Every country teaches that. Maybe that is the cause of a lot of conflicts or at least misled ideas.

And yes. You Americans think you can go taking out Us from words like Colour and sticking Z’s where S’s belong. Who gave you the right?

@HappyLemming - Brilliant comment.

Yes we do.

I’m Canadian and love many people in the states. It sometimes saddens me to see the state of affairs you people are in though. We could send a High School grad down there to teach in your schools. America is fucked up, – you’re about 10 years behind the rest of the world in my opinion and, I really am biting my tongue saying that

Even with the goings on in Government we are still overall the best. Yes we have things to improve on. The second best is Britain.

@dikdoktor - that’s because American school systems are overrun with liberals who are entrenched.

Yes. But then again, we’ve always thought we were better than other countries… I don’t think it’s a unique idea in general, actually.

America at the moment is a little chaotic.  Okay fine America is a mess right now but I still love my country.  American people once used to be taught to be the best and our children were successful.  However, our current generations, are not as smart when compared to students from across the globe.  Our educational system needs to be polished and scrutinized because otherwise the future children will be screwed.  Jonathan Kozol has many great works about the current state of the American educational system.  you should check it ou!

I love how people say we shouldn’t judge other countries, and then proceed to bash America. America has screwed up, but overwhelmingly we have done more to advance and help humanity than any other nation. The assembly line, foreign aid, medical advancements, the internet, the (agricultural) green revolution, etc. Does that make other countries “worse,” give an excuse to have an inflated ego, and you MUST think it’s the best? No…but be at least a little bit appreciative. Fuck. Some people are making it sound like it’s pure torture living here.

It would only make sense to move somewhere else if you find it much too shitty for your liking. I know it sounds like the whole over-the-top “love it or leave it” statement, but why wouldn’t you go somewhere else you view exponentially more awesome?

So do I think it’s the best? It depends on what we’re talking about…

yes

If you mean working on textbooks for students you mean those crazy Texan idiots are putting a conservative spin on history then yes, that’s exactly what they’re doing.
The Texas Board of Education is working to eliminate the liberal bias in it’s social studies books.
It’s ridiculous.  But that’s a different rant for a different day.

But yes, we do tend to be indoctrinated with the idea that as Americans we are better then everyone else in the world.  It is that very idea that has caused much of the world to hate us.

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this shit is why Im homeschooling my son for as long as possible.  Who the hell says Texas gets to determine the curriculum for the rest of the nation? 

And yeah, we tend to be ego-maniacal twits. 

@SheepShot - I dunno. I live in Britain and we were never taught that Britain is the best. haha. But maybe.

Well, I’m English, and we’re not taught that England is somehow better than any other country :-/ we’re just…taught. Sometimes England comes out on top because that’s how it was, but we’re also taught that England isn’t perfect and that there were times when we failed.

I generally see a horrible attitude from American’s (Not everyone) – that America is this amazing country that everyone should aspire to move to. Uh, no thanks. I would absolutely hate to live in America. Give me Europe any day, please.

@individually_surveys - haha, I just saw your comment!

Like, we get taught the history and stuff, but that’s it. We never get taught we’re special in any way.

@OhItWontBeForever - haha exactly. 

I’m studying in France too, and there is a little bit of the idea that “France is amazing”, but they do admit their faults also (maybe it’s different in schools – I’m at university), but I don’t think it’s anywhere near as bad as in America – everything in textbooks is balanced.

Common sense is the first casualty of arrogance!!!!!

Discussing his belief in American exceptionalism, President Obama said
last year, “I think that we have a core set of values that are enshrined
in our Constitution, in our body of law, in our democratic practices,
in our belief in free speech and equality, that, though imperfect, are
exceptional.” But he added, “the fact that I am very proud of my
country and I think that we’ve got a whole lot to offer the world does
not lessen my interest in recognizing the value and wonderful qualities
of other countries, or recognizing that we’re not always going to be
right, or that other people may have good ideas, or that in order for
us to work collectively, all parties have to compromise and that
includes us.“

We’re better at exploiting people, races, and nations.

All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity. (Isaiah 40:17)

As a Canadian, yes, you guys do think, without a doubt, you’re better than everything else in existence.  A piece of humble pie would do you good.  There are many other contributors to humanity than the United States.  Start with Great Britain, and make your way around the world, arriving at the US last. 

