From the TV show, "Newsroom", when the character is asked about America being the greatest country in the world:
"It's not the greatest country in the world. There's absolutely no evidence to support the statement that we're the greatest country in the world. We're 7th in literacy, 27th in math, 22nd in science, 49th in life expectancy, 178th in infant mortality, 3rd median household income, number 4 in labor force and number 4 in exports. We lead the world in only three categories: Number of incarcerated citizens per capita, number of adults who believe angels are real, and defense spending, where we spend more than the next 26 countries combined, 25 of whom are allies. Now, none of this is the fault of a 20-year-old college studen, but you, nonetheless, are, without a doubt, a member of the worst, period, generation, period, ever, period. So when you ask what makes us the greatest country in the world, I don't know what the fuck you're talking about! Yousemite?!

It sure used to be... We stood up for what was right. We fought for moral reason. We passed laws, we struct down laws, for moral reason. We waged wars on poverty, not on poor people. We sacrificed, we cared about our neighbors, we put our money where our mouths were and we never beat our chest. We built great, big things, made ungodly technological advances, explored the universe, cured diseases, and we cultivated the world's greatest artists AND the world's greatest economy. We reached for the stars, acted like men. We aspired to intelligence, we didn't belittle it. It didn't make us feel inferior. We didn't identify ourselves by who we voted for in the last election and we didn't scare so easy. We were able to be all these things and do all these things because we were informed... by great men, men who were revered.The First step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one. America is not the greatest country in the world anymore."

I can't sum it up any better. We're fucked. This mess in France is only proof that things are getting worse. Some day soon, there are going to be foreign troops in places we don't want them, and the west isn't going to be able to do shit. America, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, the Western World you need to open your eyes. The world is going down the drain, and we can't let that happen. And the most frustrating part is that the average citizen can't do bull shit about it. This needs to change, and it needs to change now.

America may be in a bad place but we are currently in THE MOST PEACEFUL TIME IN HISTORY. Yes shit happens like what happened in Paris yesterday but the fact is that more people are above the poverty line than they ever were, there are less wars than there's ever been, literacy is at an all time high globally, substance abuse as a whole as decreased with exception of cannabis.

The only difference is we are more exposed to the news. Ghenis touched a nerve on the other tread when he said he didn't feel sad about the events that took place and that is how most people felt back in the day. We are more connected now to each other, this as pros as well as obvious cons.

Edited 11/14/2015 17:25:52

Yeah i know where you pulled this from, OTP. Moving stuff.

Most peaceful time is Pax Romana.

The more connected the less connected to ourselves.

Are we in the worst generation ever? I think the lost generations of the men that fought in the two world wars was worse.

Well I don't think that generation was as stupid as today's mouth-breathers.

Agreed, but I'd rather live in this generation than that one, because I'm safer now than then.

Literally every generation tends to claim to be on the worst one and declare past ones were better. This is due to an effect of nostalgia on older people that passes through generations through conversations and talking, modified slightly with the newer person's opinion and output, only so it's concept of "last generation" becomes sort of utopic, and then the same happens between this younger person and his sons.

Well, I don't think the generation after the one that got affected by the Bubonic Plague were saying "Wow! You guys had it so much better than us!"

Well, shit happens everyday. People starve in Africa, they have wars there, we made and we are just like "Not my problem". Even worse, we use the instable situation to gain advantages from it and become even richer. Not gonna start with human rights here...
But dont forget that it can be worse for you. Be grateful for what you have and dont complain about "first-world-problems".

I'd say we are doing OK with the hands we were dealt (I'm speaking for us millennials)> I mean we already had a bad ecosystem that was left behind by the baby boomers, the constant use of anti bio-tics by both of the previous generations, and the world wasn't very stable to begin with. I'd say we're the worst generation not by our own choice, but by circumstance.

@Cata: Global Terrorism is a "first world problem"? The inefficiency of the only current global superpower's government is a "first world problem"? Consistent threatened and destablized regions across Afro-Eurasia are "first world problems"?

I don't know why everyone's crying now that America has realised it needs to stop trying to be the world's police. Britain was way better. It's time to go back to the time when Britannia truly ruled.

Better go get my opium

Honestly, I've known that America (and the Western World) have been going downhill. But even if I became president today, I couldn't do a thing. America is so divided in it's own beliefs that I would be useless.

Guys lets make a difference between America and the US please. Canada is not the same as the US.

South America is part of the US. US is petrol hungry.

Hell, I'm Canadian. But with American parentage, you better believe I'm pissed. America is a fine enough term for the united states, we all know what is meant.

Most Muslims are okay people, but haven't you noticed that wherever Islam goes, terrorism follows? Muslims allow radicals to control their religion and use it as an excuse for seizing political power through violence. No other religion is like that. When you have thousands of terrorists using a faith to justify their activity, that faith becomes toxic. Objectively looking at what Islam is doing for Europe, it's all terrible. The good ones never make headlines. Islam has no place in Europe or other non-Muslim countries.

"Islamic immigration" is actually colonization. Muslims moving to European countries, conducting terrorism and massively outproducing Europeans, IN THEIR OWN COUNTRIES is COLONIZATION! There are cities in European countries where EUROPEANS ARE NOT ALLOWED! IN THEIR OWN HOMES!

That's my god damn response to this Paris issue.

most muslims are extremists you twat.

Please ban him ^^