What do you say to an 8 year old fan of Doctor Who who asks....

[Pacifist Patriot]

after watching Saturday night's episode, "What did The Doctor mean when he said the U.S. was the most important and powerful country on earth? What makes us the best?

Okay, the kid remembered the line from the scene incorrectly, but he took away a pretty clear meme.

I honestly didn't know what to say.

[CBGLuthier]

1. That the BBC makes a lot of money selling us stuff.

so they have to stroke us every once in awhile.

Have not seen it yet but how does important and powerful equal best?

I would agree we are important and powerful but that does not make us good or best.

[Pacifist Patriot]

11. I didn't get the impression he thought it did.

Hard to convey the nuance of the conversation in an internet posting. I think he thought they were implying goodness/greatness because of power and importance and wondered why they should be connected. He's a pastor's kid. He knows the difference, even at 8.

[CBGLuthier]

20. I will see it soon, big Who fan, just saving my pennies

May put it in the on demand budget. still cheaper than cable. :-)

[Pacifist Patriot]

21. I wish they had done a double episode to start this series...

the opener was a little unfulfilling, but intriguing. Written by Moffat and his episodes have always been my favorite. My kids tease me that one of my fears is I will die before I've been able to watch an entire season of Doctor Who. Well, that or die before Villa wins the league cup. Which definitely won't be this season.

[Billy Burnett]

2. Because the US has the power and ability to destroy the world.

Several times over.

Tell him that.

[haikugal]

3. and the will....unfortunately

[DJ13]

4. The Doctor meant that as far as 1969 we were all those things

And we were, back then.

But that was before Reagan and the Neocons ruined our country.

[librechik]

8. exactly--that was in 1969

nowadays we're even more important and powerful, but not in a good way (not that 1969 was good, just the perception was)

[DCKit]

5. "Most powerful and important" doesn't translate to best.

You might want to explore the concept in relation to our ability to do either great good, or great evil.

[tekisui]

6. Tell him that you can't believe everything you see on tv.

We have never been the most important and we are no longer the most powerful.

[Dappleganger]

7. That is one smart kiddo.

Whatever you're doing, keep at it.

[Pacifist Patriot]

9. This is a scarily savvy kid.

He knows that power and importance don't necessarily equate to goodness, but he can tell when other people think it does. I'm not sure I had anything to do with it. Since he was barely a toddler I've had total strangers come up to me to say they can tell from his eyes he has an old soul. Whatever that's supposed to mean. But really he's just a normal eight year old boy.

[Dappleganger]

16. Well you are very lucky...

and he sure is to have you around to raise him!

[On the Road]

10. I Was Asked Once if I Thought That America Was the Greatest Country on Earth

and I said no. I was then asked which country was. I thought about it and change to change my answer.

I guess it depends on how you interpret the question, but when you look at the details, there really aren't many other good candidates.

[Pacifist Patriot]

Definitely depends upon which criteria one is using for "great" doesn't it?

There is one other country I would prefer to live in in a heartbeat, but I'm not unaware of its flaws as well. No place is Utopia if you'll pardon the pun.

[On the Road]

14. There are Other Countries I Would Love to Live in as Well

but the US is unique in its level of contribution in all sorts of areas. The internet tools we take for granted started here and migrated or were copied elsewhere. The US is the biggest manufacturer by a good margin. The US leads in research, all forms of entertainment, and probably the arts as a whole. The US is a magnet for higher education. English has become a world language and the dollar a world currency. Even smaller things that were more visible elsewhere, like quality control and opposition to landmines, originated here.

Not that "USA USA!" But it's pretty hard to find another candidate.

[exboyfil]

18. What countries would you prefer to live in

besides the U.S.?

I can come up with a short list of potential candidates:

Norway
Australia
Canada
United Kingdom
Germany
France
Japan
Switzerland

Alot of it would have to do with your equivalent professional position in these particular countries. Norway is great especially because of the per capita oil they are sitting on along with a government that is rationale about how to exploit it. On the flip side you are a small country with lots of oil. What happens when the U.S. fades away from European involvement. Is there a guarantee you will continue to hold onto that oil in the future. Norway fell in less than a month in World War II

Australia reflects the dynamism of a relatively young country but it is also very much under the China sphere of influence and that influence will grow over time. Will that impact how Australia is governed in the future? I don't know about you, but I much prefer to be in the U.S. than living under China's government. If I did not live in the U.S., Australia would be my next choice. Also Australia has the same problem as the U.S. - it was founded on a theft of land from the orginal inhabitants.

Canada is the tail wagged by the U.S. Frankly not a whole lot of difference. If you want to wait for access to non emergency healthcare, then it is better than being a lower middle class worker in the U.S. For professionals it is not as great. Still my second choice to live in.

