Why do people love the USA?

@wildgrass said
Isn't it just where Facebook users are from?

I'm not going to cite any of them because it's hard to find a really credible source, but all the sources I can find seem to indicate that American Facebook use per capita is about average.

@athousandyoung said
Are you really bragging about California's accomplishments?

It hasn’t fallen into the sea yet. That’s quite an accomplishment I think.

@sh76 said
Very informal metric, I know, but illuminating nonetheless.

After noticing some of these groups on my Facebook feed (yes, I'm old, sue me), I did a little counting:

Facebook groups that are called some variation of "I love USA": 12 groups of at least 100,000 members, including 8 of 230k or more, 5 of 300k or more and 2 of 500k or more.

"I love Europe" One group over 100 ...[text shortened]... ny people still consider it the shining city on the hill?

I have a theory, but I'll listen first.

Personally it's more about being grateful for the influence of the US than, at times, a misguided, 'love' or patriotism.. What sent such a young country rocketing to be the powerhouse of the world, leading the world in so many ways, why did it happen there and not somewhere else, what shaped it, was it their social welfare program.

We look at the founding principles, the constitution and the declaration of independence, which with language like this:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

...put the individual above the state.

And the 1st amendment which, often attacked and threatened, is an incredibly important buffer against the tyrant state. (Look at laws being pushed in Canada and Scotland)

And as impossible as it is to measure the effect of those principles have flowed out across the world and the world is a better place for that.

Unfortunately people grew complacent in a “Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times.” way, and it appears the US is on a downward trend as they move further from those principles, witness the greatest expansion of goobermint powers in the history of the world during the wuflu drama, too many bent over and allowed the enemies of liberty to ram them.

Imagine those unfortunate enough to pass at the height of the wuflu drama, or during some conflict, or any one of a dozen other manufactured dramas control freaks dream up for the purpose of expanding the state, their final thought 'this is what the world is now'.

At 60 one's mortality looms, I sincerely hope the brakes can be put on the assault on individual liberty, in the US and elsewhere, so that my final thoughts are not censored.

@Wajoma
Pretty sure we don't put the individual ABOVE the state but at least equal.
There certainly are certain Americans THINKING they are literally above the state, above the law but they get caught out eventually.
The state says say, you can't yell fire in a crowded theater so there are rules to live by and the state will enforce them but if someone is arrested for standing on a stool yelling the sky is falling they would not have a chance in a courtroom, the case would be thrown out because of constitutional rights to free speech. Using that platform to incite violence shows there are limits to free speech so we all have to follow such rules and laws.

@sonhouse said
@Wajoma
Pretty sure we don't put the individual ABOVE the state but at least equal.
The state says say, you can't yell fire in a crowded theater so there are rules to live by and the state will enforce them but if someone is arrested for standing on a stool yelling the sky is falling they would not have a chance in a courtroom, the case would be thrown out because of const ...[text shortened]... incite violence shows there are limits to free speech so we all have to follow such rules and laws.

Shut up.

@Wajoma
THAT will never happen. I won't use sexual references any more but I will sure call you out when I think you are full of shyte. In this case not even that full of shyte but differences of opinion.

@wajoma said
Shut up.

I mean....really, Sonhouse.....

@wajoma said
Shut up.

Heed your own fukking advice, you koala raping, incel kunt.

@sonhouse said
@Wajoma
THAT will never happen. I won't use sexual references any more but I will sure call you out when I think you are full of shyte. In this case not even that full of shyte but differences of opinion.

Oh, no, he's DEFINITELY full of it.

@mott-the-hoople said
I agree…but it is a fact.

No it is not.

We managed an election in 2020 that was NOT a sham, that successfully elected AND placed in office the winner. Hopefully, measures are now in place to ensure we never get fooled again, like what happened in 2016, when Kris Kobach shopped his list of people who should be stricken from polls (mostly black, Hispanic and Asian) to seven battleground states. Let's not hesitate to add the selling of America that year to "strongman" Vladimir Putin.

@wajoma said
Personally it's more about being grateful for the influence of the US than, at times, a misguided, 'love' or patriotism.. What sent such a young country rocketing to be the powerhouse of the world, leading the world in so many ways, why did it happen there and not somewhere else, what shaped it, was it their social welfare program.

We look at the founding principles, the c ...[text shortened]... dividual liberty, in the US and elsewhere, so that my final thoughts are not censored.

Piss off, you anarchist lunatic.

@sh76 said
Very informal metric, I know, but illuminating nonetheless.

After noticing some of these groups on my Facebook feed (yes, I'm old, sue me), I did a little counting:

Facebook groups that are called some variation of "I love USA": 12 groups of at least 100,000 members, including 8 of 230k or more, 5 of 300k or more and 2 of 500k or more.

"I love Europe" One group over 100 ...[text shortened]... ny people still consider it the shining city on the hill?

I have a theory, but I'll listen first.

Given that the US me 23rd in the happiest place to live survey perhaps you should be asking why don’t Americans love the USA

@kevcvs57 said
Given that the US me 23rd in the happiest place to live survey perhaps you should be asking why don’t Americans love the USA

'Happy' is subjective. Shav thinks happy is taking off work and driving around. Happy to me, is, working.
Y'all are some-kind-of shallow thinkers.

@averagejoe1 said
'Happy' is subjective. Shav thinks happy is taking off work and driving around. Happy to me, is, working.
Y'all are some-kind-of shallow thinkers.

You’d rather be working than shagging?

You little incel, you.

@kevcvs57 said
Given that the US me 23rd in the happiest place to live survey perhaps you should be asking why don’t Americans love the USA

The happiness surveys are a great topic and possibly deserves its own thread.

Long story short, I doubt there's much correlation between self-reported happiness and things that an economic or governmental system can really control.

There's a reason that they say that suicide is negatively correlated with income (https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1007&context=bsba)

i.e., richer people are MORE likely to commit suicide.