries; now they marry other bankers. They work in jobs that add to their intellectual capital. They live in “talent enclaves”, away from ordinary middle-class suburbs, let alone inner-city ghettos. Above all, they pass on their advantages to their children. Students from the top income quartile increased their share of places in elite American universities from 39% in 1976 to 50% in 1995.

None of this is peculiar to America or other rich countries; the same thing is happening in the developing world in even starker form. Members of the talent elite there live in gated communities, some of them with American names such as Palm Springs, Napa Valley or Park Avenue, that boast international schools, world-class hospitals, luxury housing and splendid gyms. And they try hard to give their children every possible advantage. One recent bestseller in China, “Harvard Girl”, tells the story of two parents who trained their daughter for Harvard from birth, barraging her with verbal stimuli, subjecting her to a strenuous regime of home study and making her swim long distances. One of the most successful schools at getting students into American Ivy League universities is Raffles Junior College in Singapore.

The talent war is producing a global meritocracy—a group of people nicknamed “Davos men” or “cosmocrats” who are reaping handsome rewards from globalisation. These people inhabit a socio-cultural bubble full of other super-achievers like themselves. They attend world-class universities and business schools, work for global organisations and speak the global language of business.

Countries that still insist on clinging to egalitarianism are paying a heavy price. Sweden, for instance, finds it hard to attract foreign talent. And across Europe, egalitarian universities are losing out to their more elitist American rivals.

Isn't elite meritocracy fun, well unless your poor of course.
 
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  • #13
Q: What does America mean to me?

A: Not what it once did.
 
  • #14
America is the land of opportunity. People come here from the lowest levels of society in other countries. It is not the comfortable that come here. Those stay home and watch as their wretched and hopeless compatriots give up on a system that has failed them and come to America for a second roll of the dice. And look what happens. If you are an American, compare your life to that of your last ancestor that didn't come here. Compare it to that of those who stayed behind. No wonder they hate us. We escaped the fate they thought they had condemned us to and surpassed them in the process. If you are not an American, are you planning to become one? Are you comfortable where you are?

My ancestors were Jews from Belarus. I need not remind you of what happened to their neighbors as Germany came and solved the Jewish problem for the Belarusians followed by Russia who solved the Belarusian problem for the Germans. There is no comparison to my life here and what it would have been there, because it wouldn't have been there. What's your story?
 
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  • #15
Anyway, what Americans seem to mind about most is equality of opportunity—and people do not feel there is any less of it now than there used to be. Some 80% (a higher proportion than in the 1980s) think it is possible to start out poor, work hard and become rich.
Equality of opportunity is a myth - it has never existed.

Starting out poor and becoming rich is the exception, with much the same probability of becoming a star athlete in the NBA or NFL or NHL.
 
  • #16
jimmysnyder said:
America is the land of opportunity. People come here from the lowest levels of society in other countries. It is not the comfortable that come here. Those stay home and watch as their wretched and hopeless compatriots give up on a system that has failed them and come to America for a second roll of the dice. And look what happens. If you are an American, compare your life to that of your last ancestor that didn't come here. Compare it to that of those who stayed behind. No wonder they hate us. We escaped the fate they thought they had condemned us to and surpassed them in the process. If you are not an American, are you planning to become one? Are you comfortable where you are?

My ancestors were Jews from Belarus. I need not remind you of what happened to their neighbors as Germany came and solved the Jewish problem for the Belarusians followed by Russia who solved the Belarusian problem for the Germans. There is no comparison to my life here and what it would have been there, because it wouldn't have been there.
We know we have the same thing in most of Europe, it's not a big deal OK, that's why the western world is seen as so successful, whoop de friggin do, it may of been something to boast about 200 years ago but now it's just mediocre at best. Change the record already.
 
  • #17
jimmysnyder said:
People come here from the lowest levels of society in other countries. It is not the comfortable that come here.
Funny - I know plenty of professionals from Europe and Asia, coming from moderately wealthy families, who came to the US for opportunities, but who engage in the international commerce, and spend time going back and forth between the US and Europe or Asia.

On the other hand, I can find hundreds, thousands - even millions of immigrants from Mexico, Central and South American who work below minimum wage, have no health insurance, pay no taxes, and will never be rich, and are essentially segregated from mainstream America.
 
