What are some of America's most ridiculous myths?

[Philosoraptor]

For one, the war on terror. It's an absolute hoax, though a highly successful one. The war on drugs is also a hoax. The homosexual threat, another huge myth. The official story of nine eleven, way, way hoaxy.

Help me out here.

[dysfunctional press]

1. that you can't go back in the water until 30 minutes after you eat...

i always hated that one as a kid.

[Philosoraptor]

3. The 30 second rule for food dropped on the floor, & compassionate conservatism.

[tannybogus]

11. Thought it was a 5 second rule? nt

[Karenina]

99. It's 3 seconds!!! 100 replies, the FIRST REC is MINE!!!

:rofl:

[jakem]

32. 30 second? man, i am not eating at your house!

[Philosoraptor]

33. I ate a marshmallow I found in the corner.

[jakem]

well, marshmallows dont count.

:hi:

[bertman]

153. marshmallows aren't FOOD.

[yardwork]

189. Was it a marshmallow chick?

[Bill McBlueState]

56. maybe he has a really clean floor! n/t

[sendero]

180. Studies have proven..

... it's more like 15 MINUTES.

[Rambis]

218. Myth: America is a democracy

that is all

[napi21]

2. To me, it's "America is the GREATEST Country on earth!"

I don't mean that it's all bad, but it's the ultimate in arrogance to continue to say "We're the GREATEST!"

[Philosoraptor]

5. But, I've painted my face red, white & blue---USA!!! USA!!!

[bdamomma]

37. I second that

that false perception of us being the greatest is biting us back hard now.

[Lorien]

67. Do we rank #1 at anything other than military spending?

usually we rank 17-47th in most categories.

[napi21]

81. Yes! Probably lack of OUTRAGE! Lionel was talking about this

on Friday. He mentioned that THOUSANDS of people rioted in the streets in Japan just to stop their gov't from importing American Beef that they didn't trust! Then he asked "Where is the outrage HERE?" All the crimes Shrub and his minions have done, and NOBODY CARES!

[Art_from_Ark]

194. I think you're confusing Japan with South Korea

There haven't been any beef riots here in Japan, but there were some large demonstrations against American beef recently in South Korea.

[Arugula Latte]

136. We're number one in obesity, baby!

:woohoo:

[Greyhound]

154. Number of citizens imprisoned. Both in actual numbers and as a percentage of population.

We're #1!!!

[Lorien]

192. Ah yes, you're right. Forgot that one

the prison industrial complex would love to rival the military industrial complex in the US of A.

[JCMach1]

195. Also #1 in Prison Rapes

SRSLY

[yardwork]

190. I think we spend the most on health care, too. And get the least.

[barbtries]

126. i was going to say that

i actually believed that until about 2001.

[Prophet 451]

134. Seconded n/t

[LibDemAlways]

175. How can the US be the "greatest country on earth" when

it makes no provision for taking care of the health and well-being of its citizens? We have a survival of the richest mentality here unlike that of any other industrialized nation.

A great country looks out for its citizens and provides for the common good. Americans have been brainwashed by the rightwing into thinking that they have no responsibility to anyone but themselves and that the national motto should be "He who dies with the most toys wins."

[YOY]

4. "Reagan won the cold war."

No...the USSR lost the cold war. They defeated themselves. Single party systems tend to do that.

[Philosoraptor]

7. reagan was our greatest president....ever....

[Phredicles]

63. Plus, the same people who claim the Gypper FORCED the Soviets

to spend way too much on their military, thus bankrupting them, are insisting that we spend way too much on our military...

[YOY]

78. Hey we gotta outspend the guys with AKs, homemade bombs, and boxcutters

Didn't you know that? That's how you win wars! :sarcasm:

[FKA MNChimpH8R]

84. The Cold War was "won" for one reason

Gorbachev saw that it wasn't worth fighting anymore. RayGun and Bush I just happened to be standing there when Gorby called off the game.

[lpbk2713]

6. "Compassionate Conservatism"

That one ALWAYS cracks me up.


:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[DCKit]

107. In a tight race with "Republican Family Values"...

and "Right to Life".

