"America is not the greatest country in the world anymore"

[HomerJS]

AMEN. At least for me. What say ye? Not going to make a poll. Since this is from 2012 add to that mass shootings, school shootings and guns, the #1 cause of death to children. And we are on a steady decline.

 

[soulcougher73]

AMEN. At least for me. What say ye? Not going to make a poll. Since this is from 2012 add to that mass shootings, school shootings and guns, the #1 cause of death to children. And we are on a steady decline.

Love that show and scene. Oldie, but a still relevant goodie.

 

[the actual truth]

The decline of America all started with the introduction of crop-tops and revealing clothing in America. We didn't have this abortion madness before that. Now with female high schoolers wearing such clothing, all male classmates can think of is breasts, the female body, and sex. This is what leads to teenage pregnancy. Why do the high school females wear such revealing clothing, if they want to wear revealing clothing, then why not they just take of everything and just run around naked.

I only allow my teenage daughter to wear turttle neck shirt to school here in NYC. I also check her bag everyday to make sure she did not buy her own crop top or revealing clothing, and told her that if I ever find out that she does that, I would disown her.

 

[nakedfrog]

The decline of America all started with the introduction of crop-tops and revealing clothing in America. We didn't have this abortion madness before that. Now with female high schoolers wearing such clothing, all male classmates can think of is breasts, the female body, and sex. This is what leads to teenage pregnancy. Why do the high school females wear such revealing clothing, if they want to wear revealing clothing, then why not they just take of everything and just run around naked.

I only allow my teenage daughter to wear turttle neck shirt to school here in NYC. I also check her bag everyday to make sure she did not buy her own crop top or revealing clothing, and told her that if I ever find out that she does that, I would disown her.

I find your ideas fascinating and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

 

[Homerboy]

The decline of America all started with the introduction of crop-tops and revealing clothing in America. We didn't have this abortion madness before that. Now with female high schoolers wearing such clothing, all male classmates can think of is breasts, the female body, and sex. This is what leads to teenage pregnancy. Why do the high school females wear such revealing clothing, if they want to wear revealing clothing, then why not they just take of everything and just run around naked.

I only allow my teenage daughter to wear turttle neck shirt to school here in NYC. I also check her bag everyday to make sure she did not buy her own crop top or revealing clothing, and told her that if I ever find out that she does that, I would disown her.

Going to need some pics of crop tops before I make a judgment.

 

[Pens1566]

We peaked around the time of the moon landing TBH. Maybe a slight, short plateau after that, but Nixon onward has arguably been a steady decline. Momentum does seem to be building quickly though.

 

[Roger Wilco]

When America was the “greatest,” was it also the greatest for non-white people?

 

[eelw]

For its technological and economical world impact, of course it’s the greatest. But if you’re talking about Americans the people, lol they were never considered great. Tribal savages in the rainforest are more civilized than the average American

 

[Shmee]

We certainly have some issues, but even so, IDK if there is a better one yet. There are just so many problems on this rock. If you know of a better country, please do tell!

 

[Leeea]

The decline of America all started with the introduction of crop-tops and revealing clothing in America. We didn't have this abortion madness before that. Now with female high schoolers wearing such clothing, all male classmates can think of is breasts, the female body, and sex. This is what leads to teenage pregnancy. Why do the high school females wear such revealing clothing, if they want to wear revealing clothing, then why not they just take of everything and just run around naked.

I only allow my teenage daughter to wear turttle neck shirt to school here in NYC. I also check her bag everyday to make sure she did not buy her own crop top or revealing clothing, and told her that if I ever find out that she does that, I would disown her.

Tell us more?

 

[Moonbeam]

The decline of America all started with the introduction of crop-tops and revealing clothing in America. We didn't have this abortion madness before that. Now with female high schoolers wearing such clothing, all male classmates can think of is breasts, the female body, and sex. This is what leads to teenage pregnancy. Why do the high school females wear such revealing clothing, if they want to wear revealing clothing, then why not they just take of everything and just run around naked.

I only allow my teenage daughter to wear turttle neck shirt to school here in NYC. I also check her bag everyday to make sure she did not buy her own crop top or revealing clothing, and told her that if I ever find out that she does that, I would disown her.

