Do you think U.S. social conservatism is creating a divide between itself and the rest of the world?
155553
Answer to Giggly Giraffe--\n\nDo you really believe that the entire "Baby Boomer" generation were all hippies? My mother is one of this generation and she says "Absolutely not!" The Americans who solve every problem by pills are victims of profit marketing by drug companies. \n\nAnd what does your reply have to do with the question of foreign attitudes to US social conservatism?
398398
This country like any other has it's problems.  But America is like no other place in the world.  We have freedoms here that others can only dream about.  We have the will and strength to over come anything.  This country needs a strong moral center which it seems to be lacking on the west and east coasts.  There are the exceptions to that comment but most of the really liberal,(freedom w/o restrictions or consequences) crowd seem to live there.  I think we need to overhaul our social security system, our tax system and our education system.  If we take care of these basics then i believe we will be back at the top of the world in no time @ all.
468802
I definitely agree that our society is going downhill.  Unfortunately, it agrees with history.\n\nIf you look back on all of the great societies of the past, Egyptian, Roman, Babylon, etc.  they have all crumbled for one reason or another.\n\nI hate to think that our society is on the same path but looking around it's hard not to think that way.  Our government is trying to conquer the world, politically.  The claim that other countries are wrong if they do not share our same views.\n\nThe U.S. is the lone Super Power in the world today, but China and India are making up ground at an unbelievable pace.\n\nI love America and I want nothing more than our society to flourish, not to be torn apart by our government's incompetence and inability.
987867
The country is divided yes, but thats not the reason people can't talk to eachother.  Americans are spoiled, selfish, and generally immature.  Instead of intellectual discussion, we resort to name-calling and clicks.  Its really sad, but I don't know how to fix it.  Maybe we could build a giant hand to slap everyone upside the head or something so that they would shut-up and listen to eachother? (j/k)
345295
Didn't you mean "What do you think of celebrity baby names?" Just kidding.  Actually, this is something that I think about often.  I believe that my generation will begin to witness the demise of the middle class (by which I mean the lower and middle middle classes, not the upper middle class).  The reasons for this breakdown are, I imagine, extremely complex, and I doubt very much that I am qualified to render a competent analysis.  I will speculate that the most fundamental cause of this phenomenon is complacency.  This generation of people seems genuinely unconcerned with any kind of political education, which need not be formal at all.  As long as people really are more interested in what goes on in the tabloids than the political and social forces that are eroding our society as we know it, social and governmental elites will continue to protect their own interests at the expense of those from whom, theoretically at least, they derive their power.  Change requires recognition, and as long as we bury our collective heads in the sand, nothing will be done.  This nation seems to be following the path of all fallen empires.  We are so incredibly overextended that taking care of the needs of the bulk of our own population is simply no longer a primary concern.  The number of people in this country living without access to health care bears this out, and this is by no means the only issue faced by the lower and middle classes.  We will either wise up, or experience the kind of unrest and violence that such social divides inevitably bring.  I hope for the former, but expect the latter.
943584
I m not really sure... I am well travelled and lately, the rest of the world doesn't respect the US the way they were used to because they think it abuses its military power and threatens with it all the time.\n\nOverseas now, the Euro currency is taking over the international financial markets so they don't look at the US $ as a major trading currency anymore (at least to the same level it used to be).  If the US keeps its nose up in the air, it will get hurt in these global markets.\n\nTo answer your question, the US needs to rebuild its friendly image it used to have in the 80's and 90's. Less arrogance and more tolerance.\n\nI am no social scientist nor politician but that's the general feed back I got from people I interacted with overseas.
1133616
No to the theocracy in the US - but, in the same sense, I don't think we should push democracy on countries that will seriously be thrown into chaos as soon as it is introduced (USSR, China, Vietnam, Iraq, etc.). I think it's very arrogant of us Americans to think our way is the best way for everyone - the only way democracy truly works is if it evolves on its own when people get tired of the way things are being run.
524986
The right/left political divide has become so exaggerated these days that it is downright silly.  At the extreme ends of both sides you will find bigoted fools.\n\nWe are all humans, not conservatives nor liberals.  Our humanity is what is important not our political agenda.\n\nEven though they are all too often portrayed as such in the cutthroat business of getting elected, conservatives and liberals are not enemies.  We need to open our minds to the fact that the other side might have a good idea and thank them for it instead of characterising politics as an endless war of rhetoric.  \n\nIts foolish to break the world down into simple dichotomies.  It prevents seeing the real complexity of the world.  But then again thats what the people who have aspirations of power want.  On both sides.\n\nPersonally I think that its important to remember that there are more than two ways to solve any problem and that we can all learn from our percieved enemies.