@Jamie_Nip - I have to correct you on a few of your points. We’re not as generous with foreign aid as you might think. In 1970, the world’s rich countries agreed to give 0.7% of their gross national income as official international development aid, annually. Since that time, despite billions given each year, rich nations have rarely met their actual promised targets. For example, the US is often the largest donor in dollar terms, but ranks amongst the lowest in terms of meeting the stated 0.7% target.
In 1970, the world’s rich countries agreed to give 0.7% of their gross national income as official international development aid, annually. Since that time, despite billions given each year, rich nations have rarely met their actual promised targets. For example, the US is often the largest donor in dollar terms, but ranks amongst the lowest in terms of meeting the stated 0.7% target.
The United States may be ahead of the game when it comes to riches, but as for being green, it takes a step behind developing countries.In a 2009 Greendex survey, National Geographic and Globescan found that The U.S. ranks as the least environmentally sustainable country of the 17 surveyed.

Love it or Leave it? Why not?? I’ll tell you why not….

Our founding fathers were not “love it or leave it” people.
Thomas Jefferson did not tell everyone in the colonies with the Declaration of Independence to leave the oppressive tax regime of England and move to the unsettled and ungoverned far west. In fact, Thomas Jefferson went one step further by saying in the declaration:
 ”…Whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”
Jefferson did not simply wish you to stay and change the laws of your government. If necessary, the people should “abolish it, and [to] institute new Government.” I can express this idea in a similar sentence. The government should respect the wishes of its people or leave.

Yes, America should be taught to American children as the greatest country in the world. One should be taught the rights and responsibilities of being lucky enough to be born here and considered a citizen. They should be taught all of our glowing history and warned against our mistakes. To point out only the bad, to set America down as just another country is to rob the joys of National Pride from youth who no longer pledge allegiance in schools and to hurt the unity that has MADE us the best place in the world.

@Jamie_Nip - I get your point.. I just think even slightly inferring to support the “Love it or Leave It” concept is dangerous.

Now, onto your comments concerning the AGRICULTURAL “Greening Revolution”.
I think the more appropriate term would be the “The Agrichecmical Revolution”. I’m assuming you’re aware of Norman Borlaugh’s connection and support of genetically modified organisms? My criticism is not so much aimed at the man himself, but for the
biotech legacy he played a massive role in creating. After all, this
was the man who arguably did more than any other to nurture the era of
GM foods and the intensive use of petrochemical pesticides
and fertilizers. He may well have saved a billion people from imminent
starvation, but by doing so he also inadvertently
helped to plant the seed for future environmental disaster. Borlaug’s “dwarf” hybrid seed varieties, when coupled with
the heavy fertilizer and pesticide doses they need to thrive,
dramatically increased yields in the places where the Green Revolution
took root—the main success story being India.
But higher yields
drive down crop prices—and increased use of imported inputs requires the
taking on of debt. Rather than boosting the fortunes of most farmers in
its purview, the Green Revolution drove hundreds of thousands into
ruin. The survivors consolidated land holdings. The big got bigger and
the poor tended to leave the land—too many of them ending up as excess
labor in urban slum zones.
GMOs also lead to monster agribusiness companies such as Monsanto.

This is coming from someone with considerable knowledge on the subject… I buy NOTHING with GMO ingredients for my family and am heavily involved in the support of community supported agriculture and the Slow Food movement.
How supportive was Borlaugh on eco-friendly organic farming methods? I quote:

“Don’t tell the world that we can feed the present population without
chemical fertilizer. That’s when this misinformation [about the merits
of organic farming] becomes destructive.”~ Borlaugh

If you doubt the dangers of GMOs and companies such as Monsanto I suggest you watch “The World According to Monsanto”~

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/the-world-according-to-monsanto/

Monsanto’s controversial
past combines some of the most toxic products ever sold with misleading
reports, pressure tactics, collusion, and attempted corruption. They now race
to genetically engineer (and patent) the world’s food supply, which
profoundly threatens our health, environment, and economy. Combining
secret documents with first-hand accounts by victims, scientists, and
politicians, this widely praised film exposes why Monsanto has
become the world’s poster child for malignant corporate
influence in government and technology.

