# America: The Same; Lame; or Better?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-the-same-lame-or-better/17270>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [January 1, 2000, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-the-same-lame-or-better/17270 "2000-01-01T04:20:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![David\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/51bf81/32.png) [@David\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_B)\
**Post date:** [January 2, 2000, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-the-same-lame-or-better/17270/41 "2000-01-02T19:18:00Z")

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Absolutely correct, Lib. They would have been just as bad if they added “under no God” to the pledge.

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**Author:** ![special](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/special)\
**Post date:** [January 2, 2000, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-the-same-lame-or-better/17270/42 "2000-01-02T19:31:00Z")

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{sigh} bosda, i tend to disagree that tattoo you mentioned is a good thing as it would tend to confirm to the world at large just what a mess we have disguised as a public school system. it should say, of course, 'we’re done pretty **well**. let’s hope we can do better. {bigger sigh}

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The purpose of life is to matter, to count, to have it make a difference you lived at all.

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**Author:** ![Surgoshan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Surgoshan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surgoshan)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2000, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-the-same-lame-or-better/17270/43 "2000-01-03T04:10:00Z")

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Well, special, my take on what Bosda said (the way I see it that is favorable) is that that belief gives Americans pride in their country while still giving them the desire to improve it. Complacency is one of the few sins I know of.

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**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\
**Post date:** [January 19, 2000, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-the-same-lame-or-better/17270/44 "2000-01-19T03:08:00Z")

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Let’s kick this up to the top, & try to get some more opinions.

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“Show me a sane man, and I will cure him for you.”----Jung

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**Author:** ![Krispy\_Original](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ec9cab/32.png) [@Krispy\_Original](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Krispy_Original)\
**Post date:** [January 19, 2000, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-the-same-lame-or-better/17270/45 "2000-01-19T07:00:00Z")

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I really love living in America.

I have a very good long-time friend that now lives in Brazil and at least once per year he tries to convince me to move there.

I try to be patient and polite with him when he gets on this tangent, but the truth is, I’ll never choose to live anywhere else.

I’m very happy with the “American” way of life. I don’t want to have to learn another language. I’d miss the NBA, the NFL, and especially MLB. I’d miss our stores and the variety and relative low cost of consumer goods. In general, I’d miss US culture.

I doubt that I could feel as secure outside the US as I do here. I live in a part of the US that has very low crime. Heck, we still leave our front door unlocked most of the time.

Yes, I’m proud of this country and I really appreciate being able to live here.

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Krispy Original – voted SDMB’s 19th most popular poster (1999)

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**Author:** ![TomH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/90db22/32.png) [@TomH](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TomH)\
**Post date:** [January 19, 2000, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-the-same-lame-or-better/17270/46 "2000-01-19T11:20:00Z")

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I came here from the [Why are Americans so disliked worldwide?](http://www.straightdope.com/ubb/Forum7/HTML/001001.html) thread. The two or three rabid American nationalists who were posting in that thread seem for some reason to be absent here.

Lucky,

> [@](#):
>
> If Christianity were established as the national religion here, it would be taught in schools, laws reflecting Christian morality would be passed, state monies would be given to support churches and much of our admirable diversity … would be lost.

As David B has pointed out, we have an established church in England. I don’t think our laws reflect Christian morality any more than they do in the USA. If anything, I get the impression that British _culture_ is less overtly Christian than American. I believe, for example, that church attendance rates are much lower. It is also much less common to hear politicians use overtly religious language.

No state monies are given to support churches, either, though there is state support for religious schools of a number of different types (mostly C of E, RC, Muslim and Jewish).

I’m not saying that an established religion is a _good_ thing, just that it needn’t take the form you describe.

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