what does being 'AMERICAN' to you????/

[OMEGA]

for me it means the understanding that there is no culture or vallue stucture that is uniquely AMERICAN.

this is a heterogenous society, from day one....that means the coexistance of multiple, cultures and religions getting together, and sharing one common bond, that is universal.......the pursuit of self interest.

I have to agree (reluctantly)..with all the nihilsts, and relativists around, that value sturctures, and religion, and percieved truths are merly arbitrary constructs of reality created by the "victors in society".

those who own the material means of life, ultimatly determine the values of the culture as well......but now things are different.

no one homogenous class with like phenotypic characteristics own or influences all spheres of life.....the leadership is heterogunous, or at least becoming so.......

so is the answer for the world really through the persiut of unbridled self interest.??..since that is what we truly have in common, that cannot denyed,

or is there something more?

can we truly hold on to our niche religions and culutures, while still getting along?

I do not know?

does being an american merely mean pusuing ones self interests, with raltively free personal civil liberties...or should it mean more?

 

[Phemomena]

it don't mean shit to me

(unless someone wants to exchange their dollars with me at par)

 

[strongchick]

for me it means the understanding that there is no culture or vallue stucture that is uniquely AMERICAN.

hmmm. I think we have a uniquely virile foothold in capitalism.

Not sure there is any place in the world its your fault if you are poor. Not saying this is bad or good.

 

[gymnpoppa]

For me it has changed every decade......living in Europe forever changed my way of thinking. I think you should also Omega, travel, and live in as many different cultures as you can. It's better than any degree a stateside, lifestyle can give you.

 

[Thaibox]

Freedom. Everything else stems from that, period.

 

[Stryc-9]

As a Canuck, I like having you guys as neighbours....you're so darn patriotic it's inspiring....I popped over the border the other day and couldn't believe all of the flags, and signs, etc.,

Solidarity in freedom....Thaibox had it right.....

 

[OMEGA]

For me it has changed every decade......living in Europe forever changed my way of thinking. I think you should also Omega, travel, and live in as many different cultures as you can. It's better than any degree a stateside, lifestyle can give you.

this is so true......I have been fortunate enough to have lived in GREECE, for about 5 summers worth of time.

3 months times 5 summers.........and man every time I come back, I am really shocked, and dismayed, about what is going on in this nation................it is like the most bizarre science fiction.

and i do not know what will come of it........but i fear it will not be good.

and THAI how do you view are "Freedom"?

 

[strongchick]

I am really shocked, and dismayed, about what is going on in this nation................it is like the most bizarre science fiction.

what, specifically, is shocking?

 

[talonracer]

This country is great for alot of reasons. Freedom to be what you wanna be, freedom for people to express themselves. The fact that we are so diverse, in the room I'm working in right now there are people from Poland, Vietnam, Korea, Thailand, Syria, Bali, Puerto Rico, India, Pakistan and Russia. Differant cultures, differant ideas, differant ways of looking at things helps problems get solved. The fact that I can drive to beautiful beaches, stunning mountains, pristine deserts, endless plains, and lush forests-all in one week. People like Strongchick hate the US but then why are there so many people trying to get in? The fact that you can have an idea, and a few dollars and make it big. The fact that you can pull up to a gas station in Alabama and a total stranger will smile at you and ask you how your doing today. The fact that if your broken down its not long before a trucker pulls over to help you. The fact that when I go home tonights its gonna be hard not to find a house that doesn't have the American flag flying. The fact that I have a voice in who leads our country. I could go on for hours.....but you get the point here

 

[strongchick]

You picked the line for your sig from that movie that I thought was the most absolutely inane and trite....

"I believe in the soul ... the small of a woman's back, the hanging curveball, high fiber, good scotch, that the novels of Susan Sontag are self-indulgent, overrated crap. I believe Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. I believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment outlawing Astroturf and the designated hitter. I believe in the sweet spot, soft-core pornography, opening your presents Christmas morning rather than Christmas Eve, and I believe in long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days."

Kevin Costner....sheesh.

My family ALWAYS opened the presents on Xmas Eve. And who wants to swap spit for three days??!!!! Scotch tastes AWFUL. And the small of a woman's back pales in comparison to the soft flesh of the inner thigh.

 

[dballer]

Means you can still fly the Confederate Flag in front of your house and pull shotguns on tresspassers.

 

[Lao Tzu]

what does being 'AMERICAN' to you????/

==

a first rate educational system.





besides. i don't believe in patriotism. i think we should unite behind forward based ideas like science. just siding with the land you came from (although totally natural) will not make the world a better place come 2050.

 

[MoneyBags]

its means that i can do whatever the fuck i want and because i am so fucking superior that i will always come out on top.

