Lyan wrote: » @Blaze420 Of course it's not a perfect utopia. Such a thing is impossible. But you can't deny it's prosperity despite whatever flaws might tick you off. It will continue to lead the world economically and technologically for some time yet. And I believe those two areas are the most important in reducing suffering in the long term.
TuringBot47 wrote: » Have you actually been there or lived there ? Or are you just being spoon fed opinions from the media ? Blacks do make up a larger proportion of crime and even if you look in Ireland whenever some skanger is being arrested they're going to cry "Ah... you're breaking my arm etc...". But don't worry, Fianna Fail opened the floodgates of Africa in the Celtic Tiger years and we'll soon catch up.
Tell me how wrote: » Currently living there. Wouldn't call it a kip any more than any other country on the planet. Good and bad elements to it. Has an awful lot going for it if you are on the right side of the line whether that is in terms of ethnicity, income, education status etc but very difficult if you are disenfranchised in any way with respect to these elements. I agree with others who say that the current status has been exacerbated greatly by the current leader. The two party system is partly responsible for this as voters are very entrenched it seems and I think very few actually change their mind but an election can be determined based simply on who could be bothered more to vote. Worst thing I could say about the country is that right now I couldn't say with confidence that he will lose in November. If he is returned in November it is infinitely worse than him having won in the first place as now people would select him 'knowing' just what he brings to the table. And if he continues as President, the next 4 years will be jawdropping in terms of just how low he will bring the respect for the office before he takes off.
Mr. Karate wrote: » The poor in America can still manage to have the latest fashions, cell phones and games consoles. They don't know what true poverty is. If you can't make something of yourself in America [or any 1st World Country for that matter] than that's your fault.
ShatterAlan wrote: » Bullcrap man. Of developed nations America is near the bottom when it comes to social mobility. You have a much better chance of becoming better off in most European countries if you were born into poverty.
Kermit.de.frog wrote: » It's also the country that has achieved more for mankind than any other. It's also vast geographically, beautiful and built up on a bigger scale than anywhere else. People sometimes mention the lack of people with passports in the US but the reality is they don't need them. You can have a perfectly fulfilling life while never leaving the borders of the US. What you see on the news is also a large distortion of the country, most of it is perfectly fine with great people.
GY_1980 wrote: » Completely disagree. It’s easily the greatest country I’ve ever been. I’ve visited many of their cities and States. Hugely diverse place. What experiences are you basing your opinion on?
[Deleted User] wrote: » I always say that America is a great place to visit but I'd hate to live there.
ShatterAlan wrote: » What's your definition of "greatest"? It's a term bandied about that means absolutely nothing because you can trot it out without having to give any specifics. You can stand at a podium and blab "this is the greatest nation in the history of the universe" and not have to back up what you say and the plebs just lap it up. what does it actually mean?
ShatterAlan wrote: » Talk to people? For what? What are you going to learn from a cretin who thinks France is a muslim country? Come vist our village. Talk to our village idiot.
Andrewf20 wrote: » It depends where you are. It has great scenery, people are friendly, roads and infrastructure are great. Politics, the medical side of things (cost) and college fees are not so great. Fairly crap work life balance for alot of professionals too and social support is lousy.
ceadaoin. wrote: » Lived in the US for 7 years now. In my experience its nothing like what many on here think. Vast majority of people are good people just living their lives. They aren't constantly debating politics and fighting with each other, and they know how to pull together and help out when bad things happen. Yes it has its problems but the good outweighs the bad IMO and most people want change when it comes to the deep seated societal issues around race and poverty.
GY_1980 wrote: » It happened on a small few occasions on nights out where people would ask about my feelings on Trump, politics, etc. but I’d avoid the question and act ignorant about their politics. For the most part, I found Americans polite (much more polite than the average Irish person) and welcoming. Most of their cities have different cultures and atmospheres. I never felt unsafe there.
ShatterAlan wrote: » You would if you were black.
