NationStates Jolt Archive

It's time for positive threads.
So let's all name something we love about the U.S., shall we? Because there are some great things that come from the country, afterall.
I'm going to say Southern Comfort. What a nice liquor it is. :D

Corn dogs.

corn!

My future income will not be taxed up the ass as it is in Europe.

It smells like crab sometimes.

Lots of great music from blues to contemporary Christian.

I like that even though I was born into a poor family I had the right to make life into what I wanted. I had to work harder than most, but I am on my way to the American Dream :D


I also like that we have all these really cool holidays like Independance Day (fireworks!!!!!!!! and hot dogs :D) and Thanksgiving (more food than you should eat in a month, all in one afternoon and yay for tums!!!)

oh yeah, and I like our flag....it's pretty.....:p

The banjo.

I rather enjoy the fact that Fass is an ocean away.
Or if I were really forced to abandon negativism, I would say that USian movies can be pretty nice. Yes, there is a lot of crap, but that is largely due to the sheer volume that is produced and exported across the world.

I like the fact that I can carry a gun and plug the next a-hole who tries to rob me.
I like the fact that that I can say the government is a bunch of morons and get away with it.
I like the fact that everyone else hates me because I am an American.
I like the fact that we have more nukes than anybody else.
I like football (not futbol), Halloween, and South Park.

i like the amazing cultural variety that exists in this country.

even in small towns. i went to the truth or consequences city fiesta. they had indian drumming, folk singers, old time fiddle players, cowboy poets and mariachi all in the same day.

I like that almost all Americans stay there.

I like the huge ocean between us...what? Isn't it traditional to -when using this technique- have boths sides say something nice about the other?

I like the huge ocean between us...what? Isn't it traditional to -when using this technique- have boths sides say something nice about the other?


Sure, no problem. Thanks for the cool language.

You guys are starting to like Hockey too, and that's cool.

Our indians invented lacrosse.. and I ask you: who among us doesn't love lacrosse?

See? We've got the best indians. :)

It's time for positive threads.
So let's all name something we love about the U.S., shall we? Because there are some great things that come from the country, afterall.
I'm going to say Southern Comfort. What a nice liquor it is. :D

Music, literature, food, and our rich culture.

My rights, my freedoms, and ditto on the large oceans between us and Europe. Darn those airliners!
When the melting pot worked, it was wonderful to see all kinds of accents, all kinds of people working together, because regardless of where they came from, who thier parents were, whatever thier religon was, they had one thing in common - they were Americans.

I like that even though I was born into a poor family I had the right to make life into what I wanted. I had to work harder than most, but I am on my way to the American Dream :D


I like that my father came here with no money from Korea, married a non-Korean, and got rich.

Then I deliberately isolated myself from that wealth, became poor on purpose, and succeeded anyway.

I like that I live in a town where many languages are spoken besides English - I can hear Hindi, Spanish, Urdu, and Arabic every day - and even though some of them are illegal immigrants, they are doing just what I did - working hard - and being rewarded for it.

Hairbands.

My favorite thing about this country is its economic mentality and ingenuity. The rest of the world wouldn't admit it in a million years, but they're probably pretty happy with some of the things we've created over the years. Cheif among our accomplishments, in my eyes, are the advent of the automobile and the internet; two devices which changed the face of the world within 80 or so years of each other. And yes, I do know that http:// originated in Europe, so the European pedant reading this can save himself the time of trying to make me eat my words, as I do know that there was some international collaboration for the internet, but the fact of the matter is its hardware sits in the States and we did devise the majority of its operating protocol and so forth.

Perhaps in spite of all of this my absolute favorite thing about this country is that it was the first civilization to use the phrase "make money." Prior to America, most civilizations had regarded money as something one comes by via fraud, theft, deceit, or just the luck of being born into a rich family. Americans were, by my estimation, the first nation to embrace the concept of earning and generating wealth; a concept with which most of Europe seems to still be grappling.

automobile

Hm. *cough* The automobile was invented in Europe. (can't remember if it was Britain or Germany) But of course it was the Americans that created a way to cheaply mass produce it.

Burger King. :)

the automobile

That's not a US invention. (http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aacarssteama.htm?rd=1)

Perhaps in spite of all of this my absolute favorite thing about this country is that it was the first civilization to use the phrase "make money."

We've had expressions to that extent longer than your country has existed.

I like Jon Stewart. (Daily Show) and always watch it online.

That's not a US invention. (http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aacarssteama.htm?rd=1)
My ass it isn't. The internal combustion engine is about as much improvement over steam power as a team of horses is compared to a litter. I guess you can make this case if you want, but you can't ignore the fact that ours caught on and are still being mass produced today. While the idea certainly came from this design, the motor vehicle as we know it is our innovation, and not yours.

If, for example, the Japanese design some sort of uber-awesome train that has some crazy new engine in it, it can be said to be its own independent invention. The template for it has been there all along, someone just came along and made a significant improvement to it. It's like trying to claim that the guy who invented the motorcycle didn't really invent the motorcycle because engines and bikes existed prior to their manufacture.

The variety of food that is easily available. From restaurants to ethnic food stores. Just can't beat the US on these.

We've had expressions to that extent longer than your country has existed.
Then why haven't you guys been doing it?