 

[danielson]

besides. i don't believe in patriotism. i think we should unite behind forward based ideas like science. just siding with the land you came from (although totally natural) will not make the world a better place come 2050.

that would be nice

given that most people in the country cant comprehend that science and are willing to believe a journanlst with no scientific knowledge to a PHD scientist is that really possible.....plus their are just too many arty types in the world

also funding every scientist is a drug company. and all these financial supporters dont give a shit about the helpig people aspect than about the $$ they make. pure and simple. they are whats wrong, so how can people unite behind sciece when these guys still pull the strings?

remember how they sold placebo's to africa and told them they were antibiotics.....

id actually love for more scientists to get into politics.....might actually start sorting the fucking planet out

 

[Lao Tzu]

that would be nice

given that most people in the country cant comprehend that science and are willing to believe a journanlst with no scientific knowledge to a PHD scientist is that really possible.....plus their are just too many arty types in the world

also funding every scientist is a drug company. and all these financial supporters dont give a shit about the helpig people aspect than about the $$ they make. pure and simple. they are whats wrong, so how can people unite behind sciece when these guys still pull the strings?

remember how they sold placebo's to africa and told them they were antibiotics.....

id actually love for more scientists to get into politics.....might actually start sorting the fucking planet out

i don't have any info onhand but private charity & government offer money to scientists too.

i didn't get the jist of your message. however, science has probably prevented every living person (in the first world at least) from experiencing at least 2 major, highly traumatic crisises (either through solving them, or preventing them). by science i mean all sciences. psychology, medicinal, agriculture, etc.

if you unite behind land, in the end you can only hope to end up where you started (with the same land). with science new doors are opened. so i support that.

 

[danielson]

i don't have any info onhand but private charity & government offer money to scientists too.

i didn't get the jist of your message. however, science has probably prevented every living person (in the first world at least) from experiencing at least 2 major, highly traumatic crisises (either through solving them, or preventing them). by science i mean all sciences. psychology, medicinal, agriculture, etc.

if you unite behind land, in the end you can only hope to end up where you started (with the same land). with science new doors are opened. so i support that.

im basically saying that

a) the majority of people dont have a great enough grasp of science to know what is gong on so politicians, journalists and other evil do-ers will be able to manipulate them just as they do with religion etc

b) behind every scientist there is a business man designating what funds get spent on what. yes while some charitable money and government money gets spent on research an is sensible used by the money guys, a WHOLElot of research is done privately and the example i cited was to illustarte they dont care about the research or the benfits it has, only the $$ it can make

c) more scientists need to get into power. world would be less fucked up

 

[talonracer]

You picked the line for your sig from that movie that I thought was the most absolutely inane and trite....

"I believe in the soul ... the small of a woman's back, the hanging curveball, high fiber, good scotch, that the novels of Susan Sontag are self-indulgent, overrated crap. I believe Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. I believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment outlawing Astroturf and the designated hitter. I believe in the sweet spot, soft-core pornography, opening your presents Christmas morning rather than Christmas Eve, and I believe in long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days."

Kevin Costner....sheesh.

Funny several people on this board PM'd me and told me they loved that quote, your the only one who didn't like it. and you are also a communist america hater who's more intolerant than the KKK.............so its a good quote then if you hate it.

 

[Test boy]

Being an American means I have lenient legal freedoms that are hindered by an uptight society that largely believes having a sex drive is evil.
It means I will be judged by what I drive and wear. Our level of materialism is unsurpassed.
I will know and meet lots of truly great and inspiring people. I will also be forced to listen to a bunch of sick, demented intellectuals flooding the airwaves.
My politics will be judged by how I feel about abortion and homosexuality.
My sexual orientation will be judged....frequently by a sexually insecure and incredibly homophobic society.
I think America has a mix of the best of the best and the worst of the worst. It could be an incredible society if we did some things differently in the past.

 

[OMEGA]

what, specifically, is shocking?

the abyss of lies, that the media has sucked every american into,

the lies, the deciet, the conscience manipulation of the body politic, for deviuos ends.

the media runs this country in every way.

just like the military industry ran things earlier, and a president said....."beware the military industrial complex."

I will say beware the entertainment industrial complex.... for it is everywhere.

 

[Test boy]

the abyss of lies, that the media has sucked every american into,

the lies, the deciet, the conscience manipulation of the body politic, for deviuos ends.

the media runs this country in every way.

just like the military industry ran things earlier, and a president said....."beware the military industrial complex."

I will say beware the entertainment industrial complex.... for it is everywhere.

I truly hate the media. In fact about the only news I still expose myself to is yesterdays news...via the History channel. It rocks!