Thank you, HBO. Thank you, Aaron Sorkin. Someone needed to say this -- no, scream it -- on nationwide TV.
The United States isn't the greatest country in the world.
Last night my wife and I watched the premiere of a new HBO series, "The Newsroom." Jeff Daniels plays a news anchor who can't take the bullshit anymore during a panel discussion and tells it like this country is.
Thanks to GQ.com, here's a transcript of the terrific mini-speech from How to Write an Aaron Sorkin Script, by Aaron Sorkin.
A song in a musical works best when a character has to sing— when words won't do the trick anymore. The same idea applies to a long speech in a play or a movie or on television. You want to force the character out of a conversational pattern. In the pilot of The Newsroom, a new series for HBO, TV news anchor Will McAvoy (Jeff Daniels) emotionally checked out years ago, and now he's sitting on a college panel, hearing the same shouting match between right and left he's been hearing forever, and the arguments have become noise. A student asks what makes America the world's greatest country, and Will dodges the question with glib answers. But the moderator keeps needling him until...snap.
Will
It's not the greatest country in the world, professor, that's my answer.Moderator
[pause] You're saying—Will
Yes.Moderator
Let's talk about—
Start off easy. First get rid of the two noisemakers.
Will
Fine. [to the liberal panelist] Sharon, the NEA is a loser. Yeah, it accounts for a penny out of our paychecks, but he [gesturing to the conservative panelist] gets to hit you with it anytime he wants. It doesn't cost money, it costs votes. It costs airtime and column inches. You know why people don't like liberals? Because they lose. If liberals are so fuckin' smart, how come they lose so GODDAM ALWAYS!
The use of inappropriate language has a purpose—the filter's off.
And [to the conservative panelist] with a straight face, you're going to tell students that America's so starspangled awesome that we're the only ones in the world who have freedom? Canada has freedom, Japan has freedom, the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Australia, Belgium has freedom. Two hundred seven sovereign states in the world, like 180 of them have freedom.
The fact-dump that's coming now serves several purposes. It backs up his argument, it reveals him to be exceptional (what normal person has these stats at their fingertips?), but mostly it's musical. This is the allegro.
And you—sorority girl—yeah—just in case you accidentally wander into a voting booth one day, there are some things you should know, and one of them is that there is absolutely no evidence to support the statement that we're the greatest country in the world. We're seventh in literacy, twenty-seventh in math, twenty-second in science, forty-ninth in life expectancy, 178th in infant mortality, third in median household income, number four in labor force, and number four 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 twenty-six countries combined, twenty-five of whom are allies. None of this is the fault of a 20-year-old college student, 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?! Yosemite?!!!
[Cell-phone cameras are everywhere— people are tweeting and texting away.]
Now we slow down and get a glimpse into his pain. The oratorical technique is called "floating opposites"— we did, we didn't, we did, we didn't... But rhythmically you don't want this to be too on the money. You're not just testing the human ear anymore; you want people to hear what he's saying.
We sure used to be. We stood up for what was right! We fought for moral reasons, we passed and struck down laws for moral reasons. We waged wars on poverty, not 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 cultivated the world's greatest artists and the world's greatest economy. We reached for the stars, and we 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. And 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.
To resolve a melody, you have to end on either the tonic or the dominant. (Try humming "Mary Had a Little Lamb" right now, but leave off "snow." You'll feel like you need to sneeze.) So Will ends where he started. Then, just to acknowledge that he just sang an aria— which is unusual in the course of a normal conversation—he turns to the moderator who'd been needling him and casually asks...
Will
[to moderator] Enough?
Here's a You Tube video that shows part of Will's truth-telling at the beginning. I sure wish we had more politicians who talked like this. They might not get elected, but I'd vote for them.
In support of this topic: At a recent dental convention, one of the lead dental researchers who travels internationally, told us how, on average, American dentistry & dentists are far behind Europe & Japan (and possibly others). All of the dentists in those countries use superior technologies and techniques(other than ortho in England).
We, Americans, need to hear the truth about how great other countries are and how we could improve, because we can.
Posted by: someonesomewhere | June 25, 2012 at 09:03 PM
someone... my wife just got back from the dentist, so we're curious what some of those technologies/techniques are. Are they things our FDA hasn't approved yet? Seems like the the FDA often is unduly cautious about medical/health care available in Europe but not here.
Posted by: Brian Hines | June 25, 2012 at 09:28 PM
If there are new techniques not in general use in the US, it is almost certainly because it would cost money to start using them. If the techniques that exist hurt more but do the job, for instance, then only the highest-class dentists that serve the wealthiest are going to go to the expense and effort required to learn how to use them and then adopt them. In the entire western world, but in the US especially, the only real problem that exists is money. Greed is what causes just about all the problems that are listed in the great speech up here too, and it is no doubt what is causing the dentists to be slow on the uptake of new tech.
