CDZ America first?

[Unkotare]

If you ever understand what America is, you won't have to ask that question anymore.

A piece of land

Completely wrong.

 

[Unkotare]

Until the entire nation and world embraces your POV, by becoming educated and enlightened, keeping America strong is the best way to ensure your political ideology has the best chance to survive, evolve, and dominate the earth. Only be forming autonomous, mutually beneficial voluntary communities that interact in a non-centralized fashion will problems ever be solved. IMO, though, the transition must be gradual, not radical in nature. Folks don't like sudden change.

Unfortunately, you are being too short sighted, militant and ideological to understand this.

What do you mean keep America strong? It is a piece of land. Do you mean the United States of America, the oppressive police state? Keeping that strong is an assurity that human beings will become dumber and more degraded, moreso than you.

Of course, you are too short sighted, timid, and complacent to understand this.

What country do you live in?

 

[Unkotare]

Wrong it is a Country of over 320 million people.

A country is a synonym for a piece of land, if you go by the etymological or popular definition.

Wrong again.

 

[Onyx]

What country do you live in?

It isn't your business.

If you really want to know, then read the thread in detail. I explicitly stated what country I am currently living in

 

[Onyx]

Wrong again.

So both the etymological and popular definitions are false?

What definition do you use, and what is the validity of the definition that you use?

 

[ChrisL]

Wrong it is a Country of over 320 million people.

A country is a synonym for a piece of land, if you go by the etymological or popular definition.

coun·try
ˈkəntrē/
noun

1. 1.
   a nation with its own government, occupying a particular territory.
   "the country's increasingly precarious economic position"
   synonyms: nation, (sovereign) state, kingdom, realm, territory, province, principality, palatinate,duchy More
   
   
   • 
     
     
2. 2.
   districts and small settlements outside large towns, cities, or the capital.
   "the airfield is right out in the country"
   synonyms: woods, back of beyond, hinterland, bush, backcountry; More

 

[Onyx]

coun·try
ˈkəntrē/
noun

1. 1.
   a nation with its own government, occupying a particular territory.
   "the country's increasingly precarious economic position"
   synonyms: nation, (sovereign) state, kingdom, realm, territory, province, principality, palatinate,duchy More
   
   • 
     
2. 2.
   districts and small settlements outside large towns, cities, or the capital.
   "the airfield is right out in the country"
   synonyms: woods, back of beyond, hinterland, bush, backcountry; More

Oh, more sham definitions found in intellectually dishonest modern dictionaries

 

[ChrisL]

coun·try
ˈkəntrē/
noun

1. 1.
   a nation with its own government, occupying a particular territory.
   "the country's increasingly precarious economic position"
   synonyms: nation, (sovereign) state, kingdom, realm, territory, province, principality, palatinate,duchy More
2. 2.
   districts and small settlements outside large towns, cities, or the capital.
   "the airfield is right out in the country"
   synonyms: woods, back of beyond, hinterland, bush, backcountry; More

Oh, more sham definitions found in intellectually dishonest modern dictionaries

Sure, it's dictionaries that are dishonest.

 

[Onyx]

Sure, it's dictionaries that are dishonest.

Yes, indeed they are.

I never cite contemporary dictionaries, because all their methods are fucked.

 

[midcan5]

'America first' is a broad abstraction that allows any interpretation dependent on the person and the situation. The listener fills in its meaning. I'll leave that for the reader to consider. But imagine if instead we used 'people first' or 'workers first'? Or 'American made' as our slogan concept. Would that change the dynamics of the conversation and our values? Anyone who has read me here or on other sites should know while I am a fan of government and its regulatory and constructive possibilities, I also believe if you want a fair and sane society of families etc, only the people themselves can do that by supporting each other and not throwing stones.

A fiction or is it: My friend is always saying America first, he's proud of his nation, he wears it on his cap. He drives a foreign made car, vacations on an exotic Island, drinks imported beer and wine, wears foreign designer clothing, eats imported fruit, wears a Swiss watch, his phone is made in China, the beef he eats comes from Chile, steel and wallboard in his home is imported too, his camera is from Taiwan, the children's toys are Mexican, furniture come from overseas, oh, and his cap is made in China too. And he always says America first. [It ain't the world I grew up in and I ain't that old.]

 

[JoeMoma]

'America first' is a broad abstraction that allows any interpretation dependent on the person and the situation. The listener fills in its meaning. I'll leave that for the reader to consider. But imagine if instead we used 'people first' or 'workers first'? Or 'American made' as our slogan concept. Would that change the dynamics of the conversation and our values? Anyone who has read me here or on other sites should know while I am a fan of government and its regulatory and constructive possibilities, I also believe if you want a fair and sane society of families etc, only the people themselves can do that by supporting each other and not throwing stones.

A fiction or is it: My friend is always saying America first, he's proud of his nation, he wears it on his cap. He drives a foreign made car, vacations on an exotic Island, drinks imported beer and wine, wears foreign designer clothing, eats imported fruit, wears a Swiss watch, his phone is made in China, the beef he eats comes from Chile, steel and wallboard in his home is imported too, his camera is from Taiwan, the children's toys are Mexican, furniture come from overseas, oh, and his cap is made in China too. And he always says America first. [It ain't the world I grew up in and I ain't that old.]

A broad extraption that allows any interpretation dependent on the person and situation -- Does "Hope and Change" ring a bell.

 

[MisterBeale]

Until the entire nation and world embraces your POV, by becoming educated and enlightened, keeping America strong is the best way to ensure your political ideology has the best chance to survive, evolve, and dominate the earth. Only be forming autonomous, mutually beneficial voluntary communities that interact in a non-centralized fashion will problems ever be solved. IMO, though, the transition must be gradual, not radical in nature. Folks don't like sudden change.

