Are American's the dumbest people in the world?

According to Development: US fails to measure up on 'human index', Americans lag far behind other countries on most measures of quality of life.

Not to be too provocative, but given America's absolute wealth doesn't this suggest that the average American is basically an idiot to accept these conditions. Isn't it clear yet to the majority of Americans that the "American Dream" of their mythology is, in fact, one big con?

Will Americans ever get it that the capitalist, free market system they've been indoctrinated to think is the best in the world is, in fact, a scam to rip off the majority of Americans who clearly are suckers?

The rich get richer thanks to the government they bought. The poor get poorer. And, the middle class gets sold to the Chinese, Indians, and the oil industry.

And most Americans just watch the TV as they're bled of everything of value, including their lives.

How sad. How sad. How sad.

[Barnicals]

"It has 5% of the world's people but 24% of its prisoners."

That's just strange. I think it will happen to many countries, unless there is some sort of massive revolution that prompts the people of the world to work for a living again. I dunno.

[HelioPrime]

Who thinks up these "standards?"

America is the same as always. For over a hundred years we were the stable country where you could escape war torn Europe for a better life. We have ALWAYS had a massive wealth gap yet today thanks to the mass media we portray that gap whenever possible. Wealth had become an evil because people are able to enjoy more than the poor. All thanks to the modern media.

Quote by: HelioPrime We have ALWAYS had a massive wealth gap..

...and you're proud of it, and your infant mortality rate, high illiteracy levels, lousy health care, massive prison population, and crime. Good for you, Yankee, keep up the soul and life destroying work. Make 'em suffer. Make 'em bleed. Rob 'em blind. The American Way.

[Kamehameha34]

Are American is the dumbest people?

I'm not so sure about that.

[HelioPrime]

Quote by: sdbest ...and you're proud of it, and your infant mortality rate, high illiteracy levels, lousy health care, massive prison population, and crime. Good for you, Yankee, keep up the soul and life destroying work. Make 'em suffer. Make 'em bleed. Rob 'em blind. The American Way.

Care to trace any of those generalizations to any specific problems related to just the US?

Well here's a good old American answer for ya. America owns your country and we could just plain destroy you if we wanted. Any lost jobs will just go to Mexico. Besides, once your hippie tree huggers are gone we can reseed all your fields and turn Canada land into a massive farm property providing enough corn to help ease our own fuel problems. See? Problems solved. God bless of U S of A

[shawmutt]

We could use some improvements. Hopefully universal health care will be one of those improvements soon no matter who's elected.

[Thanatos]

Pfft, we have nothing on the Nigerians.

Being serious our problem is apathy and stubbornness. We're so stubborn about freedoms that mean nothing like the freedom not to pay for someone else's healthcare, and apathetic about a lot of the other freedoms especially if they aren't ours.

[Kamehameha34]

We're so stubborn about freedoms that mean nothing like the freedom not to pay for someone else's healthcare..

WHAT? You think the forced disenfranchisement of the American taxpayer for the benefit of people that may not even be paying as much 'means nothing'?

What kind of freedoms do you think we're apathetic about? The freedom to richer people's money? To free health care?

These don't exist - assuming you mean 'freedom' as in a right.

[Jaaaman]

I hate threads like this. Another attempt to paint Americans 'as stupid'.

There are stupid people anywhere you go in the world.

[Rainbow]

Quote by: sdbest Are American's the dumbest people in the world ? According to Development: US fails to measure up on 'human index', Americans lag far behind other countries on most measures of quality of life. Not to be too provocative, but given America's absolute wealth doesn't this suggest that the average American is basically an idiot to accept these conditions. Isn't it clear yet to the majority of Americans that the "American Dream" of their mythology is, in fact, one big con? Will Americans ever get it that the capitalist, free market system they've been indoctrinated to think is the best in the world is, in fact, a scam to rip off the majority of Americans who clearly are suckers? The rich get richer thanks to the government they bought. The poor get poorer. And, the middle class gets sold to the Chinese, Indians, and the oil industry. And most Americans just watch the TV as they're bled of everything of value, including their lives. How sad. How sad. How sad.