The more money is revered, the bigger the damage is that it does - and nobody is more in love with the notion of money and combat over it, be it actual combat or just mental battling, than America. I have little doubt that the rampant militarism is also a cultivated effect, the military industrial complex is the recipient of much of the yearly trillion dollars the taxpayers pump into killing people abroad so there is an obvious upside in telling Americans they had it coming in order to keep the gravy train rolling.
I'm absolutely going to be watching The Newsroom after this. Aaron Sorkin is awesome.
Posted by: Frost | June 26, 2012 at 03:39 AM
There are an awful lot of illegal aliens in the United States - why do you suppose they come here? And most of them would tell you - if you could understand the language that they speak - that they would much prefer to be in their native land.
The United States of America is just another place to be - no better and no worse than many other places. It's just that there are more opportunities for enrichment here than anywhere else on the planet. And, if you just cannot become successful, you can be a failure quite comfortably.
Posted by: Willie R | June 26, 2012 at 09:34 AM
It's a great speech, but he gets one thing terribly, desperately wrong.
A young woman who is a member of either Generation X or the Millennials is a member of the "Worst Generation Ever"? What bullshit. It wasn't my generation or the one after mine that got us into this mess.
It was the same generation who has been slagging mine from the time we started coming of age, all the while stealing from us the opportunities and resources that they enjoyed as young adults.
You want to talk about the WORST GENERATION EVER? Let's talk about the most selfish, self-centered, self-entitled generation in American history: the Baby Boomers. When he is talking about all the things that made America great, he is actually talking about the Greatest Generation.
Think about that before you cheer the speech of a man who looks down on the generations whose opportunities his generation ruined.
Posted by: Six | June 26, 2012 at 07:36 PM
The first part of the speech was great. Honestly discussing the negatives of America instead of just rah-rahing along with mindless, blind patriotism. The second part, though, largely guts the first. "Ah, the good old days." "We used to stand up for what is right." "We used to go to the moon." Uh-huh. We used to have Jim Crow. We used deny women the vote. Etc., etc. We've lost some of what we used to have. But let's not pretend we haven't gained too. The false vision of modern America that Will McAvoy decries is no more false than the "good old days" McAvoy celebrates. The first part of the speech was awesome, the remainder didn't fulfill it's promise. Kind of like the show itself. After rightly telling us over and over how bad modern media is, The Newsroom caps the story of McAvoy's redemption with NOTHING that relates to "good old journalism." He lucked into some sources and scooped a story about the Gulf spill. A story we all know WAS ultimately told by the supposedly inept modern media. McAvoy got the story first because a near stranger happened to have some sketchy sources that he gambled on. Hardly the stuff of Murrow and Cronkite. Let's call it "the stuff of Sorkin."
Posted by: Lucas Corso | June 28, 2012 at 09:44 AM
I am from Canada, and will say that this speech is dead on accurate in regards to the USA and Canada. We have lost our ways. We started to believe too much in the people selling us the idealism rather than reading the label ourselves. We wanted to trust, and needed too.
As for Willie R. (posted June 26 at 9:34am) I believe you may have misunderstood his reference to your generation. As someone a bit older, I didn't take it as a negative directed at you, but rather directed at those that came before. I understood it to be saying that your generation has been placed in the worst possible situation because of what has preceded you.
Truth be told, we know that both our countries are failing on a global scale. We have known this for so long, and have opted to bury our heads in the sand because we are either too lazy or just believe we are too far behind everyone else. Where to begin? So we choose to not pay attention; football, hockey, Hollywood is now where we focus our efforts.
We have become resigned to the truths that in our democracies we no longer have a say. Yes we elect the politician, but then have no effect on their decisions. They will do as they wish and pay no heed to the common person, for we do not hold big enough purse strings. Remember no matter what you are told, always follow the money and that is where the honesty lies.
Posted by: Paul | June 29, 2012 at 01:20 PM
I loved this speech and posted it in my social science class. I full heartly agree with the writer of this speech!!! Way to go and thank you!!! I will be whatching this show!!!
