FSTDT Forums
Community => Society and History => Topic started by: DiscoBerry on May 16, 2013, 04:31:13 pm
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I thought this would make for a nice discussion piece here. I found this one especially astute.
5. THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR THE AVERAGE AMERICAN IS NOT THAT GREAT
If you’re extremely talented or intelligent, the US is probably the best place in the world to live. The system is stacked heavily to allow people of talent and advantage to rise to the top quickly.
The problem with the US is that everyone thinks they are of talent and advantage. As John Steinbeck famously said, the problem with poor Americans is that “they don’t believe they’re poor, but rather temporarily embarrassed millionaires.” It’s this culture of self-delusion that allows America to continue to innovate and churn out new industry more than anyone else in the world. But this shared delusion also unfortunately keeps perpetuating large social inequalities and the quality of life for the average citizen lower than most other developed countries. It’s the price we pay to maintain our growth and economic dominance.
In my Guide to Wealth, I defined being wealthy as, “Having the freedom to maximize one’s life experiences.” In those terms, despite the average American having more material wealth than citizens of most other countries (more cars, bigger houses, nicer televisions), their overall quality of life suffers in my opinion. American people on average work more hours with less vacation, spend more time commuting every day, and are saddled with over $10,000 of debt. That’s a lot of time spent working and buying crap and little time or disposable income for relationships, activities or new experiences.
http://thoughtcatalog.com/2013/10-things-most-americans-dont-know-about-america/ (http://thoughtcatalog.com/2013/10-things-most-americans-dont-know-about-america/)
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Interesting article. More people should see this thread, so I'm so going to bump it up. I actually want to live on this planet a little more, but not in America.
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MURICA! LOVE OR LEAVE IT!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NynbLtRLisg
Seriously, don't be like Rizzo.
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To be fair, a lot of these points apply to most first-world countries. Take Canada, for instance:
3. WE KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THE REST OF THE WORLD: While our school curriculum & media does seem to focus a bit more on other parts of the world, your average Canadian is still pretty ignorant about most nations that don't have a white majority (and, to a lesser extent, non-English speaking nations).
4. WE ARE POOR AT EXPRESSING GRATITUDE AND AFFECTION: Definitely true of most Canadians, outside of parts of Quebec and the Maritimes.
6. THE REST OF THE WORLD IS NOT A SLUM-RIDDEN SHITHOLE COMPARED TO US: Similar to number 3, people seem to have this attitude about non-white countries, and certain non-English speaking nations.
8. WE’RE STATUS-OBSESSED AND SEEK ATTENTION: This isn't necessarily true of Canada in terms of nationalism, but on a personal level, we're definitely guilty of this one.
9. WE ARE VERY UNHEALTHY: We have pubic health care, which is great (and possibly one of the reasons why we tend to live slightly longer than Americans), but we also have all of the same unhealthy, overly-processed foods, and the decline in physical activity. Our stats for obesity, heart disease, etc. aren't too far behind the US.
10. WE MISTAKE COMFORT FOR HAPPINESS: 100% true in Canada. Big cars, big houses, expensive clothes, etc. -- all staples of Canadian culture.
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9. WE ARE VERY UNHEALTHY: We have pubic health care, which is great (and possibly one of the reasons why we tend to live slightly longer than Americans), but we also have all of the same unhealthy, overly-processed foods, and the decline in physical activity. Our stats for obesity, heart disease, etc. aren't too far behind the US.
Gotta love that pubic health care :3
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9. WE ARE VERY UNHEALTHY: We have pubic health care, which is great (and possibly one of the reasons why we tend to live slightly longer than Americans), but we also have all of the same unhealthy, overly-processed foods, and the decline in physical activity. Our stats for obesity, heart disease, etc. aren't too far behind the US.
Gotta love that pubic health care :3
Well if it helps them live longer than americans then there must be some good in it.
