A DU challenge. American exceptionalism - are we number 1 at anything anymore?

[MedicalAdmin]

Health care?

Anything?

[Fumesucker]

1. Incarceration and military spending.. n/t

[grasswire]

2. I suspect that more poor people want to come to live in America...

...than any other country. Don't you think that's still true?

[MedicalAdmin]

6. I'm not sure.

Canadiens are staying put. And central and south America is getting it's shit together so expect those numbers to go down.

But honestly I don't know - anyone? Beuhler?

[jwirr]

14. I am poor by US standards and I will be the first to admit that if I lived

in a developing nation I would want to come here. But once here and I found out that there isn't much upward mobility left in the dream I might regret leaving my family and friends. I once talked with an older doctor who had come here from the Dominican Republic. I was shocked that he said most of us came because we had no choice - no because we wanted to leave our country. Come to think about that I think our ancestors might have said the same thing.

[grasswire]

18. I think there is a safety net for immigrants...

...that doesn't exist for residents of some other countries. Food stamps still exist. Public schools. Medicaid. Aid to Dependent Children. Of course that is for legal immigrants and refugees, but there are also programs that serve undocumented families too.

[Demeter]

3. Fraud, Cronyism, and General Lying

if I think of anything more, I'll get back to you.

[itsrobert]

4. Bitching

Nailed it.

[ananda]

5. Gun violence on each other and ourselves.

We're really good at that.

[MedicalAdmin]

7. Prison?

[dmallind]

24. if you include military endeavors perhaps

For civilian gun violence the US is not even in the top ten as a ratio to population..

[flvegan]

8. Factory farming/abuse of animals for agriculture?

[The Traveler]

20. Factory farming

is truly an abomination.

When people confront that truth, they are given a choice. I have chosen to segue to a vegetarian diet. I want no part of that horror show.

Trav

[demosincebirth]

9. Stupid voters?

[glinda]

10. Stupidity.

[silverweb]

11. Nothing positive that I can think of.

:(

[ladym55]

12. Apparently our self-esteem

We THINK we're the best ... don't mess us up with facts or anything.

[handmade34]

13. bingo

we are the best at 'thinking we are the best'

[bluedigger]

15. National Parks.

[doc03]

16. We spend more money on health care than any other country n/t

[Zoeisright]

17. Yes. Number one in the cost of health care. Also number one in the number of

people dying because they can't afford health care.

Something to be proud of, huh?

[OutNow]

19. #1 in using nuclear weapons

so far we're the only nation that has used a nuclear weapon on another country.

when/if you ever get into a verbal exchange with a rw asshole, right before they start chanting "we're number one" "we're number one" they will tell you about our military might. so sad.

[Bluenorthwest]

21. You bet, but it is a hated business, Hollywood, Entertainment

The US is the maker of the world's pop culture of choice.

[VioletLake]

22. Nationalist Vainglory nt

[dmallind]

23. I'm far from a fan of exceptionalism

Simple accidents of birth or geography do not make anybody or any place more worthy than others.

That said the US remains first in several positive categories: GDP, manufacturing output, paved roads, direct foreign investment immediately spring to mind.

Negative things too of course - debt, oil consumption, etc.

[MedicalAdmin]

25. Good stuff and thanks for a balanced response.