Posted by: Lena Young | June 29, 2012 at 08:31 PM
I agree that the first part of the speech held a far greater amount of truth and harsh accuracy. I disagree however in the defense of "the worst generation ever", of which I am a member. It may not be entirely at the fault of our generation, but given any consideration to the numbers dictated by our generation (such as high school drop out rates, teen pregnancies, educational achievement, political/international understanding, or community involvement, just to name a few) we are certainly the worst generation ever. For any statistic each side could argue why it is not their fault. The reality of the situation however is that you can only blame your parents for so much...and while you do so, someone with a better understanding of how to accept their faults and achieve their goals, will once again surpass you. Unfortunately it seems that the vast majority of these understanding people's are found in countries outside of our own. Either that, or the ones in other countries are more apt to log off Facebook and take action.
Posted by: James | June 29, 2012 at 09:24 PM
I was enthralled by the "harsh reality" of the first part of the speech. I watched it about five times and it said so much that I wish I had written about the status of our country. The second part was a little bit of a cop out, although there is greatness in segments of our history. The attack on the college girl's generation was unfair--I blame the old goats in my generation(especially the mean spirited extreme right wingers-which seems to be all Republicans these days) for the polarization of political positions.
Posted by: David L King | June 30, 2012 at 09:56 AM
Teen pregnancies are at their lowest levels ever. Might want to exclude that in future critiques of the current generation.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-57411981-10391704/u.s-teen-pregnancy-rates-at-an-all-time-low-across-all-ethnicities/
Posted by: Scott | June 30, 2012 at 09:27 PM
In regards to our greatness, the space program might not seem relevant to many Americans. But as reliant on the health of so many other things as it is, it is the canary in the coal mine. From the political and social will to explore space, to the economic robustness required, to the availability of talented young scientists and engineers willing to serve - all these things scale the feasibility of an effective space program . Sure, other countries are developing their own space capabilities, and relative to their efforts, US dominance is diminished. But step back and look at the absolute magnitude of US efforts in space and ask yourself if the trajectory of exploration has been what we were led to expect by Disney, Von Braun, Kubrick, and Kennedy. I was born in 1960. For the starry-eyed kids of my generation, who grew up fully expecting to be one of the thousands of people living and working in space, and to thrive in a country so wealthy with knowledge and wisdom that space was a natural extension of the American Dream, it is clear: If America is not the best, it is because we are so far from what we could be.
Posted by: Mark Helmlinger | July 03, 2012 at 01:47 PM
@willie r: I think when he mentioned that you are part of the worst generation period ever period is because he thinks your generation is so misinformed and you will be leading the country in a few years with that misinformed mentality. It's like he is not only blaming the liars, but those who believed in those lies.
Posted by: Danny M | July 03, 2012 at 06:33 PM
It is interesting that liberal Americans like to denegrate their own country. Sure, there are problems here like everywhere else but I don't see these people rushing to get out of this hellhole to whatever is a "greater" country. What country would that be?...France, Sweden, Denmark, Fiji, Brazil, Argentina,
Ecuador, China, Japan, Malaysia, Madagascar, Uruguay, Morrocco, Chad, Cuba? I know...Switzerland. That's it! Clean and tidy. Strong currency. Alps. Solvent. Sort of politically neutral. Medical coverage. A tad expensive and heavily taxed. But nobody's perfect. To Switzerland young progressive!
I like the USA because you still can succeed or fail as much as you want to based on your talents and initiative. The opportunity is there. That's what people who emmigrate to the USA appreciate. Not that you can't do that in other places.
What is exceptional about the US is the variety of spectacular country from beaches to deserts to mountains and there still is elbow room. If you want to get lost and never be found and live a life without rules there are places to do that. Like in the Canyonlands in Utah, the Kaiparowits Plateau, the Salmon River/Bitteroot wilderness in Idaho and of course Alaska.
I don't know if the USA is the greatest country. Italians may prefer Italy. But the USA has a lot going for it.
Posted by: tucson | July 04, 2012 at 05:12 PM
tucson, I love the USA also. My wife and I don't want to live in any other country. You're right: there's a lot to admire about our country.
However, one think we don't like is American "exceptionalism" -- the notion that we are #! in every way, and if anybody challenges that assumption, they're UNAMERICAN!
Not true. I believe other countries have a lot to learn from the United States, and the United States has a lot to learn from other countries. We do some things better than them, and some things worse than them.
My critique in this post was of the notion that "America is the greatest country." It's necessary to be specific: in which way.
As was noted in The Newsroom, our incarceration rates are horribly embarrassing, as is, increasingly, our K-12 education system. Our health care system leaves a lot to be desired. Our energy, transportation, and other infrastructures are crumbling, while other countries are investing much more than us and moving ahead.
A lot to like. A lot to dislike. That's the United States.
Posted by: Brian Hines | July 04, 2012 at 09:33 PM
Brian, I agree with your comment above at 9:33pm.