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Oh, there's plenty of good in it. I'd be completely screwed if we didn't have it, since I make too much to qualify for most coverage programs but not enough to pay for insurance.
However, the point still remains that most Canadians aren't living a healthy lifestyle, between the food we eat, limited physical activity, shoddy sleep patterns, stress, etc.
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I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of that didn't apply to most modern, Western civilizations. We all eat processed crap. I eat processed crap. I KNOW I'm eating processed crap when I eat it. Thing is...can't really say I give much of a shit. I do try to be healthy, but, ya know what? I'm going to die, one day. I wanna extract every ounce of pleasure outta life that I reasonably can, and sometimes, that means eating that tasty, unhealthy, processed crap. Other times, it means going on walks or fucking. I'm not wasting this fuckin life, I've seen that happen to far, FAR too many people.
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I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of that didn't apply to most modern, Western civilizations. We all eat processed crap. I eat processed crap. I KNOW I'm eating processed crap when I eat it. Thing is...can't really say I give much of a shit. I do try to be healthy, but, ya know what? I'm going to die, one day. I wanna extract every ounce of pleasure outta life that I reasonably can, and sometimes, that means eating that tasty, unhealthy, processed crap. Other times, it means going on walks or fucking. I'm not wasting this fuckin life, I've seen that happen to far, FAR too many people.
That's pretty much my mindset. Everything's trying to kill me, so I'm not going to ruin my life trying not to die.
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Exactly, not like I'm in a hurry to meet the reaper...and I'll fight him tooth and nail for as long as I can, but I want at least a decent life. My life until recently has been shit, but its taken a pretty good turn for the better, and I'm not going to let it stop now, damn it!
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I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of that didn't apply to most modern, Western civilizations. We all eat processed crap. I eat processed crap. I KNOW I'm eating processed crap when I eat it. Thing is...can't really say I give much of a shit. I do try to be healthy, but, ya know what? I'm going to die, one day. I wanna extract every ounce of pleasure outta life that I reasonably can, and sometimes, that means eating that tasty, unhealthy, processed crap. Other times, it means going on walks or fucking. I'm not wasting this fuckin life, I've seen that happen to far, FAR too many people.
Eh, I'm not complaining about people eating crappy food, just pointing out that most of the list applies to the first world in general.
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I have to say, this one strikes me as a little bit bullshit.
1. FEW PEOPLE ARE IMPRESSED BY US
Unless you’re speaking with a real estate agent or a prostitute, chances are they’re not going to be excited that you’re American. It’s not some badge of honor we get to parade around. Yes, we had Steve Jobs and Thomas Edison, but unless you actually are Steve Jobs or Thomas Edison (which is unlikely) then most people around the world are simply not going to care. There are exceptions of course. And those exceptions are called English and Australian people. Whoopdie-fucking-doo.
As Americans, we’re brought up our entire lives being taught that we’re the best, we did everything first and that the rest of the world follows our lead. Not only is this not true, but people get irritated when you bring it to their country with you. So don’t.
I have no idea where this guy's getting his information from, and I can't speak for the Brits, but I can safely say that most Australians look down their noses at Americans. Not to any American tourist's face, naturally, but the attitude is very much there. The more recent reputation they've picked up as the land of the disturbingly frequent school shootings hasn't exactly helped matters.
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^^ To be fair, it's very difficult to tell whether an Australian is insulting or complimenting you. :P
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^^ To be fair, it's very difficult to tell whether an Australian is insulting or complimenting you. :P
A good rule of thumb is if you're being compared to either Brits or Americans, you're being insulted.
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But Canadians are good cunts, yeah?
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Yeah, fellow colonials are alright. Tolerable, even.
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Yeah, fellow colonials are alright. Tolerable, even.
Fun facts:
Canada holds the records for highest attendance...
...in North America for a cricket match.
...outside of Australia for an Australian Rules Football match.
