Politics USA, nation of freedoms - or is it ?

Maciamo

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Americans like to call their country the freest in the world. Many genuinely believe that they have more liberties than Europeans, or other Westerners.

If that may be true to some extend on an economic level (ease to set up a company, get a loan, fire staff...), overall it is all a big deception to keep American citizens happy and self-content. That is part of the American dream of the early and mid 20th century, which now looks like a distant memory. While the rest of the world has progressed significantly, the US has grown more conservative and less free than it used to be. And I am not just referring to the Patriot Act and other Terror laws of the Bush regime.

The US is a country where two of the most important "freedoms" are those to possess a gun, and to use anybody for anything anytime. That is what characterises most the USA seen from a European point of view.

Freedom of speech is far more restricted in the US than in most West European countries. I am not the one to claim it. The World Audit ranks the US in 11th position for freedom of press, and 15th for democracy.

But that does not include justice censorship. Where else can you get sued and condemned to pay tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars for so-called "sexual harassment" because someone has been complimenting a female colleague on her clothing or hairstyle ? In France or Italy, a man could be sued for not let a woman know she is a real woman (just kidding, but this is to show the huge cultural gap).

Where else would someone have to pay US$ 10.9 million for voicing anti-gay opinions. Don't get me wrong, I am all for gay rights and hate fundamentalist churches like that, but I find it scary to think that one could be condemned to pay such indecent amount of money just for the things they said, however distasteful or negative. That is, in my opinion, one way to put pressure on people to limit their freedom of speech.

It is really time Americans start reconsidering what freedoms are important to protect, and which ones are abusive. My opinion of what is abusive includes : freedom to pollute, freedom to own guns, freedom to prosecute indiscriminately, freedom to establish a cult without state supervision (which can lead to the development of dangerous sects).
 
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This is something that I have actually been saying for a while. All throughout school in the US, we are basically brainwashed to believe that we are "The Greatest Country on Earth", with the most freedoms/opportunities/etc. However, when you actually look at the rest of the world, particularly the "Western" or "Developed" countries, there are in fact other countries that are as "free", if not more so than the US. Unfortunately, many Americans do not question this.

I actually have this argument with my dad quite a bit. I have talked many times of going to live in another country for a while. He always tells me that I will be back, because I will see that we have more freedoms here than anyone else. However, he has never been outside of the country, save Canada and some vacation spots, so he is basically just regurgitating what was repeated to him throughout his childhood. While it is true that I probably would most likely come back to the states, it would have more to do with the fact that my family/friends are here. If the opportunity is good enough in another country, I would most certainly think about it.

Some time ago, I would have said that the US is at least in league with others as far as freedoms go, however it seems this is no longer the case as of late. Our freedoms of speech and press are going down the toilet, especially with this new culture of fear that has been prevalent since the Bush administration came into power. I can't believe how many fellow Americans I have heard say, "Well, I don't mind losing some rights as long as my family is safe."
 
I actually have this argument with my dad quite a bit. I have talked many times of going to live in another country for a while. He always tells me that I will be back, because I will see that we have more freedoms here than anyone else. However, he has never been outside of the country, save Canada and some vacation spots
How typical. I suppose that the brainwashing works when most of the population has never really left their country. That's why people from small (non-isolated) countries are often more open and less prejudiced about the rest of the world.

I like Europe for many reasons, but I never miss a chance to criticise the government of the country or region where I am living, because I know things don't improve by playing the ostrich. That's why I like comparing how things are done in other countries, so that we can learn from them.
 
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