“There’s nothing they are leaving untouched: the mustard, the okra, the bringe oil, the rice, the cauliflower. Once they have established the
norm: that seed can be owned as their property, royalties can be
collected. We will depend on them for every seed we grow of every crop
we grow. If they control seed, they control food, they know it – it’s
strategic. It’s more powerful than bombs.”

This movie, in addition to the film “FOOD INC”, changed my life… I will never look at food the same way again.

@Jessa1155 - I believe I originally said “love it or leave it” was an over the top statement, but that’s beside the point.

Ok, this is one of those topics where one side is never going to concede to the other, but here goes:

You can afford to eat organic. If I bought all organic food, I couldn’t have made rent. You have that option, and you should be very thankful you do. But unless you and yours are starving, I don’t believe it’s right to tell people what they should and shouldn’t eat or presume you know what’s best for them. If using GM foods and pesticides means people in the third world have access to more food, it will never be my place to tell them that food isn’t good enough.
Food being LESS expensive is a good thing. People can then spend the money they didn’t spend on organic for things like educating their children or more adequate shelter. There was a point in time where ALL food was organic. We had less people, and more people were starving. Enough with the romanticism of peasant life. People are urbanizing in order to increase their standard of living, not because they had to leave their awesome lives that included back-breaking farming methods and living in rural shacks.

If all of the current farms went organic, we could only feed 2/3 of the planet. I don’t see any volunteers. If you want to eat all organic, that’s your choice, and it’s awesome you stick with your convictions to eat more natural food. The organic food industry is a multi-billion dollar a year industry and is continuously growing. I don’t anticipate it going anywhere any time soon. But I find it incredibly wrong that people who have access to Trader Joe’s are telling others who have much less then them why the foods they’re eating to survive aren’t good enough or that they shouldn’t use them. So do we just ban all pesticides, outlaw GM foods, and fire everyone who works for large agricultural businesses? What’s the appropriate course of action without killing people and driving up food costs in the name of sticking it to a food company?

I haven’t seen that particular documentary, but I have watched The Future of Food. I had to watch it in a hospitality management class because my teacher believed it was important to know “where the food in our industry comes from.” I knew there was another side because I come from a family involved in agriculture. My grandparents were some of those helpless people under the mind control of a large corporation who used Monsanto products.

I believe very passionately in furthering science and making food much more accessible to all people, even if that involves genetic experiments and the use of pesticides. Genetics of plants evolve over time anyways through selective breeding and grafting. It’s not a big deal. And surprise, I’m not being paid off by Monsanto or any other large agricultural business.

I think we got off topic haha

@Jamie_Nip -
I forgot to mention…
Watch the movie online for free, you might be surprised how quickly your thinking on this subject will change. It is indeed a very, very BIG DEAL.

http://twilightearth.com/environment-archive-2/the-world-according-to-monsanto-full-documentary/

@Jessa1155 - Again, so what do we do? Eliminate all GM plants and make pesticides illegal? Make research illegal? What is a practical course of action that wouldn’t involve starving people or driving up food costs? If people wish to use them, shouldn’t they be allowed? If you don’t want to use Monsanto, that’s fine, but many people do. Maybe other countries don’t take these food because their governments are consistently told by environmentalist groups and other people who aren’t starving that they’ll be “poisoned” by these foods.

These sites will probably be dismissed by these people having an “agenda” but I promise you I’ve looked at both sides of the argument. Both sides are backed up by reputable scientists, and both sides have opportunity to be taken advantage of by political movements. Monsanto is not the only entity doing genetic work with foods. Universities and agricultural scientists all around the world are looking for ways to improve food production without the incentive for “corporate greed.” Fight the patenting process, fight the legal process, demand monetary settlement for people who were intentionally or unintentionally given failed crops, but don’t fight research. The scientific process IS met with failures, but also so much progress. To demand that we stop research in food advancement because we have the opportunity to be picky with our food isn’t fair at all.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/04/13/specter.denying.science/index.html <one of the best speeches i’ve ever heard. also discusses vaccines.

http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Fear32.htm

Or here, the world health organization!

http://www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/biotech/20questions/en/index.html

“GM foods currently available on the international market have passed risk assessments and are not likely to present risks for human health. In addition, no effects on human health have been shown as a result of the consumption of such foods by the general population in the countries where they have been approved. Continuous use of risk assessments based on the Codex principles and, where appropriate, including post market monitoring, should form the basis for evaluating the safety of GM foods.”