  • #18
jimmysnyder said:
No wonder they hate us. We escaped the fate they thought they had condemned us to and surpassed them in the process. If you are not an American, are you planning to become one? Are you comfortable where you are?


Jimmy, who hates us? Its my experience americans (except in maybe France) are generally pretty well thought of around the world. They don't always like our foreign policy, but my guess, is that most people are able to separate the two. Here in the US, it seems different, ie we have more difficulty separating policy from the people, so growing up it seemed hatred of the soviets, Red Chinese, was encouraged to some extent. And still is, only the names have changed, but evil this, evil that. Maybe I'm imagining it. But still curious as to who you think hates us and why?
 
  • #19
I would ask is your problem with being an American or being a Stereotypical American?

In my travels I have noticed that an American is not like Americans. There is a distinct difference between the views and actions of any individual American I have personally met and Americans I observe in Bath and American organisations.
Americans singular vary and have many views some I agree with some I don't.
Americans Plural give out this perception of being right because God said they were right.
I have dozens of examples from when I traveled into the US the month after 911, it was not a pleasant time to be foreign in the US, and I have never bothered going back.

I observed exactly the same attitude in Israel, Individually very nice people, In authority or on mass beligerent pains in the ass.

Australia in some ways is the opposite. On mass they are a carefree fun loving bunch of guys, Individually they whine a lot and are really bad loosers, but not as bad as when they are winners.

Most of Europe seems to split in social and ethnic groups that you can pick out once you have been in the country for a few months.
The Welsh, Scots and Irish seem to change dependent on which country they are in, but are generally

What concerns me is that occasionally when I see groups of English, especially from certain regions, they exude a stereotype of my Country that is no longer the amiable explorer but the obnoxious brat who runs down everything foreign without ever trying it.

The question is what sets this national personality if it is not present in individual personalities.
 
  • #20
denverdoc said:
But still curious as to who you think hates us and why?
As to why, my previous post gave the reason. As to who, I must admit, I don't know their names. However, paraphrasing Heller: If they don't hate us, then why are they trying to kill us?
 
  • #21
Panda said:
I would ask is your problem with being an American or being a Stereotypical American?
...

The question is what sets this national personality if it is not present in individual personalities.

You know Panda that's a damn good question. I haven't spent much time outside the US, but they may change here soon...

Americans have much to be proud of, but at times it takes on a collective arrogance that's offputting to say the least. We are the best..., God's on our side, bumperstickers and songs promoting God Bless America. Why not God Bless the World? Much of this by people who have never been outside this country in spite of greater than average means, and whose knowledge of the greater world and its history, generally abysmal.

As the recently circulating joke went, if you want to teach americans where some other country is, bomb the hell out of it. Whats most appalling to me, is the return to the "my country right or wrong"..."America, love it or leave it" mentality. You cannot critique anything these days. Even if its constructive, or meant to be. Wear the wrong tee-shirt, get arrested.

Instead we see the rising tides of xenophobia in an ugly manipulation of the age old fears. Building fences now along our borders? Its a bad idea in the ME, no better here.

But most problematic in the end is the lack of access to quality reporting that covers a true spectrum of views, and not the usual sliver. It is an insulating force, and whenever the range widens, we hear about the liberal press.

So from your perspective, what is most objectionable about the stereotypical american?
 
  • #22
Astronuc said:
I can find hundreds, thousands - even millions of immigrants from Mexico, Central and South American who work below minimum wage, have no health insurance, pay no taxes, and will never be rich, and are essentially segregated from mainstream America.
And who steadfastly refuse to go back despite the simplicity of doing so.

Edit: I hope this doesn't leave the wrong impression. I welcome immigrants and propose a more liberal legal immigration policy. I understand the reasons that they don't want to go back and admire them for not doing so.
 
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  • #23
jimmysnyder said:
As to who, I must admit, I don't know their names.
This is part of the stereotype: The "famous" american paranoia!
I think many people are seeing the american stereotype as someone screaming out how brave they are, although most of their actions are based on fear.
(Myself I hate stereotypes.)
 
