Perception and thoughts about USA

[4Chan]

This is going to turn into "Perception and thoughts about Canada" .

The U.S. has the highest prison population per capita in the world. Something's wrong there. Also, African americans are over-represented in your prisons

If you were to visit the areas in which i go to school, (downtown atlanta, near where Us Nationals 2008 was) you would know why african americans are "over-represented in prisons".

(';

It's a very scary place.

EDIT: I understand that this may seem "rascist" but in the inner city, I've quite literally seen things which have changed my outlook on life. If you remember, people were robbed at Us Nationals, and Ive seen that downtown. Ive seen many fights, public defecation, and even rape. (It was in a parking lot downtown, and my family was lost while driving to my university, and we ended up in the ghetto)

The university i attend, Georgia State University, has police pacing the streets and campus to keep the students safe, but while commuting, traveling through the poor parts is unavoidable. The ghetto is quite literally within a few kilometers away.

 

[Jason]

It's a reflection of a country that has been unable to integrate a whole portion of society. People should be looking at the sociological reasons of why this is the case

 

[mark3]

You really shouldn't target anyone. The minute they know how to get a leg up on you is the minute they take advantage of our weakness again. It needs to be truly random.

I disagree. The World Trade Center attack (and related ones) was all done by Muslim men traveling without families, right? If future attackers are likely to fit a similar profile, you have a much better chance of finding them that way, since you're concentrating more effort on checking similar travelers. It doesn't need to be along race lines (targeting just "young or middle-aged adults traveling alone who have seats near the cockpit" would do a much better job, with less hassle, than targeting Muslims), but if you don't do any targeting at all then you might as well not even do searches.

More politically neutral analogy: suppose a company made laptop and desktop computers, but the laptop ones were known to (once in a long while) have a fatal flaw that would cost the company thousands of dollars to fix if they were released to the consumer. Does it make more sense to test every 10th laptop, or to test ever 20th laptop and every 20th desktop?

While this makes sense, it offers people trying to harm America an edge. If they see that we are targeting searches to middle aged men traveling alone with seats near cockpit, they could send a man with a women and children posing as his family and know he is less likely to get searched. Or a 35-40 year old man could disguise himself as a 55-60 year old man putting him out of the more likely searched persons.

 

[4Chan]

It's a reflection of a country that has been unable to integrate a whole portion of society. People should be looking at the sociological reasons of why this is the case

It's okay.
I dont expect you to understand this nation.
Its normal for foreigners to misunderstand.

I don't take offense to your statement.

Its not the country, nor the governments fault.
Its the peoples fault for choosing such a destructive lifestyle.
Public schools are open to everyone, scholarships make college free. (i know from experience)
And there are bureaucracies which offer money to people who are on hard times. (welfare, WIC, food stamps, unemployment checks, etc...)


Simply said, its not the fault of the nation in the least.

 

[Jason]

It's a reflection of a country that has been unable to integrate a whole portion of society. People should be looking at the sociological reasons of why this is the case

It's okay.
I dont expect you to understand this nation.
Its normal for foreigners to misunderstand.

I don't take offense to your statement.

Its not the country, nor the governments fault.
Its the peoples fault for choosing such a destructive lifestyle.
Public schools are open to everyone, scholarships make college free. (i know from experience)
And there are bureaucracies which offer money to people who are on hard times. (welfare, WIC, food stamps, unemployment checks, etc...)


Simply said, its not the fault of the nation in the least.

So what are you trying to say: Black people are intrinsically bad, they choose a destructive lifestyle, and that's why they are all poor and in prison.
Don't belittle me saying "It's okay.
I dont expect you to understand this nation.
Its normal for foreigners to misunderstand."
Do you think I'm an idiot or something? Do you think it's a purely american phenomena? You seem to have very little understanding of the underelying reasons that lead to these kind of situations

 

[4Chan]

Haha, you caught my insult.

Yes, this is what im saying.
"The people in the ghetto, who happen to be black, are poor and violent because they chose that lifestyle for themselves"

They too had equal opportunity.
A job on minimum wage can add up to 20+ thousand a year, which is decent enough to support oneself, and not live on the streets.

Being a minority is actually favorable when applying for jobs, due to government intervention. Which has laws known as "Equal Opportunity"
As well as subsidies which come from government money, whilst applying for scholarships, i encountered ones specifically for African Americans and other various ones targeted to minorities.

You should go to the ghetto sometime. You wouldnt understand otherwise.
Unless youve actually been here, youre being quite narrow minded.

Also, this thread simply encourages flame to this great nation.

 

[Jason]

You have just demonstrated that you are absolutely clueless as to why there are poor black communities by saying

Yes, this is what im saying.
"The people in the ghetto, who happen to be black, are poor and violent because they chose that lifestyle for themselves"

I know you're very proud of the USA being meritocratic, but in fact it's a myth. There is in fact very little social movement and a lot of social reproduction. If you're born at the top, you'll probably die at the top, and the same goes if you're born at the bottom.
And stop thinking it's a purely US phenomena, it happens in other countries, but not as overwhelmingly. I'm sure that the ghetto you're describing is pretty evil, but that's completely missing the point

 

[4Chan]

Well, mister, this thread is about america specifically.