USA geography is exceptional as is the Constitution. Most everything else needs a little or a lot of work.
Posted by: tucson | July 04, 2012 at 11:34 PM
I love this country, but there is something terribly wrong here and the Jeff Daniels character touches upon it. We have allowed the news, where we were informed, to be replaced by opinion and spin, yet we, as the whole of the viewing public, still continue to believe these opinion-peddlers to be giving us actual news and facts. It is a sad statement when one must read from at least 4 different sources to get the slightest hint on what any news story actually is.
All is not lost. Not remotely, because one consistent thing this country has done over their entire history is proceeding forward with the attitude of "we can do better," "we can improve," and "the status quo isn't good enough."
Why did we stop demanding the same standard of our elected officials and our journalists that we demand of ourselves?
America, we CAN do better.
Posted by: Mchall1972 | July 12, 2012 at 02:52 PM
Love this show.
Posted by: randy liuag | July 27, 2012 at 12:28 AM
Help! Where can I download a copy of Will's speech about what has been done in the "name of Christianity" This show is brilliant. Just too bad, as a barely making it senior woman, that it costs so much more money to have quality tv instead of the garbage on network tv. No wonder we are a stupid country.
Posted by: judy mcnamara freethinker | July 31, 2012 at 08:53 AM
You call that speech a "fact dump?"
It's a cherry-picked list of whines and it's not even a very good one at that. How exactly do you rank nations "in science?" What objective measure is used there? Certainly not academic papers, where America leads in citations globally. Certainly not original patents, where America leads globally.
And why doesn't he mention metrics in which America DOES lead? Why not mention that when taken in totality, America's pretty phenomenal in that it ranks fairly high in a plethora of categories and not just one or two. If one team of the same guys makes it to the playoffs in hockey, basketball, football, and baseball - wouldn't that be an incredible team even without winning any single sport? But that's not even the case, because there are a lot of first here.
Largest economy? America. Most Olympic medals? America. Highest rate of immigration (total number, not the idiotic net migration rate that depends on per capita that shoots Qatar to the top because 3 people moved there)? America.
And then you can set to work picking apart his backhanded criticisms. America leads in incarcerated citizens... yes. I'm sure the writer of that speech intends this as an indictment of American ethics. And he ignores the fact that the US leads the world in forensic science, information systems, investigative technique, and crime reporting. It has the money, technique, and expertise to pursue criminals. On top of that, it's a nation of laws. What's the murder rate in Chicago? Pretty high. What's the murder rate in Darfur? Pretty low, because they count that as a war even though it's warlords cutting up women and children with machetes.
All that speech means is there are a great number of sanctimonious pessimists indulging their adolescent angst tendencies well into adulthood. It takes 5 minutes of thought to see the holes in that "fact dump." But most people would rather spend the time 'sharing' it to Facebook so they can feel for one brief moment like a social intellectual.
Posted by: Kwame Achaempong | August 03, 2012 at 11:04 PM
Kwame,
I stopped reading your retort as soon as you mentioned that America leads globally in "original patents".
It is not scientific achievement when someone "invents" the wearable dog toilet. It's a person with an idea to tie a bag to a dogs ass.
Posted by: Aaron F. | August 07, 2012 at 07:12 PM
America is the greatest country in the world because it is the world's only hope. The only thing keeping the terrorist regimes in check is America. Take America away, France and Spain won't do shit to save the world from the nut jobs in the Middle East or Russia or North Korea or the dozens of other rogue states which threaten global security. Screw America's rank on mathematics or science; without America it won't matter anyway.
Posted by: George | August 21, 2012 at 11:23 PM
To repond to George, we are the "world's only hope" becasue we have said to the entire world we will fight the fight any where any time (except in Africa becasue they have nothing we want). Maybe if we stand down every once in awhile the rest of the world would see a reason to stand up. Why the hell would France or Spain "do shit" if they know we will? Why would Israel ever have a reasonable dialogue or negotiate lasting peace with their neighbors knowing we stand behind them with our finger on the trigger?
At some point in time we have to improve ourselves beyond "might" and actually be the best and brightest again.
Posted by: TR | August 30, 2012 at 11:50 AM
"USA geography is exceptional"
Clearly many of you have never traveled.
Canada, Brasil, Argentina, South Africa, China, Russia and Australia are just a few of the massive countries with elbow room and spectacular, exceptional geography.
The USA is just one of many nation states that have a lot to offer. It's not 1960 anymore, most of the world is either developed or developing.
Posted by: China Hand | November 20, 2012 at 09:09 PM
I stop reading your retort once you mentioned that the United States leads global "original patent".
