Totenkopf Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 So, given that this forum is fairly diverse in background, what do individual members think are the selling points and weaknesses of their own countries? Focus on your own country and not someone elses as this should cut down on flaming or cheapshots. Also, try to avoid comments like "B/c my country is better than yours, etc.." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandalorian Knight Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 Would this be an overall analysis? Or are we focusing on other ares like the military, economic performance, etc? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astor Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 Good question! I can see it might be hard to stay objective, though. I’ll try not to gush too much. Even though we didn’t rise out of the ocean at the will of a divine power, and leaving aside the old stereotypes of afternoon tea, stiff upper lip and all those other things, Britain still has quite a bit going for it. Even though the Empire might be long gone, our past, and obviously strong ties and similar interests to the Anglosphere and the Commonwealth have afforded us a level of influence on the world stage that might otherwise be beyond our size as a country, and ensure that Britain can continue to protect her interests on the world stage through NATO, the UN, G20, G8 etc. And, of course, the ‘special relationship’, but I refuse to subscribe to the notion that we are somehow the US’ lapdog for sharing global interests. And militarily, for good or ill, we’re normally ready and willing to help in a crisis (but if anyone needs us to provide any seaborne air support, you’ll have to wait till 2018). There’s the Royal Family, of course – last week’s Royal Wedding, while not a particularly significant event to anyone outside of Britain, still managed to draw in hundreds of thousands tourists, and the world media. And that’s not even getting into the Queen’s nearly six decades of dedication to fostering good relations between Britain and the rest of the world. Like them or not, the Royals bring in far more money through tourism than the taxpayer could ever shell out. I'd definitely count the Royals as a strength of Britain, even though most of them (excluding the Queen) are total ****s. And being at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution, Britain helped give the world a ton of helpful stuff too. Britain does have weaknesses, though. But I like to pretend they don’t exist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mimartin Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 I’m just going with what I consider the biggest strength and weakness of my country. Strength: Freedom of speech, the ability to freely express ideas and grievances without fear of persecution. Weakness: Freedom of speech, the ability of others to freely express ideas and grievances without fear of persecution. (Example: Westboro Baptist Church). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamqd Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 I'm English, yet of minimal intelligence, so I'll just refer you to Astor for my opinion lol ^^^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totenkopf Posted May 4, 2011 Author Share Posted May 4, 2011 Would this be an overall analysis? Or are we focusing on other ares like the military, economic performance, etc? Fairly open ended. Only caveat was to stick to your own country. Fire away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miltiades Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 Strengths: Strong democracy; excellent healthcare; great food tradition (chocolate, fries, beer,...); long history; multilingual; strong, independent media; core of the EU; strong secular state. Weaknesses: Political impasses (two regions who can't agree with each other anymore); a monarchy; strong Catholic/conservative tradition (wavering, though), institutional and legislative laws are often chaotic; boring landscape. I could keep going, of course, but I'll quit there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth InSidious Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 Let's see, the UK is an intellectually, economically and culturally crippled ****hole surrounded by the tattered remnants of its past and incapable of deciding whether it hates this or not. Schizophrenic, broken, and, increasingly, illiterate, the key thing to understand about the British is that our term for both intelligence and education is 'pretentious'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandalorian Knight Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 Strengths: Besides free speech like mimartin already mentioned, the first one that springs to my mind would be military strength. Weaknesses: A lack of political foresight in the deployment of that military would be one. A radical minority also causes problems, the media gives far too much attention to people who have no idea what they're talking about, which just leaves a bad taste in my mouth on principle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Doctor Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 Problems with Canada? Our military's equipment is mostly outdated. On the flip side, the Conservative government is looking to spend billions of dollars on new equipment that's untested and incomplete - and has on many occasions mislead Parliament as to the trust cost of the purchase. Our policies - or lack of same - regarding climate change are laughable. Our healthcare system, while certainly superior to that of the US, is on very shaky ground. The provinces reached a funding agreement with Ottawa a few years ago, due to expire in 2014 - and the Conservatives seem to be uninterested in either extending or replacing the deal. We just elected a Conservative majority government, headed by Stephen Harper. If that isn't a problem, I don't know what is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hallucination Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 Problems with Canada? We just elected a Conservative majority government, headed by Stephen Harper. If that isn't a problem, I don't know what is. Isn't an unstable coalition of losing socialist traitor visitors worse? