To be An American

[DEATHxxx50bmg]

what does it mean to you to be an American. No wrong answers just how you feel.

[Nero D. Ace]

dude, no offence on all your patriotism, but the UN did a survey on the best countries to live in and here's a sample of that list :-

1 Norway

2 Australia

3 Iceland

4 Canada

5 Ireland

6 Netherlands

7 Sweden

8 France

9 Switzerland

10 Japan

11 Luxembourg

12 Finland

13 United States

14 Austria

(Source : http://www.nowpublic.com/world/best-country-live-list-countries-2009-un-hdi)

so ... number 13 on a list just to be before AUSTRIA, yeah, that speaks a lot.

on top of all that, the US has the highest crime rate in the world. (Source : http://www.mapsofworld.com/world-top-ten/countries-with-highest-reported-crime-rates.html)

besides, you haven't mentioned a thing that makes it the "best damn country in the world".

sorry if i appear rude but that's just my take on the topic.

[† Mute point]

This wasn't supposed to be a discussion on what makes the best country in the world. It was supposed to be people saying what it means to them to be American.

To me it means that I was born here, and that I get to enjoy the freedom of being able to say pretty much whatever I want. Especially since less than 20% of the population will understand me

[† The Joker]

To be an American... you need a huge wasteline xD

Joking aside, its pretty much the same as it is for me to be English. Its where your born, and where you mostly feel at home. (mostly because I am thinking of leaving the UK for good when I'm a bit older)

[tyco]

To be an American........

With the shape America is in courtesy of corrupt politicians, lobbyist ,fat-cat CEO's, etc. constantly fucking over the American taxpayers, there's really nothing good about being an American(I'm from NY BTW)

[Kasoivc]

@Iki: You know, it is the land of opportunity ironically. Whether we choose to go out with our gun and beat somebody over the head for $11 is our decision and no one else's. I know all hell would break loose in a third world country where committing a crime immediately lands you a life sentence. Or committing a crime condemns you to some religiously unholy and frowned upon environment which you conveniently fear because you follow religious, devoutly.

Anyways, to me; Being an American is having this unreal amount of freedom to do whatever we want to do. I mean, the US isn't completely perfect as Iki there brought up, but we have the ability to change that. We don't have to be the world's sanctuary for criminals. So long as we can do what we want, and whenever we want to, I have no objections to being an American.

Now morals and other factors that influence what we do, that's a completely different topic for another rainy day.

[DEATHxxx50bmg]

dude, no offence on all your patriotism, but the UN did a survey on the best countries to live in and here's a sample of that list :-

1 Norway

2 Australia

3 Iceland

4 Canada

5 Ireland

6 Netherlands

7 Sweden

8 France

9 Switzerland

10 Japan

11 Luxembourg

12 Finland

13 United States

14 Austria

(Source : http://www.nowpublic.com/world/best-country-live-list-countries-2009-un-hdi)

so ... number 13 on a list just to be before AUSTRIA, yeah, that speaks a lot.

on top of all that, the US has the highest crime rate in the world. (Source : http://www.mapsofworld.com/world-top-ten/countries-with-highest-reported-crime-rates.html)

besides, you haven't mentioned a thing that makes it the "best damn country in the world".

sorry if i appear rude but that's just my take on the topic.

its all good man but no need for statistics. not all of the country is like that. dont generalize things so much.

This wasn't supposed to be a discussion on what makes the best country in the world. It was supposed to be people saying what it means to them to be American.

To me it means that I was born here, and that I get to enjoy the freedom of being able to say pretty much whatever I want. Especially since less than 20% of the population will understand me

sorry i added more crap than needed. i fixed the issue

[Max465]

Meh, It's my homeland, so I guess I have to be somewhat patriotic and say at least I have a stable life and the opportunity to do what I want with my future.

Now I will kind of go off topic a bit. I hear all the time about people from other countries calling Americans ignorant fat asses. Now about the fat asses...Maybe somewhere that's true, but I don't know many people that way too much more than 250 pounds...which I don't consider "Fat". I personally weigh about 165, which last time I checked wasn't fat...hell it's almost skinny.

Now for the ignorant part...Okay...yes...a lot of the American people are ignorant...but why don't you stop just calling Americans ignorant and start opening up our eyes. We're only ignorant until we gain knowledge. Once we acquire that knowledge then we at least get the choice to be assholes or not.

Anyways...I went kind of off topic and was really just ranting off of previous experiences, so I hope none of you take any of what I say personally.

[Hōtarō]

I feel disgusting and embarrassed. I won't go into specifics because I have absolutely nothing nice to say, but I look down on Americans in shame and I feel disgraced to breath the same air.

'Course, that doesn't apply to everyone, since...most of my friends are American.

[† L4ugh]

To be an American, means that I am entitled to all the rights offered to me in the Constitution as long as I am willing to stand up and fight for them, because the one thing that was left out of the Constitution is that the act of being free isn't free.

It also (unfortunately) means I have the right to be foolishly judged and hated by foreign peoples due to the bias stereotyping of their national leaders and media who judge all of America by the actions of a few Americans.