It is not a scientific achievement when someone "invention" wearable dog toilet. This is a man and one idea will be a bag to the dog's ass.
Posted by: jerseys cheap | November 27, 2012 at 07:21 PM
The baby boomers sold us all out. They elected Reagan. They had to have just one more thing. Always. Never happy. Never enough. Them. Them. Them. They grew up spoiled - the Greatest Generation's callow spawn. Whether we can undo what they've done is doubtful. They had all the promise of a better future in their hands and traded it in for a bigger car, a bigger TV (to raise their children) and a bigger pool. And the Millenials are worthless milksops. Sorry. But it's true. Gen X at least had the sense to disbelieve, and the patience to maybe read a book or two. So, yeah, we're so fucked.
Posted by: Chris Davis | April 18, 2013 at 08:02 AM
The old enemy still lives. The darkness that lives in our souls.
Posted by: casually | April 24, 2013 at 11:04 AM
Hi, as a Brit, I pose the question: is there such a thing as the greatest country - in fact, has there ever been? Possibly the only ones to qualify, I would suggest, would be those in such as Indonesia, who knew how to live peaceably, content with such minimal resources as were available to them. Some countries have achieved worthwhile things, yes, but often they have been related to so called advances in science, enginering and medical science - despite the latter producing costly, even out of reach products for so many - and let's not overlook the resources to be warfaring nations. Ford mass produced cars, but what percentage of the population actually actually owned one? In 1953 my parents - father a teacher and mother a secretary - did not own a car, nor even a TV on which to view Queen Elizabeth's coronation, in fact we didn't have the latter until three years later, and never did have a family car. Did we actually win the war?? That question is still posed over here, you know. What was really great about Britain?? Let's consider that. We had one conflict after another during our history, mostly on our own shores, cruelty and poverty went hand in hand, young chidren working in mills, or down coal mines, or up chimneys owned by the aristocracy and middle classes. Can it have been great to have lived in poverty, hanged for stealing a handkerchief? Today people extol London as possibly the greatest city in the world - it has the most toxic atmosphere anywhere from traffic.Great? Eastern Europeans, allowed by membership of the EU, come here freely now and set up brothels and trade young girls. This month 6 Asians were imprisoned for 'grooming' young girls for their own sexual gratification - the same people who still circumcise girls, here in Great Britain. Some areas of London are now 'no go' districts - Asian youths and women tell local whites to get out - they don't belong there. We're out of control. We simply don't have immigration or police officers in sufficient numbers. And, of course, politicans, as hypocritical as ever, remain quite liberal, with future elections in mind. It may be argued that we had Shakespeare - hands up all those who really enjoy tragey - but one person doesn't make a country great. We had the Magna Carta - centuries later we still have inequality and children living in poverty. In a nutshell, as with the USA, there is simply not enough to go round. What may that lead to? Well, anarchy comes to mind. The difference over here is that we, the voters, aren't permitted to own guns - except shotguns for hunting - so the populace would be on a hiding to nothing if the people decided it was time to enforce their will and take back what is rightfully theirs. Having said that, it may just be that the armed forces and police might join ranks. At the end of the day they're the same as us, aren't they??
If anyone is not taking me seriously, just take time to listen to our national anthem - it's all about one person - not the people, nor the country! Am I digressing?! Maybe, but one last suggestion - let's scrap the Olympic Games - apart from being too costly, they engender the wrong kind of fervour. They also create cheats. 'Nuff said methinks.
Posted by: George Turnbull | July 16, 2013 at 03:08 AM
I like the show and Aaron Sorkin deserves all the praise for it but this speech reminds me a lot of Bill Maher's monologue a couple of years ago: http://youtu.be/T8UqdPKbpWM
Posted by: Micha | September 16, 2013 at 12:02 AM
July 4th 2014
I just found this speech, since we don't watch TV. (20 years already) We are recovered Repukes, and call ourselves Political Atheists. We say if you still vote, you're addicted to "hope-ium". The US is a mere shadow of its' former self.
My husband is an unemployed STEM guy, and now I'm out of work. Our time of being an industrial powerhouse is behind us. Both the country and the middle class.
Posted by: Susan | July 04, 2014 at 06:38 PM
Micha
Thank you.I watched the Bill Maher dialogue and wanted to acknowledge and thank you for the link.
Living in a far right, drunk on religion city, where psychotic flag waving is mandatory (many flags made in China, might I add)I like it when people think for themselves. While the left and right mentally m*sturb*te, the ptb and their puppet (the prez)along with 535 go about selling their core values for money.
The late George Carlin nailed a politician during a Press Club Luncheon. Skip to 10:45 to begin. This is brilliant.
