As an example, wouldn't it be fair to say the greatest cultural phenomenon in the history of mankind is probably the good ole USA? Just an observation.
No, I would definitely not say that. I don't think the good ol' USA has proven jack, especially from a cultural standpoint. They have done a lot as a nation, but their contribution to mankind will be debateable for generations to come. Culturally speaking they haven't given much to mankind at all. What great gifts to man will the American Empire be credited for? Americans have been phenominal at taking an idea and running with it, but they have hardly been the cradle of invention like they claim to be. All of the great inventions that they like to talk about giving birth to have in reality been brought to America from elsewhere. I'm not sure what great cultural achievements the Americans can really claim? The best I can think of is some forms of music. Jazz, blues and rock were all given birth in America. They get high marks for that. But all those marks are washed away with the birth of rap and hip hop! What other great cultural gifts can America be credited for?
Secondly, wouldn't it be fair to say that the nations that offer their citizens the greatest prosperity and freedom also happen to be democracies in one form or another?
What is prosperity and what is freedom? That is in the eye of the beholder. A man in the Congo may be considered prosperous because he has five cows. To him he may be exceptionally free because he does not know the stresses of what we percieve every day life. Because a person lives in a huge house and has lots of money, are they really prosperous? Are they really free? Are the trappings that come along with wealth (our perceived prosperity) freedom? Its all relative. Personally I think the most prosperous and free people on earth live in the Cook Islands and Micronesia. They may not have much money compared to us, but they have the best life style imaginable and are happy as a culture. They care for each other and have community. Maybe Tuvalu is indeed the greatest nation on the planet!
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