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totenkopf Posted May 5, 2011 Author Share Posted May 5, 2011 Problems with Canada? ......[*]Our healthcare system, while certainly superior to that of the US...... Perhaps you missed this: Also, try to avoid comments like "B/c my country is better than yours, etc.." This thread isn't supposed to be about anything other than your views of your own country w/o knocking others to make your point. thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandalorian Knight Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 @Totenkopf, I think that it was meant as a factual statement; I'm American and from what I know, Canada factually has more effective health care system than ours. That being said, I agree that this thread shouldn't degrade to criticizing another's country. But what if it is a fact that isn't meant to degrade the other country? Like if I were to state that the US had "x" number more tanks than [insert country here]? Would that be acceptable, provided that we kept it mature and stuck with factual information and not opinions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Doctor Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 Isn't an unstable coalition of losing socialist traitor visitors worse? Nope. This thread isn't supposed to be about anything other than your views of your own country w/o knocking others to make your point. thanks. I wasn't knocking anyone else's country. It's not my opinion that the Canadian healthcare system is superior to that of the US, it's a fact. It's more accessible, efficient, and effective. It's also a fact that Canada's healthcare system is inferior in several ways to those of both France and Switzerland. As well as a few other places, I'm sure, that I'm not aware of. I can acknowledge that without taking it as an attack on my home country. Sorry if I was misunderstood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabretooth Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 Strengths Lots of people + emerging economy = potential Lots of languages and cultures, some very ancient Freedom of speech and democracy (considering other countries made independent in the era, it could have been much worse) Independent in international politics Something for everyone, in a way Neat flag Great food Weaknesses Corruption, corruption everywhere Lots of people Lots of empty jingoism Very uneven development, stark economic disparity Political parties that function more like the mafia The media (especially the Hindi media), straight from hell Complicated social problems Freedom of speech + democracy means that anyone can stop anything useful from taking place Some unlucky economic decisions taken post-independence mean you have police officers with sten guns and enfields standing next to Porsches and high-rises Slow law & order that can be easily sidelined/bought Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ctrl Alt Del Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 I guess I'm the only active member from Brazil here so that's quite the responsibility. Minuses People have no faith on elected officials, with good reason (esp. corruption) Violence, although limited to a few urban pockets Mass poverty Educational system that gets 99% of kids in school but can't keep 30% on the following years Widespred rejection to what's public. People feel they have to right to misuse public places as they see fit Public healthcare has mile-lenght lines. Patience is a must if your appointment. Pluses Cosmopolitan, the whole country is easily the melting pot of the world Snowy plains, beaches, deserts, lush green fields, savannas, rainforests, mountain ranges... every landscape you can think of is here Being friendly is not an innate characteristic, we're taught to be like that since kids XXI century: been great so far for us, the feeling things are getting better is dominant Our national anthem: La Marseillaise is right with us in a most beautiful national anthem contest The inhabitants may face the greatest tribulations but one thing for sure: they'll keep thinking positively Jobs: If you want one and have the right credentials, now is a great time Neat flag Great food Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totenkopf Posted May 5, 2011 Author Share Posted May 5, 2011 I wasn't knocking anyone else's country. It's not my opinion that the Canadian healthcare system is superior to that of the US, it's a fact. It's more accessible, efficient, and effective. It's also a fact that Canada's healthcare system is inferior in several ways to those of both France and Switzerland. As well as a few other places, I'm sure, that I'm not aware of. I can acknowledge that without taking it as an attack on my home country. Sorry if I was misunderstood. Not saying you're trying to flame anybody indirectly or otherwise. Point was to avoid comparison statements that could lead another to interpret it as offensive and keep thread free of potential flamebait. You also could easily have said your system was better than Japan's, India's or Russia's and used the same defense. Basically trying to avoid a series of "our ***** are bigger than yours" tangents. That being said, I agree that this thread shouldn't degrade to criticizing another's country. But what if it is a fact that isn't meant to degrade the other country? Like if I were to state that the US had "x" number more tanks than [insert country here]? Would that be acceptable, provided that we kept it mature and stuck with factual information and not opinions? Why