# What is the most wonderful thing the USA has done for the world? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 1, 2014, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-wonderful-thing-the-usa-has-done-for-the-world/687440 "2014-05-01T14:51:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2014, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-wonderful-thing-the-usa-has-done-for-the-world/687440/81 "2014-05-02T21:01:49Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > You mean Marie Antoinette and champagne glasses? That was my joke. > > You are aware I’m kidding, right? Right? I’m glad you were. At least I was whoosed by someone intelligent. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2014, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-wonderful-thing-the-usa-has-done-for-the-world/687440/82 "2014-05-03T07:21:45Z")
> [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > For me the answer is easy: space exploration. A short-lived stunt. ---
**Author:** ![SirGalahad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/71c47a/32.png) [@SirGalahad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SirGalahad)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2014, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-wonderful-thing-the-usa-has-done-for-the-world/687440/83 "2014-05-03T15:25:27Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > Actually, jazz and blues have roots from African slave music. And guess what, every Jazz chord was used in Classical music long before “Jass” was coined as a term, but that doesn’t make Classical music Jazz, nor does it make African slave music Jazz. Jazz was invented, using influences including African music, European Classical music, and various folk music from all over the world. It was invented here. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2014, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-wonderful-thing-the-usa-has-done-for-the-world/687440/84 "2014-05-04T00:49:03Z")
The USA’s biggest contributions to human history is trashy Hollywood shlock. That stuff will be remembered far longer than anything else. Avengers 3 will be our Gilgamesh. ---
**Author:** ![Ken001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@Ken001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ken001)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2014, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-wonderful-thing-the-usa-has-done-for-the-world/687440/85 "2014-05-04T02:05:23Z")
The Marshall Plan. But another poll option left me incredulous: “Supported the Green Revolution in so many countries, directly and indirectly”. Really? The United States consumes a vastly disproportionate amount of the world’s hydrocarbons and releases the waste into the world’s water and atmosphere. Furthermore the US is seen as a nation which utterly rejects climate change. To add to that, it is American agrichemical companies which push genetically modified plants/products onto other nations and then threaten to sue if they do not have control. I don’t doubt that individually there are Americans who embrace green technologies but as a nation, the United States is about as anti-green as you can get. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2014, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-wonderful-thing-the-usa-has-done-for-the-world/687440/86 "2014-05-04T03:13:40Z")
> [@Ken001](#): > > I don’t doubt that individually there are Americans who embrace green technologies but as a nation, the United States is about as anti-green as you can get. China comes to mind. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2014, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-wonderful-thing-the-usa-has-done-for-the-world/687440/87 "2014-05-04T03:22:27Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > China comes to mind. 🙂 Doesn’t half their population live on farms and ride bicycles? ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2014, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-wonderful-thing-the-usa-has-done-for-the-world/687440/88 "2014-05-04T03:31:39Z")
> [@Ken001](#): > > But another poll option left me incredulous: > > “Supported the Green Revolution in so many countries, directly and indirectly”. > > Really? > > The United States consumes a vastly disproportionate amount of the world’s hydrocarbons and releases the waste into the world’s water and atmosphere. Furthermore the US is seen as a nation which utterly rejects climate change. > > To add to that, it is American agrichemical companies which push genetically modified plants/products onto other nations and then threaten to sue if they do not have control. > > I don’t doubt that individually there are Americans who embrace green technologies but as a nation, the United States is about as anti-green as you can get. [The “Green” in Green Revolution refers to agriculture, not the environment.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Revolution) ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2014, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-wonderful-thing-the-usa-has-done-for-the-world/687440/89 "2014-05-04T04:02:04Z")
Star Trek and The Beach Boys. ---
**Author:** ![mandala](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mandala/32/95_2.png) [@mandala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mandala)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2014, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-wonderful-thing-the-usa-has-done-for-the-world/687440/90 "2014-05-04T05:37:07Z")
> [@Ken001](#): > > The Marshall Plan. > > But another poll option left me incredulous: > > “Supported the Green Revolution in so many countries, directly and indirectly”. > > Really? > > The United States consumes a vastly disproportionate amount of the world’s hydrocarbons and releases the waste into the world’s water and atmosphere. Furthermore the US is seen as a nation which utterly rejects climate change. > > To add to that, it is American agrichemical companies which push genetically modified plants/products onto other nations and then threaten to sue if they do not have control. > > I don’t doubt that individually there are Americans who embrace green technologies but as a nation, the United States is about as anti-green as you can get. As **Grumman** points out, “[Green Revolution](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Revolution)” refers to the hugely successful agricultural revolution that brought food self-sufficiency to many countries, notably [India](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Revolution_in_India). This effort is directly credited with saving one billion people from starvation. It also had (and continues to have) severe environmental adverse effects, but that does not / should not detract from its great successes. ---