Then why haven't you guys been doing it?

Because socialism teaches you that the accumulation of wealth by private individuals is evil and should be punished...

I like US movies
I like US music
I like Calofornia girls :D

I like the fact that I can say anything I want (unless I incite violence) and nobody can do anything about it. It's also nice to be able to go to a shooting range and squeeze off a couple of boxes of ammo. Plus you can find restaurants serving food from anywhere in the world here. We've got great cities and nice countryside. If you like big cities we've got 'em. If you like deserts, mountains, seashore, whatever we've got it.

EDIT: Oh, and we invented rock and punk music.

Then why haven't you guys been doing it?

Heh, Melkor I like you much better than Myrth.

My ass it isn't.

Then it's your ass.

The internal combustion engine is about as much improvement over steam power as a team of horses is compared to a litter.

The internal combustion engine is not a US invention, either. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_combustion_engine#History) I guess no one will mention the US school system as something to be proud of...

Another link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francois_Isaac_de_Rivaz
And yet another: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car#History

Then why haven't you guys been doing it?

Pithy, but without substance.

Melkor just wubs European inventions. That isn't bad! Americans are very good at using other peoples ideas. That is a quality in itself, one might argue. :)

"Something you like about the U.S."

Yeah ... everything! :D

Way to deride by indirection. :rolleyes:

"Something you like about the U.S."

Yeah ... everything! :D

Why to deride by indirection. :rolleyes:

I think this thread is more intended by the thread creator for America-haters such as myself to concede that you are not the Great Satan on a minor and unimportant point (the Daily Show, in my case). Not for Americans humping the American flag. ;)

I think this thread is more intended by the thread creator for America-haters such as myself to concede that you are not the Great Satan on a minor and unimportant point (the Daily Show, in my case). Not for Americans humping the American flag. ;)
You know ... what you think, or more accurately don't think, is a matter of such little consequence to me as to be totally irrelevant. Most likely your anti-Americanism is a thinly disguised attempt to divert attention from the corruption and venality of your own leaders, who probably couldn't fight their way out of a paper bag if their lives depended on it.

You know ... what you think, or more accurately don't think, is a matter of such little consequence to me as to be totally irrelevant. Most likely your anti-Americanism is a thinly disguised attempt to divert attention from the corruption and venality of your own leaders, who probably couldn't fight their way out of a paper bag if their lives depended on it.

That was an unusually feeble comeback of yours, Eutrusca. Something wrong?

That was an unusually feeble comeback of yours, Eutrusca. Something wrong?
Heh! Thanks a lot, buddy! :p

Perhaps I'm just in too much pain right now to be my usual vitupertive self. ;)

You know ... what you think, or more accurately don't think, is a matter of such little consequence to me as to be totally irrelevant. Most likely your anti-Americanism is a thinly disguised attempt to divert attention from the corruption and venality of your own leaders, who probably couldn't fight their way out of a paper bag if their lives depended on it.

What an Anti-European statement!

And nah, I'm more miffed by the threats by the United States to invade my country if the ICC ever tried to go after an American war criminal. Threatening to use military action against NATO "allies" is more annoying, if anything. And our Prime Minister is a devout Protestant Harry Potter person. He is incompetent and he sucks, but you can hardly accuse him of corruption. :)

I like the fact that I can carry a gun and plug the next a-hole who tries to rob me.
I like the fact that that I can say the government is a bunch of morons and get away with it.
I like the fact that everyone else hates me because I am an American.
I like the fact that we have more nukes than anybody else.
I like football (not futbol), Halloween, and South Park.
I agree, South Park is good.

And Eutrusca's granddaughters! Pfew, close one.

Hayseed Dixie.

A fair bit of US music is good actually (screw the 'gangsta' rap though).

You also seem to like Franz Ferdinand. That's a definite plus.

You still don't understand beer though *shakes head sadly*

Hm. *cough* The automobile was invented in Europe. (can't remember if it was Britain or Germany) But of course it was the Americans that created a way to cheaply mass produce it.

UK was the first I believe with a steam auto. Of course it was the US invention of mass production that made it available. The combustion engine was an American invention I believe.

I agree, South Park is good.

And Eutrusca's granddaughters! Pfew, close one.
:mp5: :sniper: :mp5: :sniper:

The combustion engine was an American invention I believe.

No, it wasn't. That's already been dealt with earlier in the thread.

No, it wasn't. That's already been dealt with earlier in the thread.

Ahh alright, didnt want to waste the time to read through every bit. All hail the Germans. ;)

PS does that mean we can blame the Germans for pollution?

Americans did invent the assembly line, which is the only reason for the proliferation of all mass produced goods to this day. A car that may take a week to by hand make can be put together in just a few hours via assembly line.

We also made the telegraph, the basis for early and inspiration for modern electronic communications.

King Crab, Brooks Brothers Oxford Button-downs (thought they arent made here anymore), Bills Khakis, Oxxford Clothes, Alden Shoes, Winchester Rifles, Colt Handguns.

Hmm...I'm an American, so that's a good reason to like it.

