Something for me to share with you, AG. This is mostly all American, so, if you're not, well... this might just be a story to you, unless if this adheres to you as well.
What is our "American Dream"? It has changed greatly over the years, and because of this, our ways of life are changed. Through this, our principles, our influence, our systems of government... even how we act. Dependently or independently, our entire civilization can change drastically, but it takes pretty forceful things to change it. These forceful things stem from our former "teachings", or influence that was put to us by our teachers that we rely on, or our parents/guardians. Not just them, but public figures as well, like our leaders, or celebrities. The majority of Americans' acts depend on what the government is interacting and shaping our society, it seems, and it trickles down to the common man, and we behave as such to act like them.
So I have for you today, a few things in a list of what our behavioral principles are like today. This may be just for Americans, or it can be from other nations too, but through a series of experiments, here, and in other places, listening to legit sources, I can believe in every one of these statements 100%:
-- Americans don't get involved in foreign affairs until something of theirs is taken. Otherwise, we are isolated.
-- If anything doesn't agree with Americans, whether it is exaggerated fear or way of life, they elect to take it away or destroy it.
-- The majority are gifted with overbalanced and conventional rights, while those of the minority are shamed with lesser rights. It takes a strong, separating force to bring them together.
-- As more and more opportunities arise, Americans stem away from necessities and desire "wants" more, as they take basic needs for granted.
-- The media can take over one's mind by exaggerating situations and events to change his/her thoughts and views about the "cause".
-- Works that portray objects, characters, or events that symbolize current discriminatory or any other majority-minority situations often get attacked by Americans and hypocritically destroy it.
-- Religion and influence oversee almost every aspect of one's views and thoughts about everything, whether it is about race, other religion, sex, sexuality, or nation, if they are too weak-minded to decide for themselves their morals and judgments.
-- The increased range of technology has made us an impatient people.
Don't even try denying any of these, because you are sick with one of these statements or have been in the past. This is how we live, but it takes something special to break away from our habits and to unify us as one... then we move on to another minority and strike them.
Discrimination still goes on today. Homosexuals for instance. There are people in here, and across the globe, that discriminate against it, because they think it is wrong. This stems from religion, the media, past differences, or influence from figures that you depend on. There are those that try so hard to bring them together, or to show us that they deserve equal rights just like everyone else, the freedom to have a family without fear of discrimination. Some states can't even have families, because they made federal laws banning it.
On a lighter note, how about dependence? Something you don't really need to survive, yet you have it and have a physiological need for it? I do too. It's in front of me. It's my source of news, income, and entertainment. Technology has made everything so fast, convenient, and instant, that we take it for granted and has affected our personalities on a severe level. Not such a thing as high-tech related, but also food wise. Instant meals? So convenient that some women have no idea how to cook from scratch? Back then, this was mandatory if you wished to survive effectively ; now, not so much.
So I end today's discussion with some rhetorical questions: Are we responsible for the whole world? Can America FULLY achieve equal rights? What REALLY makes an American? What is this "American Dream"?
Not being American, I don't have as much of a mandate, as you really have to live somehwere to really get to know it, but your postatements do seem to be true. What I disagree with however is that these ideals have changed much over the years. I think they've remained pretty constant.
-- Americans don't get involved in foreign affairs until something of theirs is taken. Otherwise, we are isolated.
America has been isolationist since WW1. Even the war on terror was brought upon you by 911.
-- If anything doesn't agree with Americans, whether it is exaggerated fear or way of life, they elect to take it away or destroy it.
This one is kind of vague, but, take the Cold War for example. An ideology that threatened the American way of life turned former allies into worse enemies.
-- The media can take over one's mind by exaggerating situations and events to change his/her thoughts and views about the "cause".
I don;t have much knowledge of the American media historically speaking. A lack of a national news service like we have in the UK would leave the market open to biased stations, so I wouldn't be surprised if this has remained fairly constant too.
-- Works that portray objects, characters, or events that symbolize current discriminatory or any other majority-minority situations often get attacked by Americans and hypocritically destroy it.
The US hasn't had the best track record with regards to equal rights for all its citizens. I wouldn't have thought this behaviour was a new phenomenon.
