Well, IMO US is heaven, if i ever get a chance to live there i wouldn't ever regret it. I live on a emerging country that probably have the most corrupted system of the world, some americans usually complain about their country because their lives are so easy, if they had to work alot, didn't sleep much, didn't eat much... they wouldn't have so much energy to critize their country! But... i see US as a country made of wars, blood and bad attitudes. I really don't see any genious there and they are on the top of the world just because their past that wasnt so good looking. Well, who cares?
Of course lots of good things come out of America, things like a free way of life, popular culture, science and technology, a relatively comfortable life for most people with the ability to better oneself in a democratic country relatively free of corruption. Add to that beautiful countryside and an interesting history. I don't think you'll find many people that hate America, many hate Bush and all that he stands for, but most people are intelligent enough to make that distinction.
I didn't say it was unique, but it's still something to be admired. You have to remember that lots of the worlds population doesn't have the luck to be living in a country that gives them the freedoms people get in the US, Europe and a few other places.
Yes the US has great freedom, in certain parts of the country if you are black you have to fend for your life, if you can't get a job you are screwed because there are no benefits and loads of other stuff like health care and insurance being turned down. Amazing freedom!
Grab - May I ask you to please indicate where you are from and where you are getting your knowledge of American life? The nature of this thread notwithstanding, I actually have less of a problem with hating my country as much as stating these opinions without substantive backup. My glasses are not rose-tinted, nor are they simply painted with bleak visions of hell on earth. I have a lot of problems with my country and its society - mostly, I think we care too damn much about moneymaking and too little about everything else. But I am also deeply proud of so much about my country, what we have accomplished in our brief time as a nation. I don't find your post accurate, at least not from what I know.