Why do some Americans think America has to be the best in the world?
I think there are a few contributing factors. We're really kind of indoctrinated from a very early age to believe that. We recite the pledge every day, they tell us rather one-sided versions of our nation's history, often glossing over the worst parts of our atrocities, we're constantly told stories (both in school and in the media) about American heroes who preserved our way of life (as though we have it patented) and about the American Dream and really kind of led to believe that everyone in every other country in the world would rather be American — and we and the few immigrants we take are the lucky ones. If you grow up believing that, it's hard to wrap your head around the fact that Great Britain didn't fall into utter devastation when won our independence, that we did not, in fact, defeat the Nazis single-handedly or that we really aren't the only ones who live "in a free country." When you add to that how utterly uneducated some of us are about how our own country works, much less what's going on in other countries, you have a recipe for uneducated opinions about how awesome we really are on the sliding scale. Don't get me wrong, America is freaking awesome, it's just that we do need to understand that we're ages behind other countries in certain areas.I think it's also important to remember that we have a lot of people who don't have Internet access — either by choice because they don't care/don't know how to use it or because they can't afford it (or the devices one would use to search it), which is an invaluable tool for getting information that isn't disseminated to the lens of being American.And our relative isolation can't be discounted. Sometimes the only exposure we have to other places is what we see on TV (for better or worse) or the Internet (which isn't always accurate if we're getting it from U.S. sources) and I don't care how smart or open-minded you are, it's going to color what you would otherwise think. Europeans are very lucky in that way. Most Americans can't actually rectify that situation because it's a very expensive plane trip to do so. The Internet is helping because now we have the input from those who actually live there, but you do have to give it time. Things won't change overnight. We still have people who are attached to the Confederate flag.
Was Ian Smith better than Robert Mugabe?
your question is like who is more evil Stalin or Hitler? Mugabe and Ian Smith are no better than each other, whilst the economy wasnt bad during Ian's time the natives were oppressed, uneducated, segregated and practically not citizens in their own country now mugabe on the other hand oppresses people, the people are starving but at least people can walk into any shop or bar they want to, go anywhere and live anywhere (keep in mind, the poor people you seen on TV aren't really a 100% of the population of Zimbabwe, some people live decent lives) now im not saying mugabe is a good man but im saying he is just as bad as Smith Going back to my initial reply, contrary to popular belief hitler wasn't eviler (if thats a word), the media and the allies sensationalized everything bcoz hitler was the enemy and communist russia was an ally (soon to be enemy a couple of years later)
How do you know that Michelle Obama hates her country?
she said "for the first time in my adult life I'm really proud of my country." It's clear to me she didn't mean it like "until now, I hated my country, but now I don't." That's the way every conservative news channel is playing it though, and it's ridiculous and irresponsible. The problem is that you have to actually listen to the context of the talk, which is something that Obama slammers haven't been very good at lately. After the above quote comes "and not just because Barack is doing well. I think people are hungry for change...I feel privileged to be a part of this..." I don't know about you, but I don't think that stuff sounds anti-American at all. Here is a video of Michelle explaining her statement: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Xf1YEhvJbxU&f... here is a video of the speech in question: http://youtube.com/watch?v=LYY73RO_egw&f...
Do you think that Italy got the recognition they deserved?
No they didnt and I agree with Paolo maldini : Paolo Maldini has hit out at FIFA president Sepp Blatter for what he claims is an anti-Italian bias within world football's governing body. The Azzurri's record cap-winner said Blatter was wrong to turn down the chance to hand the World Cup to Fabio Cannavaro in July. Instead, Blatter let UEFA boss Lennart Johansson present football's greatest prize at the climax of a tournament organised by UEFA's biggest rivals. He believes FIFA's alleged antipathy towards Italy has been exacerbated by the recent calciopoli scandal that saw Juventus, AC Milan, Fiorentina, Lazio and Reggina found guilty on match-fixing charges. "What really bothered me was the way FIFA treated us in Berlin," Maldini told Panorama magazine. "Blatter didn't want to award us and said this has been a scandal which our federation didn't react to. "I have never seen anything like it. What is even worse is that Blatter keeps expressing very harsh comments about Italian football. http://www.eurosport.com/football/serie-a/2006-2007/sport_sto958857.shtml and other thing how come De rossi get banned for 4 mathces and Zidane got the best player award. ?
Are Americans a bit indoctrinated?
I wasn't exactly raised in the mainstream American culture: I never went to public school (instead, a mainly Italian-American Catholic school) or college, I wasn't really exposed to the media or pop culture. So, my perspective is different from a lot of people's. I think this gives me the ability to see things about this country others can't: Americans are very indoctrinated. You've GOT to send your kids to public schools starting in pre-school, you HAVE to allow them to date at 16. As adults, they HAVE to go to college, they're pressured into to having sex on their third dates with people they barely know, and using birth control, and if they get pregnant at an inconvenient time in their lives, abortion is presented as their best option. After they get married, they're taught they should only have two kids, and the mothers are pressured to work (I mean, if they want to, that's fine, but they shouldn't feel like they HAVE to). You know? I could go on, but you get my point. Also, kids are being desensitized to some disturbing things, such as sex and violence, by the media, that they should NOT have to deal with. I just thing American culture is very empty, cold, and shallow, and Americans are becoming very indoctrinated, and mindless. I'm by NO means Anti-American, but I'm not naive, either (ANOTHER problem Americans have, they're overly patriotic and can't see this country's flaws). What do you think? P.S. I am by NO means a Conservative radical (ahem, Conformism is ALSO something I'm against, which is common in America) and even though I was raised Catholic, I'm not all that religious anymore (sort of agnostic, is how I'd describe myself). I'm just traditional on certain topics