Political Crossfire Forums

callous · Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2006 3:36 pm Post subject:

This thread is a quaint census fact and absolutely nothing more to talk about other than conservatives popping off about how big and subsequently how great we are.

Holy Hand Grenade · Joined: 07 May 2006 Posts: 1714 Location: Miami, FL, USA

Well I can give you my reasons for immigating to the US (although I wouldn't say I'm in the position of most Europeans who come here)= Money. As a relatively young student with job experience, I can get paid a ridiculous ammount of money for sitting my ass in a store. The ammount of work to money paid ratio is much better here in the US than in any other country in the world. If the higher education wasn't as driven by money as it is it would be even more awesome, considering that the only way to open that door is if you have either loads of cash or are willing to indebt yourself for years to come. I can't say that your society is really what appealed to me. Calling Europe decadent when your own country's society borders on the hedonistic is kind of ironic to me.

perdidochas · Joined: 06 Mar 2006 Posts: 15424 Location: Florida

Holy Hand Grenade wrote: Well I can give you my reasons for immigating to the US (although I wouldn't say I'm in the position of most Europeans who come here)= Money. As a relatively young student with job experience, I can get paid a ridiculous ammount of money for sitting my ass in a store. The ammount of work to money paid ratio is much better here in the US than in any other country in the world. If the higher education wasn't as driven by money as it is it would be even more awesome, considering that the only way to open that door is if you have either loads of cash or are willing to indebt yourself for years to come. I can't say that your society is really what appealed to me. Calling Europe decadent when your own country's society borders on the hedonistic is kind of ironic to me.

I didn't say we are much better. The Europeans I've met have been hedonistic and decadent way beyond most American's I've met (although I've met Americans that could match them).

However, I stand by decadent as a description for Europeans, and I'll use materialistic for Americans. The only thing that keeps America from decadence is our religious fervor.

Holy Hand Grenade · Joined: 07 May 2006 Posts: 1714 Location: Miami, FL, USA

perdidochas wrote: Holy Hand Grenade wrote: Well I can give you my reasons for immigating to the US (although I wouldn't say I'm in the position of most Europeans who come here)= Money. As a relatively young student with job experience, I can get paid a ridiculous ammount of money for sitting my ass in a store. The ammount of work to money paid ratio is much better here in the US than in any other country in the world. If the higher education wasn't as driven by money as it is it would be even more awesome, considering that the only way to open that door is if you have either loads of cash or are willing to indebt yourself for years to come. I can't say that your society is really what appealed to me. Calling Europe decadent when your own country's society borders on the hedonistic is kind of ironic to me.

I didn't say we are much better. The Europeans I've met have been hedonistic and decadent way beyond most American's I've met (although I've met Americans that could match them).

However, I stand by decadent as a description for Europeans, and I'll use materialistic for Americans. The only thing that keeps America from decadence is our religious fervor.

Yes, E! Television and MTV are just ripe with examples of religious values. Not to mention all the movies and TV shows whose basic premise is either violence, sex, or pure unadultered stupidity (reality shows, Jackass).
What you're talking about is only a faction within your own country. If you think your country doesn't embrace decadent values then you're blinding yourself.

perdidochas · Joined: 06 Mar 2006 Posts: 15424 Location: Florida

Holy Hand Grenade wrote: perdidochas wrote: Holy Hand Grenade wrote: Well I can give you my reasons for immigating to the US (although I wouldn't say I'm in the position of most Europeans who come here)= Money. As a relatively young student with job experience, I can get paid a ridiculous ammount of money for sitting my ass in a store. The ammount of work to money paid ratio is much better here in the US than in any other country in the world. If the higher education wasn't as driven by money as it is it would be even more awesome, considering that the only way to open that door is if you have either loads of cash or are willing to indebt yourself for years to come. I can't say that your society is really what appealed to me. Calling Europe decadent when your own country's society borders on the hedonistic is kind of ironic to me.

I didn't say we are much better. The Europeans I've met have been hedonistic and decadent way beyond most American's I've met (although I've met Americans that could match them).