We have:
The ability to say pretty much whatever we want.
The ability to bear arms and arm bears and everything in between. lol

That's about it...I don't like my country.

apple pie, baseball, hot dogs, classic rock, football, guns, and muscle cars

We may have not invented the automobile, but we put one hell of an engine in it. :)

Although the Europeans gave us soccer (forgive me), which I'm thankful is finally starting to catch on here.

I forgot in my previous comments the most important benefits of America.

Namely, the Power of Innovation.
-You get your first wonder built instantly
-government upgrades are free
-aircraft and carriers are cheaper
-two free bombers at each airbase
-free scholar at each university
-military upgrades cheaper
-barracks units provide free resource income

also, the Assault Marines kick ass.

Grunge and New York punk.

Melkor just wubs European inventions. That isn't bad! Americans are very good at using other peoples ideas. That is a quality in itself, one might argue. :)
Everyone is because that's what inventors do: they work at and expand upon the work of others, as a general rule. To hear Fass say it, it doesn't sound like anything has been invented at all in over 400 years, since every invention draws heavily from preexisting knowledge.

But, for all the modifications we make to other people's inventions, the Japanese turn around and to that to us, so it's all good.

Everyone is because that's what inventors do: they work at and expand upon the work of others, as a general rule. To hear Fass say it, it doesn't sound like anything has been invented at all in over 400 years, since every invention draws heavily from preexisting knowledge.

Is it really that hard to admit you were wrong about the automobile being an American invention? If you want to get to claim the automobile because you took someone's idea and elaborated on it, then Europe should get to claim the Internet because we took the idea and made it accessible to the masses through the World Wide Web.

But somehow I think you'll see the error of the latter "reasoning," but not the former, which was yours.

Some American Music, Baseball and you give us non-Americans a good laugh once in a while. (positive)

Ths variety of music. I love it- jazz to soul, motown to blues. Hendrix to Audioslave, At the Drive-In to Mars Volta. I like a lot of things about the States- too many to put down here. :)

True. We Europeans invented Freedom, Democracy, Imperialism-for-your-own-good, guns, pornography, and stuff - and again Americans then stole the ideas and developed on them. :D

We also invented apple pie. ;)

Music, New York, and Atticus clothing. Beyond that the entire palce is abhorrent.

True. We Europeans invented Freedom, Democracy, Imperialism-for-your-own-good, guns, pornography, and stuff - and again Americans then stole the ideas and developed on them. :D

We also invented apple pie. ;)

How can you invent freedom?

Sorry, the Chinese invented guns.

I'm pretty sure all ancient cultures had pornographic art.

I like the U.S. because it is a place blessed by Heavenly Father.

Also, while it doesn't always do everything right: it is at least trying. (One can hope at least lol)

Is it really that hard to admit you were wrong about the automobile being an American invention?
No, because the Europeans didn't invent the automobile. They invented a steam powered vehicle [which isn't an 'automobile'] and internal combustion engines for [i]farm equipment--also not automobiles. Perhaps we didn't actually invent the meat and bones of the things [and certainly not the concepts behind them--people had been dreaming about rapid propulsion for centuries], but we were the first to put them together and assemble the components into what they are today.

Is that too hard for you to admit? Sounds like it is.

If you want to get to claim the automobile because you took someone's idea and elaborated on it, then Europe should get to claim the Internet because we took the idea and made it accessible to the masses through the World Wide Web.
There's some truth to this, actually, but again you definately did not impliment these ideas anywhere near the extent which we have, save in the Scandinavian states, where their internet connections make my fat [for America] pipe look like an anemic water line. Like with the automobile, you can claim a certain amount of credit [i.e. all of it] for a number of significant components, but the thing as we know it today is definately the product of American minds.

I like the U.S. because it is a place blessed by Heavenly Father.

Also, while it doesn't always do everything right: it is at least trying. (One can hope at least lol)

Join the land of milk and honey, frolic in the wooded glades, prance in the fields...:rolleyes:

Incidentally, do your rose tinted glasses extend to the remainder of your body?

I like the huge Varity of ethnic food and stores, but most of all I like the freedom to go where I want when I want. I also like freedom of speech even if I don't always agree with what the other person is saying

How can you invent freedom?
The notion of Freedom was invented by European thinkers of ages gone by, from Aristotle and John Stuart Mill, the Enlightenment and the Classical Age, etc etc.

Arguably, also a concept brought about practically in a political sense for the first time in history when Emperor Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire to Constantinople, leaving the Bishop of Rome behind. (I refer you to The Future of Freedom, by Fareed Zakaria. Good read!

Sorry, the Chinese invented guns.

Nope, invented by Berthold Schwarz, a Franciscan monk in Freiburg. They have a monument. *nod*

I'm pretty sure all ancient cultures had pornographic art.

Yes, but there is a difference between drawing pictures of naked people, and putting them in magazines and selling them, right? ;)

Also, if you wonder about oldest occurance of nekkid people generally - archaeologists in Germany reported in April 2005 that they had found what they believe is a 7,200-year-old pornographic scene depicting a male figurine bending over a female figurine in a manner suggestive of sexual intercourse.

The internal combustion engine is not a US invention, either. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_combustion_engine#History) I guess no one will mention the US school system as something to be proud of...

Another link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francois_Isaac_de_Rivaz
And yet another: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car#History

Pithy, but without substance.