Posted by: Susan | July 06, 2014 at 03:27 PM
George Carlin - National Press Club [complete]skip to 10:45 to begin this brilliant speech
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pc0ZHsoHAlE
Posted by: Susan | July 06, 2014 at 03:29 PM
U.S.A. was NEVER the greatest country in the world.Sometimes i wonder,are you americans even listening to your selfs when you speak about your country???No ofense realy but,dod'nt you realise how ridiculous you sound??Siriously,i dod'nt know what to do when i hear-read you guys!Laugh or cry?Your country is a "baby" in human history with only,how long,2 or 3 handred years of history or something like that,and the only thing it offered to the rest of the world so far was wars and suffering,and you act and speak like you are the bigest benefactors or something.America is the spoiled child of Europe.Nothing more!!Get out of the brainwash your goverments do to you and realise it!Finaly!Ok,i understand that you need reasons to feel proud about your nation,but you must also face the truth and actualy do something about it,sometime... :-/
P.S. To turn off your TVes and playstations would be a good start...and then throw the freaking guns out of your homes...and stop eating all these humbergers and junkfood all the time!Make your own gardens!The ancient Greeks used to say:"Healthy minds exist into healthy bodies." Jeff also forgot to say that America is first also to fat people...
Posted by: Konstantinos | October 29, 2014 at 09:33 PM
I read all these comments here and know I am playing to a hard audience, but what I sense from the comments from the 3rd world "developing nations" are cultural and materialistic envy of a nation that succeeds on so many levels its too long to list here. The reason your countries are still ignorant hell-holes overcome with religious terrorists or narco-gangs is the good people in your countries do not have the backbone needed to band together and defeat them unless you ask for help from the USA. Criticizing the USA won't make your countries (you know who you are) seem greater in comparison.
What I sense from some Americans comments are leftist liberal mindsets that think denigrating their own country by cherry-picking criticisms makes them seem somehow elitist, for a short while. Just remember it was knuckle-draggers like me that kept your 1st Amendment right secure all these years, and be thankful you weren't born in a country that would spirit you away at midnight for being such a whinging twat towards your own country.
For you (like the gentleman above) who simply type whines about the USA without any facts to substantiate your comments, begone. You are irrelevant.
The next time an earthquake hits Haiti, or a huge tidal wave rips into Indonesia, or a massive tidal wave submerges Tacloban, or an Ebola epidemic hits Africa who are you going to call to rescue you with massive amounts of aid, much of it offered from the decks of equally massive aircraft carriers and helicopters that no-one else seems to have handy when it's most needed? Which country came to stop the genocide in Kosovo? Which country is doing what it can to stop the genocide in Iraq? Commie China? Russia? Egypt? Saudi? Somalia? WHO? You only have one choice! And if there were no USA to rescue your miserable skins, do you think...Spain would step up to fill the need? Mexico? Sweden?
While self-righteous armchair critics sit back and poke at the USA, we are still exploring outer space, plumbing the worlds deepest oceans, inventing medical cures and giving more to charity than any other nation you can name on planet Earth! (Some of our helicopters going into Aceh to feed and clothe your waterlogged citizens even got SHOT AT! WTF?)
I am of the mindset that the USA should stop funding the United Nations and eject all you ungrateful freeloaders off our shores, including the latest ELEVEN MILLION of you who crept in illegally and we just can't kick back out. You KNOW who you are! Go Home!
If the USA was anywhere near as bad as this speech says, then WHY are millions still risking their lives to get IN and not OUT?
Agreeing with this films premises doesn't make you a social scientist. A broader view of where the USA has been and the potential for where it is going is needed.
And sacrifice. I wonder if the writer of that speech or that actor ever served his country and believed in something greater than himself to the point he was willing to risk his life for it. Unless he has, his words would ring untrue to me for that reason alone.
Posted by: Batt Masterson | November 10, 2014 at 11:01 AM
[From Blogger Brian: Yes, I can handle the truth. But I can't handle the link you included with your previous comment.
http://diktyoellinwn.wordpress.com/2014/08/22/%CF%80%CE%B1%CE%B3%CE%BA%CE%BF%CF%83%CE%BC%CE%B9%CE%BF-%CE%BA%CE%B1%CF%84%CE%B1%CF%80%CE%B9%CF%83%CF%84%CE%B5%CF%85%CE%BC%CE%B1-%CF%80%CE%B1%CE%B3%CE%BA%CE%BF%CF%83%CE%BC%CE%B9%CE%BF-%CF%87%CF%81/
Looks weird to me. And the web site is in Greek, as is the link you submitted below. If somebody wants to follow those links, go ahead. They're not for me, and I'm not recommending them to anybody.]