[ccharles000]

8. John McCain is a maverick.

[marmar]

9. That 19 men with knives.....well, you know the rest.....

:tinfoilhat:

[Philosoraptor]

10. The myth of the boxcutters, one of my all time faves.

[readmoreoften]

148. And the boxcutter hysteria that followed...

[Philosoraptor]

12. Offshore drilling, family values, America is safer, Democracy

[Balbus]

13. That fruit is good for you.

[Philosoraptor]

16. Or cow's milk with bovine growth hormones

[Codeine]

168. The whole milk thing in general.

I doubt most of the world forces tankersful of the stuff into their kid's bellies every day.

[JHB]

14. "We are a Christian nation"...

...especially when used by people who seem a little short in the "humility and forgiveness" department.

[asteroid2003QQ47]

150. "We are NOT a Christian nation!"

All evidence indicates otherwise!

[Lasher]

15. Tax cuts pay for themselves.

The economy is booming because the Bush tax cuts worked.

Everything you hear about Saint Gipper

[Philosoraptor]

18. Raising the minimum wage would hurt the economy.

[ProfessorGAC]

35. That's One Of Mine

Interesting that "if we raise the wage floor unemployment will rise" and blah, blah, blah is always said with regard to minimum wage, but that has actually never happened. A theory that is always wrong isn't much of a theory, is it?
The Professor

[Philosoraptor]

38. The poor should try harder to keep up, they're a burden on the rest of us.

[ProfessorGAC]

41. Oh Yeah

I forgot! Glad i don't work 60 hours a week for minimum wage. What a burden i'd be for 60 HOURS A WEEK!
The Professor

[Lasher]

A rising tide lifts all boats.

Too bad only the affluent have boats.

[MikeNearMcChord]

47. This nation was built by rugged indvidualism.

Every one for themselves somehow united this country.

[tannybogus]

17. Stranger danger

You are much more likely to be harmed by someone you know and love.

[Philosoraptor]

19. That Madonna has musical ability.

[ailsagirl]

104. LOL!! Or anything more than an "entertainer"

[unblock]

133. i don't think even SHE claims THAT one!

[RethugAssKicker]

20. The myth of "American Exceptionalism"

[spanone]

21. war on drugs....utter and complete bullshit

[raccoon]

22. The founding fathers were fundie Christians. :puke: nt

[Philosoraptor]

24. And God is on our side.

[Philosoraptor]

23. The American Dream

[Kitty Herder]

124. I'll second that one.

Edited to add: Great OP, by the way. Interesting topic to think about.

[Swamp Rat]

193. The first thought in my head.

The American Dream.

[AngryAmish]

25. Paul Bunyon

Giant blue ox my ass.

[Philosoraptor]

28. Pecos Bill, Uncle Sam, the anthrax suspect killed himself.

[patrice]

26. "We" have somekind of Divine right to _____________ (fill in the blank however YOU want . . . )

even if you are the ONLY person in the World who wants it, by virtue of being American, God wants you to ____________________ too.

The Church Cartels in this country have created a nation of Idolatorous Blasphemers.

[tannybogus]

27. Oil ain't never going to run out!

We just need to look harder!:yoiks:

[Hubert Flottz]

29. That the neocons aren't Nazis...

[Philosoraptor]

31. bush's fucking grandpa was a Nazi, need we say more?

[scrinmaster]

79. No more so than Ted Kennedy's father was a Nazi.

[mrfrapp]

158. Not so

Joseph Kennedy was against the UK and the US going to war with Nazi Germany and in particular was aghast at the suspension of democracy in the UK during the war years (Kennedy was the US ambassador to the UK at the time).

Prescott Bush on the other hand actually did business with the Nazis.

There's a world of difference between the two.

[Philosoraptor]

160. Thank you, at least Kennedy didn't finance Auschwitz & profit from the victims

[Ikonoklast]

202. Exactly.

Joe Kennedy saw that Great Britain was desperately trying to hold onto a crumbling Empire which would disintegrate under the stress of war with Germany, and the U.S. entering the war on their behalf would prop them up.

Many patriotic Americans at the time thought we were fighting on the wrong side of WWI, for the fact that Americans fought and died so Imperial Britain could retain its colonies as an end result.

They said the same thing about WWII. Until Pearl Harbor.



I think the other poster wandered here from somewhere else.

