Korean Job Discussion Forums

[sigmundsmith]

After watching this and seeing what else is happening in America I have come to the opinion that it is becoming a second world. It is falling behind (in this situation) education, but it seems to be increasing across the board. There is such a gap between the haves and have not's. And the haves' are so few in number. There seems to be a shrinking middle class in America where families are just struggling to get by.

It is an interesting film in how people in America view education and what people will do to go about getting quality education. And it seems it comes down to two things. One is money, and the other is luck. And as most Americans don't have money for quality education, for their children it comes down to luck - or in this case, a lottery system of how they are chosen into a particular school.

It is a sad state of affairs when supposedly the most powerful country in the world is falling behind in many aspects of life. But Americans do win in enthusiasm.

[kimchi_pizza]

Apt title!

Don't you see? That those in the U.S. seek to blame others for their problems or deprivations and look outside or almost expect someone else or some supernatural power to aid them.

All their problems and all their solutions lie within themselves as individuals and a family unit and ultimately as a country.

[sigmundsmith]

I don't know. I have listened to many people, the likes of republicans, who say they that the 40's and 50's was a great time in America. And this is probably true. You had a high unionized labor force, education was affordable, Wall Street wasn't as powerful, manufacturing was high. Outsourcing was limited. Everyone was investing in America and Americans. Poverty was minimal. Most citizens were living quite well. Today? That is not the case.

Yes, there is the case of blaming everyone else for circumstances. But honestly, is America getting better or worse. For me, it is not the ideal place to be. It is a struggle to live and survive for the majority of its' citizens.

By looking at what is happening today, education, health care, employment, limiting collective bargaining rights, I can only see America going down where their position in the world economy will be weakened.

[sigmundsmith]

[kimchi_pizza]

[interestedinhanguk]

I really am bothered by when people say the 50s were a great time for America. It was maybe a great time for white Americans, but what about other races? Racism and discrimination was rampant. We tend to ignore that and only think about the rise of the suburban white family.

[bucheon bum]

[kimchi_pizza]

[interestedinhanguk]

That's ridiculous. People were still drinking out of water fountains based on color and blacks rode in the back of the bus. Yea, sure, it's better than slavery. But seriously, calling it good in any way is ridiculous. Go ask 10 black people who lived through the 50s if that was a good time for them.

[kimchi_pizza]

[interestedinhanguk]

You've convinced me that there's nothing I can say that will change your way of thinking.

[nero]

Americans certainly *owned* the 20th century. There's no debating that. However, an empire's standing in the world changes in time. Who will be #1 in the 21st century, that much is not yet clear. What is clear though, is that America produces nothing. It also lacks in the fundamentals: education, health care, individual wealth, etc. The corporate greed alone has destroyed it, almost beyond repair. America is a corporate dumping ground. They set up shop in the US, and do the majority of their business outside of the country. Dumb politicians believed that these businesses would somehow extend themselves to the American worker. They haven't, and won't. They also get huge tax incentives, another belief that if you lower taxes on them, they'll do more business in America. They won't. They will go and work with places that pay nearly nothing to the workers. They will even deal with a country that saves them a nickle before they do business in the US. They don't want to have to pay for anything. America has never faced its greediness. Greed is human nature. People are not robots, and if given the chance, they will lie, cheat, and steal. The Right wants a free market. It doesn't work. Another problem with America is that "elite" = educated, not rich.

9/11 was a real wake up call to many Americans, who believed that God had someone created and protected the United States. Once they were faced with the reality that God either fucked up, or didn't exist at all, they made excuses like: God is angry with us because we allow abortion, and have gays and lesbians.

Thanks to the Internet, America's problems will bombard Americans 24/7. They no longer have to rely on the corporate media, and they can no longer be sheltered away from the inter-workings of their government and their citizens. This may make America sink completely into the ground at a record pace.

Or not. In that case, disregard anything I've said.

<Smiley face>

[bucheon bum]

[rollo]

Perhaps it would help if you checked to see which nation spends the highest percentage of GDP on education. That would be the U.S. Please name a major technological innovation developed outside the U.S. A temporary downturn, all part of the business cycle does not mean a nation is in decline. Most are still jealous of the U.s. and it's wealth and power.

[sadguy]

i just saw this film tonight. was sad and depressing.