  • #24
jimmysnyder said:
As to why, my previous post gave the reason. As to who, I must admit, I don't know their names. However, paraphrasing Heller: If they don't hate us, then why are they trying to kill us?

Jimmy, I think you're wrong on the first account. Maybe envious? But that doesn't always translate to hatred, usually you need another term in the eqn. Often its lack of self esteem. If you're talking about Islamic terrorists, that is a really complicated question, some of its likely zealotry, some of it is distaste for the way in which western culture has taken roots and destroyed a certain way of life, a lot of it probably stems from a very lopsided foreign policy that disproportionately favors Israel. Theres a lot more to it than this simple analysis, undoubtedly. But I don't think its because we "are free" or even relatively rich. Again that's more about envy. As to who is trying to kill us, I guess you're talking about the above. I don't see a lot of Mexicans or Chinese or VietNamese on the rampage, which should be the case if your hypothesis is true.
 
  • #25
jimmysnyder said:
And who steadfastly refuse to go back despite the simplicity of doing so.

Because they can make 20 or 50 times as much, and send most of the money back home to support their relatives living in squalid conditions is one wild guess. Hey whatever happened to the "give us your homeless and downtrodden?
 
  • #26
When I hear America I'm reminded of...

Sex, Money, Hollywood and Iraq!
 
  • #27
denverdoc said:
Because they can make 20 or 50 times as much, and send most of the money back home to support their relatives living in squalid conditions is one wild guess. Hey whatever happened to the "give us your homeless and downtrodden?
I since edited that post.
 
  • #28
Mr.4 said:
When I hear America I'm reminded of...

Sex, Money, Hollywood and Iraq!

Hey 3 out of 4 ain't bad.
 
  • #29
jimmysnyder said:
America is the land of opportunity. People come here from the lowest levels of society in other countries. It is not the comfortable that come here. Those stay home and watch as their wretched and hopeless compatriots give up on a system that has failed them and come to America for a second roll of the dice. And look what happens. If you are an American, compare your life to that of your last ancestor that didn't come here. Compare it to that of those who stayed behind. No wonder they hate us. We escaped the fate they thought they had condemned us to and surpassed them in the process. If you are not an American, are you planning to become one? Are you comfortable where you are?

My ancestors were Jews from Belarus. I need not remind you of what happened to their neighbors as Germany came and solved the Jewish problem for the Belarusians followed by Russia who solved the Belarusian problem for the Germans. There is no comparison to my life here and what it would have been there, because it wouldn't have been there. What's your story?

Historically, immigration to the US increases as living standards improve. Immigration to avoid persecution and genocide make up a very small percentage of immigrants.

And by improve, I mean a larger percentage of the population survive to adulthood, which provides the resources to support industrial development, which never quite keeps up with population growth in older countries with nowhere to expand. You can track the surge of immigrants from England, across Europe to the Southern and Eastern countries, and on into other parts of the world such as China and India as improved living standards spread across those countries. The US had seemingly unlimited room to expand and only needed more people in order to turn industrial expansion into a reality.

While it might be a slight exaggeration to say "people come here from the lowest levels of society in other countries", it is somewhat true that high unemployment in their home country is the main reason people have come to America. If you compare them to the ones that stayed behind, you're comparing them mostly to the ones that were able to find work in their home country. Immigrants are usually better off in America than they would be if they stayed in their home country, but that doesn't mean they're significantly better off than the people who stayed behind.

After the surge of immigration has passed on to some other country, I don't think there's any hate or envy left among the folks that stayed in their own country, although people that have succeeded in their own country might be left with a condescending attitude about some myth of America being the land of opportunity (a myth from their point of view, since the issue has become largely irrelevant to them, even if not a myth to the unemployed in the next country down the line affected by the industrial revolution).

A tough table to follow, but you can see the general pattern of immigration to the US: http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0029/tab04.html
 
  • #30
denverdoc said:
So from your perspective, what is most objectionable about the stereotypical american?

The assumption that the whole world should marvel at American goods and services because they are better than any local product.

When traveling I have often been put up in Hilton and Raddison hotels. They are generally full of Americans on Holiday who will not eat food from outside the hotel. I could understand if it was the middle of the Congo, but it happens in Italy a place that has wonderful food far better than anything I ate in the US.

