Patriotism Test

[flacaltenn]

It's coaching basically..

Coach comes into the locker before the big game and says...

"While I've had much more talent and heart on previous teams, I still want you guys to go out and try".
"I'm here to remind you about every stupid play and fumble we've seen this season. Most of you are only in uniform because your daddies are big University donors. Otherwise, I'd kick your asses off the team and let the women play this game. I also can't undo the bad habits that the previous ass of coach instilled in you. So get out there and EMBARRASS THE SCHOOL."

Yeah that'll work..

 

[flacaltenn]

Now wait a minute.. Did I fart on the lefty celebration against "American Excellence"? I get that feeling you get when you do awkward things at a fancy party and everybody hustles away.. (Last time that happened -- I had just mentioned something about moving to Tennessee at a California fundraiser for NPT).

I don't see any reason at all to stop the end zone dance. After all -- dissonance about your country's morals and history is so damn useful...

Really do feel bad about that.

 

[tjvh]

Let's see should it be About how exceptional we are at locking our population in prison?

How about Forprofit warehousing of the sick, old and oh yeah Prisoners?

I woudl agree there are many things that make America great. However, I do think of myself as a patriot American and assuch it is my duty to point out where we stumble and fall flat. Forto ignore such travesties is toonly make America a weaker less civil adn free place to live.

As such your premiss that only positive things should be mentioned in an essay would make the essay or the writer patriotic is utterly false and flawed. IMO.

And people who point out strictly negative things should read this... Dealing With Negative, Draining People

 

[Steelplate]

no that is not it. try again. How about opportunity for all that will work, even people of limited ability like yourself for example.

Wow...that's what Dems want....opportunity for ALL that will work....even people of limited ability. Because until procreation by those "limited" people is banned(I could see that as a GOP agenda item at some point), there's always going to be people with strong backs and weak minds having kids that need fed, clothed, educated and housed.

Not to mention that the simple fact is....when the workforce does well....it trickles UP to the wealthy...more wealth for more people means more demand..more demand means more goods and services are sold..meaning more profit for them...meaning more jobs...and so on.

Right wing rhetoric says that businesses drive the economy, and in part, they are right...but the real driver is demand...you'll never create demand by marginalizing the vast majority of the population. It's stupid to even suggest that it will. Talk about people with limited ability.

This

https://www.google.com/search?q=sta...s=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

Is more than ample proof that you are wrong. There is no lack of demand in those places. Yet, there is no booming economy either. If economic prosperity were driven by demand, then these would be the richest places on Earth.

To reply to the OP:

No thank you. Any kind of essay (funny how everyone here seemed to have missed that) by its very nature, would not be inclusive enough to be persuasive, as you can see by those who look only to see the wrongs, and never the rights.

In order to write about the Exceptionalism of America, we would need to write a whole encyclopedia set.

I'm just not up to that this afternoon. Sorry.

That's your proof? Because there are starving people in politically unstable regions of the world where tribalism and "might makes right" rule the day? Where resources are few and the ability to take advantage of the few that are there are even fewer? Sorry if I don't buy into your stupidity.

Edit: The United States has been a consumer driven economy for the better part of 100 years. When consumers don't have the disposable income to buy those goods and services, the economy suffers....just as it is now.

 

[flacaltenn]

Wow...that's what Dems want....opportunity for ALL that will work....even people of limited ability. Because until procreation by those "limited" people is banned(I could see that as a GOP agenda item at some point), there's always going to be people with strong backs and weak minds having kids that need fed, clothed, educated and housed.

Not to mention that the simple fact is....when the workforce does well....it trickles UP to the wealthy...more wealth for more people means more demand..more demand means more goods and services are sold..meaning more profit for them...meaning more jobs...and so on.

Right wing rhetoric says that businesses drive the economy, and in part, they are right...but the real driver is demand...you'll never create demand by marginalizing the vast majority of the population. It's stupid to even suggest that it will. Talk about people with limited ability.

This

https://www.google.com/search?q=sta...s=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

Is more than ample proof that you are wrong. There is no lack of demand in those places. Yet, there is no booming economy either. If economic prosperity were driven by demand, then these would be the richest places on Earth.

To reply to the OP:

No thank you. Any kind of essay (funny how everyone here seemed to have missed that) by its very nature, would not be inclusive enough to be persuasive, as you can see by those who look only to see the wrongs, and never the rights.

In order to write about the Exceptionalism of America, we would need to write a whole encyclopedia set.

I'm just not up to that this afternoon. Sorry.

That's your proof? Because there are starving people in politically unstable regions of the world where tribalism and "might makes right" rule the day? Where resources are few and the ability to take advantage of the few that are there are even fewer? Sorry if I don't buy into your stupidity.