:-)
Enjoy your paradise.

[blue saki]

Quote by: sdbest According to Development: US fails to measure up on 'human index', Americans lag far behind other countries on most measures of quality of life. Not to be too provocative, but given America's absolute wealth doesn't this suggest that the average American is basically an idiot to accept these conditions. Isn't it clear yet to the majority of Americans that the "American Dream" of their mythology is, in fact, one big con? Will Americans ever get it that the capitalist, free market system they've been indoctrinated to think is the best in the world is, in fact, a scam to rip off the majority of Americans who clearly are suckers? The rich get richer thanks to the government they bought. The poor get poorer. And, the middle class gets sold to the Chinese, Indians, and the oil industry. And most Americans just watch the TV as they're bled of everything of value, including their lives. How sad. How sad. How sad.

You're funny. And I wondered why Canada is becoming more conservative......... Thanks man.

How's that wonderful socialized healthcare workin' for ya?

IBDeditorials.com: Editorials, Political Cartoons, and Polls from Investor's Business Daily -- Canadian Health Care We So Envy Lies In Ruins, Its Architect Admits

Evidently Claude Castonguay doesn't think it's so great.

AHHH! Long live Capitalism along with every American-ism you can think of.....

Quote by: blue saki AHHH! Long live Capitalism along with every American-ism you can think of.....

That's the problem. Americans don't live long and most don't prosper.

[Thanatos]

Quote by: Kamehameha34 What kind of freedoms do you think we're apathetic about?

The freedom not to be spied upon, freedom of religion, freedom of peaceable assembly, due process, really almost the entire bill of rights plus a bunch of other things that you don't even normally think of as rights like the right to a fair election.

Basically as long as it is not John Doe on the terror watch list John Doe doesn't give a flying copulation. We're selfish.

[Dan_77]

Quote by: sdbest According to Development: US fails to measure up on 'human index', Americans lag far behind other countries on most measures of quality of life.

Funny... In this article, "most measures" of quality of life all relate to healthcare. I was under the impression that there is more to life than the couple of hours a year you spend in a doctor's office.

Your article is nonsense. I could make any country in the world rank #1 for "quality of life" if I based quality of life on factors favoring that country. The authors and sponsors of the report are plainly motivated to reach a certain conclusion in furtherance of their preexisting bias.

Not to be too provocative, but given America's absolute wealth doesn't this suggest that the average American is basically an idiot to accept these conditions. Isn't it clear yet to the majority of Americans that the "American Dream" of their mythology is, in fact, one big con?

Not to be too provocative, but given Canada's constant widespread conceit regarding their supposed superiority over Americans, doesn't this thread suggest that the average Canadian is basically an idiot to laud the findings of a report without understanding the basic concept known as "confirmation bias"?

Will Americans ever get it that the capitalist, free market system they've been indoctrinated to think is the best in the world is, in fact, a scam to rip off the majority of Americans who clearly are suckers?

Any evidence that lassiez-faire economy is a "scam"? I didn't think so...

Any evidence that we actually have that? (considering the government frequently and extensively tampers with business)

The rich get richer thanks to the government they bought. The poor get poorer. And, the middle class gets sold to the Chinese, Indians, and the oil industry.

Any proof of any of this?

And most Americans just watch the TV as they're bled of everything of value, including their lives. How sad. How sad. How sad.

How sad that someone would bother to so blatantly troll based upon a report that anyone with a brain not mushed by Molson XXX and poutine could see is meaningless...

[Kamehameha34]

Quote by: Thanatos The freedom not to be spied upon, freedom of religion, freedom of peaceable assembly, due process, really almost the entire bill of rights plus a bunch of other things that you don't even normally think of as rights like the right to a fair election. Basically as long as it is not John Doe on the terror watch list John Doe doesn't give a flying copulation. We're selfish.

Or the requirement of due process, and therefore the commission of a crime to strip a citizen of their assets?