Whilst working in Canada we walked into a Mall to grab some lunch and there was an American school party who were complaining that these Canadian Dollars were too hard to understand. They were actualy the paying local price in US Dollars because they couldn't grasp conversion. Every where I traveled in Israel everything was priced in US dollars and hotels served US food even down to Bacon for breakfast.

A lot of the troubles today go back a long long way and they started with US companies flooding local markets with US products and turning Leaders to American Ideals. If the countries leader objected they just organised a coup and put in a pro-American leader.

When I saw the news about the protests in Mexico over Tortilla prices due to the amount of corn being taken out of the local economy by US Bio-Fuel companies I saw again this screw you its to the benefit of America attitude. When the poor of that country cannot eat they will look to a regime that can bring them food, that regime may not be pro-American.

And finally the lack of knowledge or even interest in World affairs. When I first traveled to New York I was amazed at the open support of the IRA. As somebody who grew up in London during the IRA bombing campaigns they were not nice cuddly freedom fighters. Why should the US fund terrorism against the UK and then get so upset when somebody funds terrorism against the US.

Seeing my local shopping centre blown apart, could give me a right to hate not only the Irish but also their American Fund Raisers. An Eye for and Eye and all that.
 
  • #31
BobG said:
Immigrants are usually better off in America than they would be if they stayed in their home country, but that doesn't mean they're significantly better off than the people who stayed behind.
For my family, I can say without fear of contradiction that we are much better off than the average Belarusian. I think for instance that the average Irish-American is better off than the average Irish, etc. Can you think of a country where the average person is doing better than the average among the immigrants and their decendants in the US from that country?

At any rate, this analysis slightly misses the point. People emigrate for opportunity, not for guaranteed results. People with energy but no opportunity will take a chance in a new environment and hope for the best. Not all who emigrate end up here, but here is really the "Land of Opportunity." That more than any other aspect is what strikes me as "American."

I'm surprised that the topic of freedom hasn't come up. We Americans abound in the stuff. (The Statue of Liberty: A gift from those who have too little to those who have too much.) Many people will tell you that it is the reason for the opportunity, but I doubt it. My experiences in Taiwan and the PRC bring me to believe that they have more freedom in their day to day lives than we Americans. Their laws may be more restrictive and the chances of being done in by arbitrary power are greater. But in the daily conduct of life, we Americans don't venture from our self-imposed restrictions in the way that they do. For them it seems that laws are for bad people only. Being good myself, why should I be bothered by them? The way people park their cars in Taipei constitutes the eighth wonder of the world.
 
  • #32
denverdoc said:
Which part?
This one - the underlined part:
denverdoc said:
A degenerate economic system that pumps wealth into the hands of a few while reducing the wealth of the majority.

Are you saying that there exists a majority section of the population whose inflation adjusted incomes have been "reducing"?

I believe there are a wealth of sound data from a variety of sources suggesting that the stratification of wealth has increased steadily over the past 50 years and at a faster rate, more recently.
This is entirely different from what you said above.

1. What you said above = wealth of majority is reducing
2. What you said subsequently = share of wealth of majority is reducing

These are not the same thing. While the latter is true, the former is not.
 
  • #33
Panda said:
The assumption that the whole world should marvel at American goods and services because they are better than any local product..

Aren't they? I have the same problem closer to home, the chains are taking over and everything from good coffee to unique booksellers are rapidly becoming extinct.

Panda said:
Whilst working in Canada we walked into a Mall to grab some lunch and there was an American school party who were complaining that these Canadian Dollars were too hard to understand. They were actualy the paying local price in US Dollars because they couldn't grasp conversion. Every where I traveled in Israel everything was priced in US dollars and hotels served US food even down to Bacon for breakfast.

Have a country full of innumerates if you want my opinion.

Panda said:
And finally the lack of knowledge or even interest in World affairs. When I first traveled to New York I was amazed at the open support of the IRA. As somebody who grew up in London during the IRA bombing campaigns they were not nice cuddly freedom fighters. Why should the US fund terrorism against the UK and then get so upset when somebody funds terrorism against the US.