Let's call it a moot point. (by the american definition, which from what ive heard is different from the british definition) Since nothing we can do will change the other persons opinion.

It tis not a myth, but i strongly doubt you will agree.


So, lets have peace, perhaps one day ill meet you and we can have a nice chat about cubes, algorithms and methods.
I concede that my life experiences are different from yours and that we have differing conclusions. You seem mature, and decently logical, so how about it?

 

[Jason]

This thread is about America, but it's not because I'm not american that I'm not able to understand certain sociological mechanisms that take place in America. Also, it's extremely dangerous to base general beliefs on personal experiences. There is equally a wealth of sources that show that the US is not as meritocratic that some people might think. I know it is inscribed in the psyche of americans and the american dream, but the reality paints a different picture

 

[Rikane]

a) I know that was important but look at my edit now...
b) Canada and Britain were TOGETHER in the war! I'm proving that YOU didn't win!
c) Do your own research -.-

Alright, alright.
I've been watching this topic for a while now, and getting angry enough about it, I have decided to post.

First off, not all Canadians are ignorant.
Secondly, I'll apologize for this behaviour.
And thirdly, I'll respond to these things.

a.) No, I don't believe that we ended WWI. We helped. At best. We did one good battle I can remember specifically, and that was Vimy Ridge.

b.) Yes, that's true.
But neither did we.

c.) Ethan did this one already, but just to reiterate

c. No. You made the claim, which is simply false. How could I research something that isn't true? If you make a claim you have to be able to back it up.

EDIT: Oh right, I guess I'll contribute to the thread in order to avoid being banned.
About the US, to me anyway, it's just another country, a powerful one, but nothing too special.
Except for those pictures that compare Bush to a monkey, those are awesome.
There are cool people in the US, and similarly, uhm, "not cool" people as well, for lack of a better term.
Also, there are smart people in the US, (think Lucas Garron), and not smart people as well (people on the street in that one video)

All in all, the stuff I pointed out can be found in any country.
One thing I would change about the US?
Change the fact that most people would think about war when someone mentions something about the US.

 

[masterofthebass]

@Jason

Yes, social classes have been around for thousands of years. In some cultures it has actually been impossible to move out of your class (feudal Europe). It just so happens that a large population of black people are in this lower social class that lives in urban areas. The problem is, it is somewhat of a challenge to stop living the way you are, and change your attitude towards life. Its not impossible for people to choose to not live a life different from that they grew up in, but doing so requires a lot of mental effort. It just so happens, that a vast majority of people don't actually do this and decide to stay living the way they are, doing illegal things and not moving out of their social class. That is the reason for the 'ghettos' that exist, and nothing else. As chris said, the government has given unfair advantages to people who do want to change things, and people do use that system that is in place. Our newest supreme court justice is just one example of this. She decided that she didn't want to live the way her peers were, and worked to change that.

 

[Ethan Rosen]

Your cartoons would probably be a lot more effective if they were accurate. The cartoon has WW2 era battleships and planes, yet CNN, IBM, and Microsoft were obviously non existent until many years after this picture takes place. Get your facts straight, jeez.

 

[qqwref]

Vladimir Putin is watching You!

PS: I don't actually care how evil Biden might secretly be... because he's still a way better choice than Palin.

 

[4Chan]

Vladimir Putin is watching You!

PS: I don't actually care how evil Biden might secretly be... because he's still a way better choice than Palin.

But but but, she was mildly attractive. D:

(am joking around. )

 

[masterofthebass]

lol us. americans. Miss teen south carolina anyone?

 

[Bryan]

Your cartoons would probably be a lot more effective if they were accurate. The cartoon has WW2 era battleships and planes, yet CNN, IBM, and Microsoft were obviously non existent until many years after this picture takes place. Get your facts straight, jeez.

If you're going to nitpick people's facts, get yours straight. IBM was incorporated in 1911.

 

[Ethan Rosen]

Your cartoons would probably be a lot more effective if they were accurate. The cartoon has WW2 era battleships and planes, yet CNN, IBM, and Microsoft were obviously non existent until many years after this picture takes place. Get your facts straight, jeez.

If you're going to nitpick people's facts, get yours straight. IBM was incorporated in 1911.

Gah I knew I shouldn't have included IBM

 

[JBCM627]

IBM was incorporated in 1911.

To be very nit-picky, that particular logo wasn't used until 1967.

 

[PatrickJameson]

Your cartoons would probably be a lot more effective if they were accurate. The cartoon has WW2 era battleships and planes, yet CNN, IBM, and Microsoft were obviously non existent until many years after this picture takes place. Get your facts straight, jeez.

Obviously,
this picture takes place NOW, all over the planet

Ethan Rosen = (u.s.)american idiot

People are using WW2 era battleships and planes now? That's not very efficient.

A lot of the logos are way out of date too.

 

[DavidWoner]

especially the speedsolving censor(s) a.k.a. "moderator(s)";

LOL

Like I said, you are free to express your opinion, as long as you do it in a way that is not offensive.

You claim Americans are terrible for trying to spread their lifestyle and opinions, but you are trying to do THE EXACT SAME THING. So not only are you as despicable as the people you dislike, you are also a hypocrite.