Philosophy Now Forum

Some may say we can always do better (or worse).

Speaking for the US, I think where we exceed would be our technology and our freedom. I already know that some will disagree. But an underlying question is how do we gauge how well we are doing? Standard of living? How many people want to move into here as opposed as to how many people want to move out of here? How do we judge? And I feel comfortable in saying that we can always improve.

What do you think about all of this?

PhilX

'Freedom'? Clearly the American definition of freedom is different from everyone else's. What about fairness?
Hmm, we've never had a lynching, or segregation, we don't have the KKK, we don't have the death penalty, we don't imprison people for the rest of their lives for shop-lifting, we don't imprison people for 13 years in solitary confinement without charging them with anything, we don't execute children, or put them in adult prisons, everyone is entitled to free health care, we don't attack other countries....
I wonder how 'free' Bradley Manning thinks the US is, likewise Julian Assange.

vegetariantaxidermy wrote:'Freedom'? Clearly the American definition of that is different from everyone else's. What about fairness?

VT I think you're from England. How about WWII when we saved your sorry hides and I think you still owe us a chunk of money. Fair enough?

PhilX

Philosophy Explorer wrote:

vegetariantaxidermy wrote:'Freedom'? Clearly the American definition of that is different from everyone else's. What about fairness?

VT I think you're from England. How about WWII when we saved your sorry hides and I think you still owe us a chunk of money. Fair enough?

PhilX

I'm not English, and I think the English would beg to differ on your assertion. The English have attacked other countries plenty. What on earth do you get taught at school?
Then there was the McCarthy era. How 'free' were those people to their opinion? I understand poor Ethel Rosenberg took ages to die in the electric chair. She was on fire and still alive. Why do you pick such revolting methods of execution anyway? It wouldn't be about 'vengeance' would it?

Define "culture" the way you mean it. Isn't it better to say "population of a country"? That sounds like what you mean. Or just country.

The privileges of being Norwegian I feel are indescribable. I don't think there's any right that I might possess in the US but not in Norway, that makes a significant difference for me. In Norway I have more opportunities for self-realization, better security, and more de facto freedoms. The US is full of places that forbid this and that in a highly irregular and occasionally unpredictable fashion, and exclusion can almost be called a motto, with de facto sectarian/racial divisons and economic elitism that acts as transparent apartheid. Norway is a country which first and foremost can give me all that I could ever need. Many freedoms in the US are trivial to have, and may be dangerous to be part of. Like the proliferation of guns that lead to so much gun-related violence. Or the easy access to stuff like alcohol, tobacco and now also weed. Tobacco I can be totally without, weed may be fun to try but anything like regular use and a proliferation of users is highly undesirable, and alcohol leads too many times to bad instead of good things, and to most people I think the sum of times when alcohol is truly a good thing can be set to less than a dozen in the course of a lifetime. Alcohol is too easy to abuse, and too easy to use instead one's own head.

The US is hell to somebody like me. The place where you go to be poor, stay poor, and be treated like dust by your peers.

Philosophy Explorer wrote:

vegetariantaxidermy wrote:'Freedom'? Clearly the American definition of that is different from everyone else's. What about fairness?

VT I think you're from England. How about WWII when we saved your sorry hides and I think you still owe us a chunk of money. Fair enough?

PhilX

I think y'all get your 'history' from your movies.

The Voice of Time wrote:Define "culture" the way you mean it. Isn't it better to say "population of a country"? That sounds like what you mean. Or just country.

The privileges of being Norwegian I feel are indescribable. I don't think there's any right that I might possess in the US but not in Norway, that makes a significant difference for me. In Norway I have more opportunities for self-realization, better security, and more de facto freedoms. The US is full of places that forbid this and that in a highly irregular and occasionally unpredictable fashion, and exclusion can almost be called a motto, with de facto sectarian/racial divisons and economic elitism that acts as transparent apartheid. Norway is a country which first and foremost can give me all that I could ever need. Many freedoms in the US are trivial to have, and may be dangerous to be part of. Like the proliferation of guns that lead to so much gun-related violence. Or the easy access to stuff like alcohol, tobacco and now also weed. Tobacco I can be totally without, weed may be fun to try but anything like regular use and a proliferation of users is highly undesirable, and alcohol leads too many times to bad instead of good things, and to most people I think the sum of times when alcohol is truly a good thing can be set to less than a dozen in the course of a lifetime. Alcohol is too easy to abuse, and too easy to use instead one's own head.

The US is hell to somebody like me. The place where you go to be poor, stay poor, and be treated like dust by your peers.

I prefer to say 'mind-set'. Norway comes across as a thousand times more appealing than the US, yet Americans think everyone is desperate to live there. The conceit knows no bounds. Unfortunately US 'culture' tends to infiltrate everywhere, far more so now with the internet. I resent this greatly, especially as I come from a country with a far superior outlook.

vegetariantaxidermy wrote:

The Voice of Time wrote:Define "culture" the way you mean it. Isn't it better to say "population of a country"? That sounds like what you mean. Or just country.