[Philosoraptor]

30. The surge is working. Victory in Iraq. Torture is a good thing.

[Philosoraptor]

34. That mccain is a war hero.

[jakem]

36. That the TSA does a damn bit of good. That conspiracy theories must not have truth in them.

[LibDemAlways]

178. The TSA is the most ridiculous organization in the US.

Those cretins operate on the premise that everyone - from a 90 year-old Alzheimers patient in a wheelchair to the tiniest infant - is a potential terrorist, and they act accordingly - inconveniencing the public and bullying people while providing no protection or security at all. It makes my blood boil when I see a woman being yanked out of line for a bra feel up or some poor guy having to take his belt off and loosen his pants so some moron can grope him around the middle.

I'm all for "smart" security, but what is being provided by the TSA is as dumb as it gets.

[ThomWV]

39. That we have a 2-Party Political system

There is only one, and then the fringe lunitics too of course, but they don't count.

[raccoon]

40. America is God's most favored nation, and Americans are God's chosen people.

I haven't heard it said using those exact words, but the sentiment is there.

[ProfessorGAC]

42. I Thought Jewish Folks Were God's Chosen

Or at least Israelis. Now i'm just confused.
The Professor

[raccoon]

44. Well, you heard wrong. Americans now hold the title. :silly: nt

[ProfessorGAC]

46. When Did THAT Happen?

And why didn't anyone call to tell me?
GAC

[raccoon]

54. My guess would be sometime during or right after WWII. :silly: nt

[Art_from_Ark]

245. Yes, that was just after he gave up his English citizenship

A few hundred years before that, he had been a dual citizen of Spain and Portugal

[ThomWV]

45. They are the Chosen People, we were the ones chosen to support them no matter what.

[ProfessorGAC]

49. Support Who?

American Jewish folks who are already here and already americans? That doesn't seem fair! :evilgrin:
GAC

[jakem]

61. Well I am a Jewish-American. I am hella chosen.

Too bad i am buddhist.

[ProfessorGAC]

64. Wow! You've Got It Going In About 4 Different Ways!

You must exude "chosenness".
GAC

[jakem]

72. You are too kind. I am not worthy...

[baby_mouse]

74. See, THAT's why people like the Judeo-Christian religions. It's all the kick-ass special effects.

[jakem]

76. it is like the olympics!

;)

[Sal Minella]

77. You are blessedly amusing company, though!

[Posteritatis]

121. I *have* heard it said with those exact words :P (nt)

[BrklynLiberal]

43. The biggest lies.. 1-"Manifest Destiny".

2-The Indians were savages and we treated them well.
"throughout the entire West between 1842 and 1859, of more than 400,000 pioneers crossing the plains, fewer than 400, or less than .1 percent, were killed by American Indians."

3-The Civil War was fought to free slaves


Here are a few books that try to expose some of truth.
http://www.amazon.com/Peoples-History-United-States-Present/dp/0060838655/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219068355&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/Lies-My-Teacher-Told-Everything/dp/0684818868
http://www.amazon.com/Lies-Across-America-Historic-Sites/dp/0684870673/ref=sid_dp_dp

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

48. "The Land of the Free and Home of the Brave"

We are a nation of cowering wienies ready to vote into office anyone, no matter how despicable, who promises to protect us from any mythical bogeyman who says Boo!.

[ProfessorGAC]

51. Good One!

Land of the willingly subjugated and home of the chicken hearted. At least in the last 30 years.
GAC

[Lorien]

69. And Freedom? The corporations own our asses and our country. n/t

[TahitiNut]

123. Cowards can never be free.

:shrug:

[TahitiNut]

229. GMTA

:thumbsup:

[baby_mouse]

50. That America was the first democracy.

[yardwork]

191. That America is a democracy.

[YankeyMCC]

248. Or even the first democracy in the Americas nt

[msongs]

52. that the Democrats are a true opposition party? nt

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

53. That we took a leading role in eliminating slavery

The US was the last big country to outlaw slavery, except Brazil. (Where some confederates fled)

[harun]

173. I only recently learned many of the truths of slavery people don't

want to talk about.

[leftchick]

55. That God would EVER Bless America!

I see penance for a few hundred years before that ever happened.

:rofl:

[coalition_unwilling]

114. As a sign I saw at a recent anti-war rally put it: "God had better

bless America . . . because Bush has fucked it up!"