However, I stand by decadent as a description for Europeans, and I'll use materialistic for Americans. The only thing that keeps America from decadence is our religious fervor.

Yes, E! Television and MTV are just ripe with examples of religious values. Not to mention all the movies and TV shows whose basic premise is either violence, sex, or pure unadultered stupidity (reality shows, Jackass).
What you're talking about is only a faction within your own country. If you think your country doesn't embrace decadent values then you're blinding yourself.

Decadent is just a little bit too far of a description, but we are on the way. You Europeans are just a little ahead of us on most fashions. This is the same. 8:)

I'm a son of a German immigrant (who moved here at age 30, about 40 yrs ago). I base my views on what I have seen through my cousin (a German in his mid-40s), from my mother talking with her cousins and friends in Germany (in their 60s and 70s). We aren't quite as decadent--which I primarily think of in terms of sexual morality as the Germans. I would say we are equally hedonistic in terms of material pleasures. My Mom talks to her cousins, and they are surprised that all of my Mom's sons are married, not divorced, and all have kids. That is unheard of in Germany today (according to my Mom's cousins, anyway). I don't doubt that parts of America are as decadent as anything that Europe has. I just think our overall culture isn't quite decadent (but we are on our way).

sLiPpY · Joined: 24 Nov 2004 Posts: 10088

I think it's time to thin out the population quite a bit. Can we have a Civil War or something? :?

poweRob · Joined: 14 Jul 2004 Posts: 22671

Moved to Society.

flamboyant · Joined: 25 Mar 2006 Posts: 1881

Holy Hand Grenade wrote: perdidochas wrote: Holy Hand Grenade wrote: Well I can give you my reasons for immigating to the US (although I wouldn't say I'm in the position of most Europeans who come here)= Money. As a relatively young student with job experience, I can get paid a ridiculous ammount of money for sitting my ass in a store. The ammount of work to money paid ratio is much better here in the US than in any other country in the world. If the higher education wasn't as driven by money as it is it would be even more awesome, considering that the only way to open that door is if you have either loads of cash or are willing to indebt yourself for years to come. I can't say that your society is really what appealed to me. Calling Europe decadent when your own country's society borders on the hedonistic is kind of ironic to me.

I didn't say we are much better. The Europeans I've met have been hedonistic and decadent way beyond most American's I've met (although I've met Americans that could match them).

However, I stand by decadent as a description for Europeans, and I'll use materialistic for Americans. The only thing that keeps America from decadence is our religious fervor.

Yes, E! Television and MTV are just ripe with examples of religious values. Not to mention all the movies and TV shows whose basic premise is either violence, sex, or pure unadultered stupidity (reality shows, Jackass).
What you're talking about is only a faction within your own country. If you think your country doesn't embrace decadent values then you're blinding yourself.

:lol:

Yeah, we've got a mix of both, the decadent and the devout - something O'Reily likes to call the culture war. Something that's even more uniquely American, however, is that flag-waving spirit that we seem to have. I've only traveled a small part of the world, but from what I hear, the fact that we love to (voluntarily) hang our flags and slap patriotic bumper stickers on our cars, that's a bit unique to the way that say, a lot of Euros are a bit suspicious of being loyal to their respective states.

Ultimately, I think the fact that people have more children here in the U.S. compared to the declining populations in Europe and Asia tells you that we have a more optimistic outlook here in the good ol' U.S. of A.

Green · Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2006 7:36 pm Post subject:

Revenant wrote: We have more unprotected sex?

That is part of the answer. Also, we let more people immigrate. All of the European countries are not so leanient on what people can go into there liberal utopias.

Green · Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2006 7:40 pm Post subject:

sLiPpY wrote: I think it's time to thin out the population quite a bit. Can we have a Civil War or something? :?

Nah, but I nominate feeding Britney Spears to sharks. However, the shark might choke on her fake, plastic boobs, and thus die, then the population will rise because the shark will not eat little kids.

Damn breast implants

Yes, I just was stupid enough to blame overpopulation on Britney Spears' fake boobs.