Fass, you may be right but your source is not a credible source of information. Wikipedia is defiantly not an academically acceptable source simply because anyone can post, change, add, or edit anything.

No, because the Europeans didn't invent the automobile. They invented a steam powered vehicle [which isn't an 'automobile'] and internal combustion engines for [i]farm equipment--also not automobiles. Perhaps we didn't actually invent the meat and bones of the things [and certainly not the concepts behind them--people had been dreaming about rapid propulsion for centuries], but we were the first to put them together and assemble the components into what they are today.

Is that too hard for you to admit? Sounds like it is

Ahem. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car#History)

In 1807 Francois Isaac de Rivaz designed the first internal combustion engine (sometimes abbreviated "ICE" today). He subsequently used it to develop the world’s first vehicle to run on such an engine, one that used a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen to generate energy.

This spawned the birth of a number of designs based on the internal combustion engine in the early nineteenth century with little or no degree of commercial success. In 1860 thereafter, Jean Joseph Etienne Lenoir built the first successful two-stroke gas driven engine. In 1862 he again built an experimental vehicle driven by his gas-engine, which ran at a speed of 3 km/h. These cars became popular and by 1865 could be frequently seen on the roads.

The first American automobiles with gasoline-powered internal combustion engines were completed in 1877 by George Baldwin Selden of Rochester, New York, who applied for a patent on the automobile in 1879.

There's some truth to this, actually, but again you definately did not impliment these ideas anywhere near the extent which we have, save in the Scandinavian states, where their internet connections make my fat [for America] pipe look like an anemic water line. Like with the automobile, you can claim a certain amount of credit [i.e. all of it] for a number of significant components, but the thing as we know it today is definately the product of American minds.

I'm Swedish.

I like the U.S. because it is a place blessed by Heavenly Father.
Which explains why we've had the worst man-made disaster in American history and the worst natural disaster in American history within the last 5 years. I'll leave aside, for the moment, the late 1700's hurricane that killed 20,000 people, since when people talk about disasters they generally measure its intensity by the cost of the damage, which wasn't quite as extensive in the late 1700s.

Somehow, I'd think that if there was some sort of "Heavenly Father" to "bless" America, we might stand a slightly better chance of not having three hurricanes menace the Gulf coast in one season--all of them category 5's at some point. I know Wilma didn't hit that area, but still. It was freaky for a couple of days.

Also, if America is "blessed," then why is our "Christian" [I use the term loosely--I'm fairly certain it's an act] president suffering horrible approval ratings? If we're "blessed," then why is it lookin like the Chinese will be mopping the floor with us within about 50 years?

If this is how the "Heavenly father" "blesses" things, I'd rather be a General in Hell's army, quite frankly.

Fass, you may be right but your source is not a credible source of information. Wikipedia is defiantly not an academically acceptable source simply because anyone can post, change, add, or edit anything.

Its referenced, isn't it? And I am unaware that we were following an academic course here. Do I get ECTS credits for posting now?

snip... The combustion engine was an American invention I believe.

No, we can't take credit for that;
internal-combustion engine
Section: Evolution of the Internal-Combustion Engine
Related: Technology

The first person to experiment with an internal-combustion engine was the Dutch physicist Christian Huygens, about 1680. But no effective gasoline-powered engine was developed until 1859, when the French engineer J. J. Étienne Lenoir built a double-acting, spark-ignition engine that could be operated continuously. In 1862 Alphonse Beau de Rochas, a French scientist, patented but did not build a four-stroke engine; sixteen years later, when Nikolaus A. Otto built a successful four-stroke engine, it became known as the “Otto cycle.” The first successful two-stroke engine was completed in the same year by Sir Dougald Clerk, in a form which (simplified somewhat by Joseph Day in 1891) remains in use today. George Brayton, an American engineer, had developed a two-stroke kerosene engine in 1873, but it was too large and too slow to be commercially successful.

In 1885 Gottlieb Daimler constructed what is generally recognized as the prototype of the modern gas engine: small and fast, with a vertical cylinder, it used gasoline injected through a carburetor. In 1889 Daimler introduced a four-stroke engine with mushroom-shaped valves and two cylinders arranged in a V, having a much higher power-to-weight ratio; with the exception of electric starting, which would not be introduced until 1924, most modern gasoline engines are descended from Daimler's engines.

http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/section/intern-co_evolutionoftheinternal-combustionengine.asp

The notion of Freedom was invented by European thinkers of ages gone by, from Aristotle and John Stuart Mill, the Enlightenment and the Classical Age, etc etc.

Arguably, also a concept brought about practically in a political sense for the first time in history when Emperor Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire to Constantinople, leaving the Bishop of Rome behind. (I refer you to The Future of Freedom, by Fareed Zakaria. Good read!

I still don't think you can "invent" freedom. It's a bit silly IMO.

Nope, invented by Berthold Schwarz, a Franciscan monk in Freiburg. They have a monument. *nod*

Nope. The Chinese invented gunpowder it is believed at some time around 1000 A.D. and used it to fire spears out of pots. Mr. Schwarz was thought to have invented gunpowder and guns in 1353. You can clearly see the Chinese were first.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berthold_Schwarz

first of all, I like my girlfriend. Hehehe.

