"America is the greatest country on Earth..."

[Al B. Sure!]

human rights in ancient Egypt

[KrazyHorse]

America does seem to be the most influential country in the world, mainly because it has so much money it can throw around. Or maybe the influence helps it make money.

Don't understand the implication of the second sentence. The per capita GDP of the US is high relative to other developed countries, but not spectacularly so. The US has so much money to spend on foreign affairs because:

1) it is a developed country

and

2) it has three times the population of any other developed country

[Al B. Sure!]

KH, he means the cultural influence makes America even richer by exporting things like hollywood, Coca-cola, McDonalds, etc.

[KrazyHorse]

Albie, you ****ing ******, read my post again.

[giblets]

The per capita GDP of the US is high relative to other developed countries, but not spectacularly so.

Yeah, good point.

[Elok]

It's not better or worse a category than military power/whatever.

Why do we consider human beings greater than other creatures? Tons of insect species have much higher populations and thrive more readily in a variety of environments. Many animals are stronger or faster. But we can kill any other species on earth in vast numbers, with impunity. Plus, natural human vanity compels us to think whatever we happen to be is the best.

And that is why America is the greatest nation on earth.

[Cort Haus]

Why do we consider human beings greater than other creatures?

Because we can not only ask questions such as this, but we can discuss them on internet message-boards.

[MRT144]

You need to travel more, and I don't mean to tourist sites.

To Vancouver? America is ****ed.

[Lorizael]

2) it has three times the population of any other developed country

Er, what about Japan and Brazil?

[Hauldren Collider]

Er, what about Japan and Brazil?

1. Brazil is not developed.
2. 3 times the population of Japan

[Guynemer]

We're counting Brazil as a developed nation?

Sure, they're on the rise, but doesn't a significant percentage of their population still live in absolutely crushing poverty?

[Elok]

Because we can not only ask questions such as this, but we can discuss them on internet message-boards.

And by the metric of self-absorption, America is STILL #1! Beeyotch.

[Heraclitus]

It's not better or worse a category than military power/whatever.

No its not.

Wealth for example has pragmatic value to people no matter what their value system, human rights as defined by the West have some practical value but one can get most if not all of that value by cherry picking among them.

[SlowwHand]

To Vancouver? America is ****ed.

Leave. Go live in Colombia.

[GePap]

China's still pretty ****ty when it comes to poverty, and human rights as far as I can tell are simply nonexistant.

Poverty in China is not as widespread nor as desperate as in India. As for Human rights, India is marginally better than China in various areas, and terrible poverty is probably worse than living under an authoritarian but not totalitarian regime.