A lot of people seem to be throwing around what they think it means to be an American in different threads these days, on all sorts of different topics. I thought it might be a good topic to discuss directly. In my opinion, to be a good American primarily means the same as being a good citizen of any nation. This includes the following: You seek to raise the common good of your nation, its security, and protect its sovereignty; seeking to give something back to your country. Whether this be by joining the military, standing up for soldiers when the individuals are disrespected in general, volunteering to help at a homeless shelter, helping with school fund raisers, or participating in the campaigns of politicians you support, as long as you seek to give of your self to your community, and thus your nation, that is part of being a good American. If you live in a nation with some form of representative government, you must make yourself aware of the political happenings of your country, and keep your politicians honest. Above all, you must make sure you make an informed vote on election day. As a part of this you must understand your government, and what each government official is responsible for. For example, don’t vote your senator out of office because of tax bills, as they are the responsibility of the House of Representatives. If you need to contact your politicians to understand a bill, or why they voted as they did, please do so! There are many ways to make your voice heard, to steer your government, and to make sure that what needs to happen does, but one of the most effective, and one of the most effective ways is to vote. A good citizen, and thus a good American respects human dignity, and attempts to promote it, rather than degrading it. A good American also has the responsibility to respect the principles upon which this nation was founded, and the rights of individuals, but also to recognize the responsibility of individuals and hold others, but most importantly themselves, to those responsibilities.
In general, I consider "good" to mean morally right. I think, for the most part, I agree with your view.
Not in particular. I do think that being informed, as you said, is certainly a necessity. I'm almost offended on how ignorant some people are of their own heritage, history, and current events. Too often do Americans go to the voting booth and simply vote for either all Republicans or all Democrats, rather than read up on the cannidates and their actual beliefs.
I personally do all the research I can, but if I can't find any (or enough) data on candidates in a particular race, I don't vote on it. That's not to say that if there are 6 local candidates and I can only find info on 3 that I don't vote at all, but I only vote among those 3.
Hmmm. I've got to say that I am still working on that one. I have yet to even MEET any of my neighbors for more than a nod as we pass, or to make sure that they knew their dog was limping (it had recently had surgery, so yes they knew)... or to turn over mail that had been delivered to our house. What, in your opinion Dead Corn, makes a good neighbor?
I would rather the question be "what does it take to be a good human?" I think it takes quite a lot. So many have failed so far. ROFL Col
lol Scheme, correct because we know our government wants the best for us. Im serious , you can even ask the warren commission. What it takes to be a good human being is to stand for truth, not to impose my morals on others , to always help the poor and homeless, and above all else always have the best of intentions for your fellow human being whether he is 20000 miles away or right next door. Im an american 3rd, a human being second and a christian first.
pingpong123: So how would you feel about aliens (from space, not from another country) converting to Christianity? I'm sorry, I know it's off topic on the topic I myself started, but you really amped my curiosity here.
Josh, i would never force my faith on anyone, i have friends from all religions and from people that dont believe in god. That being said i wouldnt mind at all at having an alien christian. I know this statement will rile alot of fundies against me but its my opinion lol. Then again i wouldnt mind having an alien hindu or alien buddhist either. The word of god is meant for anyone that wants to hear it. By the way i also believe that evolution proves teh existence of god. The christian right is gonna have my head now for sure lolol as well as the atheist left
I am continually confused as to why one's religion for some reason seems to cause people to think you will lean a certain way in your political inclinations.
Josh look at the order of every living and non living thing in this universe.why is every cell in my body held togetehr and not falling apart. Why do atoms make up most things. Why are there set formulas for almost every single thing in the universe. The chances of this coming about randomly is impossible. Someone or something had to have drawn this up somewhere.
Most Americans are great people and I have many American friends, as a Brit we look on a lot of Americans as being "Dumb Yanks" but that is clearly not the case. Saying that, a lot of the American girls I used to sell tickets to when I used to run a booze cruise in Cancun, Mexico for "Spring Breakers" were not the sharpest tools in the box. I would say being a good American would involve looking after your family, working hard, not watching too many American "sitcoms" avoiding FOX News and learning geography.