America's Number 1!!!

[C-Nub]

I'm a Canadian, and I happen to live in a town where a large percentage of our economy is based on tourism, and a large percentage of our tourists are Americans, most of whom are on there way to Alaska. I also deal a great deal with Russians, Germans, Austrians, the Japanese, the Chinese, and as of late, somewhat surprising considering my rather arctic local, people from Mexico.

No citizens of any country compare to the Americans when it comes to sheer boastfulness, (or patriotism if you accept their definition for it.)

When they aren't insisting that their constitution somehow grants them the right to bring fully automatic military grade assault weapons into our country, they can generally be heard insisting that theirs is the best nation on Earth.

Ignoring the fact that going into another country only to state that yours' is better is almost inexcusably rude, having heard it today for what has to be the millionth time (slight exaggeration warning) I've really got to ask... Those of you who think your country is the best, of all the countries out there, uh... why?

Before you answer, though, I thought I'd gather up some things called 'facts'. In this case, they are statistical facts. I gathered them from the BBC, Wikipedia (I know, not the best source,) The New York Times (a little better,) and The World Almanac, which I think is pretty credible.

The Wealthiest country in the world: Luxembourg.
The United States of America: Sixth.

The Most Generous Country in the world (Charitable Donations in American Dollars per Capita): Luxembourg (appropriate)
The United States of America: 18th. Luxembourgians give twenty-two times more money per person to charity.

Highest Income Per Person: Norway.
United States of America: Third. That's actually not too bad, really, but it isn't #1.

Obesity: America's Number 1 here!
Sorry, I just had to throw that one out. It's not one you want to win, for the record.

Longest Lifespan: Anelorra... I've never heard of it. Might have spelled it wrong.
United States of America: Yeah, didn't even make the top 20, where the list cut off. Laaaame. Canada was on there!

Most Recycling: The Swiss! (These guys are actually #1 in a lot of things)
United States of America: Seventh.

Health Care: France is number 1
The United States of America: Nineteenth. Basically not a country you want to get sick/hurt/pregnant in.

Employment Rate: Iceland is number one here.
The United States of America: Tenth. At least your a top ten country here.

Literacy Rate: Georgia is the most literate country in the world.
The United States: Forty Ninth. Yeah. That's right. This one is from the New York Times. Just for the record, that's really, really, really bad.

Here's a few more, without the comparison, which stopped being necessary after Literacy.

The United States is

28th in Math literacy
37th in general health
22nd in Child Poverty (No Child Left Behind!)
41st in Infant Mortality. That one, right there, should disqualify you from even saying you're a "Good" country, let alone the best. That one is just disgusting.
24th in Murder. Before you pat yourselves on the back for not being number one here, that's out 156, and the countries beating you are ones like Zambia and Iraq. The only developed country further ahead of you on the murder list is Mexico, and honestly, no offense to Mexico, it's not that developed now, is it?

65% of the eligible voters in your country did not vote in the 2004 Presidential elections.

Your nation continues to reject the metric system in favor of an incredibly arbitrary system that has decided, for no reason, that five thousand, two hundred and eighty feet is a mile. Why five thousand, two hundred and eighty? Do you know how many meters are in a kilometer? A thousand. Wow that's complicated.



I know this comes off as hostile, and I don't want it to. Many of my very best friends and overall favorite people are Americans, but at the same time, these are your country men that preach a false gospel of greatness, and you guys have to be a little responsible for them and the amount of ill will they generate internationally towards your nation as a whole. Can any of you justify your belief that you're even in the top ten, let alone the number one nation on earth? Are you God's favorite, despite the bible making pretty clear you're not? (The Holy Land, anyone???)

You've given the world the Airplane, the Lightbulb, Electricity (technically Nikolai Tesla, not so much an American, created the current electric systems) and the automobile (though you don't make any good ones now) but you've also given us reality TV, Britney Spears and every other singer like her, and a bunch of words that no longer have U's in them for no good damn reason at all. (Usually followed by some sort of assertion that it is you, and not us, who speak 'proper English,' despite the fact that the language is named for the country of its origin, England.)

Help me out here.

[Furrowed Brow]

I find this terribly interesting. We Brits used to think (and some still do I guess) that Britain was the greatest nation on Earth with a near divine right to run other countries. Hey we were and are the only country in the world that officially calls ourselves Great Britain.

I am not sure where that sense of hubris derived, but I'd probably put on the list: education, monarchy and class system, a telling of history entwined with mythology, the fact we have not been invaded for over a 1000 years, and that as an island we tend to see ourselves as quite distinct from Europe. But it also stems from that short period of history when we were the most powerful nation on Earth, and when the atlas was a swathe of pink. We believed it because it affirmed our status.

Americans do come across as having bought and swallowed their own mythology. Much like the population of Great Britain 1908. I think this is a sign of a nation still at the height of its powers, and whose general population is pretty much untraveled. I also suspect it is due to American media being more inward looking. Though I could be wrong about that. But here's a test. I'd say that outside of America the Omaha bombing is a very well known. If asked what happened in Omaha in 1995 most Europeans could tell you. They may give the wrong spelling or pronunciation but the name Timothy Mcveigh would also score high. Without googling I wonder how many Americans would know what happened in Omagh in 1998.

(Actually I suspect the Americans on this forum to get that because they are a section of the American population interested in debate and argument. But if they do, do they think their neighbours would?)

