M.2 Posted October 7, 2016 Posted October 7, 2016 Hearing Mr.Molyneux compare civilisations, I always wanted to have a discussion on the matter of which country is truly the "best", and why it is so. So I would like to invite all freedomainers to bring insight from all over the world. Parameters of discussion: - The purpose of this thread would not necessarily be to officially elect the best place on the planet. Rather just to have an awesome discussion. - The criterium "Best" is intentionally left ambiguous by me. I would like to hear what people consider to be "good". - By "country" I mean any existinggroup of PEOPLE with independent or autonomous governments. Make a case for Sealand, if you wish, and convince me of its countryhood. Definition is intentionally left as broad as possible. To get the conversation going, here are my favourites with brief descriptions (with the biasese of a catholic): - Holy See: Keeper and guardian of the foundations of western civilisation. (Looking forward to discussing this) - Israel: Despite being in a geopolitical hellhole without any allies nearby, without any considerable resources, managed to create an utopia in the most hostile region on the planet. - USA: The only true welcoming safe haven for anyone fleeing the old world with intentions to live and let live. - Poland: No other country has been so battered in Europe, and remained still so true to its core values, so hardworking that it even dodged the recession of the 2008 financial crisis. - Switzerland: For 800 years has it maintained its sovereignty and kept its citizens safe by means of war or diplomacy, despite being a multicultural confederation. (Predominantly catholic country by the way.)
Mister Mister Posted October 7, 2016 Posted October 7, 2016 Switzerland sounds about right. Hard to get over the crimes of the Vatican, Israel, and US. 1 1
rosencrantz Posted October 7, 2016 Posted October 7, 2016 Liechtenstein or Andorra seem pretty great to me. You get the benefits of a functional Western society (healthcare, good education) without its downsides (trying to improve the world, feeling bad about other people's problems).
Wuzzums Posted October 7, 2016 Posted October 7, 2016 It is quintessential to also point out the quality of life aspect. Much of our free time is spent on books, video games, movies, tv shows, music, and so on. Everything that I love, intellectually and physically, have originated from the US. How's the swiss' movie industry going? How about it's gaming industry? Entertainment industry? Let's talk about the medical industry for a moment. The US has done more to help out the medical field than any other country out there. Most studies that are quoted in medical textbooks are american in origin. Imagine how many lives are saved because hospitals don't have to put a lot of time, money and resources into figuring out themselves whether a drug or treatment works or not. How about the smartphone industry? You think a taiwanese entrepreneur could have created a brand like HTC had Steve Jobs not created (literally created) the smartphone market beforehand? And if it did not originate in the US then the US helped launch it by promoting it and making it available to the masses, like most international sports out there. Nuclear weapons have brought more peace to this world than any other invention out there and, again, who were the first to make one? If nothing else the US shows the entire world that it can be done which gives a momentum to all of us to better our own lives. You know what I really find amazing? Being able to create a whole world on your own personal computer and not having to milk the cow twice a day... and I know who I should thank for that. 2
Anuojat Posted October 7, 2016 Posted October 7, 2016 Id change the "country" to society if i was you to draw the line betwen government and society. (Whcih are NOT the same) In case of society then id pretty muhc say US and Switcherland
Mole Posted October 7, 2016 Posted October 7, 2016 I live in Melbourne, Australia, which is deemed the most livable country in the world. I guess that means we are the best city in the world, right? Well, things do run very smoothly here and people are normal, but it really depends who you are. Anywhere can be hell or heaven.
EclecticIdealist Posted October 7, 2016 Posted October 7, 2016 I live in Melbourne, Australia, which is deemed the most livable country in the world. I guess that means we are the best city in the world, right? Well, things do run very smoothly here and people are normal, but it really depends who you are. Anywhere can be hell or heaven. I've always been curious... Australia has a reputation for having more than their fair share of the most dangerous animals in the world. To what extent (if any) does this fact actually impact your daily life? Can you have pets, babies, toddlers, and small children freely roam a fenced-in back yard, or are such places too dangerous for animals and small humans to be left unattended?