Why you din't published my answer to the nonesence the last guy comments???
Can't you handle the truth???
http://alfeiospotamos.blogspot.gr/2014/03/blog-post_4570.html
Posted by: Konstantinos | November 24, 2014 at 12:07 PM
There are links with documents inside in Elnglish.
All you have to do is to put a litlle effort...
There is also the google translate...
But yea...i'm asking to much from you now,right?In a mysterious way,when other people must understand you guys then it's normal for them to put effort.But when you have to do the same...then..."forget about it".
The last guy wrote a lot of nonesence wich can easily be answered...if i could speak good english,but i can't so that's why i sent the link.So some people can see the real picture of what is happening.
It's more and less the same situation on all over the world.None of us humans is actually free.All we have is the illusion of freedom.Do a researce about the world trust and the world bank.And what was agreed between the allies after the world war 2 at the Bretton Woods agreement.And then ask your self why they put countries into fake depts...
Posted by: Konstantinos | November 25, 2014 at 03:07 AM
Official documents(AND FACTS!!!) in English: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10203220431734269&set=a.10203220405413611.1073741839.1312866751&type=3&theater
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10203220432134279&set=a.10203220405413611.1073741839.1312866751&type=3&theater
http://alfeiospotamos.pblogs.gr/2014/02/pagk-ploytos-tote-giati-toso-misos-kai-exathliwsh-gia-toys-polit.html
http://alfeiospotamos.pblogs.gr/2014/03/oloi-mazi-ta-trwne-ektos-apo-toys-anthrwpoys-deite-drakoys-bampi.html
http://alfeiospotamos.pblogs.gr/2014/02/bretton-woods-b-i-s-trapezes-kai-ellhnikoi-logariasmoi-katapiste.html
THESE ARE THE U.S.A. ACCOUNTS!!! http://alfeiospotamos.pblogs.gr/2014/02/to-katapistefma-twn-u-s-a-trela-noymera-kai-einai-mono-oi-7-loga.html
Posted by: Konstantinos | November 25, 2014 at 05:39 AM
One thing that makes America great is that it is perfectly fine for people to be so eager and joyous to say it isn’t.
Many things the character says are true but it’s a ruse. Like many of the movies and TV series, the true agenda is hidden. He’s not taking the blame for the state of our nation. He’s blaming the rest of us. But, if it were up to us, it would still be the same or better. Liberals want the change and then complain when their changes don't work out better for anyone including them.
The problem is the writers of this series are of the same mindset as the professors who are teaching our kids to lean toward socialism and atheism. The only thing that has changed in this country is that it has become more socialistic and more godless. Socialist professors don’t like free enterprise and atheists definitely don’t believe in God given rights. So the fundaments of this country are at odds with the hippie-dippie generation that blames everyone, including America itself, for everything that is not perfect enough for them.
They are the ones who teach our children we’re a slave nation, like it was invented here and still exists. There was always slavery everywhere by every human since the beginning of mankind until the United States and Great Britain ended it around the world… And still maintain the daunting futile task of slavery abatement in parts of Africa and Asia. They teach our kids the British solders attempted genocide on Native Americans with germ warfare a century before anyone knew what a germ was. And all the anti-America lies and deceit are perfectly fine an unchallenged. The character in the TV series said America wasn’t the only country that had freedom and listed other free countries but never said America was the first country to have true freedom and the reason all the others also obtained true freedom and he failed to mention that these countries would not have kept their freedom had America not entered into two world wars.
America is not perfect but the list of ugly events portrayed in movies and schools today have been exaggerated and all things worthy have been hidden away. And this constant degrading dissidence is not only tolerated but accepted and maybe even applauded in America. Not so much self-contempt anywhere else around the world.
No matter how great this country once was, there were always people who chose not to think so and unlike a lot of other countries, they can get on national television or behind a university podium and say so. Unlike my ancestors who had to sneak out of a fascist country to come here, Americans can go to a better country anytime they like – if that other country will accept them. But no one sneaks out of America or sneaks into any other country like they do in America.
We have to remember TV series and movies are fiction with fictional charters playing the part of both liberals and conservatives, but, however, both parts are written by a liberal with a liberal agenda. That scene would never take place today in the real world. The question asked today by a young person would more likely be, “why is America the worst most racist county in the world?” And if a liberal panel answered how they truly feel, they would say “this country is the worst in the world because of capitalism and Christianity”.
