What is "The American Way of Life"?

brianlux
Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,674
While shelving books today, I came across one written by Dick Morris. I happened to read the blurb on the back and it said something about such-and-such threatening "the American way of life." What struck me was not that such-and-such was supposedly doing something horrible to our way of life (that specific is probably irrelevant to this discussion), but rather, that an assumption was being made implying that "the American way of life" is somehow flawless. Yet at the same time, that so-called "way of life" is not something easily prescribed by a single set of parameters. So just what the heck is "the American way of life" and who is supposedly following it correctly and is it indeed a system so flawless and well defined that it should never be tampered with?
"It's a sad and beautiful world"
-Roberto Benigni
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It's a bullshit prison construct of the mind.
Fuck that!
I live my way of life. America can go fuck itself!I SAW PEARL JAM0 -
dankind said:It's a bullshit prison construct of the mind.
Fuck that!
I live my way of life. America can go fuck itself!
Italicized part - as do I, my friend. Whether or not that is considered American...who knows? Works for me, though0 -
I don't know if there is a specific "american way of life" but I do believe that there is are some characteristics of a "Liberal way of life" when i say liberal, I do not mean as in liberal party or anything like that. I mean Liberal in the historical view point. Now does america follow that view point I would say no.
to answer your other questions, I do believe liberalism is well define but the issue is how people view the means to how to follow it. for example, freedom of speech is a corner stone of liberalism but we see battles about what it covers. for some all speech is allowable but for some not all speech is allowable such as hate speech.
hope this makes sense
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I will concede that there are likely more local ways of life (New Yorker, Angelino, New Orleanian, Portlandian, Masshole, etc.). America is too vast and, as Jedi pointed out, too busy fucking itself--although I'd say it's more akin to rape than fucking; there is no uniform consent--to present a unified way of life.
I SAW PEARL JAM0 -
IMO, the American way of life applies to individuals, not necessarily groups. In that way, the ideology can be interpreted as a the ability to reach whatever goals one wishes, limited only by ones own motivations and the laws that govern the land.
If hope can grow from dirt like me, it can be done. - EV0 -
dudeman said:IMO, the American way of life applies to individuals, not necessarily groups. In that way, the ideology can be interpreted as a the ability to reach whatever goals one wishes, limited only by ones own motivations and the laws that govern the land.0
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This American Life is a weekly hour-long radio program produced by WBEZ and hosted by Ira Glass0
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It's Foosball tournaments and ice cream.Be Excellent To Each OtherParty On, Dudes!0
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fife said:I don't know if there is a specific "american way of life" but I do believe that there is are some characteristics of a "Liberal way of life" when i say liberal, I do not mean as in liberal party or anything like that. I mean Liberal in the historical view point. Now does america follow that view point I would say no.
to answer your other questions, I do believe liberalism is well define but the issue is how people view the means to how to follow it. for example, freedom of speech is a corner stone of liberalism but we see battles about what it covers. for some all speech is allowable but for some not all speech is allowable such as hate speech.
hope this makes sense
"It's a sad and beautiful world"-Roberto Benigni0 -
pjhawks said:dudeman said:IMO, the American way of life applies to individuals, not necessarily groups. In that way, the ideology can be interpreted as a the ability to reach whatever goals one wishes, limited only by ones own motivations and the laws that govern the land.
"It's a sad and beautiful world"-Roberto Benigni0 -
I think conservatives use it as code speak to rile up fear in the context that the American way of life is being threatened. I look at the term in how immigrants would probably define it: a place where you have opportunity and freedom of choice to become the person you want to be.0
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Compromise
Conformity
Assimilation
Submission
Ignorance
Hypocrisy
Brutality
The Elite
All of which are American dreams!I SAW PEARL JAM0 -
dankind said:Compromise
Conformity
Assimilation
Submission
Ignorance
Hypocrisy
Brutality
The Elite
All of which are American dreams!
