What does freedom mean to Americans?

[scubasteve06]

Hey, he's young and hasn't experienced a lot of the things we have...be easy friend I felt the same way about the rules when I was in school scared to break them or step on someones toes. In real life you have to learn how to handle things differently than they teach you in highschool. We all have to learn and have the right to express how we feel about it, another reason why we live in the United States and have free speech. A lot of people in other countries wouldn't even be having this discussion we are having today because they would be persecuted by their government and arrested. We have a lot of rights we take for granted like freedom of speech. I'm glad we have places such as this site to discuss these topics and get things out in the open. What we might not realize as a person at first is how others views on things can be totally different than ours. And it might take someone else to put it in other words to make them understand it fully and see it from the other side. Freedom is highly abused and is really taken for granted these days which is why its good that people see threads like these and appreciate it once more.

 

[groovitudedude]

I'm sorry for saying you should get arrested. It was immature of me.

Especially since you apparently don't bring a knife to school anymore since you're not in school.

 

[rmorse]

I'm sorry for saying you should get arrested. It was immature of me.

Especially since you apparently don't bring a knife to school anymore since you're not in school.

Wow. I just read some of the comments on this thread, and burst out laughing.


Groovitudedude, are you capable of thinking for youself?

 

[Spankbelly]

Being free in America, is knowing that I have the right (and duty) to write a really funnny and true insult about hockey, beer, and healthcare, in response to canadiens trying to poke fun at us, but also knowing that since we're America, and they're Canada, I don't even have to.

Yeah you got me.
We play winter sports. Spice up our alcohol with a little alcohol. And have health care.
You burned me good.

Actually there are many good, maybe even great things about your country.
But something that is not so good is the attitude that you are all that is.
There are 194 recognized independent countries in the world.
America is made up of 34.
Which are contained in North America. Central America. And South America.
Collectively these countries are known as the Americas.
Your country is named the United States of America.
You and I ,and countless others, are all Americans.
It is when you forget this fact that you show your ignorance and limitless arrogance.
Yes much of the world is envious of your wealth, power and freedoms.
But they harbor outright hatred towards you because of the way you carry yourselves in this world.

 

[rmorse]

Yeah you got me.
We play winter sports. Spice up our alcohol with a little alcohol. And have health care.
You burned me good.

Actually there are many good, maybe even great things about your country.
But something that is not so good is the attitude that you are all that is.
There are 194 recognized independent countries in the world.
America is made up of 34.
Which are contained in North America. Central America. And South America.
Collectively these countries are known as the Americas.
Your country is named the United States of America.
You and I ,and countless others, are all Americans.
It is when you forget this fact that you show your ignorance and limitless arrogance.
Yes much of the world is envious of your wealth, power and freedoms.
But they harbor outright hatred towards you because of the way you carry yourselves in this world.

No. We are American. This is the United States of America we are talking about. You are Canadian. Not American. You live in North America. Not the United States of America.

Way to turn playful kidding into an attack.

 

[frnchjeep]

Yeah you got me.
We play winter sports. Spice up our alcohol with a little alcohol. And have health care.
You burned me good.

Actually there are many good, maybe even great things about your country.
But something that is not so good is the attitude that you are all that is.
There are 194 recognized independent countries in the world.
America is made up of 34.
Which are contained in North America. Central America. And South America.
Collectively these countries are known as the Americas.
Your country is named the United States of America.
You and I ,and countless others, are all Americans.
It is when you forget this fact that you show your ignorance and limitless arrogance.
Yes much of the world is envious of your wealth, power and freedoms.
But they harbor outright hatred towards you because of the way you carry yourselves in this world.

This is one of the most accurate posts in this thread.

]No. We are American. This is the United States of America we are talking about. You are Canadian. Not American. You live in North America. Not the United States of America.

Way to turn playful kidding into an attack.

Way to prove his point...especially the third from last line

 

[Spankbelly]

No. We are American. This is the United States of America we are talking about. You are Canadian. Not American. You live in North America. Not the United States of America.

Way to turn playful kidding into an attack.

I am not attacking you.
I am pointing out something you (and others reading this) may not be aware of.
And I'm not talking about geography, I assume someone taught you that. I'm talking about respect.
America is not a country. It is a continent large enough to span two hemispheres. And yes WE are Americans.
I am Canadian. North American. And American. North America refers to Canada and the U.S.A. American refers citizens of the entire continent and some island nations.
Yes I know this is nit picking. But this is a real issue that aggravates anyone who lives in the rest of the Americas.
Yes I know you usually say American as a matter of convenience rather than hostility. It is so clumsy to say "I am a citizen of the United States of America." And easier to say "I am American." Most of the time no offense is intended.
But posting that you are American while I am not, and that this automatically quantifies you as something better, is hostile.
I posted something about your legal system.
You posted that you would like to be clever enough to insult Canadians but can't be bothered because YOU are AMERICA and the opinions of others are irrelevant even if correct.
But regardless, I'll let that go.
I know it is just a turn of phrase. It is convenient speech. I know you did not intend any real insult.
I'm just letting you know that while you might not notice the meaning of your words, the people who are receiving them do.
The people of all the nations around you. The people who might see U.S. citizens individually as decent honorable human beings.
But see the whole of U.S.A. as a giant mountain of crap. So arrogant that they actually took the name of half the world as their own. So self centered that they didn't even notice, or care, when they did it.
Just think about that for a while.
And don't justify it. That only proves the point.
If you want to know what it means to be a U.S. citizen, take a step back and think about how other eyes see you.
It is not always pretty.

 

[Death Pony]

There's a difference between self defense and illegally carrying a weapon at school.

Yup, but my hands count as weapons, and it's kind of hard to put them down....

 

[Death Pony]

Yeah you got me.
We play winter sports. Spice up our alcohol with a little alcohol. And have health care.
You burned me good.

Actually there are many good, maybe even great things about your country.
But something that is not so good is the attitude that you are all that is.
There are 194 recognized independent countries in the world.
America is made up of 34.
Which are contained in North America. Central America. And South America.
Collectively these countries are known as the Americas.
Your country is named the United States of America.
You and I ,and countless others, are all Americans.
It is when you forget this fact that you show your ignorance and limitless arrogance.
Yes much of the world is envious of your wealth, power and freedoms.
But they harbor outright hatred towards you because of the way you carry yourselves in this world.

Can I give you a Klondike Bar?

 

[Spankbelly]

Yes.