And those are the first two things that made this country great. It’s not as good as it once was, but it’s better than anywhere else and not because of grades or data or statistics but because of us…Americans…the refugees and the persecuted and their descendants from everywhere around the world who came here legally for freedom and not just free stuff; The brave, innovative and resourceful who just needed a hammer or shovel or pushcart and the freedom to help themselves and their family.
That TV series is trying to tell us the problem with this county is the greedy businessman. It’s business that made this great country, created by great people. The truly greedy are the hoards that have done nothing great who want to take it from those who earned it and divide it among themselves… That’s not America and that’s not true freedom.
That's the truth. If you truly want your country the greatest. You have to first accept the truth. Many don't truly want either.
Posted by: tom dauria | January 06, 2015 at 05:59 PM
It's funny how the countries he listed as being free are mostly NATO members. If you’re a small European country and don’t want to spend money on defense, just join NATO and let the United States protect your freedom. Freedom is great, but it’s not cheap, it’s not easy and there will always be someone wanting to take it away from you.
Not #1 at anything? That’s laughable.
Shame on you elitists for mocking a patriotic America. Maybe his father died in World War II or served in Korea or fled a bad situation in a third world country or came her to work against their families wishes and decided to stay. Maybe it’s you that don’t understand what it means to be a patriot.
I've been many places in the world, but I still love this country the best not because I think it's perfect, but because I still think it's a great country.
Posted by: Jerry R. | May 13, 2015 at 12:48 PM
Wow and you really want to know something were are not and, i think our fore fathers are rolling in there graves to see how we are now.If you haven't seen this, do it is good and by the way, i looked up the facts he quoted and there right ,dead on. What a damm shame we have come this low in our history,.I love this country and would not live anywhere else, but it is time to kick the professional politicians out of office and elect people that care about this country and that goes for Republicans and democrats. We need leadership not back room war meets about how to give what we make to others around the world,Yes feed the starving but bring our troops home and let the rest of the world take over what we have been doing all this time .It is time to rebuild this country, and stop building the rest of the world .There are many here in this country that can not feed and cloth themselves, and yet we do not seam to mind doing that for others.We need to rebuild, and if we stopped doing for all the other nations, we could put back to work ,those that need it .Yes some do not want to work but there are far more that do and that's, what we need now and in the foreseeable future,I can tell you this much if we do not take care we mite be headed to a depression that will take us 25 years to come out of.Its this time, to tell the rich to shut the fu#k up and let us run the country for awhile .I am sick and tired of being sick and tired .I do not mean the rich are bad, but they do not know what we the middle class and the poor are facing ,and if they do not wake up they will also be poor because we , and i mean we will not be able to buy the ware's and if they do not take heed ,well there mite be another revolution in there future as well, as ours.I will not be long for this earth i already no this but the kids today will be the true one's to suffer and that's , not a legacy i want to leave our kids with ,how about you.Sorry i wrote so much and forgive me i just love America so much. Here is the speech i was talking about if you care to watch it.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPHSXUS0_1c Thank you all and may god or your higher power bless you.
Posted by: Rick Heitmann | August 02, 2015 at 05:09 PM
We lived in Canada for eight years and moved back to the US last October. The country had changed so much for the worse we moved to the Philippines in July. It's so much better here on so many levels. It's so obvious that if you are a serious human being at all that the future of America is not a future worth having. For america to become great again would require the non-glorification of ignorance, impatience, spoiling and violence. In other words, a rejection of what has become the American way of life, which is at bottom an anticulture in purely human terms. It has achieved a stasis of irreversible decadence and intrinsic deceit. ...
Posted by: ligaya barlow | November 30, 2015 at 06:11 PM
Sadly many of the stats are wrong. The infant mortality rate which is a favorite among liberals is complete bull. Look into it and you will see. Even the study that produced this faulty stat points out that every country uses a different definition of a live birth. It's sad that so many people are ready to believe these political studies and so many of these that are used to inform liberal thought are produced with a built in bias toward socialism. Not that we are above criticism just that it needs to be accurate.
Posted by: Jon | January 18, 2016 at 08:03 AM
so which country does Jeff think is greater?
Posted by: tolbob | March 21, 2016 at 07:54 PM
The most arrogant for sure! 😃
Posted by: G | August 22, 2016 at 12:23 PM
A little heavy on the pretentiousness
Posted by: Neo | October 16, 2017 at 10:26 AM
A great speech, so good they had to say it twice. Practically verbatim reproduction of the speech from Aarkin's 2006 show, Studio 60 on Sunset Strip.
Since it was his IP, I guess Aarkin felt it OK to regurgitate the content
Posted by: Charles Rignall | December 27, 2017 at 01:45 PM