1103326
Yes we need each other.\nThere are too many global issues where we need to work together as a world to over come.  Hunger, polution so on.  If we hid in our own little corners of the world and only try to take care of our own then we lose the chance to learn from each other.  If nothing else think of the food.  Ever visit a really cuturally diverse area at the time of a festival where all cultures came together and shared their traditional foods.  Oh my goodness that alone is reason for globalization.\n\nAre we closer together?  That depends on what your comparing it to.  In general I think yes but there are strong sticking points that cause us to move backwards.  I think two of the biggest stumbling blocks are also two things often seen as strengths.  Language and Religion.  If we could just add tollorance I think anything could be possible.  The problem is that in certain areas people refuse to understand that others may think radically differently than ourselves and then we are back to square 1.
33634
i dont know that I see it as the next third world.  But I do see it slumping close to it.  We are as a nation losing power, wealth, reputation.  I have been abroad and I can tell you the picture that Europeans paint of us is not always nice.  Economically we are losing our footing.  Banking, cars, products in general.  People in america and abroad are buying European products, Jananese proiducts.  It doesnt do our economy any good and yet as far as I can tell they have done nothing to change this.  We are busy fixing the lives of others however we havent taken the time to take care of our own citizens lives.  And you have other countries offering us help becase we are unable to do so because of the mess we have created else where.  I truly believe we are losing our super power status and becoming just another country that exists on the planet.  Living abroad I dont like telling people i am from america because it starts up alot of contoversy.  Alot of arguments as to what it means to be an american and what we have become.  I agree with you when you wake up and smell the coffee. you arent smelling folgers any more.  Its just the reality we are forced to swallow as americans and it isnt easy for us I think.
759793
I would seek open, internationaaly monitorred dialogue with those who oppose the US, to see what it is that they really want, and need. The US is now in the position to play Santa Claus to the world. While we may not give what they want, we may be able to help with what they need, and in turn get some folks off of our backs. A good portion of the problem s we see, today, come from negligence, whether intentional or not. Others come as a result of politics from before most of our times. \n\nAn invitation to a no-strings-attached summit would put the onus upon our detractors, and place the US back where it belongs. The place of a well to do neighbor, who can help their community. Of course, that comes with the understanding that in a community of nations we become symbiotic with one another. Those who want to be outside of that know where the door is.
154338
YES.US does think tat its d Godfather of the world.The so called "Super power" does not hav empathy towards the people of other counntries such as Iraq & pakistan & so on.\n\nThey are only concerned about themselves.
679224
If it aint broke dont fix it, that is how this country came to be, so why in the world would we want to change it. no i dont think it should, i think it shows that we as a society have values and do believe in something greater than ourselves.
1180194
yea ... unfortunately its led the americans to understimate the world outside .. their opinion is further clouded by an insatiable materialistic pursuit... they constitute 5% of the worlds population and consume 45% of the worlds natural resources ... \n\nthey fail to realise that people have different satifaction levels.. for example i live in india... just cause my country isnt fully developed it doesnt mean that we aren happy...  it would broaden the perspective of americans if they stopped lookin at negatives of other communities and recognisin positives.
613684
Our diversity (religious/cultural kind) has definitely added vibrancy to our country and India can definitely claim to be the most diverse of all countries with the each culture respected, something which many of our distinguished "developed" nations cannot claim (case in point US, UK, Australia). But in the last couple of decades many narrow minded people have made use of this diversity  for the wrong reasons to create a further divide among our people. I wouldn't say diversity has helped our nation or deconstructed it per se but has a hand in both. At the end of the day it is up to the common man to rise the above all the divisions and see that he, like others, is an Indian first.\n\nThe other diversity (socio-economic kind) is more man made and this gap between the have and have-nots is something of a worry and must be bridged really soon to the extent that the have-nots at least have something. In this day of cut throat competition and dog-eat-dog world it is going to be really tough to stop and spare a thought for the socio-economic conditions of another person but if not looked at this can definitely lead to the deconstruction of our society and our nation.\n\nAlthough i have not proposed anything i am open for discussion.
243385
Yeah, but we're the richest and most powerful country in the world, so the rules don't REALLY apply when they're not convienent, do they?  We're not worried about being MORAL, just as long as we can wage unilateral war to make OTHERS moral.\n\nWe're America, we don't have to worry about being hypocrites.
9098
For all of America's weath and influence, for all of its powerful media, we are surprisingly isolated from the world.  What's more, we are still very slowing climbing out of the cultural muck that has allowed many of us to believe we are literally superior to the rest of the world.\n\nAmerica continues to behave arrogantly to the world, insisting we always know best, and our interests should be always honored.  It has done a great deal of harm to us the past 15 year in my opinion.\n\nIf only some of us could see ourselves in the eyes of those around us in the world.  Of course, most of us are so conceited and self-involved that we couldn't care less.