Then, I like the huge (sometimes explanatory of the amount of obesity in the US) portions you get in the restaurants I went to. AND FREE DRINKS! That was so awesome.

snip... then Europe should get to claim the Internet because we took the idea and made it accessible to the masses through the World Wide Web.

Al Gore invented the internet and if you don't beleive that, just ask him. :D

I still don't think you can "invent" freedom. It's a bit silly IMO.
Eminent political thinkers disagree. And I agree, we shouldn't apply for a patent now - the dateline has since long extended. :)

Nope. The Chinese invented gunpowder it is believed at some time around 1000 A.D. and used it to fire spears out of pots. Mr. Schwarz was thought to have invented gunpowder and guns in 1353. You can clearly see the Chinese were first.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berthold_Schwarz

Gunpowder, dear, does not equate guns. Firing spears from pots doesn't count either. I'm talking about the shiny metal tuby thing the NRA worships. Do they worship spears fired from pots? ;)

Fass, if anything this information makes me more liable to give Europeans a harder time for all of this, since they let the design sit stagnant for 110 years before an American businessman found a way to mass produce these vehicles.

I'm sure you're stunned to hear this from me at this point, but I think your attempts here have backfired horribly. You're not going to win much admiration from me for inventing something, then letting someone else take advantage of it. If I were in your position, I'd almost prefer the illusion that has apparently been perpetuated for years that the Americans invented this shit; because in my book it's worse to invent something and not do shit with it than it is to just let someone else invent it.

Forty years after Henry Ford got his hands on the ICE, cars were commonplace in America, facilitating the need for a massive network of Interstate roadways, and changing the very culture of the nation in the process. Conversely, even the article you credit states that cars were not seen "frequently" [a dubious claim at best] on the roadways until the mid 1860's, although I'm fairly certain that's a pretty big load of bullshit. So where it took you 60 years to develop a minor change in transportation, we made a major change in 40, thanks largely to assembly-line manufacturing, which you will undoubtedly attempt to claim credit for as well, since multiple people worked on large projects throughout human history.

Gunpowder, dear, does not equate guns. Firing spears from pots doesn't count either. I'm talking about the shiny metal tuby thing the NRA worships. Do they worship spears fired from pots? ;)

An enclosure that uses the explosion of gunpowder to propel a projectile is a firearm, or in your terms a gun.

The diversity, and the official recognition given to civil liberties.

--snip--

Basically, you refuse to admit that you were wrong about it being an American invention, even though you were proved wrong.

Well, proving you wrong was basically why I was doing this, and as that has been accomplished, I guess this can be laid to rest.

No, because the Europeans didn't invent the automobile. They invented a steam powered vehicle [which isn't an 'automobile'] and internal combustion engines for [i]farm equipment--also not automobiles.

Nope, we in the US can not take credit for inventing an internal combustion automobile. Sorry, but we didn't do it.

"The development of the automobile was accelerated by the introduction of the internal-combustion engine. Probably the first vehicle of this type was the three-wheeled car built in 1885 by the engineer Karl Benz in Germany. Another German engineer, Gottlieb Daimler, built an improved internal-combustion engine c.1885. The Panhard car, introduced in France by the Daimler company in 1894, had many features of the modern car. In the United States, internal-combustion cars of the horseless buggy type were manufactured in the 1890s by Charles Duryea and J. Frank Duryea, Elwood Haynes, Henry Ford, Ransom E. Olds, and Alexander Winton. Many of the early engines had only one cylinder, with a chain-and-sprocket drive on wooden carriage wheels. The cars generally were open, accommodated two passengers, and were steered by a lever."

http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/section/automob_developmentoftheautomobile.asp

Booze

An enclosure that uses the explosion of gunpowder to propel a projectile is a firearm, or in your terms a gun.

I disagree. Shooting little arrows from a bamboo pot doesn't count. I'm also glad that you dropped the other points already. ;)

Basically, you refuse to admit that you were wrong about it being an American invention, even though you were proved wrong.

Well, proving you wrong was basically why I was doing this, and as that has been accomplished, I guess this can be laid to rest.
Christ, what a load of bullshit. You want to hear it again [since you obviosly didnt read it the first time]? Fine:

An American did not invent the internal combustion engine.

Americans were not the first to devise modular transportations.

Previously, I had thought the opposite [obviously] on both claims, although the source of this knowledge is still unlcear. Was I wrong about these things? Sure. Does that make the modern automobile any less of an accomplishment for American innovators? No. Does it catapult the European mind to the forefront of all civilization? No. The American mind? Certainly not.

More importantly [and on topic], does that make the mass-production and innovations made in auto manufacture [although admittedly German and Japanese cars are better than ours] any less of something for me to like about the US? Of course not.

snip...Somehow, I'd think that if there was some sort of "Heavenly Father" to "bless" America, we might stand a slightly better chance of not having three hurricanes menace the Gulf coast in one season--all of them category 5's at some point. I know Wilma didn't hit that area, but still. It was freaky for a couple of days.

Are you suggesting that God created those hurricanes to punish America?

I disagree. Shooting little arrows from a bamboo pot doesn't count. I'm also glad that you dropped the other points already. ;)

Well, the porn thing and the freedom thing are just matters of personal opinion imo.

And you just can't say "Shooting little arrows from a bamboo pot doesn't count." Don't want to admit you made a mistake?