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I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of that didn't apply to most modern, Western civilizations. We all eat processed crap. I eat processed crap. I KNOW I'm eating processed crap when I eat it. Thing is...can't really say I give much of a shit. I do try to be healthy, but, ya know what? I'm going to die, one day. I wanna extract every ounce of pleasure outta life that I reasonably can, and sometimes, that means eating that tasty, unhealthy, processed crap. Other times, it means going on walks or fucking. I'm not wasting this fuckin life, I've seen that happen to far, FAR too many people.
That's pretty much my mindset. Everything's trying to kill me, so I'm not going to ruin my life trying not to die.
What if oxygen is poisonous, but it just takes about 80 years to kill you?
(http://i462.photobucket.com/albums/qq342/KEAtwater/template-philosoraptor.jpg)
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Try holding your breath and telling me how long you live.
(Just kidding, don't seriously do that)
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Except Oxygen is kind of poisonous. It is free radical oxygen (a necessary biproduct of the actually using oxygen to burn glucose in our body that harms are cells and eventually causes ageing and cancer.) Just like you need water to live but can still drown in the stuff. Life is dangerous and it fucking gets you in the end. Which is why in the meantime I make sure I leave everyone with a small piece of my DNA whenever I can.
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Try holding your breath and telling me how long you live.
Well, that's because you need nitrogen to breathe. Obviously. Now oxygen on the other hand...
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Just like you need water to live but can still drown in the stuff.
Incidentally, drinking too much water can also kill you. Pretty much everything can kill you, actually.
Good times.
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So basically Everything Is Trying To Kill You (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EverythingTryingToKillYou) is Truth In Television? *shot*
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Which is why in the meantime I make sure I leave everyone with a small piece of my DNA whenever I can.
...
...Ewww.
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Which is why in the meantime I make sure I leave everyone with a small piece of my DNA whenever I can.
...
...Ewww.
Don't pretend you don't want it.
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Which is why in the meantime I make sure I leave everyone with a small piece of my DNA whenever I can.
...
...Ewww.
Don't pretend you don't want it.
7+ billion people? Your poor body...
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So basically Everything Is Trying To Kill You (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EverythingTryingToKillYou) is Truth In Television? *shot*
Actually, yes. Chocolate is chock full of lead due to where it's grown. Sitting for any period of time has been found to increase your risk heart disease and diabetes, just about every food is unhealthy and has tons of chemicals, and even your own body will kill you.
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Try holding your breath and telling me how long you live.
Well, that's because you need nitrogen to breathe. Obviously. Now oxygen on the other hand...
Easy enough to test! Who volunteers to sped the next 80 years in an airtight chamber full of nitrogen and no oxygen?
Come on, guys. It's for science.
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So basically Everything Is Trying To Kill You (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EverythingTryingToKillYou) is Truth In Television? *shot*
Actually, yes. Chocolate is chock full of lead due to where it's grown. Sitting for any period of time has been found to increase your risk heart disease and diabetes, just about every food is unhealthy and has tons of chemicals, and even your own body will kill you.
Even hospitals and doctors' offices can give you a life-threatening MRSA infection.
Life is metal as fuck.
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I have to say, this one strikes me as a little bit bullshit.
1. FEW PEOPLE ARE IMPRESSED BY US
Unless you’re speaking with a real estate agent or a prostitute, chances are they’re not going to be excited that you’re American. It’s not some badge of honor we get to parade around. Yes, we had Steve Jobs and Thomas Edison, but unless you actually are Steve Jobs or Thomas Edison (which is unlikely) then most people around the world are simply not going to care. There are exceptions of course. And those exceptions are called English and Australian people. Whoopdie-fucking-doo.
As Americans, we’re brought up our entire lives being taught that we’re the best, we did everything first and that the rest of the world follows our lead. Not only is this not true, but people get irritated when you bring it to their country with you. So don’t.
I have no idea where this guy's getting his information from, and I can't speak for the Brits, but I can safely say that most Australians look down their noses at Americans. Not to any American tourist's face, naturally, but the attitude is very much there. The more recent reputation they've picked up as the land of the disturbingly frequent school shootings hasn't exactly helped matters.
