This isn't a political or theological forum. If you want to know my personal opinion, I am an atheist, and I don't really care whether "In God We Trust" is on the currency or not.
I think my objection to your generalizations about Americans was fully justified. The US is an extremely diverse country, and trying to paint Americans as materialistic or less-holy-than-thou is really, well, stupid.
I think my objection to your generalizations about Americans was fully justified. The US is an extremely diverse country, and trying to paint Americans as materialistic or less-holy-than-thou is really, well, stupid.
"Nations" are composed of diverse individuals and groups, but they also have their unique, combined national identity[1]. I am not making sweeping generalizations about "Americans", I am taking their self-identification and their actions at face value and looking to see whether those words and actions are inline with the profession of "In God We Trust."
Everything, from the declaration of independence, to the conquest of the South/Western Mexican states, to becoming a sea-faring world power, to occupation of Philippines to the industrial revolution, mass immigration and everything. All the "American Dream" mythology, upward mobility, white-picket-fence and two-car-garage house, competition, excellence in sports, variously named "Generations" (an age-demographic category that has no other peer in the world) .. this is not exactly a defeatist nation that believes in predestination. No where in the this massive running engine that we call American daily life does God figure in; just look at the morning rush, when Americans go through the ritual of drive-through breakfast and traffic jams. That's an all too human pursuit of life, driven by selfish interests. And there is nothing wrong with it.
But it mocks one's intelligence to see these very people tack random trite quotes and slogans from their religious past onto their current everyday life. It would be honest of them to fucking come clean, or sit together in a massive group-therapy session to reflect on the disparity between their words and their actions. And I say that as a person who prefers their actions, over their phony appeal to scripted/printed moral aphorisms. Cut the judeo-christian faux-altruistic crap already.
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[1] ignore for now existence of consensus on national-unity by all the alleged members/citizens.
Comments
This isn't a political or theological forum. If you want to know my personal opinion, I am an atheist, and I don't really care whether "In God We Trust" is on the currency or not.
I think my objection to your generalizations about Americans was fully justified. The US is an extremely diverse country, and trying to paint Americans as materialistic or less-holy-than-thou is really, well, stupid.
I think my objection to your generalizations about Americans was fully justified. The US is an extremely diverse country, and trying to paint Americans as materialistic or less-holy-than-thou is really, well, stupid.
"Nations" are composed of diverse individuals and groups, but they also have their unique, combined national identity[1]. I am not making sweeping generalizations about "Americans", I am taking their self-identification and their actions at face value and looking to see whether those words and actions are inline with the profession of "In God We Trust."
Everything, from the declaration of independence, to the conquest of the South/Western Mexican states, to becoming a sea-faring world power, to occupation of Philippines to the industrial revolution, mass immigration and everything. All the "American Dream" mythology, upward mobility, white-picket-fence and two-car-garage house, competition, excellence in sports, variously named "Generations" (an age-demographic category that has no other peer in the world) .. this is not exactly a defeatist nation that believes in predestination. No where in the this massive running engine that we call American daily life does God figure in; just look at the morning rush, when Americans go through the ritual of drive-through breakfast and traffic jams. That's an all too human pursuit of life, driven by selfish interests. And there is nothing wrong with it.
But it mocks one's intelligence to see these very people tack random trite quotes and slogans from their religious past onto their current everyday life. It would be honest of them to fucking come clean, or sit together in a massive group-therapy session to reflect on the disparity between their words and their actions. And I say that as a person who prefers their actions, over their phony appeal to scripted/printed moral aphorisms. Cut the judeo-christian faux-altruistic crap already.
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[1] ignore for now existence of consensus on national-unity by all the alleged members/citizens.
"My off-topic opinion is appropriate for this technical/entrepreneurial forum because I believe it to be correct" is not a valid argument.
Don't let a community's rules dampen your curiosity. Philosophy is the sport of gentlemen and women.
I enjoyed talking to you, even though it felt like a monologue at times.