Are you sure the problem with America isn't psychiatry. When I told one of those weirdos the problem with America is just the kind of thing you describe here, she told me that the actual problem was that I had been traumatized as a child to believe that my sexual feelings for, in my case females, was dirty and evil and if I ever allowed myself to feel them I would go straight to hell. She told me too that as a result of repressing sexual feelings and imagining them to be sinful that, because I wanted to see myself as a good person and not sinful, I would do something she called projection. She said that because I could not see sex as anything but temptation that would send me to hell, I would blame that temptation not on the trauma of my childhood but on women in general, that I would blame them for making me feel a lust for sex. She warned me too that my obsession with sex I could easily pass onto my children and that I should continue to pay her for her help.

So fair warning: If you want to trade your notions that women are there to tempt you for having healthy sexual relations, it will cost you your sexual excitement watching porn. Who the hell wants to watch other people play make believe that sexual pleasure comes from it being dirty, when it is really it is all about the sacred experience of love.

 

[Leeea]

We certainly have some issues, but even so, IDK if there is a better one yet. There are just so many problems on this rock. If you know of a better country, please do tell!

I think it depends on how we judge the US.

In percentage terms, the USA performs poorly
But in absolute terms it is still very much a great nation in every aspect.

For example:
In terms of GDP or per person, Poland has given well over 100x the US has to assisted Ukraine.
But in terms of total aid, the US has given Ukraine 31x more aid.


Another example:
The US has a substandard inequitable education system, but the system it does have is so large it is still able to turn out massive numbers of highly educated people.


Which I think is what allows the US to retain its position. In terms of scale, it is massive, and even ok governance obtains greatness by virtue of size.

 

[biostud]

I think that at all times, people will think of the past society as a better society than it really was.

I think there are many great things about US and it citizens, but I prefer living in Denmark and how we have built our society.

 

[Leeea]

AMEN. At least for me. What say ye? Not going to make a poll. Since this is from 2012 add to that mass shootings, school shootings and guns, the #1 cause of death to children. And we are on a steady decline.

We can decline for a long, long time before it becomes an issue.


But are we actually in decline?

Our society is becoming more diverse, and with diversity comes resilience.

Our society is becoming more transparent, and with transparency comes awareness of corruption.

Our society is becoming more interconnected, and with communication comes understanding.


In the past we perceived our society in terms of ignorance. Now, we see it for what it is. With that new awareness some people perceive society in decline as illusions are dispelled. Perfect illusions are replaced with acknowledgements of reality. This is perceived as decline.


With the dispelling of illusion, we become aware of societies failures. With that awareness people work to repair them. Other people are predisposed to accept them. Society is changing for the better everywhere. Perhaps not fast enough, but far faster then anyone would have imagined.


This is a time of rapid and extreme change. We live in interesting times, cursed by the old proverb. Society is taking a massive and sustained leap forward. This creates uncertainty which creates discomfort. It is not an easy time, but it is an amazing time in which we can see the potential for the future.

 

[HomerJS]

We can decline for a long, long time before it becomes an issue.


But are we actually in decline?

This country is definitely more racist then 15 years ago. I don't know if you consider that decline.

 

[biostud]

I think it depends on how we judge the US.

In percentage terms, the USA performs poorly
But in absolute terms it is still very much a great nation in every aspect.

For example, in terms of GDP or per person, Poland has given well over 100x the US has to assisted Ukraine.
But in terms of total aid, the US has given Ukraine 31x more aid.


Another example:
The US has a substandard inequitable education system, but the system it does have is so large it is still able to turn out massive numbers of highly educated people.


Which I think is what allows the US to retain its position. In terms of scale, it is massive, and even ok governance obtains greatness by virtue of size.

When I thought political science to my students, I always tried to emphasize the vast differences in US. It is such a huge country, roughly 40% of the US GDP is generated in the 5 richest states. But to my understanding the cultural differences has also been growing in the last decades.

 

[uallas5]

The decline of America all started with the introduction of crop-tops and revealing clothing in America. We didn't have this abortion madness before that. Now with female high schoolers wearing such clothing, all male classmates can think of is breasts, the female body, and sex. This is what leads to teenage pregnancy. Why do the high school females wear such revealing clothing, if they want to wear revealing clothing, then why not they just take of everything and just run around naked.

