Does the US Lead in Anything?

[Peanut_Gallery]

I’m just here to be contrary. This thread is lists of generalities about America’s grandeur, but many of them gloss over some details.

“Best in math and science by Nobel prizes” is one thing, but how do American kids’ test scores or interest levels compare?

“Best healthcare.” Why not best life expectancy? We’re Best in obesity for sure. possibly diabetes too. and only Best Healthcare if you can afford it…

“Best military.” as already pointed out, could be interpreted a variety of ways.

“Best Universities.” How well do we make use of them relative to other countries? Best college graduation rates?

“Best Economy.” Best Debt?

“Best Justice System.” Most prisoners by any measure.
I read an article on this years ago… re: how America tends to be either at the very top of the heap or the very bottom when it comes to international comparisons like these. For every example of being The Best, there’s another example of being The Worst, or at least an embarrassing 62nd place or something…

[Terrifel]

@dgrdfd

Doom and gloom everywhere I go about the US.

Ah, don’t fret. You’re just not reading the thread with the proper musical accompaniment.

See? Doesn’t that feel like a world of difference?

[sailor]

@MOIDALIZE

I wonder how much the average Russian or Chinese soldier makes in wages and benefits compared to the average U.S. soldier. I imagine the difference would be significant.

What does that have to do with what I posted? The fact is America spends as % of GDP much more than most, if not all, other countries. It has more carriers than the rest of the world as has been said. etc. Why this need? Who is going to invade America if it halved its military budget? My point is that I am troubled by this common attitude of many Americans taking so much pride in their military spending and might. Specially when large portions of the population could use the money for better purposes and when America is doing all that military spending on credit and running up a huge deficit. It just seems to me foolish.

To me Americans who boast “we’re #1 militarily and we can beat the crap out of any country who annoys us” I consider little better than street punks. Sure they can beat my ass and I’ll try not to cross them but I have no respect for them. To me they are scum.

[dgrdfd]

@Peanut_Gallery

“Best Universities.” How well do we make use of them relative to other countries? Best college graduation rates?

That’s not terribly relevant because maybe, and I don’t known nor do I care to look up, the US sends a larger percentage of its people to college? Then it’s not surprising that we have lower graduation rates because we aren’t cherry picking the best.

Virtually everyone gets money to go to college in the US. I know people as dumb as rocks who received government aid and even scholarships to go. They sure didn’t deserve it.

[dgrdfd]

@Terrifel

Ah, don’t fret. You’re just not reading the thread with the proper musical accompaniment.

See? Doesn’t that feel like a world of difference?

Thanks for that. I feel much better now.

[Lakai]

I started a similar thread and someone mentioned consumer goods. I think we have the best products for the average consumer.

I know that’s basically saying we are the best at being average. But we are!

It was also mentioned that we have the market cornered on motivational speakers.

[sailor]

@Lakai

It was also mentioned that we have the market cornered on motivational speakers.

And lawyers! Don’t forget the lawyers!

[Aquila_Be]

@brazil84

Film;

Probably not

The Indian film industry is multi-lingual and the largest in the world (1200 movies released in the year 2002). The industry is supported mainly by a vast film-going Indian public (the largest in the world in terms of annual ticket sales), and Indian films have been gaining increasing popularity in the rest of the world — notably in countries with large numbers of expatriate Indians.

[Measure_for_Measure]

Debunking Bollywood: “Although Hollywood produces only a fraction of the number of films made all over the world, it garners a staggering 75% of total revenues.”

Also recall that ticket sales are not the main driver of revenues.

[RedFury]

Number One without a doubt in invading other nations.

Because it can.

[Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus]

@Lakai

I started a similar thread and someone mentioned consumer goods. I think we have the best products for the average consumer.

I know that’s basically saying we are the best at being average. But we are!

It was also mentioned that we have the market cornered on motivational speakers.

So true! But we have very few consumer products known for being superior, or the best. Our cigarettes were, but they’re anathema now.

As for the “average”, it continues to descend. In the 1950s we were known for cool diners and roadside restaurants, and now we’re known for McDonalds and Jack In The Box.

[MrDibble]

@Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party

No, it isn’t in the spirit of the thread at all. What makes an old national park system a good national park system? You don’t think rich and poor people alike visit national parks in other countries?

Here, I’m just 5 minutes away from a tiny (221 km² )National Park that contains more species of plants than the entire United Kingdom does. And large parts of it are* free *to enter, for anyone.

[Measure_for_Measure]

This is by no means conclusive, but consider the Dow Jones Global Titans 50 Index. Half of the companies are listed on NYSE or NASDAQ.

US companies are:
Apple Inc., Cisco Systems Inc., Intel Corp., Microsoft Corp., Abbott Laboratories, American International Group Inc., AT&T Inc., Bank of America Corp., Chevron Corp., Citigroup Inc., Coca-Cola Co., ConocoPhillips, Exxon Mobil Corp., General Electric Co., Hewlett-Packard Co., International Business Machines Corp., Johnson & Johnson, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Merck & Co. Inc., PepsiCo Inc., Pfizer Inc., Philip Morris International Inc., Procter & Gamble Co., Verizon Communications Inc., Wal-Mart Stores Inc. I think it’s fair to say that there are a number of market leaders in the US.

And from the rest of the world:
ING Groep N.V., Royal Dutch Shell PLC A, BHP Billiton Ltd., Nokia Corp., Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., BP PLC, GlaxoSmithKline PLC, HSBC Holdings PLC (UK Reg), Rio Tinto PLC, Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC, Vodafone Group PLC, ENI S.p.A., BNP Paribas S.A., Total S.A., Petroleo Brasileiro S/A Pref, Banco Santander S.A., Telefonica S.A., Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc., Toyota Motor Corp., Nestle S.A., Novartis AG, Roche Holding AG Part. Cert., Allianz SE, E.ON AG, Siemens AG

[Rand_Rover]

@tomndebb

My immediate reaction is that we have the most knee-jerk partisan political reflexes in the world.

With a bit more consideration I will simply note that nothing in the OP invites this sort of partisan bickering and I would strongly suggest that I do not want to see more of it in this (or any other non-election oriented) thread.

[ /Modding ]

I apologize, won’t happen again.

[Gozu]

Microcode, entertainment and pizza delivery.

[Measure_for_Measure]

I think you mean music, movies, microcode and high-speed pizza delivery.
When it gets down to it–talking trade balances here–once we’ve brain-drained all our technology to other countries, once things have evened out, they’re making cars in Bolivia and microwave ovens in Tadzhikistan and selling them here, once our edge in natural resources has been made irrelevant by giant Hong Kong ships and dirigibles that can ship North Dakota all the way to New Zealand for a nickel, once the Invisible Hand has taken all those historical inequities and smeared them out into a broad global layer of what a Pakistani brickmaker would call prosperity–y’know what? There’s only four things we do better than anybody else…

[Khan]

@Gozu

Microcode, entertainment and pizza delivery.

Who cares if your microwave is made in Kazakhstan when it can be shipped to North Dakota by blimp for 50 cents?

[chowder]

@MrDibble

Here, I’m just 5 minutes away from a tiny (221 km² )National Park that contains more species of plants than the entire United Kingdom does. And large parts of it are* free *to enter, for anyone.

In the UK all * National Parks are free to enter, for anyone

[erleichda]

I think we still lead the world in the production of serial killers…

[sailor]

@chowder

In the UK all National Parks are free to enter, for anyone

That’s communism!