Salon: 8 appalling ways America leads the world

[99th_Monkey]

8 appalling ways America leads the world
Welcome to the new American exceptionalism: Number one in obesity, guns, prisoners, anxiety and more ...
Lynn Stuart Parramore * Salon * Monday, July 29, 2013 07:30 AM PDT

People uninterested in change and progress tend to cling to the jingoistic fantasy that America is an exceptional country. Often this implies that the U.S. is somehow superior to other nations. Some, like the neocons, have taken the idea of exceptionalism to mean that America should be above the law and that other countries should be remade in our image. Others, like conservative evangelicals, believe that America’s supposed exceptionalism is God’s will.

In recent decades, America has indeed pulled ahead of the global pack in a number of areas. But they aren’t necessarily things to go waving the flag over or thanking Jehovah.

1. Most expensive place to have a baby
2. Obesity.
3. Anxiety disorders
4. Small arms ownership.
5. Most people behind bars.
6. Energy use per person.
7. Health expenditures.
8. Cocaine use.

http://www.salon.com/2013/07/29/8_appalling_ways_america_leads_the_world_partner/

[think]

1. Inconvenient truths like this:

Last edited Mon Jul 29, 2013, 03:23 PM - Edit history (1)

Incarceration rates in the U.S. blow right past the likes of Russia, Cuba, Iran or China. According to the International Center for Prison Studies, the U.S. locks up 716 out of every 100,000 people. Norway, in contrast, only puts 71 out of 100,000 in the clink. Japan jails 54 and Iceland locks up only 47 out of 100,000.

Make it hard to say this is still the land of the free.

Perhaps it is time to surrender that moniker to Iceland....

[BlueJazz]

2. That's America's Cure-All for everything. Someone is severely bi-polar or mentally ill.??

..."Lock their ass up...that will teach um"

[Rex]

3. Cocaine use!? No freakin way!

We have a War on Drugs! No doubt we are winning! The DEA says so!

[snooper2]

4. We also make the most bad ass supercar

[Blue_Tires]

8. uh...that's a British car?

[truebluegreen]

5. American Exceptionalism.

[damnedifIknow]

6. The only way to change it

is to bring awareness such as this thread.

[JDPriestly]

7. No. 3: anxiety disorders.

The NSA snoops on our internet use and our personal lives. We are surrounded by highly militarized police and don't even realize it. Helicopters buzz overhead for what seems like ours a day. We can't leave or come into an airport without being scanned and having our possessions x-rayed. Cameras take photos of us as we walk down city streets and when we shop.

But we are in the top 8 countries for anxiety disorder.

What is wrong with that picture?

Seems that all the effort to insure national security is not making Americans feel secure.

Is making us feel secure what they mean when they talk about national security? If so, they need to rethink their strategy.

[99th_Monkey]

9. Well said. Institutionalized Crazy-making it is.

It's like, if you're not "paranoid" you're not really paying attention.