[† Anras Rune]

You never specified what type of american...do you mean united statian (from the US) as that is what you are really supposed to be called. I find it funny that you guys took the name from three entire continents...lol

Btw before any trolling begins i have nothin against americans...lol

[Koby]

You never specified what type of american...do you mean united statian (from the US) as that is what you are really supposed to be called. I find it funny that you guys took the name from three entire continents...lol

Btw before any trolling begins i have nothin against americans...lol

Canada, Canadians

Mexico, Mexicans

United States of America, Americans

Sure this is 'North America' as a continent, but as for a country we were the only one with 'America' in the name. I see people call it the 'US' all the time but it's really the 'USA'. We also have breakdowns for our states as well, such as I am a Texan.

As for the whole 'Americans are stupid' outlook, that is just stereotyping and stereotyping is wrong. I don't go around saying Asians are all midgets with tiny penises or Spaniards are all retarded bull killers do I? As far as classifying all of us as stupid, that in itself is plain stupid. Personally I believe every nation in the world to be stupid, this world is full of stupid people, don't matter where they are from. Even geniuses can be stupid. There are very few actual 'non-stupid' people in this world actually.

[Vael]

HAHA koby's got it right, stupidity is everywhere it knows no bounds, difference between other countries and america is that america broadcasts their stupidity to the world with "reality TV" where as other countries with their own languages don't, with america also remember they have had some of the smartest people in the world with new innovations just like every other country, they have contributed to the world in their own way, so yeah.

HAHA myself posting in this thread in itself is posting out of topic, due to the fact that I'm Aussie

[† L4ugh]

Personally, as a member of the USA, I refer to myself as a yankee, but when talking to people from other countries I use the term American. The reason for that is that with the exception for some Brits, Aussies, and Canadians, almost all other peoples refer to people from the United States as Americans. I guess that most people from the USA itself consider themselves Americans as well, and some (mainly in the south) would be insulted by the term yankee. I however, find it to be a badge earned with the blood of men and women that have died, are dying, or will die for the freedom we hold so dear. I would agree with you that the term American being used for any person from the Continent of America makes since, but as Koby pointed out due to America actually being in our name, we have been labeled with that title. I also think that the other countries don't want the term American to tie them to us, especially in times like we're in now.

[Max465]

As for the whole 'Americans are stupid' outlook, that is just stereotyping and stereotyping is wrong. I don't go around saying Asians are all midgets with tiny penises or Spaniards are all retarded bull killers do I? As far as classifying all of us as stupid, that in itself is plain stupid. Personally I believe every nation in the world to be stupid, this world is full of stupid people, don't matter where they are from. Even geniuses can be stupid. There are very few actual 'non-stupid' people in this world actually.

Everyone is an idiot, just some people are bigger idiots than others. XD

[Clare]

dude, no offence on all your patriotism, but the UN did a survey on the best countries to live in and here's a sample of that list :-

1 Norway

2 Australia

3 Iceland

4 Canada

5 Ireland

6 Netherlands

7 Sweden

8 France

9 Switzerland

10 Japan

11 Luxembourg

12 Finland

13 United States

14 Austria

(Source : http://www.nowpublic.com/world/best-country-live-list-countries-2009-un-hdi)

so ... number 13 on a list just to be before AUSTRIA, yeah, that speaks a lot.

on top of all that, the US has the highest crime rate in the world. (Source : http://www.mapsofworld.com/world-top-ten/countries-with-highest-reported-crime-rates.html)

besides, you haven't mentioned a thing that makes it the "best damn country in the world".

sorry if i appear rude but that's just my take on the topic.

For one, that list is almost 4 years outdated. Plus, those aren't "The Best" countries to live in, nor did the UN make a list about that because that factor is totally opinionated. The list you linked is the UN's HDI (not a survey), or Human Development Index, which measures the development of countries around the world. The HDI bases countries on 3 things; GDP (Gross Domestic Product), Literacy Rate/Amount of Education, and Life Expectancy. The scale of HDI goes from 0 to 1.0. No country has reached the level 1.0, but a few are close. As of 2010, the U.S. is ranked 4th in the HDI, with a HDI level of 0.95. Europe has an average HDI level of 0.93, which means it's behind the U.S. The only countries in front of the U.S. are New Zealand, Australia, and Norway. The reason the U.S. is behind those countries is because of the High School dropout rate, and the low life expectancy based on inadequate health care coverage. Though, both these factors are dropping because of education on them. Also, Austria is ranked 25th in the HDI (no where near the U.S.), and has an HDI level of 0.85. So, linking an outdated list on the HDI does not show that the U.S. is a bad country to live in. Personally, I think it's a great country having lived in it for my whole life. I've visited other countries around the world, and there's plenty that are a lot worse than the U.S. Sure, the U.S. has problems, but what country doesn't?

Aside from that, I think being an American means that I'm free. I can vote on who I think will run the country the best. I can leave the country when I want. I can choose to get a good education and job. I can choose to believe in whatever I choose to believe in. And finally, I can openly disagree with most, if not all things, and not get severely persecuted for doing so (Freedom of Speech). In conclusion, I think the U.S. is a great country, despite what others think, and I'm extremely proud to be part of it.