[McCulloch]

Number one in prisoners per capita

[mrow]Rank [mcol]Countries [mcol]Amount per 100,000 people [row]#1 [col]United States: [col]715 [row]#2 [col]Russia: [col]584 [row]#3 [col]Belarus: [col]554 [row]#4 [col]Palau: [col]523 [row]#5 [col]Belize: [col]459 [row]#6 [col]Suriname: [col]437 [row]#7 [col]Dominica: [col]420 [row]#8 [col]Ukraine: [col]416 [row]#9 [col]Bahamas, The: [col]410 [row]#10 [col]South Africa: [col]402 [row]#49 [col]Mexico:[col]169[row]#73 [col]Canada:[col]116[row]#142 [col]Iceland:[col]40

Also number one in

• obesity (followed by Mexico and UK),
• teen pregnancy (#1 United States: 1,671.63 births per 1 million people, #2 Slovakia: 1,112.87 births per 1 million people; #3 New Zealand: 972.491 births per 1 million people),
• tied for first place with Mexico for child maltreatment deaths per capita,
• Health spending (per capita and % of GDP),
• motor vehicle deaths per capita,
• percentage of 20 year old women who gave birth to a child whilst in their teens,
• marriage rate,
• broadband access per capita,
• carbon dioxide per capita,
• soft drink consumption per person,
• McDonald's restaurants (per capita),
• tied with Ireland for top place in proportion of people expressing confidence in churches,
• deaths per capita due to acquired haemolytic anaemia or coccidioidomycosis.

[JoeyKnothead]

After experiencing life in a few European countries (Germany mostly), I admit America is not as great as maybe we say it is. But I still lover Her, warts and all, and would never give up my citizenship.

[Fallibleone]

I like your attitude, joey. You like America warts and all. You don't try to cover the warts with layers of makeup. You love it for what it actually is. I feel the same way about the UK. It rains a lot, we criticise ourselves constantly, we're always moaning, successive governments are hopeless, crime is a problem, education could be better, the health service is under-funded and on and on...but I just couldn't imagine living anywhere else (not even Canada - the land of my birth). The UK is quite crappy but it's my crappy.

As far as Americans are concerned, I used to live in Winchester, a very very old city in the south of England. It is always uncomfortably full of tourists, and many of them are Americans. I have to concur with the OP's experiences. Often (can't say all the time) Americans proclaim loudly how America is the best country in the world, and seem surprised when others argue. It is almost as though they are shocked to learn that there is disagreement on the issue. I have no problem with someone loving where they live, but as far as I can see, 'the greatest' is not a term that can be readily applied to America (or the UK anymore).

Hang on, I just thought of something. Its cultural influence on other countries is possibly 'the greatest' - fast food franchises, reality TV, chat shows, 'Santa Claus'.

[Vladd44]

But here's a test. I'd say that outside of America the Omaha bombing is a very well known. If asked what happened in Omaha in 1995 most Europeans could tell you. They may give the wrong spelling or pronunciation but the name Timothy Mcveigh would also score high.

You mean the Oklahoma City Bombing? I have to admit people in the US, especially the people from Omaha would be shocked to know there was a bombing in Omaha.

As far as the good old USA. We are broke, lost our edge and facing oblivion if we do not change paths.

I personally would like to see the US divide back into out 50 independent states. The constitution was a bad idea, placing to much power into an executive branch hardly better than a king.

[Furrowed Brow]

But here's a test. I'd say that outside of America the Omaha bombing is a very well known. If asked what happened in Omaha in 1995 most Europeans could tell you. They may give the wrong spelling or pronunciation but the name Timothy Mcveigh would also score high.

You mean the Oklahoma City Bombing? I have to admit people in the US, especially the people from Omaha would be shocked to know there was a bombing in Omaha.

As far as the good old USA. We are broke, lost our edge and facing oblivion if we do not change paths.

I personally would like to see the US divide back into out 50 independent states. The constitution was a bad idea, placing to much power into an executive branch hardly better than a king.

Ooooooppppps!!!!

[Vladd44]

No worries, the other day I kept typing Frank Wright instead of Jeremiah Wright.

I am sure if Obama's pastor had been Frank instead of Jermiah he would surely have one cool house.

[Confused]

Hmm.. Your points have merit here, but historically speaking, the majority of nations at one time or another had the "superiority" complex. Just as they have fallen to humility, so will we. That is reality. No great nation lasts forever. Eventually, they learn the painful lesson that they aren't so great. A lesson we are learning and I will allow that it will likely take more harsh events before many of the "uppity" Americans will learn it.

IMHO however, France still has that complex and I have yet to meet a frenchman who didn't still hold his nose up to any other country. But that is strictly speaking of those I have met, so I couldn't support that with anything other than personal opinion.

[Confused]

But here's a test. I'd say that outside of America the Omaha bombing is a very well known. If asked what happened in Omaha in 1995 most Europeans could tell you. They may give the wrong spelling or pronunciation but the name Timothy Mcveigh would also score high.

You mean the Oklahoma City Bombing? I have to admit people in the US, especially the people from Omaha would be shocked to know there was a bombing in Omaha.

As far as the good old USA. We are broke, lost our edge and facing oblivion if we do not change paths.

I personally would like to see the US divide back into out 50 independent states. The constitution was a bad idea, placing to much power into an executive branch hardly better than a king.

I am not so sure that dividing the U.S. back into 50 independent states would be a great idea, but I do agree that there is way too much power being given to the executive branch and the idea of "by the people" is becoming meaningless.