Well, the porn thing and the freedom thing are just matters of personal opinion imo.

And you just can't say "Shooting little arrows from a bamboo pot doesn't count." Don't want to admit you made a mistake?

No. I am right and you are wrong. :D

Are you suggesting that God created those hurricanes to punish America?

No, he loves the USA as his own:p

Previously, I had thought the opposite [obviously] on both claims, although the source of this knowledge is still unlcear. Was I wrong about these things? Sure. Does that make the modern automobile any less of an accomplishment for American innovators? No. Does it catapult the European mind to the forefront of all civilization? No. The American mind? Certainly not.

More importantly [and on topic], does that make the mass-production and innovations made in auto manufacture [although admittedly German and Japanese cars are better than ours] any less of something for me to like about the US? Of course not.

Well, then claim that as your accomplishments, not the invention of the of the automobile.

The first American automobiles with gasoline-powered internal combustion engines were completed in 1877 by George Baldwin Selden of Rochester, New York, who applied for a patent on the automobile in 1879.[/I]

Oh my God! Oh, my God! I just realized I agree with Faas on something. :eek:

Well, then claim that as your accomplishments, not the invention of the of the automobile.
I would have had I known they weren't, but I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around the fact that cars were apparently "frequently" found on "roads" in Europe during the 1860s: nevermind the fact that oil drilling hadn't been refined to the point where one could support cars in numbers that would consitute "frequent" occurances in the first place.

Are you suggesting that God created those hurricanes to punish America?
I'd have thought my consistent referal to god in quotation marks would have answered that question for you. In case it hasn't:

Of course not.

Well, the porn thing and the freedom thing are just matters of personal opinion imo.

And you just can't say "Shooting little arrows from a bamboo pot doesn't count." Don't want to admit you made a mistake?

Shooting arrows from a pot doesn't count. Pots are not straight tubes. Sorry.

gun
Related: Military

in general, any weapon that discharges shot, shells, or bullets by the explosion of gunpowder or some other explosive from a straight tube. See firearm ; artillery ; small arms .

http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/g1/gun.asp

I would have had I known they weren't, but I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around the fact that cars were apparently "frequently" found on "roads" in Europe during the 1860s: nevermind the fact that oil drilling hadn't been refined to the point where one could support cars in numbers that would consitute "frequent" occurances in the first place.

Now that you have admitted you are wrong, why don't you just move on instead of playing the part of "ugly American?"

If you don't know, what an "ugly American" is; it is an American who believes Americans are superior to all another cultures. A person who thinks no other cultures has anything to contribute to the world. A person who when they go abroad look down on the people of the country they are visiting and think the only reason the "natives" exist is to serve them. They are loud, crass, and belligerent people who never admit that the US has made mistakes or that other cultures can be as good or better in some ways than the American culture.

I'm American, I have run into them overseas, and I don't like them either as they give all Americans a bad name.

End of rant.

I like how nearly every culture is present in the US. I can see bits of China, Europe, Africa and those crazy Australians in their craziness.

America as many bad things in it, but so does every place else.

And come on for the love of all that is good. Did you not already have this dicussion on what America invented and it did not? There is a whole lot things that would not be possible if it where not for the work of MANY people. Modern science, math, architexture.

Ye have many a fine ship for me to Plunder and many a wench to have me way wit yarr.

I like how nearly every culture is present in the US. I can see bits of China, Europe, Africa and those crazy Australians in their craziness.

America as many bad things in it, but so does every place else.

And come on for the love of all that is good. Did you not already have this dicussion on what America invented and it did not? There is a whole lot things that would not be possible if it where not for the work of MANY people. Modern science, math, architexture.

Oh, man, there's this section of Atlanta that I live in called Buford Highway. It's seriously got stuff from almost every country. Apparently, it's where the immigrants all went over to back in the 60s or 70s. If I had to pick one thing I loved about America, that would be it.

Why did my positive thread turn into people yelling at each other? :(

Why did my positive thread turn into people yelling at each other? :(
You need some positive things about the US?
Ok. Uh...
I liiiike... stores that have reasonable opening hours (no, 8:30-12:00 and 13:30-17:30 on weekdays and 9:00-16:00 on Saturdays is not reasonable!)
I like the funnies in your newspapers. We only had one lousy comic somewhere at the bottom of a page nobody ever looked at. pfft.
I liiike... ooh! all the great coffee places! Mmmh! So many choices! :)
I like Barnes&Noble...don't ask...
And 1.50$ movies. Awesome!
And Cookies! Brownies! Cup cakes! Frosting! :D

Somehow, I'd think that if there was some sort of "Heavenly Father" to "bless" America, we might stand a slightly better chance of not having three hurricanes menace the Gulf coast in one season--all of them category 5's at some point. I know Wilma didn't hit that area, but still. It was freaky for a couple of days.

Yes and natural disasters did it. Stuff happens. Why blame god? God usually only stops disasters; he doesn't cause it. He just lets it happen (withdrawing his protection when the people turn bad).

Plus if he cuddled you all the time you'd never grow and learn. He has to let some stuff happen. You can't know how great joy is till you experienced great sorrow.(and vice versa)

Also, if America is "blessed," then why is our "Christian" [I use the term loosely--I'm fairly certain it's an act] president suffering horrible approval ratings? If we're "blessed," then why is it lookin like the Chinese will be mopping the floor with us within about 50 years?