The privileges of being Norwegian I feel are indescribable. I don't think there's any right that I might possess in the US but not in Norway, that makes a significant difference for me. In Norway I have more opportunities for self-realization, better security, and more de facto freedoms. The US is full of places that forbid this and that in a highly irregular and occasionally unpredictable fashion, and exclusion can almost be called a motto, with de facto sectarian/racial divisons and economic elitism that acts as transparent apartheid. Norway is a country which first and foremost can give me all that I could ever need. Many freedoms in the US are trivial to have, and may be dangerous to be part of. Like the proliferation of guns that lead to so much gun-related violence. Or the easy access to stuff like alcohol, tobacco and now also weed. Tobacco I can be totally without, weed may be fun to try but anything like regular use and a proliferation of users is highly undesirable, and alcohol leads too many times to bad instead of good things, and to most people I think the sum of times when alcohol is truly a good thing can be set to less than a dozen in the course of a lifetime. Alcohol is too easy to abuse, and too easy to use instead one's own head.

The US is hell to somebody like me. The place where you go to be poor, stay poor, and be treated like dust by your peers.

Norway comes across as a thousand times more appealing than the US, yet Americans think everyone is desperate to live there. The conceit knows no bounds.

Why do more people want to get in than out of the US? Explain that.

PhilX

Philosophy Explorer wrote:

vegetariantaxidermy wrote:

The Voice of Time wrote:Define "culture" the way you mean it. Isn't it better to say "population of a country"? That sounds like what you mean. Or just country.

The privileges of being Norwegian I feel are indescribable. I don't think there's any right that I might possess in the US but not in Norway, that makes a significant difference for me. In Norway I have more opportunities for self-realization, better security, and more de facto freedoms. The US is full of places that forbid this and that in a highly irregular and occasionally unpredictable fashion, and exclusion can almost be called a motto, with de facto sectarian/racial divisons and economic elitism that acts as transparent apartheid. Norway is a country which first and foremost can give me all that I could ever need. Many freedoms in the US are trivial to have, and may be dangerous to be part of. Like the proliferation of guns that lead to so much gun-related violence. Or the easy access to stuff like alcohol, tobacco and now also weed. Tobacco I can be totally without, weed may be fun to try but anything like regular use and a proliferation of users is highly undesirable, and alcohol leads too many times to bad instead of good things, and to most people I think the sum of times when alcohol is truly a good thing can be set to less than a dozen in the course of a lifetime. Alcohol is too easy to abuse, and too easy to use instead one's own head.

The US is hell to somebody like me. The place where you go to be poor, stay poor, and be treated like dust by your peers.

Norway comes across as a thousand times more appealing than the US, yet Americans think everyone is desperate to live there. The conceit knows no bounds.

Why do more people want to get in than out of the US? Explain that.

PhilX

Perhaps they believe your bullshit TV shows? Are you talking about Mexicans? I doubt if Canadians are clamouring to live in the US.

There's no lack of people wanting to move to Europe either, particularly western, northern and southern europe. Don't think you're the only ones with a migration problem ^^

Norway is hopefully isolated from most of the mass-movements, as we're far away from the 3rd world, while you practically have it on your doorstep.

The Voice of Time wrote:There's no lack of people wanting to move to Europe either, particularly western, northern and southern europe. Don't think you're the only ones with a migration problem ^^

Norway is hopefully isolated from most of the mass-movements, as we're far away from the 3rd world, while you practically have it on your doorstep.

Our largest city has been completely taken over by a foreign culture. Young people can no longer buy their first home because the foreigners have large wads of cash and buy up all the properties, pushing the prices out of the reach of everyone else. Of course we aren't allowed to complain, or the PC thought-police will be all over you like dog-pooh on a shoe.

VT said:

"Perhaps they believe your bullshit TV shows? Are you talking about Mexicans? I doubt if Canadians are clamouring to live in the US."

The stats prove it (you watch too much TV).

If that's your best shot, then you couldn't hit the side of a barn.

PhilX

Philosophy Explorer wrote:VT said:

"Perhaps they believe your bullshit TV shows? Are you talking about Mexicans? I doubt if Canadians are clamouring to live in the US."

The stats prove it (you watch too much TV).

If that's your best shot, then you couldn't hit the side of a barn.

PhilX

What stats? Well I certainly wouldn't want to live there. It comes across as a backward dump with all the wrong priorities.

VT added:

"Well I certainly wouldn't want to live there. It comes across as a backward dump with all the wrong priorities."

Sounds prejudiced to me.

PhilX

Philosophy Explorer wrote:VT added:

"Well I certainly wouldn't want to live there. It comes across as a backward dump with all the wrong priorities."

Sounds prejudiced to me.

PhilX

It's not my fault it comes across that way. It's your fault if the rest of the world sees you like that.