Current Events > When did you learn the US is NOT the greatest nation on Earth?

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when i was 6 years old and my mom was denied food stamps because she wasn't poor enough. any form of food insecurity in a country with some of the richest untaxed assholes in the world sounds like a shithole.

Back in the early 90s.

I'm not from the usa so this was never a default thought for me or anything

when Newsroom told me so

kirbymuncher posted...

I'm not from the usa so this was never a default thought for me or anything

The US pounds this into the minds of all grade school children. Seriously. That the US is special and the best.

Always thought it was fucking weird that the supposed best country in the world felt the need to constantly remind you of the fact.

I never did. Other cultures have been around for thousands of years. Dont get me wrong I enjoy life in the U.S. but for one I have neither pride nor shame on what piece of land I happen to be born on and secondly relatively speaking we are an extremely young country and it would be foolish to assume we are the greatest in such a short span. Besides my travels around the world in my youth both in the Navy and on my own exposed me to how great the rest of the world can be too. We dont have a monopoly on that at all.

When I saw how high the incarceration rate is in the "land of the free". Though I never fully bought in even as a kid, mostly because I'd read the Boondocks (which might actually be where I first heard it described as such now that I think about it).

I didn't believe any of the lies adults tell children.

Growing up on a reservation made me extremely cynical even though I wasn't Native myself. It's just really hard to think it's the greatest nation on Earth when you live in a poverty enclave carved out for the original inhabitants. I never even saw an elevator until I was like 10 years old and took a road trip to Duluth Minnesota.

Post 9/11. The reaction to that being the Department of Homeland Security, the Patriot Act, and the Iraq War shattered a lot of illusions.

About the time I read America history and found out that the color of your skin determined whatever or not you got human rights.

Umbreon posted...

About the time I read America history and found out that the color of your skin determined whatever or not you got human rights.

even as an elementary school kid i knew my history book was full of shit when it told me about the southern slaves that willingly joined the confederate army to fight against the north...

I guess it was a combination of all the selfish peoples reaction to covid and the complete lack of consequences for January 6th.

I mean I knew about lots of bad stuff before that, but those in particular were really eye opening.

When I was in third grade, I had an unusual teacher. Her family emigrated to Europe. Before this happened, she told us about quality of life rankings. I learned that quality of life is lower in the US.

There is lots you can learn in school if you listen.

After the September 11 terrorist attacks. With how easily so many people fell into paranoia and prejudice, I knew this country had real problems.

I swallowed the propaganda as a kid. Then my mom got cancer and I learned about the health care system.

Oh yeah and the way nothing changed after Sandy Hook.

I dont ever remember believing it. I always thought it was creepy how we had to pledge allegiance to the flag at school and sporting events. It always seemed absurd to me that I just randomly happened to be born in the bEsT nATiOn EvAr!

I was a fairly skeptical child. I dont ever remember believing in Santa either.

November 2016, January 2021, and November 2024 were three notable examples.

I guess that Newsroom clip lol

But nah it was probably when I learned about universal healthcare, so middle school or so

I never really gave it much thought and didnt care frankly so idk. It was and is now good enough for my standards and thats enough.

That and Most other countrys arent so great themselves so I wasnt ever bitter or jealous to say the least.

I watched Roots with my parents when it first aired. I asked if what was happening was real, and my dad said, "mostly".

Really fucked my head up as a young boy, and I've been "woke" ever since.

Error1355 posted...

November 2016, January 2021, and November 2024 were three notable examples.

Pretty much this.

I am the black man idiot who use to love America, and many times in the past 10 years or so America has betrayed that love and devotion, the 3 mentioned above were the most notable.

I laugh at how naive I was just 10 years ago. I really did think America was the greatest country in the world. And to be clear it is not that Trump ruined it, it's that Trump opened my eyes to the truth that was always there, but I didn't see it.

Growing up as a non-American came with the welcome, healthy perk of not feeling the need of validation for being part of "the greatest nation on Earth", so it's not something I had a metric for.

But if I did have a metric for it, and wherever I would have placed America on it, it's placing would have nose-dived hard during the George W. Bush era, which is around the time I became old enough to start taking a passable interest in societal issues and world politics. If I'd been paying attention earlier, my opinion might have nose-dived sooner.

sabin017 posted...

when Newsroom told me so

same, Jeff Daniels and Aaron Sorkin told me

Never. I always thought Japan was the best

Rika_Furude posted...

Never. I always thought Japan was the best

Having lived in both places, I can definitely say I prefer Japan. It has its problems like all countries do, but America is pretty fucked up. If I didnt have so many friends and family here, I would have stayed there. I think I might retire there if I can.

Sometime after 9/11

I never really thought it was. Like, even as a kid, I'd hear about how great and superior America is and just be like, "okay, whatever". I never specifically refuted it, but I definitely thought it was a weird idea to have. I'd certainly never seen any compelling evidence that it was particularly superior to the rest of the world, just a whole lot of people saying it.

I was probably in high school before I was consciously aware of the fact that, no, in fact, America is *not* the greatest country in the world. But that's still about half my life ago at this point.

FrozenBananas posted...

same, Jeff Daniels and Aaron Sorkin told me

I think there is a real irony in how many of you site Newsroom as where they were told The US is not the greatest nation on Earth.

Because all due respect, I'm guessing most of you did not actually watch the show, or possible haven't even seen the whole episode. Because the theme of Newsroom is Jeff Daniels is disillusioned with the state of America but he becomes inspired to believe in the potential of America again.

The thesis of the episode and the show (and most of Sorkin's work) is "America is not the greatest country in the world... but it could be."

I am a big fan of Sorkin, but rewatching his work now, it's like watching Lord of the Ring or the Wizard of Oz, it's pure fantasy.

I would love for him to do a something set in the post Trump world (I think everything he's done after Trump has been set in the past). I wonder if he could still sell 'the deep down America is still good even though they elected a known rapist and terrorist twice.'

Probably once I started really learning history

Rika_Furude posted...

Never. I always thought Japan was the best

I definitely like Japan a lot more than America, but I think both Singapore and Switzerland are better. I haven't lived in either of them (only visited), but socially there is a lot to admire in both places that Japan could stand to learn something from. Of places I have lived it would be like Japan >>> America > China.

I don't think I ever believed it was but I also think all the "best" nations in the world also have values that I simply wouldn't be compatible with culturally (probably because my own "American" tendencies are simply too ingrained). So I'm probably best served living here, even if it's depressing.

Solid_Sonic posted...

So I'm probably best served living here, even if it's depressing.

Yeah I don't think this is that weird a final take. despite some obvious recent issues the USA is still a relatively good country to live in. even relatively poorer people experience excesses to a level many other countries could only dream of and there is a relatively high level of personal freedom. there's a reason it's still fairly popular among immigrants

Would I trade my country for it? no. but if I was given the option between the USA and a random other country on earth I'd certainly go USA

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]


Yeah, flaunt that disconnected power grid.

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Its always weird how Americans are so proud that these STATES sure are UNITED except for this one state that tried to be a country for like a week and occasionally pretends theyre totally gonna do it again this time for real guys

I realized it during the Bush years. W I mean I'm not old enough to remember the elder Bush.

The immediate aftermath of 9/11.

When they tried to explain how "representative democracy" works in like elementary school or whatever, and I realized they were full of it, I sorta figured that applied to things like greatest country on Earth, worst language ever, etc etc.

I learned that pretty young. Racism and prejudice is too prevalent for that to be true.

It still is the greatest. Whether we are in our villain arc or not, that's a different story.