I only allow my teenage daughter to wear turttle neck shirt to school here in NYC. I also check her bag everyday to make sure she did not buy her own crop top or revealing clothing, and told her that if I ever find out that she does that, I would disown her.

I'm confused...I thought it was rap music, marijuana, and violent video games?

 

[Leeea]

This country is definitely more racist then 15 years ago. I don't know if you consider that decline.

I disagree.

The country has always been this racist or more. Just because we ended segregation in 1950 does not mean that racism magically disappeared.

There have always been racist people in the US, in large quantity:
In the recent past they had no outlet for their racism. With social media comes the ability to express hatred. They were always with us, we just did not realize it.

In the past people did not realize they were expressing racist attitudes. Implicit Racial Bias was not even on their radar.

In the past people did not understand systemic* racism even existed. Now CRT is center stage debate.



In short, racism was always with us, but it was hidden, giving the illusion it was taken care of. But even when hidden, it rotted and corrupted our society. Now we can see it, and we react to the stench of hate with horror.

This may give the perception that racism is worse then ever. But that is not true, it is simply a matter of now it is out in the open where we can see it, smell it, and deal with it.



*think about it, 10 years ago nobody even knew about systemic racism as an issue. Now, 50% of the population accepts it, and yes, 50% rejects it. But 50% accepting it, that is a massive improvement over 100% being unaware and thereby incapable of caring.

 

[Moonbeam]

We certainly have some issues, but even so, IDK if there is a better one yet. There are just so many problems on this rock. If you know of a better country, please do tell!

As a graphics card renders the image a program creates, is not also the view of the world we imagine in our heads the result of some sort of program? We know that a programmer creates a program to perform some intention the programmer has. What is the intention of the programmer who creates the program that creates the world in our heads? Is it not the intention to picture the world according to how we feel? Do we really know what we feel or is there such a thing as not being always conscious of them? Perhaps how we picture the world accords with what we feel we deserve. And what if the world is actually perfect but the problem is that we were programmed never to feel it?

 

[nakedfrog]

I'm confused...I thought it was rap music, marijuana, and violent video games?

Crop tops probably led to all of those, if I had to guess.

 

[Jaskalas]

When America was the “greatest,” was it also the greatest for non-white people?

No it was not. But the two issues are unrelated.
America going to shit is going to harm everyone.

 

[Roger Wilco]

No it was not. But the two issues are unrelated.
America going to shit is going to harm everyone.

I know this has been asked a million times in a million different ways, but what metrics define America as being the "greatest," and why are those specific metrics chosen?

It seems like much of America's greatness was built on Smallpox, slavery, foreign wars, racial oppression, etc.

 

[Moonbeam]

At this moment America is the pungent sweet smell of a Phalaenopsis orchid sitting on my kitchen table, the gentle cool air blowing into the open window Charlie Cat is peering out of, while Cloudy cat trys to bat the typing that is appearing on the computer screen she is intently peering at and the clacking of keys, the perfect cloudless blue sky outside, the bushes and trees waving is the breeze. The cats have now settled down and all is quiet on the Western front. America at the moment is perfect.

 

[IronWing]

I'm confused...I thought it was rap music, marijuana, and violent video games?

Nope.

Selena Gomez worships Satan

Shameful, whore-brat, she-devil... Selena Gomez Selena Gomez sang it first, and then Katy Perry... the song is called ROCK GOD! This evil and sensual song praising male Rock band members, the demonic influence of Rock music, mocking preaching-preachers, promoting rebellion, and blaspheming God...

forums.anandtech.com

 

[mikeymikec]

The decline of America all started with the introduction of crop-tops and revealing clothing in America. We didn't have this abortion madness before that. Now with female high schoolers wearing such clothing, all male classmates can think of is breasts, the female body, and sex. This is what leads to teenage pregnancy. Why do the high school females wear such revealing clothing, if they want to wear revealing clothing, then why not they just take of everything and just run around naked.

I only allow my teenage daughter to wear turttle neck shirt to school here in NYC. I also check her bag everyday to make sure she did not buy her own crop top or revealing clothing, and told her that if I ever find out that she does that, I would disown her.

Please confirm that this post is satirical.