Greed, sin, pride, etc sins. God can't look on sin with any niceities. The only thing keeping his hand from bringing wrath is the prayers of the righteous.

Please Bush isn't very much a Christian dude: have you seen his church attendance record?
He draws near god with his lips (says his faith, etc), but heart is far from him. He is not Christian much at all. He hasa lot of explainin' to do.

He has some repenting to do also and restitution. You can't really be sorry if you don't try to make it up.

God doesn't favor a people in their sins only in their repentance and humbleness. If the Chinese are being good than good for them.

If this is how the "Heavenly father" "blesses" things, I'd rather be a General in Hell's army, quite frankly.

Well, it is rather easier getting to hell you know. Devil has just as much power as God on earth (after life on earth Devil has none). So your punishments for the sins will remain since if serving him I doubt you'll remember to repent.

I like the 'religious freedom', the food, Halloween/Day of the Dead, the liberal democrates, American Atheists, and free school till college.:)

I like the 'religious freedom', the food, Halloween/Day of the Dead, the liberal democrates, American Atheists, and free school till college.:)

Why are Americans claiming Halloween? It was an Irish holiday to begin with.

My favourite American thing:
CSI

Why did my positive thread turn into people yelling at each other? :(
Tis be because NS is antiAmerica ye should have known this yargh.

*Plunders thread*

Yes and natural disasters did it. Stuff happens. Why blame god? God usually only stops disasters; he doesn't cause it. He just lets it happen (withdrawing his protection when the people turn bad).

Plus if he cuddled you all the time you'd never grow and learn. He has to let some stuff happen. You can't know how great joy is till you experienced great sorrow.(and vice versa)
Right, but a second ago I was hearing that America is "blessed" by him. Now you're telling me that he's letting events occur as they generally do in nature--which is fine, but if that's what he's doing, we're not exactly "blessed," now are we. Just what go we get for this "blessing" exactly? Does it go away if some of us should not happen to agree with gods' politics?

Greed, sin, pride, etc sins. God can't look on sin with any niceities. The only thing keeping his hand from bringing wrath is the prayers of the righteous.
Yet another affirmation of the fact that the more I discover about Christianity, the more contempt I have for its teachings. Telling me that greed and pride are sins is like telling me that I'll go to hell for earning a living and being proud of it. Thanks, but no thanks. That ain't no kind of universe to live in.

Please Bush isn't very much a Christian dude: have you seen his church attendance record?
He draws near god with his lips (says his faith, etc), but heart is far from him. He is not Christian much at all. He hasa lot of explainin' to do.
He has some repenting to do also and restitution. You can't really be sorry if you don't try to make it up.
I know he's not, I mentioned in my previous post that I suspect it's largely an act. I'm sure we can both agree on that, apparently; although I can't help but wonder if this is a recent discovery in light of Bush's lagging approval ratings.

God doesn't favor a people in their sins only in their repentance and humbleness. If the Chinese are being good than good for them.
And what if you have reason not to be humble? What if you've cured diseases and built marvels? Why should we submit by default to a higher power we cannot possibly know? It's often been said that one cannot know god--he must feel him, which amounts to the belief that we should let our emotions dictate our behavior. Emotions, despite being legitimate and justified functions of the brain [i]do not lead us to conclusions about the universe around us, only reason can do that.

Since religion asks me to subsistute emotion [conviction, faith, revelation] with reason [direct knowledge, perception, objective fact] as the primary source of information and knowledge, I reject it utterly. In their quest to eradicate reason, the church has seemingly forgotten that it can't even make its own arguments without it.

Well, it is rather easier getting to hell you know. Devil has just as much power as God on earth (after life on earth Devil has none). So your punishments for the sins will remain since if serving him I doubt you'll remember to repent.
Actually, I plan on rotting in the ground, just like everyone else. The hell's army example served to illustrate my polarity with the teachings of your religion.

Tis be because NS is antiAmerica

now i hate america as much as the next guy, but that doesn't mean that there aren't awesome things about it. for example, you just can't beat our inland seas surrounded by massive cities and forests (though the still-existing farms detract a bit from it).

now i hate america as much as the next guy, but that doesn't mean that there aren't awesome things about it. for example, you just can't beat our inland seas surrounded by massive cities and forests (though the still-existing farms detract a bit from it).
Wait are you saying you are an American that hates America?

Shouldnt you be waving a Flag off of the Wing Mirror of your Yellow GM Pickup?

Booze
Not for long when the Prohibitionists get back in Power.
Damn Liberal Conservatives.

Besides they do not have the best booze but seeing as they do have booze i guess it is something to like about the US of A.

I like the slums and the pleasent odour they emit.

Shouldnt you be waving a Flag off of the Wing Mirror of your Yellow GM Pickup?

well i would, but the truck broke down and the flag ascended into heaven

Hayseed Dixie.

A fair bit of US music is good actually (screw the 'gangsta' rap though).

You also seem to like Franz Ferdinand. That's a definite plus.

You still don't understand beer though *shakes head sadly*

Franz Ferdinand is fantastic. And they did perfect classic rock.