I'm British, but don't I look up to Americans, and most of the people I know that that have been there just think Americans are weird.
As for knowing nothing about the rest of the world, I couldn't point out Iraq on a map. Also my dad genuinely asked me once if beige was a colour in America... so ignorance goes both ways.
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I have to say, this one strikes me as a little bit bullshit.
1. FEW PEOPLE ARE IMPRESSED BY US
Unless you’re speaking with a real estate agent or a prostitute, chances are they’re not going to be excited that you’re American. It’s not some badge of honor we get to parade around. Yes, we had Steve Jobs and Thomas Edison, but unless you actually are Steve Jobs or Thomas Edison (which is unlikely) then most people around the world are simply not going to care. There are exceptions of course. And those exceptions are called English and Australian people. Whoopdie-fucking-doo.
As Americans, we’re brought up our entire lives being taught that we’re the best, we did everything first and that the rest of the world follows our lead. Not only is this not true, but people get irritated when you bring it to their country with you. So don’t.
I have no idea where this guy's getting his information from, and I can't speak for the Brits, but I can safely say that most Australians look down their noses at Americans. Not to any American tourist's face, naturally, but the attitude is very much there. The more recent reputation they've picked up as the land of the disturbingly frequent school shootings hasn't exactly helped matters.
Let's be fair. Most Americans look down at America.
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True dat.
I'm a "pureblooded American" (read: Bloody colonial descent with some amounts of Native American mixed in) and I hate this country.
I haven't even said the pledge of allegience or sang the Star Spangled Banner in years.
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I should probably clarify that I wasn't saying that Americans are in fact inherently inferiour. Just that a lot of fellow foreigners seem to have a rather snooty attitude towards them.
I pretty sure no one's saying that I did, but I figure at this rate, it's only a matter of time before someone misinterprets.
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True dat.
I'm a "pureblooded American" (read: Bloody colonial descent with some amounts of Native American mixed in) and I hate this country.
I haven't even said the pledge of allegience or sang the Star Spangled Banner in years.
Me neither. In school, I tend to sit and listen to music during the Pledge (occasionally, if irony is desired, I'll put on We're From America or Amerika (Marilyn Manson and Rammstein, respectively).
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The idea of having kids take a nationalist pledge every morning in school is always extremely jarring to me.
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The idea of having kids take a nationalist pledge every morning in school is always extremely jarring to me.
I've always thought that it was weird thing for America to have because it seems like the sort of thing you would do in a communist country.
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I should probably clarify that I wasn't saying that Americans are in fact inherently inferiour. Just that a lot of fellow foreigners seem to have a rather snooty attitude towards them.
I pretty sure no one's saying that I did, but I figure at this rate, it's only a matter of time before someone misinterprets.
It's not like we Americans haven't earned our scorn.
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The idea of having kids take a nationalist pledge every morning in school is always extremely jarring to me.
Same. And even disregarding the creepy vibes, what's the point of pledging allegiance every day? Surely anyone who gives a shit about pledging will stand by it if they only say it once, and anyone who doesn't won't suddenly become more patriotic for the repetition.
We make our kids pledge allegiance to the flag once, in fourth grade. I have my own issues with that, mainly that what the hell is the point of making a solemn promise when you are nine and have no real understanding of what you're doing. But at least it's better than daily repetition.
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The idea of having kids take a nationalist pledge every morning in school is always extremely jarring to me.
I've always thought that it was weird thing for America to have because it seems like the sort of thing you would do in a communist country.
Funny thing about that, I remember reading somewhere that the USSR also had a pledge... that it made you say once. When you make people say it every day, especially when said people are often too young to understand what they're saying, it kinda loses all meaning. The book Catch-22 had a great bit about this with Captain Black's Glorious Loyalty Oath Crusade.
