U.S.A. The POSITIVE side...

[BMG_TARANTELLA]

All I hear, read, and see on the internet, chat rooms, forums,
news sources is all things negative about America/U.S.A.
These slices of razor sharp insight usually come from
anti-American countries such as Canada, Britian,...and
of course...the ever endearing France.

Basically, people who have never lived in the U.S., and usually get
their news and opinions from questionable sources, or see a few
headlines in their local rag or the internet, and base their idealogies
on one or two meaningless and often misleading blurbs.

As an American, I'm really a little sick, make that REALLY
f***ing sick of all this negativity.

So...to add a little positive charge....here are a few
of the millions of positive things America has done for the world
and mankind in general.

Feel free to offer your own comments....


A brief history of the Automobile...
http://www.ideafinder.com/history/in...s/story054.htm

The milestone vehicle was built in Germany in 1889 by Gottlieb Daimler and
Wilhelm Maybach. Powered by a 1.5 hp, two-cylinder gasoline engine, it had
a four-speed transmission and traveled at 10 mph. Another German, Karl Benz,
also built a gasoline-powered car the same year. The gasoline-powered automobile,
or motor car, remained largely a curiosity for the rest of the nineteenth century,
with only a handful being manufactured in Europe and the United States.

The first automobile to be produced in quantity was the 1901 Curved Dash Oldsmobile,
which was built in the United States by Ransom E. Olds. Modern automobile mass
production, and its use of the modern industrial assembly line, is credited to
Henry Ford of Detroit, Michigan, who had built his first gasoline-powered car in 1896.
Ford began producing his Model T in 1908, and by 1927, when it was discontinued,
over 18 million had rolled off the assembly line.

Space Exploration...Landing on the Moon...

1969: America lands man on the Moon
American Neil Armstrong has become the first man to walk on the Moon.

The astronaut stepped onto the Moon's surface, in the Sea of Tranquility,
at 0256 GMT, nearly 20 minutes after first opening the hatch on the Eagle
landing craft.

His colleague Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin watched from inside the lunar module and
spoke the first words of man on the Moon:

"Tranquillity base. The Eagle has landed."

As he put his left foot down first Mr Armstrong declared:
"That's one small step for man but one giant leap for mankind."

He described the surface as being like powdered charcoal and the
landing craft left a crater about a foot deep.

First re-usable space vehicle

SPACE SHUTTLE:
FIRST REUSABLE SPACECRAFT

The Space Shuttle made its debut in 1981 as the U.S. launch vehicle
for human spaceflight in Earth orbit. During its design, construction,
and early operation, the Space Shuttle was intended to be an economical
replacement for expendable launch vehicles that are used only once.

It is the world's first re-flyable spacecraft.

The Space Shuttle was developed for a variety of purposes:

satellite delivery and retrieval,

orbital servicing,

round-trip service for science instruments, and

laboratory research in space.

The military, commercial, and scientific communities have used the
Shuttle for their projects in space.

First practical aeroplane/airplane invented by American Wright Brothers

http://www.wam.umd.edu/~stwright/WrBr/Wrights.html


American/USA achievements in Medicine, Biotechnology, physics, and
chemistry.

Television
There are many nationalities and people credited with the first "television".
Most of these consisted of rudimentary parts that televisions would eventually
need in order to function.

However, it was American inventor Philo Farnsworth who is generally
credited with having the first working television, and actually

Farnsworth developed the dissector tube, the basis of all current
electronic televisions. He filed for his first television patent in
1927 (pat#1,773,980.)

http://inventors.about.com/library/i...farnsworth.htm

And then of course we have the Personal Computer or "PC" and
what is commonly referred to as the internet.

All AMERICAN MADE

More to come...just getting warmed up...

[Jonny M]

Woah, woah, woah. Calm down here. Nobody said "the yanks never did anything useful". They are reacting to the ignorance displayed by your leaders, and their apparant disregard for any other countries.

Not the people who live there.

Edit: And you wouldn't be able to have your rant without the work of a Brit. So there.

[midzt]

Space Exploration...Landing on the Moon

Did they, did they really?
(so many of my mates don't believe the moon landing)


j/k, I know what you mean tho, but some people who I know in the US that feel the same way as the people in the countries/forums etc. you mentioned tho.

EDIT: Agreeing with above and below

[TeePee]

Car, invented in Germany. America built some. (Actually I'll give some credit to the V8 Pushrod Chevy as a nice bit of engineering.)

Landing on Moon. Fake.

First re-usable space vehicle. OK, but it didn't change much from it's 1970's design. Not really a good reflection on modern America, is it?

Airplane invented by Wright Brothers. OK, they were first. That Month.

Television. Another British invention claimed by an American. Next you'll be claiming an American invented the light bulb.

I'm the first to say America has done some great things in the past (remember that chevy) but your examples are poor, and most people are bashing the current administration (and rightly so).

[ACiD303]

Basically, people who have never lived in the U.S., and usually get
their news and opinions from questionable sources, or see a few
headlines in their local rag or the internet, and base their idealogies
on one or two meaningless and often misleading blurbs.