Oh, and I presume you've heard the american beer joke?

I like the fact that America has the dominant military force in the world, because there is little that I find more contemptible than several countries (who shall remain nameless) strutting and preening like great powers, and then being unable to stop thousands of corpses piling up on their doorstep.

I like the fact that I keep what I earn, and though some might consider this "greed", they can't do a damn thing about it.

I like the fact that we are hated by many, because that hatred comes from misplaced but abject fear of our power and how we might use it for evil.

And No, America did not invent the automobile.

Positively, the USA's forthcoming demise into utter oblivion!

Rosa Parkes. Martin Luther King. Joe Hill.

American SF writers (science fic and speculative fic).

James Thurber. Robert Benchley. Garrison Keillor.

Your union songs.

Pete Seeger. Weird Al.

My friend Mary, who came from Dakota. (Though Mary is actually the kind of gutsy female survivor that every country produces.)

The distant cousins I've never met, but family stories say some went there from Glasgow.

The Simpsons, South Park, Daria and King of the Hill.

Doonesbury!

William Safire's column about words.

The way you sing "My Country, 'Tis Of Thee" to the tune of "God Save the Queen" (pity you kept to the same level of poetic inspiration, though).

The way US tourists co-operatively pretend to believe Australian stories about fending off Drop Bears with Vegemite, even though you must all know about this one by now.

There, see? Loads of good things.

And your (national) bum doesn't really look big in that and you're not the least bit plump and you're one of those people that shade of orange really looks good on, really ...

(After all, what are friends for?)

I like the fact that I can carry a gun and plug the next a-hole who tries to rob me.
I like the fact that that I can say the government is a bunch of morons and get away with it.
I like the fact that everyone else hates me because I am an American.
I like the fact that we have more nukes than anybody else.
I like football (not futbol), Halloween, and South Park.
Seconded.

All the space, especially on the West Coast.

-Asylum Nova

I like the fact that I can turn around any corner in my city and find every different type of culture and nationality owning and operating a business, the fact that that business can get robbed by any person from every culture and nationality then get arrested by any person from every culture and nationality, raped in jail by any person of every culture and nationality, break out and rob a house, get shot by a white man who says, "Damn immigrants!" when he is sitting on land that was stolen from the Indians by his ancestors.

I FREAKIN" LOVE THAT!

The Simpsons.

Booze
You have to be kidding! American booze makes me cringe... and I like my booze.

Sierra what's-his-face (formerly Whispering Legs?) listed some goodies, but I'm struggling to think of some specifically American qualities to champion.

Ah, hell: The Onion.

The friends I have over there :fluffle:

The Caribbean National Forest.

Planes-Americans invented them. Americans perfected them.

We had: Edgar Allen Poe. He is considered one of the greatest authors and poets of all time. His two most famous works, "The Tell-tale Heart" and "The Raven" are two of the most well-known works of literature ever.

Thomas Edison-genious inventor. Invented thousands of inventions ranging from motion picture and the light bulb(gets light directly from electricity via a resistor instead of merely using it to ignite gasses) to the phonograph(which eventually became the record player) and others.

Ford-first to mass produce cars and one of the first people to create the 40-hour workweek with five work days of eight hours each. Saturday was reserved for the family while Sunday was a day of peace. He basicly invented the weekend.

We basicly invented the PC(I think). Before that, all computers were massive and expensive.

We invented video games. Whenever you play Final Fantasy or Halo, thank Nolan Bushnell and whoever created Computer Space.

US-first true modern Republic. England doesn't count because the King, someone who isn't elected at all, held massive power. France was a bit too late.

US-first true modern Republic. England doesn't count because the King, someone who isn't elected at all, held massive power. France was a bit too late.

There also was the dutch republic before the USA existed, dunno if you would count it as 'modern' though :)

I like the simpsons and a couple of people from the USA :)

Ford-first to mass produce cars and one of the first people to create the 40-hour workweek with five work days of eight hours each. Saturday was reserved for the family while Sunday was a day of peace. He basicly invented the weekend.




Nope, In New Zealand the city of Wellington had an 8 hour working day as early as 1840, and the first labour day (essentially celebrating the 40 hour week) was in 1890, while it was made an official holiday in 1899, a few years before the Ford motor company was incorporated.

Great American Inventions
Planes
Alternating Current
Telephones
Star Trek
The Onion
Potlucks
Corn
New York

Inventions we are less proud of, but are nevertheless American:
Machine guns
The Bomb

I also like the varied landscape (Few kinds of terrain cannot be found within the bounds of the United States of America) and the melting pot of cultures.

But my favorite thing about America is:
The United States Constitution

Prior to America, most civilizations had regarded money as something one comes by via fraud, theft, deceit, or just the luck of being born into a rich family. Americans were, by my estimation, the first nation to embrace the concept of earning and generating wealth; a concept with which most of Europe seems to still be grappling.


My textbook on American foreign policy since the 1790's disagrees. Unless by "earning" and "generating" we mean "sending in the Marines when those backward brown/yellow barbarians do not want us ...*ahem*...civilizing them." Of course, the United States is certainly not alone in this respect; Unfortunately, fraud, theft and deceit seem to be very common regardless of which side of the Atlantic one looks.

Me! Among other things.