Mole Posted October 8, 2016 Posted October 8, 2016 I've always been curious... Australia has a reputation for having more than their fair share of the most dangerous animals in the world. To what extent (if any) does this fact actually impact your daily life? Can you have pets, babies, toddlers, and small children freely roam a fenced-in back yard, or are such places too dangerous for animals and small humans to be left unattended? Anywhere around the city is fine. That includes the suburbs, but as you go further out things start to become quite foreign. I think it depends on where you go. Some places in the outback have a high population of redback spiders, some others of snakes. Go to the Northern Territory and you might see dingos. Plenty kangaroos in the outback, jumping around golf courses. But I have been to places as a child where I could freely roam around in the bush never encountering any snakes or dangerous spiders. The only problem there was bull ants. I think if anyone comes to Australia, they should be fine in the city. I mean, it literally does not affect you in any way in and around the city. But if you go to the outback, or even some further away suburbs, you probably want to check online or with the council about any dangers in the area. I've been fenced off from these dangers almost my whole life, so I don't know much about it in all honesty. The only things that I encounter in my backyard are pigeons, snails, cockroaches, mice, preying mantis, meat flies, worms, earwigs, daddy long legs, small ants, seagulls, small lizards, the neighbours' cats, the usual lot. Once in a while some native birds. Nothing that could harm you. As for the beach, sometimes there are actually sharks. Funny story, my auntie came down under and she hadn't seen the Aussie beach her whole life. As soon as she started going there, she saw a shark in the water and it went on local news. This is right next to the city, an extremely rare event. I certainly have seen nothing like it. I've been stung by a jellyfish once, but that's it.
M.2 Posted October 9, 2016 Author Posted October 9, 2016 It is quintessential to also point out the quality of life aspect. Much of our free time is spent on books, video games, movies, tv shows, music, and so on. Everything that I love, intellectually and physically, have originated from the US. How's the swiss' movie industry going? How about it's gaming industry? Entertainment industry? Let's talk about the medical industry for a moment. The US has done more to help out the medical field than any other country out there. Most studies that are quoted in medical textbooks are american in origin. Imagine how many lives are saved because hospitals don't have to put a lot of time, money and resources into figuring out themselves whether a drug or treatment works or not. How about the smartphone industry? You think a taiwanese entrepreneur could have created a brand like HTC had Steve Jobs not created (literally created) the smartphone market beforehand? And if it did not originate in the US then the US helped launch it by promoting it and making it available to the masses, like most international sports out there. Nuclear weapons have brought more peace to this world than any other invention out there and, again, who were the first to make one? If nothing else the US shows the entire world that it can be done which gives a momentum to all of us to better our own lives. You know what I really find amazing? Being able to create a whole world on your own personal computer and not having to milk the cow twice a day... and I know who I should thank for that. I agree it is very important to take account of the quality of life. The best official database that deals with this aspect in the HDI (human development index). According to the HDI, by 2015, Norway, Australia, Switzerland, Denmark and Netherlands are the top livable countries in the World. (http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/human-development-index-hdi) As for inventions, perhaps the swiss didn't create the smartwatch, but at least they still make the best watches. It's funny that you bring up Switzerland, because Albert Einstein was a swiss Citizen when he moved to the US. Since you brought it up, let's talk about nuclear technology as an example. Many of the scientists working on the Manhattan project were either British, German or Hungarian scientists. (http://www.atomicheritage.org/bios) But this brings me to my point that I made about the USA. What makes America Strong is her welcoming nature to all freedom-lovers. I agree that there is a Strong case for America, but as you see in other comments, many people find her to be too dirty. Perhaps one could address that.
M.2 Posted October 9, 2016 Author Posted October 9, 2016 Liechtenstein or Andorra seem pretty great to me. You get the benefits of a functional Western society (healthcare, good education) without its downsides (trying to improve the world, feeling bad about other people's problems). I was hoping someone would bring up the little ones. I totally agree with you - the cutest countries by far are the Rich, european, catholic, educated, nobody-cares-about-and-cares-about-nobody countries like Malta, Liechtenstein, Luxemburg, Monaco, Andorra, San Marino, Iceland. The only problem with such countries is that they are far too dependent on their surrounding neighbours. Andorra for example is jointly ruled by the sovereign of France and a Spanish bishop. With that said, I urge you to look up the history of San Marino, as it is unofficially the supreme god of independence and diplomacy, for being an independent republic since the 4th century. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sm.html
Thus_Spake_the_Nightspirit Posted October 9, 2016 Posted October 9, 2016 I also live in Melbourne. It sucks.
Kristoffer Trolle Posted October 10, 2016 Posted October 10, 2016 It's difficult: a lot of the high iq countries was the first places to become rich, because of that they are also the first places to get big government. Of course some countries was able to resist big government more than other, but in general that seems to be the case. Those old northen western countries are on a socialist suicide course, but I still like to live in them, I like the high trust and low crime rate. Some places now have better economic conditions but I dislike parts of the culture. Therefore pick one of the sinking ships: uk, scandinavia, places in usa, also love japan (but probably wouldn't fit in there). Switzerland is also great, but just can't get over the uncool leather pants alp culture :-)
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