[Nono]

Quote by: blue How's that wonderful socialized healthcare workin' for ya?

You're attempting to derail the thread, saki. But let's take that up.

Did you even bother to read the article you posted from -- what was that monument to disinterested journalism? -- oh right, the Investor's Business Daily.

This guy Castonguay says the system is "in crisis". Yes, it is, because it has been chronically underfunded in recent years by a series of neoliberal (i.e. rightwing) governments. Though health care is basically a provincial matter, the federal government has a big role in funding the system, and the federal government these days is led by that yahoo Stephen Harper, who has replaced Tony Blair as GWB's lap-dog in chief. (Hint: He's from Alberta.) You get the picture?

The Canadian system ran beautifully for decades -- when it had adequate funding.

But here's the difference -- Canadians may have to wait for certain things because their politicians don't have the balls to tax people for services, but they eventually get those things.
Contrast this with the United States, where a whacking huge portion of the population never gets them, because they can't afford them.

What sort of third-world country is it where somebody has to sell his house to get a triple bypass?

You know what all those people without health care represent, saki? A major Market Inefficiency, that's what. All that unmet demand.

[Thanatos]

Quote by: Kamehameha34 Or the requirement of due process, and therefore the commission of a crime to strip a citizen of their assets?

Ugh. No, don't turn this into yet another indirect debate of libertarianism as a philosophy. Must...not...debunk...

[blue saki]

Quote by: Nono You're attempting to derail the thread, saki. But let's take that up. Did you even bother to read the article you posted from -- what was that monument to disinterested journalism? -- oh right, the Investor's Business Daily. This guy Castonguay says the system is "in crisis". Yes, it is, because it has been chronically underfunded in recent years by a series of neoliberal (i.e. rightwing) governments. Though health care is basically a provincial matter, the federal government has a big role in funding the system, and the federal government these days is led by that yahoo Stephen Harper, who has replaced Tony Blair as GWB's lap-dog in chief. (Hint: He's from Alberta.) You get the picture? The Canadian system ran beautifully for decades -- when it had adequate funding. But here's the difference -- Canadians may have to wait for certain things because their politicians don't have the balls to tax people for services, but they eventually get those things. Contrast this with the United States, where a whacking huge portion of the population never gets them, because they can't afford them. What sort of third-world country is it where somebody has to sell his house to get a triple bypass? You know what all those people without health care represent, saki? A major Market Inefficiency, that's what. All that unmet demand.

Funny things...... balls. Our politicos don't have the balls to NOT TAX for fear their Socialist, nanny state agenda would be outed as the fraud in which it is. A socialized healthcare system will fail miserably and is against the Founders principals at that. Our representatives cannot even provide proper medical care for our Veterans and I am supposed to swallow the premise this same govt. can provide adequate healthcare for more than 300 million people? And all the while they are using Canada and Britain as examples? Please someone stop me right there.


Furthermore, I am safely assuming you believe what the media is telling you as far as people dieing because they cannot afford medical care. As one in the American medical field for more than 25 years, I will tell you that you and your media sources are dead wrong my dear. If someone dies from lack of medical attention it is because they CHOSE to do so. I ahve no sympathy for those who neglect medical attention while using the "I can't afford it" excuse. There are thousands of programs and charities at the ready to assist those who need it. (In fairness however, some of those banks are being sucked dry by those who should not be entitled to it in the first place.) Noone in this Country is EVER denied medical attention, whether it be a nose bleed or a massive heart attack.

To sum it up I'll use the controversial words of Phil Graham......... "We are a nation of whiners" I will give arrogant Europeans that much.

To answer the question "are Americans the dumbest people in the world?"
A resounding NO.

[Nono]

Look, sunshine, my stepsister (for example) is one of what I would call America's working poor. So is her husband. Man, they hustle the live-long day. But they're poor. They certainly can't afford medical care. Dentistry is a remote luxury, as their teeth -- or what's left of them -- attest.
Their friends are no different.

So don't rant at me about "socialism" and "the media". I've seen it with my own eyes.