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RE: Is America the greatest country
December 10, 2015 at 3:40 pm
(This post was last modified: December 10, 2015 at 3:43 pm by Alex K.)
The US are still a strangely intruguing country to us crammed together Europeans, maybe because of its promise of possibility and free space, and a certain hard to grasp air of glamour, myth and national spirit. However, its infrastructure is terrible, the legal and prison system is a joke, gun violence is rampant, worker's rights are in a sorry state, and soo many people live in such bad conditions, e.g. concerning health and social protection. Still, having lived there, I get its charm.
The fool hath said in his heart, There is a God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
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RE: Is America the greatest country
December 10, 2015 at 3:43 pm
(December 10, 2015 at 2:26 pm)FreeTony Wrote: Would Americans really be annoyed if a political candidate said that America isn't the greatest country?
I don't think my country is the best, though it's a pretty good place to live
People say the country's gone down the crapper all the time, right before they promise to make it great again.
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RE: Is America the greatest country
December 10, 2015 at 3:46 pm
I've never lived in the US, but I've visited on several occasions. While to the average non-USian, America may seem frightening or intimidating, it can be a surprising treat for the connoisseur of arrogant, obese loudmouths in ugly clothes.
Boru
‘But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods or no gods. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.’ - Thomas Jefferson
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RE: Is America the greatest country
December 10, 2015 at 3:46 pm
America is a very good country that is not the best country.
A few ways of looking at it: maybe the best country is where the average person is the richest. That's Luxembourg.
Maybe the best country is where the people are the happiest. That's, what, Iceland? Definitely the Scandinavia region.
Maybe the best country is where people live the longest. Again, Scandinavia plus Japan.
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RE: Is America the greatest country
December 10, 2015 at 3:47 pm
Charming, Boru, charming 
The fool hath said in his heart, There is a God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
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RE: Is America the greatest country
December 10, 2015 at 3:48 pm
(December 10, 2015 at 3:46 pm)TheRealJoeFish Wrote: America is a very good country that is not the best country.
A few ways of looking at it: maybe the best country is where the average person is the richest. That's Luxembourg.
Maybe the best country is where the people are the happiest. That's, what, Iceland? Definitely the Scandinavia region.
Maybe the best country is where people live the longest. Again, Scandinavia plus Japan.
Maybe the best country is where people achieve great things while being reasonably happy.
The fool hath said in his heart, There is a God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
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RE: Is America the greatest country
December 10, 2015 at 3:50 pm
(December 10, 2015 at 3:46 pm)BrianSoddingBoru4 Wrote: America may seem frightening or intimidating, it can be a surprising treat for the connoisseur of arrogant, obese loudmouths in ugly clothes.
Boru
Then you've met my extended family? Aren't you glad you aren't me?
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RE: Is America the greatest country
December 10, 2015 at 3:55 pm
(This post was last modified: December 10, 2015 at 3:56 pm by TheRealJoeFish.)
(December 10, 2015 at 3:48 pm)Quantum Wrote: (December 10, 2015 at 3:46 pm)TheRealJoeFish Wrote: America is a very good country that is not the best country.
A few ways of looking at it: maybe the best country is where the average person is the richest. That's Luxembourg.
Maybe the best country is where the people are the happiest. That's, what, Iceland? Definitely the Scandinavia region.
Maybe the best country is where people live the longest. Again, Scandinavia plus Japan.
Maybe the best country is where people achieve great things while being reasonably happy.
Well, I think this is correct, of course. Coming up with a metric is gonna be... difficult.
The Human Development Index tries to combine lots of these things. Its top 10 countries in terms of quality of life are:
1. Norway
2. Australia
3. Switzeland
4. Netherlands
5. USA
6. Germany
7. New Zealand
8. Canada
9. Singapore
10. Denmark
So, that's my answer, tentatively: the USA might be about the 5th-best country.
Edited to add: 1) source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Development_Index 2) the HDI uses data regarding life expectancy, economic success, and education.
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RE: Is America the greatest country
December 10, 2015 at 3:56 pm
That isn't us.
The Prevalence of Mental Health Disorders Across the Globe
The incidence of mental health disorders varies widely across the globe, and determining the patterns is tricky. After the U.S., Ukraine, Colombia, New Zealand, Lebanon, and France have the next highest rates of mental health disorders of any kind, all falling between 18.9 percent and 21.4 percent in a 12-month period. Japan, the People’s Republic of China, Nigeria, and Israel have the lowest rates (between 6.0 percent and 7.4 percent), especially for depression. For substance abuse, the U.S. is up there, but not the highest: We are topped by South Africa and Ukraine. As with the U.S., when you look at lifetime prevalence in any country, the risk for any disorder goes way up.
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archiv...35/#slide5
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RE: Is America the greatest country
December 10, 2015 at 4:00 pm
Best country for who? If a well-educated white person with money can pick anywhere's in the world to live, the US is a pretty good one.
A poorly educated black person without money, you could probably find somewhere else that still isn't recovering from slavery, that'll do a better job keeping you afloat, while educating your children.
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