United Kingdom has many of the social ills seen in the U.S. In some ways they have a bigger assimilation issue with immigrants than the US. Single payer healthcare but access to more modern technologies takes time. Now their universities are more expensive than state universities in the U.S. and far fewer slots available on a per capita basis than the U.S.

Germany also has an assimilation issue but appears to have a better health care system than the UK. If you are a middle class professional be prepared to really be rocked by the taxes.

I really don't know enough about France to comment.

Japan - I am not ethnically Japanese so I wonder how well I would get along in this country.

I am not saying the US is the best in everything, but I still don't buy that I was born on the wrong continent. I think are prospects are better than old Europe, and I have hope that we can resolve our problems going forward.

[On the Road]

19. I Wasn't Approaching it from the Point of View

of which country would have the best lifestyle or best prospects. I think you can have a good life pretty much anywhere if you're middle class and don't have unreasonably high living standards.

Ideally, when I retire, I would like to stay in Maryland for half the year and live in another country for the other half. There are at least 20 places on the list, including China, India, Ireland, southern France, Morocco, Spain, Brazil or Chile, Ethiopia, Armenia/Azerbaijan, Madagascar. I like exotic out-of-the-way places. If it's only one round-trip a year, and the living is cheap, it might be doable. Australia never interested me for some reason, but Canada is great -- Newfoundland is like Alaska on the Atlantic.

As far as the US, I was responding to the question: Which is the "most important and powerful country on earth"? Other than the US, who would that be -- China? Japan? Russia? Germany? India? France? the UK? Once you start looking at the alternatives, and consider all the elements that would make that up, it's really no contest. Plus, this is my home.

One way I keep a sense of optimism and possibility is by reading Wired. It is very future-oriented and mind-expanding. Sounds like a strange way to end the post, but it really reinforces what's great about the country, and what everyone else in the world seems to see but Americans.

[Pab Sungenis]

12. The context is important.

We were in 1969. That's what you tell them. Just like a story in 16th Century Spain would say the same about that empire.

[Terra Alta]

13. The fact is, the US used to be the most important and powerful country in the world.

Thanks to Raygun, and then Dumbya, we no longer hold that title. The Repukes have ruined this country, possibly beyond repair.

[Riftaxe]

15. We can always aspire to rise to the level of Somalia

or whatever 3rd world hell hole you wish us to become.

[exboyfil]

17. We still have the largest economy in the world

For major powers our per capita GDP is highest
We have the ability to destroy the rest of the world with nuclear weapons
We control the sea lanes and, in general, serve as a policeman ensuring unfetterred shipment of an astronomical amount of goods
The depth and breadth of our post secondary education is unrivaled
We are the cultural and media leader to the world
English is the de facto language of the world
We can place boots on the ground worldwide in a very short time for military actions
Our security umbrella extends over North America and most of Europe
The dollar is the world's reserve currency
We are unrivaled in our hemisphere and Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia have to consider our strategic goals in everything they do
We are one of the leaders in development of technology, and that, combined with our size, makes us the most influential developer of technology

So are we the most important and powerful country in the world. Yes
Are we ethically the best country in the world. No but my hope is we improve over time
Will we stay on top. No (or probably not) - No nation ever has but we will still be a major power 100 years from now

[csziggy]

22. Was the Doctor talking about it circa 1970?

Because that was when/where the Doctor was in the US in that episode. And "most important and powerful" are not necessarily the best.

"Most powerful" in terms of our military might is simple to define and undoubtedly true then and now. Possibly also in economic terms because of our vast consumer based economy. Because of those two, probably "most important" because the decisions our leaders make can affect every other country in the world.

But neither of those "mosts" makes the USA better than other countries or the "best" country in the world. For a kid, I would explain the difference between the two "mosts" mentioned and factors that would make a country the "best" - talk with him on what would be the things that would make a country best for its citizens or best for the good of the world or whatever "best" he might think would be worth striving for.

[Pacifist Patriot]

23. As I've mentioned above, this is a pretty savvy kid.

Son of a pastor so he's been involved in conversations about ethics and values since he could speak. It's hard to express the nuance of a conversation in an internet post. I think his question was more aimed at the impression left that important and powerful equate with "the best or greatest country on earth" when he knows it doesn't.

I was more struck with how much the country has declined (in my eyes) over the last 40 years and being at a loss for words about that.

This is a kid who saw months and months of promotional advertising for the series and quickly grasped the push to pick up a larger American audience for the show.

[csziggy]

24. If he already understands that most powerful and important doe not mean better

He is far ahead of most people, including most adults. Maybe he is ready to understand the nuances behind the particular president in this Dr. Who season.

I really need to re-watch that first episode. Both times I tried to watch it I got interrupted and missed chunks of it. But I've got a feeling it is set in 1969/70 for a reason. Perhaps it has something to do with the missing 18 minutes or maybe why Nixon became paranoid?