Im not going to engage in argument about pro's or cons about America, past or present - but if literally every country (or majority of global population) in the world hated the country I was from, id think it was more than coincidence (are we all wrong and unjust?) and Id be more concerned with what can be done from hereon - not what's been done in the past.

to be honest, alot of great countries have their pioneering moments and pivotal modern commodities - and Im not saying this in an anti-USA way so dont take it that way - but it does really mean squat. We've all contributed in this world to make general life better.

As an American, I'm really a little sick, make that REALLY
f***ing sick of all this negativity.

As other americans have said on another board I regular on, it would be nice to get away from the magnifying glass and perhaps dim the spotlight if not switch it off completely. I do feel sorry at times (coz I wouldnt like to be in their shoes basically, especially for those who'se political sidings are bit like mine) for the flaming, but most have brought it upon themselves in my own view.

Doode, America's a great country, you got alot of thiings going for yas. Unfortunately, it just has a really controversial view of the rest of the world and has a really sleazy political/business nature. And when the rest of the world are concerned, its hard not to shut up about it.

[Flibb]

I do like the idea of Britain be anti USA, ummm who's troops are currently getting shot at in Afghanistan, Iraq and just about every other place the USA wants a hand?? As to the French being anti USA, you may not realise this but they don't actually like anybody, well apart from the Germans. Us Brits well we take the piss out of everybody, just count yourself lucky you aren't Welsh. Bahhh


I think the main reason the Europeans don't like Americans is that we don't understand you, we see all these political rallies with shouting people, balloons, posters etc, when we do that our Politician's get edgy as they think it lynching time. In general we either hate, or just cant be arsed with our politicians, and seeing somebody wax lyrical about some arse kissing back stabbing slime bag puts our teeth on edge.

[Skii]

Landing on Moon. Fake.

Wrong.

[Flibb]

I thought the Germans were the first ones to the moon?

[Big RICHARD]

First man in space was..........

RUSSIAN


Who is the only country to use atomic weapons? TWICE?

USA USA USA!


Who's foreign policy in the middle east caused the 'terrorists' to fly two planes into the world trade centre, one into the pentagon and hijack another in order to crash it in to another target, possibly camp david?


Who's foreigh policy in Israel is causing a huge amount of friction between neighbours?


Who's news broadcasts are so right wing and full of propaganda that it makes Germany 1939 look like a communist state?

Would you like me to keep going? Coming to a UK forum where we get to see the 'outside view' of the USA and spouting about the 'triumphs' of the USA is a little naive and a huge amount big headed!

[Alex]

The thing that I found best about America from being there a bit over summer wasn't about 'achievements', which the Americans seem so proud of, but the sense of looking after each other which I really felt when I was out there. Following the hurricane in Florida, everyone was only too willing to help each other out, and I just couldn't see that happening to the same extent in Britain, or indeed anywhere else I've been.

Now if only that could extend to the rest of the world...

[SilentDeath]

Right, Im about as anti-american as a person can be. And you say the negative stuff about americamakes you sick? Well american attitude and culture makes me sick. Idontlike to sterotype, but isnt that youve asked for with this thread, and youve done it yourself...

Firstly you are big headed enough to say this:

Basically, people who have never lived in the U.S., and usually get
their news and opinions from questionable sources, or see a few
headlines in their local rag or the internet, and base their idealogies
on one or two meaningless and often misleading blurbs.

I would disagree with that compleatly. Your trying to put accross that we are stupid and incapable of forming our own opinions about your nation. WRONG. How big headed can one person be? How big headed can a whole nation be? very.
I think however, that the quote I just made could quite easly be reworded to accuratly describe how bush got re-elected.

Secondly, you think that your nation is technically better than the rest of the world, which I would also very much disagree with in some areas.
Howeverthats not what matters is it? Which is the nicer place to live? Britain, imho.

American patriotism, is what I hate the most. Its how bush got elected, and how war on Iraq happened. The inabiliy of the American nation to think for itself instead of beliving everything a leader says, is my definition of patriotism.

If you want my view on the war:
Sadam needed to be removed.
In moralways, it was the best thing to do.
In technical ways, it was done wrong. America was not capable of doing it in a way that would not involve civilian casualtys. Compare British and american armys, the We might have a much much smaller army, but its much much much more effective in its usage.

Its like trying to light a melt a chocolate with an oxy-acetylene torch. Too much for a small task.

Another thing is that america is so corrupt, and so driven by capitalism - imo thats not a good thing.
Britain has the ballance about right, maybe a bit too capitalist.. oh well.

[TeePee]

One thing I've noticed in pictures from America over the last few years, is the large number of American flags. Often a huge flag on the front of a building (wall street, for example) as well as many flags hanging from the roof in airports, etc. Why does this remind me of The Soviet Union and Nazi Germany? Because they all represent a government based on control of the people, where the government wants to make the people work for them, and not the other way around. Will America have the same future as a superpower as the other examples?

[SilentDeath]

Yup thats also one of my annoyances about america - FLAGS, and it happens because of patriotism. The more flags you can see, the stupider the average american... imo.