Edit: The United States has been a consumer driven economy for the better part of 100 years. When consumers don't have the disposable income to buy those goods and services, the economy suffers....just as it is now.

That was true when the "those goods and services" were made in the USA.. Today -- all consumerism does is force a Chinese factory to expand and make some stockholders a bigger dividend.. Really need new econ textbooks, because Apple's success (for instance) might be considered consumer driven --- but it hasn't substantially affected the number of folks making shit for IPads in this country. STILL they count that crap as US Manufacturing output... Go figure. We're being lied to constantly about the NEW economy works..

 

[Steelplate]

This

https://www.google.com/search?q=sta...s=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

Is more than ample proof that you are wrong. There is no lack of demand in those places. Yet, there is no booming economy either. If economic prosperity were driven by demand, then these would be the richest places on Earth.

To reply to the OP:

No thank you. Any kind of essay (funny how everyone here seemed to have missed that) by its very nature, would not be inclusive enough to be persuasive, as you can see by those who look only to see the wrongs, and never the rights.

In order to write about the Exceptionalism of America, we would need to write a whole encyclopedia set.

I'm just not up to that this afternoon. Sorry.

That's your proof? Because there are starving people in politically unstable regions of the world where tribalism and "might makes right" rule the day? Where resources are few and the ability to take advantage of the few that are there are even fewer? Sorry if I don't buy into your stupidity.

Edit: The United States has been a consumer driven economy for the better part of 100 years. When consumers don't have the disposable income to buy those goods and services, the economy suffers....just as it is now.

That was true when the "those goods and services" were made in the USA.. Today -- all consumerism does is force a Chinese factory to expand and make some stockholders a bigger dividend.. Really need new econ textbooks, because Apple's success (for instance) might be considered consumer driven --- but it hasn't substantially affected the number of folks making shit for IPads in this country. STILL they count that crap as US Manufacturing output... Go figure. We're being lied to constantly about the NEW economy works..

And the reason for that? 30+ years of bowing down to corporatism and demonizing labor, strongarming unions(who granted, have been guilty of the same), and more recently, outsourcing. But make no mistake....America is still a consumer driven economy....labor just doesn't reap the benefits of it nearly as much. American labor went from building things to "would you like fries with that" types of jobs, such as retail and other service oriented jobs which offer little pay, lousy benefits(if any), and little hope to folks who don't go beyond high school.

 

[editec]

What makes America great?

I live here.

What makes America exceptional?

I don't live anyplace else but America.

 

[Unkotare]

Recognizing that very few of us actually have detailed knowledge of what it is like to live in another country

Why would you assume that?

 

[Mr. Shaman]

Patriotism Test

Sign In: Here

 

[Peach]

The varying writings in this thread are a good example; the liberty to express your beliefs is precious, we may not notice because we are blessed with the freedom to do so. This nation has taken the best of many other nations, many squabbling, perhaps heatedly at times, has created the finest ever known on this earth.

 

[Mr. Shaman]

The varying writings in this thread are a good example; the liberty to express your beliefs is precious, we may not notice because we are blessed with the freedom to do so. This nation has taken the best of many other nations, many squabbling, perhaps heatedly at times, has created the finest ever known on this earth.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mCDZMWVWuc]Lewis Black on Broadway talking about how America ISN'T #1 - YouTube[/ame]


*


[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cwOqKfEYTg]God bless America? and Fuck Pride *RIP George Carlin* - YouTube[/ame]​

 

[onecut39]

Some French royal dude said what was exceptional about America better than I can. Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville.

For God's sake, read it. It should be mandatory.


What's great about America? Well, you can Heil Hitler in Skokie. You can worship Jesus, the sun, Allah, Shiva, the Flying Spaghetti Monster, or Kim Bassinger. You can bike naked in Portland Oregon with 14,000 of your closest friends. You can stand your ground in Florida. You can email the President and tell him he's nothing but a Kenyan-born Muslim traitor bastard. You can vote for whoever you want, and nobody has to know who. You can protest the murder of the unborn or the removal of public employee pension collective bargaining. You can run for President and get all the free vag you can handle. You can drink alcohol on Sundays. You can't be forced to bunk soldiers in your apartment. You can commit a crime and nobody can make you talk about it. You don't have to endure the same guy as President for more than 8 years. You can't be forced to pay to vote.


But what makes America particulary exceptional is that all of these things are true at the same time.

Well, they are SUPPOSED to be.

 

[daws101]

I thought we were talking about beer...

we were, then everybody got drunk and the alcohol started talking !