Re:Things That Happen in Silicon Valley and Also the Soviet ...
by Apocryphon on Friday July 06, 2018 @11:55AM
(#17472435)
But the greater irony is that Silicon Valley is just as hypocritical in its self-promotion.
Re:Things That Happen in Silicon Valley and Also the Soviet ...
by AnimalMuppet on Friday July 06, 2018 @12:56PM
(#17472987)
But "The Greatest Country on Earth" does not mean "no flaws" or even "no hypocrisy". It may even mean "the flaws are more openly acknowledged" - that can be part of greatness, in fact.
Now, if you want to argue that somewhere else is in fact better, that could be valid, but it's a different argument.
Re:Things That Happen in Silicon Valley and Also the Soviet ...
by maxxxxx on Friday July 06, 2018 @01:12PM
(#17473136)
The whole idea that one country is the best is already ridiculous. There are plenty of countries that are well run and all have positives and negatives. I don't think to makes sense to pick a "best" country between the US, Canada and most European countries. They all can be good places to live.
Living in the US I definitely don't like that a lot of people here think that the US is the greatest nation on Earth. It's a mindset that blocks the country from learning from others and I think is doing a lot of damage (see health care and conditions for the poor). Interestingly people who have that mindset often never have been in another country for an extended time. The only thing they know is the US.
I think this is a reaction to the perceived hypocrisy of the US. Like any country, the US has a complex history as well as a variety of cultural and political issues that need addressing. However the US also consistently and loudly bills itself as "The Greatest Country on Earth". I think this contradiction fuels a lot of hyperbole about how bad the US is when it fails to live up to its own marketing.
All of this is exacerbated because US cultural exports (Movies and Television) have such huge global reach. When you're a kid - whether in the US or not - and you see the pro-American messaging in many popular films you definitely believe it. The disillusionment can hit hard.