Alan: I have long thought the U.S. ranks high as it does on this kind of "poll" because America's Official Story conditions citizens to see themselves as #1 in every category. It may also be that we have come to regard rage and socio-political stasis as perverse pleasures. I spent five weeks in Spain and Portugal last summer and came away with a clear sense that Europeans are happy people with nothing even close to Uncle Sam's underclass or an enraged segment of the population even remotely like the spirit that informs the animus spearheaded by Donald Trump. It may also be that Americans idolize "freedom of Choice makes us feel that we rank high in this ever-dubious category. 


George Carlin cuts to the quick: "Americans are fucked. They've been bought off. And they come real cheap: a few million dirt bikes, camcorders, microwaves, cordless phones, digital watches, answering machines, jet skis and sneakers with lights in 'em. You say you want a few items back from the Bill of Rights? Just promise the doofuses new gizmos... Shopping and buying - and getting and having - comprise the Great American Addiction. No one is immune. When the underclass riots in this country, they don't kill policemen and politicians, they steal merchandise. How embarrassing."  George Carlin


Favorite George Carlin Shticks


Excerpt: "There is a very strong message for my country, the United States, which is very rich, has gotten a lot richer over the last 50 years, but has gotten no happier," said Professor Jeffrey Sachs, head of the SDSN and special advisor to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon... 'The message for the United States is clear. For a society that just chases money, we are chasing the wrong things. Our social fabric is deteriorating, social trust is deteriorating, faith in government is deteriorating,' he said."

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