What Makes America the Greatest Country in the World?

Noa,

I remember that this clip appeared here before some time ago. It's from a TV serial (the pilot maybe), so it is a major media production. That in itself is a red flag.

But to address the clip itself: The first 2 minutes are pretty good -- true for the most part. It's a bracing but welcome spash of cold water. But from the 2:00 minute mark until the end, it's pure BS. It doesn't invite critical thinking; it lulls us into a sentimental dream about a past that never existed.

So the overall message is: We (the US) veered from the revered American right path at some point, but the basic system is good and even noble. The clip admit lesser "evils" in order to hide a bigger one (a profoundly corrup system that underlies all of Western civilization and a lot of Eastern civilization too). It's major media pretending to be alternative. Very controlled "opposition."

I didn't watch any of the series, but I'll bet it never poked into any really "dangerous" areas. Just looked up the name: "The Newsroom". Has anyone seen more of this?

Still, the first 2 minutes were very good.

I agree with the clip but also recognize that there was much corruption right from the beginning. The fact is that many peoples did emmigrate to the US and did make a better life for themselves than they would have had in the country they were leaving. That said, I'm so ashamed of the fact that I still pay taxes to the US government right now.

I'll never forget standing in the Jefferson memorial in awe at the promise that so many hoped for America. Maybe I am still in the spell of some giant propaganda but I do think there was a self-sustaining segment of the country - it's agricultural areas where farming was the mainstay of the economy - that really did stand for peace and freedom. And I do think there was a genuine attempt to rid the country from the control of banking interests that at the time were in control of the European countries.

Hi Eric,

I agree totally with your last statement. No government would definitely be better!

You've made some very valid points. Part of me regretted posting that video, because as you eluded, it is a trite commercialized, albeit grandiose statement of our country. However, I believe that the founding principles of this country are deeply instilled in the American people -- among these -- life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. (Though we can't ignore the fact that America was founded on the bloodshed of our indigenous people.)

As a someone who has recently converted my views to a no-ruler model (aka Anarchism), I agree with your statements. I'm glad this video has opened up a meaningful dialogue.

Here's another clip from the Newsroom, for what it's worth...

I'm not saying I'm right, but my 1st reaction is it seems like a liberal/intellectual slap in the face of conservatives who want to celebrate the good in the country or their pride in it (I know it's much more complicated than that but...). I see it as more of the same artificial conflict employed to divide and conquer-in this case it's time for libs to smackdown cons because that's the niche audience. I believe George Carlin was right to say we are being set up to be in conflict so we don't see straight and then find common cause to oppose the evil in the world.

I will say that I believe the US used to be a great country for many of the later reasons given in the first video. I distinctly remember my appreciation of many great accomplishments and freedoms we enjoyed.. that I was a well-fed white boy didn't hurt.

No borders, no leaders, the world is all of ours.

No borders, no leaders, the world is all of ours. No borders, no leaders, the world is all of ours.

We belong to the biosphere and the biosphere belongs to all of us .
No borders, no leaders, the world is all of ours. I love you all , Eric

I thought this talk about Herbert Hoover and his thoughts in WWII was interesting. It sounds to me like the Hooverville idea was the beginnings of a pro-war, anti-peace propaganda campaign that brought America to the ugly place it sits today.

http://www.ihr.org/audio/archives/hoovers-critique-us-ww2

Wendy