**Author:** ![mandala](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mandala/32/95_2.png) [@mandala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mandala)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2014, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-wonderful-thing-the-usa-has-done-for-the-world/687440/91 "2014-05-04T05:45:40Z")
> [@Ken001](#): > > I don’t doubt that individually there are Americans who embrace green technologies but as a nation, the United States is about as anti-green as you can get. I disagree; the US led the world in assessing the environmental impact of industrial technology, and led the world in discovering climate change. There are other massive polluters (such as China, with India fast catching up) that do not know or care very much. Had the (primarily) US-based scientific community not driven environmental and climate research, the world would have remained oblivious to the danger. Do you think China/India/Brazil/Russia have the scientific caliber to undertake this kind of first-rate science? The US is also by far the largest polluter, but this thread is about the positive things the US has done. ---
**Author:** ![scratch\_llll](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@scratch\_llll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scratch_llll)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2014, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-wonderful-thing-the-usa-has-done-for-the-world/687440/92 "2014-05-04T06:50:41Z")
The US succeeds in not being a whiney bitch about other countries accomplishments. When asked what those countries added to the world there may be some head scratching but usually something presents itself because the US has taken so much of other countries into itself. The US embraces the world. The US IS the world. Should a thread about other countries accomplishments be presented the OP would be seriously considered without rancor. Not so the world. At every opportunity it sees a chance for criticism. Where the US expects other countries to be proud of thier accomplishments those countries belittle and thus belie the concept of the ugly American. They themselves prove ugly and are so egocentic they cannot see it in themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Ken001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@Ken001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ken001)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2014, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-wonderful-thing-the-usa-has-done-for-the-world/687440/93 "2014-05-04T07:35:34Z")
> [@mandala](#): > > As **Grumman** points out, “[Green Revolution](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Revolution)” refers to the hugely successful agricultural revolution that brought food self-sufficiency to many countries, notably [India](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Revolution_in_India). This effort is directly credited with saving one billion people from starvation. > > It also had (and continues to have) severe environmental adverse effects, but that does not / should not detract from its great successes. Ah - my misunderstanding. And thanks for the link, its a fascinating and complex subject upon which it seems the jury is still out. But a billion people gained life. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2014, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-wonderful-thing-the-usa-has-done-for-the-world/687440/94 "2014-05-04T09:35:42Z")
> [@mandala](#): > > Australia? The country that sneezes when the British Queen catches a cold in London? > > Canada - the nation that celebrates the day the British created and named it. And that retained formal British political control until 1982? Sure! > > India - had a decent mass independence movement, but had little effect until WW2 happened and reduced Britain to a mere shadow of her former power. > > Nobody dealt with British imperialism better than the Americans did. With the exception of Hitler, maybe. I believe you missed the point there- the above were examples of continental sized bits if the English Empire. No need to imagine them. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2014, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-wonderful-thing-the-usa-has-done-for-the-world/687440/95 "2014-05-04T09:57:43Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Pretty much. It’s amazing how many Americans are unaware how small US losses were when compared to the Soviets’. If you want to measure a nation’s contribution to the war effort, don’t count the losses. Count the kills. The Russians played a bigger part by killing more Germans. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2014, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-wonderful-thing-the-usa-has-done-for-the-world/687440/96 "2014-05-04T12:53:06Z")
R&D in general. The US spends more than Europe, we spend about 3% of GDP vs about 2% in the EU. The R&D that occurs here helps innovate a lot of fields, but if I had to pick one I’d probably pick medicine first, then IT/communications second. But realistically that is just a handful of intelligent americans who do that. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2014, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-wonderful-thing-the-usa-has-done-for-the-world/687440/97 "2014-05-05T00:05:21Z")
Being de facto hegemon of the Western World since 1945 which has succeded in preventing major wars since that time especially within Europe. As part of that, ensuing that the Western Allies would have a non-trivial involvement in the defeat of the Third Reich and actually be able to liberate Western Europe including most of Germany. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-wonderful-thing-the-usa-has-done-for-the-world/687440.md?page=4)