[BMG_TARANTELLA]

Bleh...much of more of the same.

I won't even reply to TeePee's comments as they are a perfect example of
what I get tired of reading and hearing about. Which is just more negativity,
the almost dreadfully cliche' Moon landing conspiracy, and just blind and
unbound hate.

Also, this thread wasn't meant to say America is better at this...or better at
that. It was simply posted to maybe remind people of the positive
things America has done over the last 2 centuries and counting.
Something that has been forgotten in the last 2 years with all the Islam,
Iraq, WMD, U.N., propaganda and lies.

As far as the U.S.A. using nuclear weapons.

Well, if Japan hadn't bombed us at Pearl Harbor, LONG BEFORE WE EVEN
GAVE THEM A SECOND THOUGHT, then we wouldn't have had to take them
down a notch or 10.

The Kamakazi aka "Divine Wind" was much like your Muslim Extremist
mindset is today. These people cannot be negotiated with...
Hell...they don't even seem remotely coherent 99.9999999% of the time.

Dropping the bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in WWII, saved thousands
of American and probably thousands of Japanese lives, in the long run,
and if things were allowed to continue as they were. The Japanese, now
one of America's greatest Allies, had gone into for lack of a much better
phrase..."Insane Mode". They were literally committing suicide on anyone
and anybody. You can't reasonably deal with people when they are in
that frame of mind.

So next time, instead of taking the easy way out, and assuming the
tired and easy way out of the anti-American/anti-nuclear hippie stance,
you would be better served I think to do a little research.

Bottom line. Japan messed with us first. And suffered the consequences,
both in the Pacific Theatre and when they had gone totally nuts, in
Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

There are the way things should be...and there are the way things are.


BTW, you want to see some real atrocities and just plain evil, read and
study about the Japanese' occupying force in China in WWII. Some of
the things they did make Pol Pot look like friggin' Mister Rogers.
(Google for Pol Pot...and Mister Rogers..)

Anyway, good to see a few American supporters...and not surprisingly
it's usual commonplace detractors.

If your country contributed to the progress of the world, no matter
when, post about it...would be interesting to read and learn about.

[shiato storm]

so long as we don't get the old 'we won the war' chestnut we're ok...



doh, looks like its already been opened...well, i'm sure there are more note-worthy threads out there for everyone to involve themselves in

p.s. Nasa would be in a whole heap of trouble without Canada's efforts in providing various things such as space suits and the loading arm of the shuttles...to name but two.

p.p.s. there's nothing friendly about friendly fire...'nough said

[directhex]

sigh.

everyone is really biased and believes the same stuff about america...

yet you can do the same for everywhere else in europe?

you want a list of french, german, british achievements? no, i don't suppose you do.

world opinion of the usa comes down to three main points - domestic and foreign policy, and the attitude of the man on the street.

US foreign policy is to meddle, by supporting one faction as they decide will best shape the world (see former US-paid individuals such as saddam hussein, osama bin laden). to an extent, fair enough - but this is part of the point of international organisations such as nato or the un, who can have a somewhat more informed debate before action, rather than depending on the whims of a single man elected usually on a slim majority. attitudes towards foreign countries has shifted over time, such that the "treat all foreign tourists as terrorists with mugshots and fingerprinting" policy has further extended my university department's boycott of the usa (started when a white british staff member was not subject to the same humiliating procedure an iranian staff member was).

domestic policy is viewed by most developed world (and some developing world) countries as barbaric. a justice system which encourages the poor to confess, to get them out of the system and into jail. environmental policies which will leave the earth a burning shell within our lifetimes. people see it as purely selfish, especially when the "burn as much oil as possible" and "invade foreign countries to see what happens" policies mix

the final issue the world holds is the man on the street - the guy who is barely aware of a world outside the usa, who blindly waves his flag and swears aliegence to whatever ensures he gets cold beer in the fridge. the level of arrogance these people can exhibit on a "we're the biggest in the world, you're all jealous, bend over and take it" front is frightening. or read some nice friendly john gibson to see what the "fair and balanced" us media is force-feeding people with regard to the rest of the world.

and, of course, this leads us to the topic of president bush, who has done more to harm the global affection towards americans than anyone else (and completely erasing the sympathy earnt by the terrorist acts on american soil in the past 10 years). a warmongering half-wit sums it up pretty aptly. see all three earlier points.

this isn't a faceless argument condemning the usa. i have friends and family in the usa, who are the kind of progressive forward-thinking individual that gets shouted down as commie scumm by the rednecks in their pickup trucks. america started off as a land for forward thinking, and progression. the civil rights movement really showed how much america was looking to the future, and now we're talking steps further and gurther back the more the christian right gets its way. constitutionally banning homosexual union? that has no place in the constitution, if anywhere.

if america doesn't want to end up surrounded in some kind of "curtain of iron" to protect itself from everyone else on the planet, perhaps it should be asking WHY the world hates it, rather than telling them "you will like our way, or you'll bend over and TAKE IT our way.