Senate Ender Sigh's Srs Biz lol @ Murica Thread

This is where Ender Sigh will discuss "bona fide and serious concepts" that his other thread for ragging on 'Murica can't handle.

JCC - lol @ Murica, satire edition
Senate - Srs biz anti-murica, circle jerk edition

Have at it...

 

You Americans talk funny. Discuss.

 

Thanks Harps. Much needed.

*You Americans done talk funny.

 

Goan, GIT, dp.

I would actually like to talk American-centric thought v American exceptionalism if anyone is interested. All serious and no lol @ etc

 

For reference:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americentrism
vs
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_exceptionalism

 

American exceptionalism is the theory that the United States is qualitatively different from other nations.
Americentrism is the idea or perceived bias to judge other cultures and nations by American standards or to center around the United States in news.

I would contend that the former informs American foreign policy, and the latter keeps that policy from bearing positive fruit.
The former informs current American gun laws, the latter keeps it from changing.
All in all, quite the toxic combination.

Not all Americans hold these ideas - far from it. But it seems many fear discussing or even considering these ideas, which perpetuates them.

 

Heck, you done goofed with that there vernacularism.

 

It will take Americans a while to catch up with the idea that the American century is over, and that we may not rotate back in for another century any time soon. The good news about continued military overextension is that it will accelerate our economic decline. The bad news in the short run is that it will make us even more dangerous and militarily aggressive.

The lack of infrastructure spending, poor investment in education, and income inequality will also accelerate our relative decline.

Also we may crash the global financial system one or two more times on our way down.

 

Not to worry. China has its own real estate bubble. If we don't step up to the plate and cause another economic crisis, they'll be happy to do it for us.

 

Hey, it works for Russia!

 

Yeah, we're one good viral pandemic away from REALLY not being able to fill those Chinese ghost cities....

 

But I'm curious as to why, and this forum is a great place to view it, Americans feel like anything American is inherently normative. No other culture that I've encountered excepting maybe, in a strange way, the inwards-facing Chinese has a similar lack of understanding or even empathy for cultural values - and China's position is more akin to "we are sure you have different customs, we just don't care. Sod off".

 

Probably because the American's have had such power for so long (I'm not sure the America's were always this way) and - unlike Britian when it was the 'superpower' - Americans don't really need to interact with many other cultures in their everyday lives. I mean Canada is very similar and Mexico isn't all that different from some of the culture in the southern USA. Typically when a new culture arrives in America it adapts to the 'American culture' meaning the Americans, in an ironic way, never really see a distinctly different culture whilst in America. For instance they may see the Italian culture but this is always a hybrid. So, for this reason, I think Americas find distinct cultures 'strange'.

 

I think my fellow Americans cling to the idea that we're the greatest because if we're not then their entire worldview will shatter. I also tend to think that the criticism we receive makes us more inward facing. It's counter-intuitive, but it's like someone that attacks your family without really trying to know them. So, in the spirit of 'defending your family' we kinda...defend it--even the crappy bits. "**** you! We'll eat this g-damn fried Mars bar you effete ***holes!" Kinda like that whenever someone criticizes our taste in foods or anything else uniquely American. I know I'm not the most patriotic American there is, but even I get a little irritated when someone criticizes my country without trying to know it.

 

Working at Walmart makes me hate America.

 

How does one reconcile the idea that America is "qualitatively different from other nations" with the idea that "all men are created equal"?

 

In my opinion, it's a matter of uber-capitalist culture but also a matter or geography. I can't speak for China, but the US at least is so dang huge that for many people (hello, Midwest!) there is no exposure to other cultures. They'd have to actively seek it out, and because of low-wage jobs/no paid holidays, lack of infrastructure, and massive geography--why bother?

 

I hate Walmart's "sick" policy.

 

Internets, this Walmart stuff should go in the jcc 'Murica thread, or the best friends club thread.

 

Australia is the same size as America, land-mass wise, and with an equally varied though less arable geography. It's also more isolated. Yet that attitude doesn't exist here...

 

I don't know which areas you guys have visited in the US (if any), but yes, there are some places that have limited exposure to other cultures, but several areas are very diverse. There are a lot of assumptions and generalizations going on here.

 

Wut?

3,805,927 sq mi
2,969,907 sq mi

That's not close.

Even just counting land, that's not close (3.5mm square miles).

I mean, Australia is 6th and 7th is a steeeeeeeeeeeeeeep drop-off, but you don't have to claim you live in New York City while actually living in the New Jersey suburbs, dude. You're better than that.