Unfortunately, you are being too short sighted, militant and ideological to understand this.

What do you mean keep America strong? It is a piece of land. Do you mean the United States of America, the oppressive police state? Keeping that strong is an assurity that human beings will become dumber and more degraded, moreso than you.

Of course, you are too short sighted, timid, and complacent to understand this.

The culture, the sense of community, the love and cooperation. You have to find some common ground with your neighbors and family man.

 

[esthermoon]

Why are Americans more important than anyone else?

I am okay with taking a piece of land and giving it a name, but this imaginary community bullshit has gone on long enough. The modern nation-state is a crime against humanity.

I don't think all Americans believe they're special just because they're American. Of course you can find some who think like that but you can find people like that in any other country

 

[Montrovant]

However, one might look at it as "me first" or "my family and friends first." Since for most Americans, their friends and family are also Americans, putting the country they all live in first in importance makes sense. You may disagree with it, but it isn't without rationale.

America is an imaginary community, and Americans are an imaginary collective. I would never argue that you should not put your actual community first, but that isn't America. It is just some bullshit that we get hung up on.

And despite what you may think, without nations to put first I'm certain people would find some other grouping to consider more important.

They might move their actual community up on the list. Nationalism is a silly abstraction exploited for the special interests of the ruling class.

I am not arguing that you should not consider yourself an American. You should just be realistic about what is actual and what is invented. If you are going to subscribe to a collective, then try joining the human race.

Who are you to decide what someone's "actual" community is? Other than perhaps friends and family, isn't any community "imaginary?"

I also think that people get hung up on country and nationalism, some take it too far. The idea of having pride in the place you were born, simply because it is the place you were born, is odd to me.

On the other hand, particularly in the modern world with how interconnected people can be despite large distances between them, looking at a country as a community writ large is not without merit.

 

[ChrisL]

However, one might look at it as "me first" or "my family and friends first." Since for most Americans, their friends and family are also Americans, putting the country they all live in first in importance makes sense. You may disagree with it, but it isn't without rationale.

America is an imaginary community, and Americans are an imaginary collective. I would never argue that you should not put your actual community first, but that isn't America. It is just some bullshit that we get hung up on.

And despite what you may think, without nations to put first I'm certain people would find some other grouping to consider more important.

They might move their actual community up on the list. Nationalism is a silly abstraction exploited for the special interests of the ruling class.

I am not arguing that you should not consider yourself an American. You should just be realistic about what is actual and what is invented. If you are going to subscribe to a collective, then try joining the human race.

Who are you to decide what someone's "actual" community is? Other than perhaps friends and family, isn't any community "imaginary?"

I also think that people get hung up on country and nationalism, some take it too far. The idea of having pride in the place you were born, simply because it is the place you were born, is odd to me.

On the other hand, particularly in the modern world with how interconnected people can be despite large distances between them, looking at a country as a community writ large is not without merit.

Maybe I can clear it up for you. It's not much different than having pride in your football team. Lol.

 

[Dogmaphobe]

Of all the many actions that I would consider a crime against humanity, the organization of people into nation states is hardly one of them.

One cannot have a clean debate when terms are twisted beyond recognition in an utterly shameless attempt at provoking anybody who is rational and thoughtful.

 

[FA_Q2]

Sure, it's dictionaries that are dishonest.

Yes, indeed they are.

I never cite contemporary dictionaries, because all their methods are fucked.

Instead you cite yourself and then complain that others do not want discussion.

You cannot have a discussion when you are demanding that terms are what you want them to be rather than what they are.

 

[PK1]

No, that graphic is not "America".

So what is your conjectural assertion of what America is?
America is a social construct. It is an idea attached to a concept..

The "objective" scientific social construct of "America" is a relatively big piece of land that reflects two "continents", as defined in common dictionaries.

Arrogant, ethnocentric, and/or ignorant citizens of USA use the social construct of "America" to reference "USA".
Your land pic reflects the USA social territory.
America includes dozens of other countries besides USA.

I agree; we should have a more human "world view".
Politically, our family should come first, followed by community, nation, other people. However, ALL people and non-human animals, as well as ecologies including plants, deserve our respect.

 

[PK1]

Lots of countries put the interests of their people over those of others.

Every human should be "their people."

I am currently residing in America. If I had to choose between saving 10 people in Florida or 10 people in Romania, it wouldn't make a fucking difference to me who I saved. Human is human.

Not that simple.
Although EVERY person regardless of country or geo territory deserves respect, there are relative personal values that come into play with motivation.
If i had to choose what life i would save, i would save my dog or cat before saving Putin.

 

[PK1]

coun·try
ˈkəntrē/
noun

1. 1.
   a nation with its own government, occupying a particular territory.
   "the country's increasingly precarious economic position"
   synonyms: nation, (sovereign) state, kingdom, realm, territory, province, principality, palatinate,duchy More
2. 2.
   districts and small settlements outside large towns, cities, or the capital.
   "the airfield is right out in the country"
   synonyms: woods, back of beyond, hinterland, bush, backcountry; More

Oh, more sham definitions found in intellectually dishonest modern dictionaries

I would not argue "dishonest". Rather, dictionaries are cultural linguistic artifacts that change over time in response to cultural usage.

However, certain "authorities" control publication of dictionaries, and social power/money has a lot to do with that.
For example, those in power made the decisions on what text to include in the various bibles, whether religious or scientific. I would trust the scientific ones a LOT more, tho, due to objective methods & wider peer review.