Land Of The Free?

[Sarahfeena]

@DanBlather

I think I get your point now. Unlike other countries who have long histories and shared ethnic, racial, and religious ties, the US is bound together almost solely by the shared values enshrined in The Constitution. That is why we identify with the ideals of freedom and democracy, rather than our language, food, art or things that other countries may see as their defining characteristic. I think that is a good point.

YES! Thanks, you put it very well.

[Quiddity_Glomfuster]

@Lemur866

You do know that kids are not required to pledge allegiance to their nation every single school day in the United States, right?

I did a quickie search for information, but not a thorough one. So tell me how often they do say it? I do know they are not ‘required’ to because the requirement was declared unconstitutional.

Quiddity, it just makes me sad that for some reason you need to put down other countries in order to make yourself feel better about your country. Why do you think you do that, anyway? Defensiveness? If you don’t think it’s attractive when an American does it, why exactly would you think others appreciate it when a Canadian does it?

I’m sorry that you read my saying ‘some’ Americans and citing the P of A as a troublesome issue as ‘putting down other countries’. I studied your government’s behaviour in international affairs (which was both depressing and infuriating) and I’ve seen the things it’s done these past one and a half terms (plus some other incidents along the way) and I don’t like many of the policies of the administration. That some (yes, it’s bold now because you seem to have missed seeing it first time out even though it’s right there in the cite) Americans are overly ‘patriotic’ is something that citizens of your own country right here in this thread admit so I’m not exactly sure why this constitutes ‘putting other countries down’. Unless, were I American, you were to consider me ‘unpatriotic’ for making such statements, in which case all would be clear.

I also don’t think Canada’s the epitome of perfection and, more to the point, I don’t need others to think so either. If you hate Canada, well fine. If you disliked the Canadian administration and had good reasons, I’d probably agree with you. So why must you get sniffy if I disagree with some of the Administration and some Americans and some policies? I have said more than once that there’s some places in the US I love to bits and that I’ve liked most of the Americans I have met but I make a distinction between a government and its people - in my country and in every other.

You do realize you may be making the OP’s point?

[RickJay]

@What Exit?

But your ancestors were living in a country where an incompetent leader named George (interesting point that his not so incompetent father was also named George) could start unjust wars on seemingly a whim. You call that freedom?

You do realize that’s ridiculous, right? The King was no more able to “start wars on a whim” than he was able to fly to Mars. Parliament held the reins of power, as indeed they had for many, many years prior and do to this day. The monarch was an active executive at that time, much more so than now, but he wasn’t an absolute ruler by any stretch of the imagination.

Great Britain was at the time probably the freest nation on earth; whitey maybe had a bit more government over his head there than in the USA, but was far, far, freer than anywhere else, and of course if your skin wasn’t white you were quite a bit better off in London than in, say, Raleigh.

[What_Exit]

@RickJay

You do realize that’s ridiculous, right? The King was no more able to “start wars on a whim” than he was able to fly to Mars. Parliament held the reins of power, as indeed they had for many, many years prior and do to this day. The monarch was an active executive at that time, much more so than now, but he wasn’t an absolute ruler by any stretch of the imagination.

Great Britain was at the time probably the freest nation on earth; whitey maybe had a bit more government over his head there than in the USA, but was far, far, freer than anywhere else, and of course if your skin wasn’t white you were quite a bit better off in London than in, say, Raleigh.

Whoosh!, Sorry, I thought that was a blatant joke, especially the lame parallels of a leader named George that was the son of a leader named George.

Jim

[Northern_Piper]

@What Exit?

Whoosh!, Sorry, I thought that was a blatant joke, especially the lame parallels of a leader named George that was the son of a leader named George.

Well, except that King George III’s father wasn’t named George. His father was Frederick Lewis, Prince of Wales. Prince Frederick died while his father, George II, was still on the throne, so Prince Frederick never became king.

[What_Exit]

@Northern Piper

Well, except that King George III’s father wasn’t named George. His father was Frederick Lewis, Prince of Wales. Prince Frederick died while his father, George II, was still on the throne, so Prince Frederick never became king.

Ok, I did not realize that. :smack:

[Evil_Captor]

@lekatt

Some of our obsession with freedom comes from the older generation that lived during WWII. Patriotism was at a peak during this time.

But I do believe America has more freedom than other countries because of upward mobility. All persons are considered equal under the law, there are no caste systems, no Lords and commoners, everyone has the equal chance under law to be as good, rich, famous, as they can be. Your bloodline is immaterial here. The person born in the worst poverty in America still has the potential of greatness in many different ways of his/her choosing. I realize some people and groups of people hold prejudices, but according to our laws these prejudices mean nothing. We are free to become what we will, truly free. Yes, I believe there is more freedom in the US than any other country.

You know, in ancient Rome, some slaves could become free. They could even get rich. Anyone could become a free man and a rich man in ancient Rome, even a slave! Stories of such slaves were highly touted in ancient Rome, even though most slaves never did get freed. Kept the slaves in line.