-- Religion and influence oversee almost every aspect of one's views and thoughts about everything, whether it is about race, other religion, sex, sexuality, or nation, if they are too weak-minded to decide for themselves their morals and judgments.
Religion has, and sadly, always will have an influence on American life.
-- The increased range of technology has made us an impatient people.
I don't think that's just restricted to America, but I'll grant you that's probably a more recent development.
My point being that the above statments have been pretty static since America's creation, with only minor changes along the way.
America has been isolationist since WW1. Even the war on terror was brought upon you by 911.
And when something of ours is taken, like the Lusitania and Pearl Harbor and World Trade Center, we take action. We never do get in the faces of foreign nations except to neutrally give support, but we never do decide on a side until we ourselves are involved.
The US hasn't had the best track record with regards to equal rights for all its citizens. I wouldn't have thought this behaviour was a new phenomenon.
It's been with us since the birth of America, and even before that.
This one is kind of vague, but, take the Cold War for example. An ideology that threatened the American way of life turned former allies into worse enemies.
I meant to say something like the Red Scare, the complete fear and slander of Communism and, for some strange reason, Socialism. The Palmer Raids were because of the Red Scare and we basically went McCarthyism on America, taking potential communists without any proof or knowledge.
Religion has, and sadly, always will have an influence on American life.
Due to Religion and the influence of it, if it didn't exist, we, as a world, would have been highly more advanced than we are today. This is because of the Church's hold and power over civilization and law, and their persecution in society because of it.
I think that many of the things you have said have some merit. Especially the unfortunate pervasiveness of religion in policy in this country.
However this statement,
-- The media can take over one's mind by exaggerating situations and events to change his/her thoughts and views about the "cause".
is too relative to be true. Any media source I suppose could "take over one's mind" although I think in order for this to happen the individual intaking the media must be extremely weak willed. I am not weak willed, I am an American, and I certainly have never been "brainwashed" by the media.
Perhaps those who are not concerned enough to find independent verification from impartial parties or other news sources could be "brainwashed" but the vast majority of people I know don't accept the word of popular media sources as the truth.
So being American automatically makes you string willed? That's a good example of media manipulation.
I think you are underestimating how many stupid people there are out there. Of course there are many who are unaffected by the media. There are many more on which it's effects are profound.
is too relative to be true. Any media source I suppose could "take over one's mind" although I think in order for this to happen the individual intaking the media must be extremely weak willed. I am not weak willed, I am an American, and I certainly have never been "brainwashed" by the media.
That's why I said "can" and not "will" =)
Besides, it probably isn't around you, but the majority of people nationwide, probably even further than that.
I think you are underestimating how many stupid people there are out there. Of course there are many who are unaffected by the media. There are many more on which it's effects are profound.
I wouldn't say that it is purely the "American Dream" a lot of your points apply to most other countries.
Are we responsible for the whole world?
No, we're not although sometimes we act like it. Since the Monroe Doctrine in 1823 we've always maintained an isolationist point of view that is to say its not our problem until it involves us. That point of view has lead us down the wrong path many times and even when we strayed from it by trying to stop the spread of communism it hurt us. We need to find a comfortable middle ground.
Can America FULLY achieve equal rights?
Can any country? its a question for the ages although i admit the world is rapidly a-changin' if your time to you is worth savin' then you better start swimmin' or you'll sink like a stone
What REALLY makes an American?
an American is someone who obviously lives in america and believes in freedom and personal liberty, respects other people's right to freedom and liberty and is in the pursuit of the American dream
What is this "American Dream"?
well the true basic american dream is trying to secure a livelihood, raise a family and live in peace and be free of oppression everything else is second
I don't even consider racist people human if you ask me.
Why not? It's just a set of beliefs. That's like saying that you're not human if you believe your country is the best, if you believe in God, any belief really. I'm not saying it's good to be racist, but I wouldn't go as far as to say they're not human.
Holy crap. We've been the most nosy country in the world since FDR was elected. We have not been close to isolationist since the early 1930's.
Uhm, what about WWI? We did jack diddly to assist anyone until something of our own was destroyed, AKA the Lusitania, and that's when we started assisting the Allies, ONLY because the Axis Powers was the side that destroyed it. If it was the Allied Powers that did the "crime", then we would have went with the Axis Powers, and society afterwards would have probably been much more different than it is today.