The love he receives is the love that is saved0 -
F Me In The Brain said:dankind said:Compromise
Conformity
Assimilation
Submission
Ignorance
Hypocrisy
Brutality
The Elite
All of which are American dreams!https://youtu.be/4smim2MNvF8
I SAW PEARL JAM0 -
same as the canadian way of life. just with less alcohol per volume.By The Time They Figure Out What Went Wrong, We'll Be Sitting On A Beach, Earning Twenty Percent.0
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HughFreakingDillon said:same as the canadian way of life. just with less alcohol per volume.09/15/1998 & 09/16/1998, Mansfield, MA; 08/29/00 08/30/00, Mansfield, MA; 07/02/03, 07/03/03, Mansfield, MA; 09/28/04, 09/29/04, Boston, MA; 09/22/05, Halifax, NS; 05/24/06, 05/25/06, Boston, MA; 07/22/06, 07/23/06, Gorge, WA; 06/27/2008, Hartford; 06/28/08, 06/30/08, Mansfield; 08/18/2009, O2, London, UK; 10/30/09, 10/31/09, Philadelphia, PA; 05/15/10, Hartford, CT; 05/17/10, Boston, MA; 05/20/10, 05/21/10, NY, NY; 06/22/10, Dublin, IRE; 06/23/10, Northern Ireland; 09/03/11, 09/04/11, Alpine Valley, WI; 09/11/11, 09/12/11, Toronto, Ont; 09/14/11, Ottawa, Ont; 09/15/11, Hamilton, Ont; 07/02/2012, Prague, Czech Republic; 07/04/2012 & 07/05/2012, Berlin, Germany; 07/07/2012, Stockholm, Sweden; 09/30/2012, Missoula, MT; 07/16/2013, London, Ont; 07/19/2013, Chicago, IL; 10/15/2013 & 10/16/2013, Worcester, MA; 10/21/2013 & 10/22/2013, Philadelphia, PA; 10/25/2013, Hartford, CT; 11/29/2013, Portland, OR; 11/30/2013, Spokane, WA; 12/04/2013, Vancouver, BC; 12/06/2013, Seattle, WA; 10/03/2014, St. Louis. MO; 10/22/2014, Denver, CO; 10/26/2015, New York, NY; 04/23/2016, New Orleans, LA; 04/28/2016 & 04/29/2016, Philadelphia, PA; 05/01/2016 & 05/02/2016, New York, NY; 05/08/2016, Ottawa, Ont.; 05/10/2016 & 05/12/2016, Toronto, Ont.; 08/05/2016 & 08/07/2016, Boston, MA; 08/20/2016 & 08/22/2016, Chicago, IL; 07/01/2018, Prague, Czech Republic; 07/03/2018, Krakow, Poland; 07/05/2018, Berlin, Germany; 09/02/2018 & 09/04/2018, Boston, MA; 09/08/2022, Toronto, Ont; 09/11/2022, New York, NY; 09/14/2022, Camden, NJ; 09/02/2023, St. Paul, MN; 05/04/2024 & 05/06/2024, Vancouver, BC; 05/10/2024, Portland, OR;
Libtardaplorable©. And proud of it.
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brianlux said:fife said:I don't know if there is a specific "american way of life" but I do believe that there is are some characteristics of a "Liberal way of life" when i say liberal, I do not mean as in liberal party or anything like that. I mean Liberal in the historical view point. Now does america follow that view point I would say no.
to answer your other questions, I do believe liberalism is well define but the issue is how people view the means to how to follow it. for example, freedom of speech is a corner stone of liberalism but we see battles about what it covers. for some all speech is allowable but for some not all speech is allowable such as hate speech.
hope this makes sense
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brianlux said:pjhawks said:dudeman said:IMO, the American way of life applies to individuals, not necessarily groups. In that way, the ideology can be interpreted as a the ability to reach whatever goals one wishes, limited only by ones own motivations and the laws that govern the land.0
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fife said:brianlux said:fife said:I don't know if there is a specific "american way of life" but I do believe that there is are some characteristics of a "Liberal way of life" when i say liberal, I do not mean as in liberal party or anything like that. I mean Liberal in the historical view point. Now does america follow that view point I would say no.
to answer your other questions, I do believe liberalism is well define but the issue is how people view the means to how to follow it. for example, freedom of speech is a corner stone of liberalism but we see battles about what it covers. for some all speech is allowable but for some not all speech is allowable such as hate speech.
hope this makes sense
"It's a sad and beautiful world"-Roberto Benigni0
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