Was America ever better or greater?

Question

msc545 · Accepted Answer

Not really. This country was founded with a war, and began genocide against indigent people even before it was a country. It has been oppressing people and committing genocide ever since. It has the lowest standard of living of any "first world" country on the planet, and its politics are riddled with graft and corrupion. The wars now are continuous and only fought to enrich a few corporations and individuals. It has the worst healthcare system of any country on the planet.

Yet with all this and more, the US insists on maintaining an economic system of predatory Capitalism which is the cause of most of the problems I've mentioned.

DarkLegacy · Accepted Answer

No never was. Just very arrogant and conceited

nightdrot · Answer

Voted "Other." Mostly because the fortunes of a nation ebb and flow and there is never a moment of absolute perfection.

When the USA led the Allies to victory in World War II, it was arguably one of its' greatest moments. It stood for democracy and brought down three tyrannies. Yet at the same time, on the home front, racial segregation in he South - segregated lunch counters and all the rest - were pretty much the norm.

Flash forward to the 1960s. The racial segregation was being torn down with the Civil Rights Act and all the rest. Yet the nation was also tearing itself to pieces with riots, rising crime rates, and the so-called "Youth Rebellion." There was greatness and yet i was a society that was in turmoil and increasingly unsafe.

Greatness is rooted in what a nation aspires to be. America's ideals, as embodied in its' Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Bill of Rights, the Gettysburg Address and in the sacrifices made by its' citizens at home and abroad, are the source of its' greatness. Yet men do not always live up to their ideals and so, in that sense, greatness varies across time.

Also, greatness as measured in international relations is still another variable. At the end of the Cold War, the USA was indisputably the greatest power on Earth - unchallenged by any comparable power.

Yet since then, a certain complacency has crept in. The culture assumed that American greatness was a given and so has not done the work to maintain its' global position. A certain unseriousness has arisen that has allowed rivals like China and non-communist Russia to again challenge American global preeminence.

Even here though, there are parallels. The USA helped the Allies to win World War I, in the process turning what had been a war of realpolitik into an ideological contest between dictatorship and democracy.

Then the USA withdrew from the global arena and in an ideological era, the Communists, Fascists and National Socialists emerged to challenge the freedom the USA thought it had made a principle of international affairs. World War II and the Cold War to follow. (The irony now being with its' victory in the Cold War, the USA has returned the international arena to a realpolitik framework.)

Long story short, the metrics for defining greatness - power and principles - will vary across time and seldom match up. Has the USA then ever been greater? Yes, even when it was better or greater it had been better or greater.

razelove · Answer

It depends on the metric you're using. There are times we have been an absolute shit country, like all of the Americas were a dump, not much better than the penal colony Australia was.

Probably the "great period" is between the 50's and 80's. We had massive influence, our economy couldn't be touched by anyone else, 40 hour work weeks, and for a solid chunk there we were pretty high up in education.

There was also segregation, the Vietnam war, and massive protests in the form of the summer of love. We were using clouds of DDT and calling it safe, smoking didn't cause cancer. I agree that our economy functions better with less reins on it. At the same time we need standards exercised for public safety, at least to know what is in the products we consume.

strateguy632 · Answer

reading the answers here, i feel like news companies, msnbc etc. succeeded at deleting historical memory.

u. s. was great at EVERY phase.

in 1776 we established the best style constitution republic, learning from the problems of British king. so brits followed us changing a bit.

great: dividing power and balances in power. a huge step better than Europe governments and primitive countries!

in 1800s u. s. spread with "order and growth" building cities and train lines beteeen wandering nomads, who didn't have cities.

dealt with the wild west and brought it under the law.

in 1860 the north tried to end slavery, that was great, wasn't it? but shame democrats wanted slaves so strongly, that they seceded south, even breaking their commitment to the union.

we stayed nutral in Europe wars napolean, prussian wars even world war one... non aggressive, great! until germany did unrestricted ship sinking.

then in 1917 we saved france, the ingrates!

we dismantled organized crime and mafias using f. b. i. until democrats ruind chicago california and new york state.

we stayed nutral in world war 2, the grestest most peaceful... non-aggression... until japan attacked us.

then could respond to japan... the ONE WHO ATTACKED US, but democrat commander in cheif preferd wasting American lives in atlantic risk, not japan , in algeria, not japan in italy not japan in france not japan. delayed japan war until 1944. idiot.

not bomb industry in amur river region then called Manchuria.

democrat shame, all that, but in the end u. s. great power and great victory over powerful axis.

destroyed forty thousand nazi warplanes etc.

freed france again, i think we should left that to brits. should gave priority to philipines, but dumb democrat waited until 1944.

admittedly atom bomb bad but again democrat chose that! because no sanctity of life... that republican have.

next 1950s great! we saved south korea from powerful north korea and china.

1960s greatest! we saved south vietnam, who? the ones deleted and forgotten. we delayed communism in nan river region around vietnam, for 20 years...

until vietnam invaded laos. commhnism spread west from vietnam. cambodia laos, but we delayed that 20 years.

we supported thailand burma so it wouldn't become like cambodia.