Thelonious Monk wrote: » My dealings with the police over there is that they are mini hitlers with power trips. I could never live there. I am not surprised at all that people are rioting when they have to live in the police state that it is.
Kermit.de.frog wrote: » It's a great country, very diverse. If you want to properly experience all that's truly great about it you need to rent a car and visit multiple states on the one visit.Like everywhere it has it's problems but it will always be the greatest country in the world in spite of them because of the ideal of fundamental freedoms behind it not granted elsewhere in the world. Those freedoms also include the freedom to fail and that's the trade. You do pay a severe price for failure over there unlike here. There is no 200 a week waiting for you at the post office if you don't want to work! That's the deal the citizens have. It's tough but it breeds innovation and risk taking like nowhere else.
ShatterAlan wrote: » A health system that values profit over life. A fcuk you, I'm alright attitude. A police force that makes the SS look like Hari Krishnas. A war machine that has killed maybe 10 or 15 million innocent civilians since WW2. A complete disregard for internal law and treaties. A complete disregard for the environment. A complete disregard oppressed people worldwide as long as the oppressors are paying tribute. A political system that has legal bribery.
ShatterAlan wrote: » A police force that makes the SS look like Hari Krishnas.
Kermit.de.frog wrote: » Yeah but it's easy to poke a country with actual responsibilities in the world from a country like Ireland which, eh, doesn't.
We can hide and be on the side of the angels on everything.
Ironic we only have that luxury due to the protection the US extends over the western world. Would they ever get credit from certain people in Ireland? Of course not.
Where are all the criticisms from Irish people of Russian, and Chinese human rights abuses? Silence is deafening.
Kermit.de.frog wrote: » Yeah but it's easy to poke a country with actual responsibilities in the world from a country like Ireland which, eh, doesn't. We can hide and be on the side of the angels on everything. Ironic we only have that luxury due to the protection the US extends over the western world. Would they ever get credit from certain people in Ireland? Of course not. Where are all the criticisms from Irish people of Russian, and Chinese human rights abuses? Silence is deafening.
jam_mac_jam wrote: » But completely behind you on China and Russia. China is a cesspool of human rights and nobody mentions it. Tibet ffs.
[Deleted User] wrote: » In terms of governmental objections.. what can they do? The UN has been a paper tiger forever. Governments make objections, but they'll be, for the most part, ignored. url]https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/joint-statement-on-xinjiang[/url China is criticised quite often in western media (google away), and by western governments... but China will ignore them because it's just hot air. There's little to no chance of it being backed up. Americans aren't going to want to see body bags coming home from trying protect the rights of Muslims in China.. it's really that simple. And I doubt Irish people would be either if they had to commit engaging in a war. It's just more posturing, hoping someone else will do the dirty work for them.
jam_mac_jam wrote: » Oh no I am not saying the US should do anything. I meant that we all moan about what the US does but China gets away with murder. Sorry if I didn't explain properly I was replying to the Kermets point.
DeanAustin wrote: » You think every American thinks that? I do have to laugh at people who subscribe to the "Americans are so dumb, they see nothing outside their country" school of thought. It's horse****. Most Americans I've spoken to, like pretty much any other nationality, are quite intelligent and have a good grasp on what's going on in the world. There's an argument for America and an argument against it. For sure, there is a race problem there and the fault-line gets exposed very, very easily. I've seen it in California and Texas most of all and they aren't the worst places to be black by all accounts. The two party system has polarised politics to the point that there is no point to it anymore. If you're Republican, Trump could wipe his arse with the Stars and Stripes and you'd vote for him. The Democrats are no better. But there are a lot of great things in the States too. They've given the world a lot in terms of industry/technology, art/music, sport and in so many other fields. It's a wonderful place to visit. California and New York are incredible. For what it is, Vegas is the best place on earth. So much of the rest of the country looks to be beautiful. They do theme parks, historic memorials and that sort of thing much better than anyone else on the planet. It has its problems and I can see why people wouldn't like America but it's not a ****hole. There are countries around the world that are indisputably much worse.
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