The FDA approves GM foods. They are extensively tested. How is that not good enough? Or can we only possess distrust in a government entity when it doesn’t provide a service we believe in?

Again I’m not going to change your mind on the subject, and my mind won’t be changed either. I really don’t have a problem with eating GM foods, and I’d prefer that right is not taken away from more people than it has been. You say you’re not telling people how to eat, but it sounds like you want to dismantle the production of GM foods.

@Jamie_Nip - 

Wow, for someone who hasn’t even watched the movie you’re unflinching in your position. You say you’ve listened to both sides of the argument yet I have the distinct impression you’re arguing simply for the sake of wanting to be right. Because nobody in their right mind would condone the actions of a company such as Monsanto without being ignorant of their actions.
You come back again and again with information in support of GMos (quoted from Codex no less), yet say nothing about the horrors committed by Monsanto. GMOs may or may not have had some practical applications but when a genetically modified organism is created for the sole purpose of selling a toxic product such as Round-Up ( a diluted version of Monsanto’s fist and most profitable product Agent Orange) it’s potential for good is dead on arrival. I may not believe in GMOs but if they ARE going to be used, developed and peddled to third world countries it should not be in the name of profit.( **** THAT IS AS CLOSE TO AN AGREEMENT YOU’LL GET FROM ME AND I REALLY TRIED TO FIND ONE.)
I’d prefer the science on the world’s dinner-plate to be provided by someone I trust….someone NOT synonymous with death and destruction. Right now 60% of processed foods are infested with Monsanto GMO products. They don’t feel you have the right to know which products but if they have non-organic soy, you’re eating GMOs. IF GMOs are so safe, why do they refuse to label the products? Maybe because they know most Americans, when given a choice, will avoid them. Do you even remember what happened with Monsanto’s bovine growth hormone? The FDA approved that too, without labeling, with the help of government officials tied directly to Monsanto’s purse-strings.The FDA approves it, it HAS to be safe, right? Do you know how large a company Monsanto is? Their power reaches into government, lobbyists and yes, even the FDA. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack used to WORK for Monsanto! Go do some research on how many connections the company has in our government. Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.

How do you fight Monsanto without fighting the research when Monsanto OWN IT ALL.. research, scientist, seed patents. agrochemicals. ALL OF IT!? 
You use these terms “poisoned”, “corporate greed” in quotes, as if these are fanatical concepts. I work with farmers whom live and breathe these topics everyday. I see with my own eyes the devastating impact it’s had that farmers can be sued for saving seeds, a right our forefathers would never have imaged we’d lose.So, the 600 farmers Monsanto has sued, put out business and left penniless…. did they deserve to be prosecuted by Monsanto?? I wonder if it had been your family they dragged through the mud if you’d feel any differently. OF COURSE you would:(
But hey, all in the name of science and advancement, at all or any cost obviously.

 You have the enthusiasm of someone on the debate team…. who just wants to win the debate. I’ve read those links you gave me. Until you’ve done some research and truly listened to both sides of this argument I can’t stand this anymore. I’m aware of the other sides position. I’m not one of those feverish PETA types who bash other people for how they live their lives. I’m actually quite moderate in my views in most instances. But this is not an area I will bend on. I don’t go through hell to make sure my kids eat safe, organic foods due to some whimsical ideal. 
 I’ve never met someone, without a personal connection to Big-Ag, who continues to deflect the questions posed about Monsanto with the ability to sway the conversation in another direction… with the ease of a well-rehearsed politician. 
 Monsanto is a greed-driven entity with blood on it’s hands. They don’t deserve your loyalty or your trust. You’re obviously an intelligent person. I truly hope you rethink your position and watch the movie or read some unbiased literature on the subject. Michael Pollan would be a great place to start.

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.Edmund BurkeSorry for getting totally off-topic and hi-jacking your post Dan!:)