Well the lexicon here can be confusing: Freedom fighters are the good guys, (e.g. Contras), terrorists the bad. Sometimes our foreign policy seems concerned not by the means by which a group or individual gains power, so much as what will it mean for US/multinat'l corporations. So peaceful and democratically elected governments, whether in Iran, Chile, Haiti, and Venezuela are ousted by US sponsored coups, while we tolerate the worst of the worst (packistan) if its thought to serve these interests, all the while talking up democratic ideals. Its all nonsense and propoganda of course, but when the people can't find these places on a world map, much less know anything about them, well it does play pretty well in Peoria after all.
 
  • #34
Gokul43201 said:
This one - the underlined part:


Are you saying that there exists a majority section of the population whose inflation adjusted incomes have been "reducing"?

This is entirely different from what you said above.

1. What you said above = wealth of majority is reducing
2. What you said subsequently = share of wealth of majority is reducing

These are not the same thing. While the latter is true, the former is not.

Well if you're suggesting that we're all getting richer, only some more so, or even at a rate proportonate to their original wealth is an overall acceptable goal, I might agree. (Nevermind that such a scenario is unlikely. I don't believe wealth can be created out of thin air. Somewhere there have to be at least potential losses, maybe far, far away or in the future or both.)

I do indeed believe the standard of living for many has fallen relative to 1960. Exactly at what percentile ranking, not sure.

Or perhaps it is close to the same or marginally better, but at what cost. Very few stay at home parents these days, longer hours/more jobs for many, fewer benefits, greater insecurity, increased homelessness--so I'd say at least the quality of life has dropped, if not the absolute standard of living.

In other words many people including a sizeable proportion of the folk I see, are running faster and faster to stay in place, and many are dropping dead from exhaustion. I trust this isn't your observation and I'm about to see a bunch of stats explaining how much better off than I was than my parents and grandparents.
 
  • #35
"ehh, America America" *waves hands*

In Italy if you say that, it is like saying *Yeah right in your dreams* due to the fact once upon a time many many moons ago, America was the place everyone though was the land of opportunities, and new beginnings. That perception is been eroded away day by day
 
<h2>1. What is the definition of "American"?</h2><p>The term "American" refers to a citizen or inhabitant of the United States of America. It can also be used to describe anything related to the United States, such as its culture, language, or government.</p><h2>2. What are the values that define being "American"?</h2><p>Some commonly cited values that define being American include freedom, equality, individualism, hard work, and patriotism. However, these values may vary among individuals and are not exclusive to Americans.</p><h2>3. How has the meaning of being "American" changed over time?</h2><p>The meaning of being American has evolved over time, reflecting the changing social, political, and cultural landscape of the country. For example, the definition of who is considered an American has expanded to include people of diverse backgrounds, and the values associated with being American have also shifted.</p><h2>4. Is there a single definition of being "American"?</h2><p>No, there is no single definition of being American. The term can have different meanings to different people, and it can also be influenced by factors such as race, ethnicity, gender, and socio-economic status.</p><h2>5. How does being "American" influence one's identity?</h2><p>Being American can play a significant role in shaping one's identity, as it encompasses various aspects such as nationality, culture, and values. However, being American is just one aspect of a person's identity, and it can be influenced by other factors as well.</p>

1. What is the definition of "American"?

The term "American" refers to a citizen or inhabitant of the United States of America. It can also be used to describe anything related to the United States, such as its culture, language, or government.

2. What are the values that define being "American"?

Some commonly cited values that define being American include freedom, equality, individualism, hard work, and patriotism. However, these values may vary among individuals and are not exclusive to Americans.

3. How has the meaning of being "American" changed over time?

The meaning of being American has evolved over time, reflecting the changing social, political, and cultural landscape of the country. For example, the definition of who is considered an American has expanded to include people of diverse backgrounds, and the values associated with being American have also shifted.

4. Is there a single definition of being "American"?

No, there is no single definition of being American. The term can have different meanings to different people, and it can also be influenced by factors such as race, ethnicity, gender, and socio-economic status.

5. How does being "American" influence one's identity?

Being American can play a significant role in shaping one's identity, as it encompasses various aspects such as nationality, culture, and values. However, being American is just one aspect of a person's identity, and it can be influenced by other factors as well.

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