not just say that "the US has a powerful military with impressive capabilities" or something similiar. Afterall, Iraq under SH had an impressive array of armor.....till it was largely decimated in '91. But outside of someone calling you (mildy or otherwise) delusional for your beliefs about your own country, they'd have no reason to flame you or your pov since it's limited to your own country and not theirs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Working Class Hero Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 It's not my opinion that the Canadian healthcare system is superior to that of the US, it's a fact. Lol, yes this has been scientifically verified and has been proven to be true. Americans are in awe of our northern neighbors health care system, since we see its veracity whenever they come southwards for their expensive operations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totenkopf Posted May 5, 2011 Author Share Posted May 5, 2011 @WCH--I understand the sentiment, but that's exactly what I set out to avoid w/OP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Working Class Hero Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 I'm not trying to unilaterally say that america's health care is superior than canada's. (because I don't think that it is) My intention was to say that it's a tad ridiculous to proclaim a "better or worse" statement as fact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totenkopf Posted May 5, 2011 Author Share Posted May 5, 2011 I meant sentiment as in "responding to someone's subjective claim as fact". Hence Basically trying to avoid a series of "our ***** are bigger than yours" tangents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabretooth Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 I guess I'm the only active member from Brazil here so that's quite the responsibility. Minuses People have no faith on elected officials, with good reason (esp. corruption) Violence, although limited to a few urban pockets Mass poverty Educational system that gets 99% of kids in school but can't keep 30% on the following years Widespred rejection to what's public. People feel they have to right to misuse public places as they see fit Public healthcare has mile-lenght lines. Patience is a must if your appointment. Pluses Cosmopolitan, the whole country is easily the melting pot of the world Snowy plains, beaches, deserts, lush green fields, savannas, rainforests, mountain ranges... every landscape you can think of is here Being friendly is not an innate characteristic, we're taught to be like that since kids XXI century: been great so far for us, the feeling things are getting better is dominant Our national anthem: La Marseillaise is right with us in a most beautiful national anthem contest The inhabitants may face the greatest tribulations but one thing for sure: they'll keep thinking positively I swear we live on opposite sides of the same country and either half of the country is made to believe that they live in India/Brazil. It's a huge ****ing conspiracy, I'm telling you. Nothing is real. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommycat Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 It's not my opinion that the Canadian healthcare system is superior to that of the US, it's a fact. Nope, it's an opinion. An entirely subjective opinion. I could just as easily say that the US's private healthcare system is better than the Canadian system, but that too would be opinion. Terms like "better" or "worse" are dependent on personal preference. You could have avoided this tangent by saying that you like the Canadian health care system's ease of access. You didn't have to mention the US health care system at all. As to the US, I think our greatest strength is our military. We are literally all over the world. And anywhere we are not, we can be in a very short time. We offer not only military aid, but also humanitarian aid. Another strength is our diversity. We have mixtures of most cultures. That's one of our minor weaknesses though. Because of our diversity, there is a bit of infighting... The way we generally use our military. We do put them in places they had no business being. Not just Iraq, but quite a number of our armed conflicts we could have and should have avoided. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mimartin Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 Focus on your own country and not someone elses as this should cut down on flaming or cheapshots. Also, try to avoid comments like "B/c my country is better than yours, etc.." This thread isn't supposed to be about anything other than your views of your own country w/o knocking others to make your point. thanks. Point was to avoid comparison statements that could lead another to interpret it as offensive and keep thread free of potential flamebait. You also could easily have said your system was better than Japan's, India's or Russia's and used the same defense. Basically trying to avoid a series of "our ***** are bigger than yours" tangents. I understand the sentiment, but that's exactly what I set out to avoid w/OP. Please Totenkoph has respectfully asked we obey his request when commenting in this thread multiple times. Please show him a little respect and either do as he requested or find another thread to post in. Thanks mimartin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astor Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 As to the US, I think our greatest strength is our military. We are literally all over the world. And anywhere we are not, we can be in a very short time. We offer not only military aid, but also humanitarian aid. I am always amazed and impressed that there always seems to be a US Aircraft Carrier within a day's travel of any military/humanitarian crisis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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