Russell Chapman wrote: > > Dunno... Maybe... I've only been there a couple of times - not quite > two months in total so apart from being swamped with US TV, US News > stories, and other sources (like this list) I'm no expert. But it > seems to me, at this distance, that the weaknesses come from the > critical eye... The obsession with the slippery slope, distrust of the > government (in one of the most democratic countries around?), and > generally airing dirty laundry all maintain your freedoms and rights, > but also make you weaker than your enemies.
But these are our strengths. If we allowed problems to fester they would eventually undermine the system. That's part of what democracy is all about - conducting the affairs of the nation in public so that everyone is allowed to participate if they want to. Not to go off topic too much, but some of Brin's essays such as The New Meme are much better at expressing this idea than anything I could write. For those that haven't read it: http://kspace.com/davidbrin/pages/newmeme1.htm > > In contrast, your inordinate pride in your country, its > accomplishments and its power is a huge strength. It shows in things > like the reaction to 9/11 (and 12/7/41), the level of private charity, > the professionalism of your armed forces and a whole range of little > things (or big things, like building 2x110 story buildings, the > internet and Apollo XI). Americans achieved these things were others > couldn't, because they believed they could. Australia has as much > natural resources as USA, just as diverse and multi-cultural a > society, and a model democratic/judicial system, but we are no world > power in anything but sport. (Admittedly we are only 101 years old, > but you get the idea...) > In short, being an American is a bigger deal to an American than being > an Armenian is to an Armenian, (averaged between individuals of > course), and that starts in preschool. I have no problem with teaching our history to our children, and take a good deal of pride in most of it myself. I think part of the difference between Australia and the U.S. has to do with the manner of separation from Great Britain and that there are other factors such as the relative isolation of Australia and its much smaller population. We do advertise well and thus attract the best and brightest from around the world. > > BTW, I see that Michael Newdow's daughter attends Sunday School, and > has reportedly said that even if it is illegal she would continue to > say "under God" at school. Her mother is even getting involved in the > court action, opposing Newdow's suit. Very nice and she should be able to say under God where ever and when ever she wants to, but that has nothing to do with the point which is that by institutionalizing the phrase "One nation, under God" we are institutionalizing the exclusion of a significant segment of the population. Our history from the Revolution to the Civil War to the civil rights movement is about inclusion or moving away from exclusion. Not that we haven't got a long way to go. Doug Woken by a barking dog, Ruminations in my head. Drawn back to computer land Where my thoughts were fed.