1970s 1980s great! we saved iraq and afghanistan... the ingrates, from powerful iran and russia.

reagan was extremely beneficial.

clinton went down hill until his last year but everyone knew can't trust democrat, so after clinton another republican.

despite shorter existence of republican party, they earned the trust of voters: more presidents than democrat, and more years than democrats, despite democrats existing longer.

next 1990s great! we saved tiny kuwait frompowerful bully iraq nearly 5000 tanks and also powerful air force... we decimated military infrastructure removed saddam threat. extinguished kuwait oil fires.

next 2000 great! saved Afghanistan from taliban... until biden ruined with a horribly disorganized and heavy loss withdrawal.

next saved kurds from saddam poison gas. and removed saddam hussain iraq.

next obama weakened u. s. in several ways adding debt almost double! from 9 trillion to 17 trillion with reckless spending hand outs to many countries.

next trump challenged powerful china, showed strong great!

until biden made america weak and putin dared war during weak biden, in ukraine.

next biden continued obama legacy of destruction... importing huge amounts of oil but blocking local production. grew debt even worse than obama in one term! from 22 trillion to 34 trillion in four years! but... at least before obama u. s. was great as above.

lightbulb27 · Answer

Yes in perception. I think WWII era and coming out of that was better quality humans.

Marriage, committing to each other and family. Work ethic, not spoiled by wealth. Kids respected parental authority and to some extent police.

We were the envy of the world in terms of freedom and wealth. People still come here seeking this, as their countries are restrictive, corrupt, limiting... and many of them succeed.

It needs a lot of work. We've grown technically, but our ethics, values and wealth diminished. Travel overseas and you'll see how trashy USA has become in many areas.

How's this... make American streets as clean again as the streets around Trump Tower. Have you seen that place... spotless. The rest of NYC... a trash pile.

Anonymous · Answer

Better and greater quite literally depends on who you speak to and what era of time you're speaking to them in. For example, if you were a rich slave owner in the 19th century, life might have been great for you, America was flourishing, and all that in your mind, but obviously if you asked the slave how great America was, totally different opinion. I don't think any country can claim greatness when they're purposefully subjugating and harming others in the process to "achieve that." I mean it's even worse when one ignores that and says, but what about everyone else because your idea of a great America then is one in which you harm  your own as a means to achieve a nation's goals. I think at best every 20 years, there is a mini revolution and things change for some, and get worse for others. I would say, some eras were not too bad, and others are an embarrassment to the nation as a whole.

NaultD · Answer

Isn't that statement the antithesis of the founding of The United States of America and the fundamental believe our constitution stands on?

USA was always intended as a grand experiment that shall never end. pushing the limits of democracy of the people by the people then pushing the people to meet the promises of said democracy again and again. Not foretold by high priest but a promise to ours as American people.

normalice · Answer

Before unions and public education it was pretty great for oligarchs. MAGA is too intimidated by the prospect of making their own meaning and wants to go back to it being dictated to them by a strong man who can force everyone to agree with violence.

supercutebutt · Answer

It was pretty great in the pre-Trump days. Now everybody has gone bonkers. Half of Americans want to live in Russia so they can be paid 80% less and buy groceries that are 50% cheaper. Oh, and have the honor of being poisoned to death by Vlad Putin or be sent to die in Ukraine.

DarkWinterNights · Answer

Yes. It’s always had problems, but the 80’s was an objectively good time. So was the 90’s. I think since 9/11 and the 2008 Recession things have gotten worse in nearly every aspect of life. Since Covid it’s getting to be a daily occurrence of normalcy just becoming nonsensical chaos.

zagor · Answer

It's had it's ups and downs; I wouldn't say it was necessarily better. Sure, you didn't have to worry about internet predators 40 years ago, but the 1970's were full of serial killers, the 1980's had higher murder rates, the 1930's were a time of widespread poverty.

Sasahara · Answer

Of course you should think it was better in the past, unless you are ready to admit you belive the people who think decisions SCOTUS has made in the last few years like Roe V Wade verdict and ending race based affirmative college sdmissions were the right thi gs to do in your opinion

Anonymous · Answer

Of course the US was bettrer in the past. The middle class today is far less proserous than in the past, a family could thrive on a single income, most children had two real parents, there were far fewer children raised by single parents, morals were much stronger, the list goes on and on.

RainBat · Answer

America will never be Hyperborea, stop trying.

BuffTaco · Answer

Yeah, but not by much and not very long ago. Either way it doesn't really matter because you can't recreate the past everything has changed. You should just try and make things better than they are right now.

Snakeyes7 · Answer

I'd say around Gen X. That was the generation that nearly achieved a post-race society, until millennials came along and said that having that as a goal makes you a racist with their mental gymnastics.

andreasderjuengere · Answer

Canada or Mexico also are America.
I liked the US more when it was small, decent and humble.
That was long long before I was born.
What I believe to see presently, is an originally good idea going down the drain.

Dargil · Answer

During the Leave It To Beaver era right after WW2. Maybe not for everyone but for the vast majority.

BonzoInBitburg · Answer

Out of 332 million people, the best options as your leader are Biden or Trump?  Thomas Jefferson — 'The government you elect is the government you deserve.'

itsclearlynicholas · Answer

Greater, like all, like the Romans, the Habsburgs, the British, empires. I would say America started to "decline" around the 1900s and definitely in the 1950s and finally swallowed up hole 🕳️ lol by the 1990s to year 2010 for no apparent reasons

Sevenpointfive · Answer

when my ancestors were here it was great. but the white man came and destroyed a beautiful people

Was America ever better or greater?

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