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Which is why in the meantime I make sure I leave everyone with a small piece of my DNA whenever I can.
...
...Ewww.
Don't pretend you don't want it.
7+ billion people? Your poor body...
Whenever I can, and I eat a lot of zinc
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In fourth grade my teacher was a former army brat. Not only could you not sit during the pledge, you got got in trouble if she caught you refusing to say it. She also tried to enforce the military pledge stance.
Make of that creepy stuff what you will, but it's probably why they caught me flipping the bird during pledge in sophomore year.
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I never understood why we had to do the pledge of allegiance every morning and the meaning behind it, not to mention that it was boring as fuck and I'd rather sit and read something. It was never really explained to us other than "this is America! We're da best!"
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In fourth grade my teacher was a former army brat. Not only could you not sit during the pledge, you got got in trouble if she caught you refusing to say it. She also tried to enforce the military pledge stance.
Make of that creepy stuff what you will, but it's probably why they caught me flipping the bird during pledge in sophomore year.
When I was in grade school, not only did we have to do the pledge every day, we had to sing the national anthem every day before we did the pledge.
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The idea of having kids take a nationalist pledge every morning in school is always extremely jarring to me.
I've always thought that it was weird thing for America to have because it seems like the sort of thing you would do in a communist country.
Funny thing about that, I remember reading somewhere that the USSR also had a pledge... that it made you say once. When you make people say it every day, especially when said people are often too young to understand what they're saying, it kinda loses all meaning. The book Catch-22 had a great bit about this with Captain Black's Glorious Loyalty Oath Crusade.
And he wouldn't let the Doctor sign it, ever.
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No, it as Major Major he wouldn't let sign it. The whole thing was an effort to discredit Major Major and get his job.
...Why yes, I have read that book about a million times now, why do you ask?
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No, it as Major Major he wouldn't let sign it. The whole thing was an effort to discredit Major Major and get his job.
...Why yes, I have read that book about a million times now, why do you ask?
Damn. I bow to thee.
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I want eats.
Give everyone eats.
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The idea of having kids take a nationalist pledge every morning in school is always extremely jarring to me.
I've always thought that it was weird thing for America to have because it seems like the sort of thing you would do in a communist country.
Funny thing about that, I remember reading somewhere that the USSR also had a pledge... that it made you say once. When you make people say it every day, especially when said people are often too young to understand what they're saying, it kinda loses all meaning. The book Catch-22 had a great bit about this with Captain Black's Glorious Loyalty Oath Crusade.
The only other country I can think of that made children recite a pledge of loyalty every day was... Well there's a reason we changed the way we do the salute now, isn't there?
I remember in grade school they also made us recite the state pledge daily. Unfortunately I forgot it. I looked it up and apparently it's "I salute the flag of the State of Oklahoma. Its symbols of peace unite all people." I could of sworn it was something different.
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The idea of having kids take a nationalist pledge every morning in school is always extremely jarring to me.
I've always thought that it was weird thing for America to have because it seems like the sort of thing you would do in a communist country.
Funny thing about that, I remember reading somewhere that the USSR also had a pledge... that it made you say once. When you make people say it every day, especially when said people are often too young to understand what they're saying, it kinda loses all meaning. The book Catch-22 had a great bit about this with Captain Black's Glorious Loyalty Oath Crusade.
The only other country I can think of that made children recite a pledge of loyalty every day was... Well there's a reason we changed the way we do the salute now, isn't there?
I remember in grade school they also made us recite the state pledge daily. Unfortunately I forgot it. I looked it up and apparently it's "I salute the flag of the State of Oklahoma. Its symbols of peace unite all people." I could of sworn it was something different.
I love the picture of kids doing the original salute to the flag. It says everything needing said.
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The idea of having kids take a nationalist pledge every morning in school is always extremely jarring to me.
I've always thought that it was weird thing for America to have because it seems like the sort of thing you would do in a communist country.
Well, it was created by a socialist.