If you truly think you are Number One, there is no "need" to change anything.

[SoCalDem]

There are far too many people in the good ole USofA, who have bought into the "We're No.1" meme..about EVERYTHING!.

best hospitals
best doctors
best schools
best colleges
best of it all
best military
best standard of living

The people who truly believe this, cannot see how anything should be changed.
If it's the best, why would anyone even need to make it "better".. How do you make something that's best, better? Why would you even try?

We have a superiority complex.

Until we, as a populace, can admit that we are NOT "the best", we can never accept real change.

Any time politicians promote change, it's a given that they want things to be better. Who would promise to change things for the worse?

For things to get better, we have to admit that things are not so good now, and people just refuse to do it.

They give lip-service to the problems they personally are feeling, but have no feel for the overall problems of society.

If THEIR kid goes to a good school, then there's nothing wrong with education.

If THEIR doctor is good, all doctors must be good too.

If THEIR job is secure, why worry about unemployment?


We have been sold this "Best" lingo for so long now, that to even suggest that we may be less than "best", is tantamount to treason.

Something that's vital to measuring "good-better-best", is also missing from the mix.. Comparison.

Most Americans still have not spent much time AWAY from here. What they know about the rest of the world, is what they have seen in the movies, or have been told by the media.

When most Americans travel, they tend to go places that are thoroughly "americanized-for-their-protection", so even foreign travel is no guarantee that they will learn that much about the rest of the world.

Immigrants who declare the USA to be the BEST place in the world, often only are comparing it to where they came from.. If they came from a third world country, it's only natural for them to feel this way, but it's also ironic that people who never left this place, and who loathe immigrants, would adopt their words as confirmation that we are "the best".

We have the POTENTIAL to be "the best", but we choose not to be.

We are "okay", but we are not "best" enough to be resiting change to become "better". There's a lot of room between "the best" that we claim to be already, and the "best" that we should be.

[BlooInBloo]

1. Additionally, there's the "mommy love" aspect of it...

Excellent metaphor from one of Franken's books:

"They don't get it. We love America just as much as they do. But in a different way. You see, they love America the way a four-year-old loves her mommy. Liberals love America like grown-ups. To a four-year-old, everything Mommy does is wonderful, and anyone who criticizes Mommy is bad. Grown-up love means actually understanding what you love, taking the good with the bad, and helping your loved one grow. Love takes attention and work and is the best thing in the world. "

[SoCalDem]

3. Republicans do think in childish terms.. everything's freeeee

no need to pay taxes...

[Schema Thing]

2. Preach it, brother or sister!

This is what I've been asking; when did America become so *completely* uncompetitive.


I mean, I think our competition with other countries should always be friendly competition; but if you assume you're the best, and refuse to even make yourself aware of what your competition is doing, that's a recipe for nation: FAIL.