America

As a non-American, I appreciate that some may think that I am attacking their country and thus feel protective of it. It is not intended to be an attack. Honest.
So, ahem...
While American politicians often seem to refer to America as being the greatest force for good in the world, and it doubtless has many strengths (no doubt, despite the right wing scum in power, ordinary Americans are free when compared to their counterparts in many other countries, for example).
However, some also see America as being full of corruption, and interfering when its influence is neither needed nor wanted.
My question to you is thus:
America- force for good or ill?
I don't mean the American people in general, I mean the political and military force that is America- the government, the army, etc. Is America the land of the free, or is George W Bush merely a dictator over the "free" world?

The United States is corrupt, but then again, so are all nations.

The US is just way more corrupt.

Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Originally posted by Deja~vu
Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Money = power.

The US has become a pretty shitty country..started off as a great concept then ruined, like most other good things.

If I had the opportunity to move I would love to go someplace else for a while.

Me too and I'm seriously thinking about it!

Americans are among the finest/diverse group of people you will ever meet. You can go to downtown Harlem, backwoods Alabama or anywhere in between and meet some of the best folks who will treat you like a member of their own family.

America's government, however, is not representative of it's people. I wouldn't say it's a force of good or ill either one. It simply does whatever it deems benificial to itself regardless of the outcome to other nations. If it's going to help america to step into Darfour......we'll do it. If it's not going to benefit America to step in....we won't, and haven't.

America's government, however, is not representative of it's people

Truer words were never said!

America makes me think of a self-important and self-righteous country that is destroying itself through its own greed and pride. Of course, I don't know all the details, but it seems to me that America's been upsetting a lot of other countries for no reason other than wealth. They're also destroying their own economy, which could lead to an economic collapse. Also, they have an enormous debt, the biggest chunk of which is owed to the most anti-American countries in the world.

Any American who wants to leave, just come up to Canada. We're not as much a joke as the media says we are. We're still in the G7, you know.

What would make the most sense would be to point out that the American government is comprised, democrat and republican alike, of people..."citizens"...that have little to no interest in the people they are supposed to actually represent, most often. Most of these people are interested in keeping America "great" as a means to further their personal stake in that nation being "great". I honestly believe in Mr. Obama being a force for change. But I also honestly fear that getting that power given to them by the Joe Six Packs and the purported Intelligentsia of this country will open their eyes to the corruption that is possible for them; to the greed that would tempt anyone in their position, save a very few exceptional instances. We often hear this tagline of experience. But neither of them knows what it's like to be president. Neither of them have; none of the four people on the tickets. But the American people have to make their descision based on the qualities the candidates actually bring to the situation. It isn't how they voted or what colour they are or who they did or didn't screw.

China is often touted, as I've said and seen before in other threads, as a nation of 1 billion atheists. But the position of the Chinese government does not accurately represent the minds and lives of all of those 1 billion people.

In this country we have a candidate that is bright enough to realize that he isn't just himself, but a man who represents the idea that someone that isn't an old white dude or a man can do that job. Women have proven to be just as corruptable or self concerned as any man; Palin or Clinton or Ghandi or Thatcher. But at this moment, in this country, under these circumstances, the performance of the American president makes a difference to the possiblitity of anyone that follows him. In my opinion, we're lucky it's this man at this moment.

I look forawrd to the insults to my intelligence or integrity or party line consideration as a result of that statement.

I've always wonder....why is America always the main topic? I mean is the UK really that boring? Do they have ANYTHING important for the rest of the world? What about Canada?..Oh, Canada....nvm. How about Australia or New Zealand or one of those lands under....how come they're not as popular?

Well, who knows...America is the hot dish. Everyone knows about their politics, lifestyle, music, blah, blah, blah....It's always America (i.e. the U.S.)

Maybe we are too important for the rest of you.

I'm evil btw....

Go figure..

[Edit note] I forgot about Japan...

...Japan is the best...better food, video games, porn, game shows.

Japan>Your country.

Oh, your a good boy. You don't watch porn. LOL Don't ruin my image of you. 🙁 😂

Originally posted by Deja~vu
Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

What is absolute power?

Being the president isn't exactly akin to be allpowerful.

I never mentioned any one name.

Originally posted by lord xyz
The United States is corrupt, but then again, so are all nations.

The US is just way more corrupt.

You need to travel more and/or pull your head out of your ass. Just in the Americas, Argentina and Mexico are levels above (government) corruption than the U.S.

I'm only inclined to speak about a country if I've seen a lot of it. Having travelled around a lot of the East side of America, I had very few positive experiences. However, I intend to travel to the West soon and see what I make of that.

I think a lot of the negative experiences stemmed from me trying my best to associate with people my own age there. The fact seems to be, given the different legal and social climate that we grow up in - that teenagers from the U.S and the U.K are at very different levels of maturity.

As for the politics of it: people from the U.K are massively quick to raise the topic of Iraq, without pausing to think that we're in Iraq as well. I consider the U.K to be nearly, if not as bad in terms of silly knee jerk politics.

Phrases alluding the the US as the "greatest force for good in the world" are empty rhetoric that politicians have to use if they want to get the masses on their side. The moment one side says "America is more awesome than everyone else" the other has no choice but to respond in kind or lose the support of the idiot masses that vote based on who they want to have a beer with.

Originally posted by WrathfulDwarf
[Edit note] I forgot about Japan...

...Japan is the best...better food, video games, porn, game shows.

Japan>Your country.

Japanese porn is only better after American hackers get rid of the censoring.

Well it is true that the United States is the most richest, most powerful, most technologically advanced, nation on the planet, with the greatest military ever, that's ever existed out of any nation that's ever been created or that's existed in human history on this planet. It's 10X's grander and greater than the Rome Empire was, at it's peak.

There's no denying that. The kicker is, is that America's, i think, the planets' youngest nation. What's even remarkable is that (grampa) Great Britain was the premier world power until the 1890's until the (infant) United States demandingly took over in the very early 20th century.

It's a great country. We're not all perfect here in the US, and some of it's people can be ignorant no matter the creed, but most are good for the most part, and always willing to help, but there's no where else i'd rather be.

I do believe that our gov't, it's premier, it's leaders and their money men are the biggest contributors of stress on this country, as we can see now.

Some of the significant reasons, to me, are: party politics, too many unnecessary levels of bureaucracy, greed, inconsideration, and a lack of vision, and some god-da*med balls.

Saying that most the population are good is quite a claim. Also, I always wonder when people say there's no where else they'd rather be, have you been anywhere else?

Originally posted by chillmeistergen
Saying that most the population are good is quite a claim. Also, I always wonder when people say there's no where else they'd rather be, have you been anywhere else?

Jamaica
Kenya (none of the tourist packages)
Landed in Heathrow Airport twice
Mexico (tourist trip)
Canada
All across the US

I have issues, so I wouldn't really want to move somewhere other than where I live unless it was really really awesome.