[Hubert Flottz]

57. "We hold these truths to be self-evident:

That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights;"

[raccoon]

116. Amazing that in a society where slaveowning was legal, they wrote that.

Amazing that didn't occur to me for years, and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

[SheilaT]

58. That Republican administrations are good for the economy

or the stock market.

In reality, we tend to have recessions and contracting stock markets during Republican administrations. Without fail, I might add.

[LeftinOH]

59. Regarding US military deaths: "They died for our freedom"....n/t

[ljm2002]

60. "We are a peaceful people"...

...repeated ad nauseum, and has been since I can remember.

When even a cursory reading of history proves otherwise.

There are many, many things I love about America. But a peace-lovin' nation, we ain't never been. It's easy to test: just say you're for peace and watch the hate flow in your direction, for being a dirty commie hippy librul.

[Philosoraptor]

62. "They" hate us for our freedoms.

[Philosoraptor]

65. That bush was legally elected, twice.

[ailsagirl]

251. Y*E*S*S*S*S*S*S!!!! Most people believe it wasn't stolen...

Drives me crazy.

[moondust]

66. Trickle down economics.

One of the greatest con jobs in political history.

[Kazak]

68. Skydaddy?

:shrug:

[Lorien]

70. That Climate change does not exist, wasn't caused by man, and won't

cause any harm to current generations.

[bikebloke]

71. The only free country in the world.

Also, "The only democracy in the world".

I wish I had a nickel for every time some yob chanted that at me. The same ones who asked if they had radio and teevee in Europe.

[Posteritatis]

120. This is my "favorite"

"How can you be free? You don't have the First Amendment!" "Uh, no, we have Article 2."

Ever notice most of the "only free country" types are the ones who are most vocally in favor of banning this, that, and the other thing?

[HughBeaumont]

73. Horatio Alger.

Offshoring is GOOD for the economy.

Republicans are LEADERS, not followers.

"Welfare queens."

"Evil Empire"

"Democrats = Socialists = Commies!"

The Laffer curve.

Musical Greatness = # of albums sold.

[Kitty Herder]

127. Great list! nt

[TahitiNut]

75. "Land of the free and Home of the brave."

Nonsense.

[On the Road]

80. America Has Never Had an Empire

American does invade other countries.
America does not violate human rights.
America wants free and fair elections in other countries.

[Dukkha]

82. The people choose the President

The electoral college does, except in 2000 when the supreme court chose it, and in 2004 when Diebold chose it.

[FKA MNChimpH8R]

83. The "Rugged Individualist/Cowboy" Myth

"Real 'murkans don't need other people, don't need help and shouldn't want anything that they can't get on their own. Dependence on anything other than your own efforts is effete and sissified and besides, there ain't no such thing as some goddamned 'common good,' ya fuckin Commie fag,"

This is unquestionable one of the most destructive myths in American culture, though "We're Number One in everything - the best country in the world" is right up there with it.

[Dr. Strange]

85. Click this link, it's not a Rickroll.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

86. LIHOP/MIHOP.

Not just conservatives have myths.

[Stinky The Clown]

87. Land of the Free. Home of the Brave

[TahitiNut]

230. GMTA x 3

:thumbsup:

[Warpy]

88. Horatio Alger

has to be the most destructive myth out there.

[raccoon]

98. Agree. The idea that ANYBODY can make it big is crap. Once

in a great while, that sort of thing happens, but not often. Also it happens once in a great while in nearly any country.

[nxylas]

105. The Little Engine That Could is the modern-day equivalent

Irwin Stelzer (the man charged with the job of selling American neoconservatism to foreigners in Rupert Murdoch's overseas newspapers) once wrote an article in the Times of London seriously claiming that the reason America was the most dynamic nation on Earth (as opposed to the Euroweenies with their stifling worker protections and concern for the environment) was because they were raised on The Little Engine That Could, and never grew out of it (he didn't put it quite like that, of course).

[DailyGrind51]

89. That "provide for the common defense" is the sole Constitutional manadate.

[KansDem]

90. That we're "free to choose" from a "variety of choices"

Yeah, right. We're "free to choose" from whatever crap the corporations put on the shelves for us to consume. And don't make me laugh with the "variety of choices" mantra. Ever try to buy a loaf of bread that didn't contain high fructose corn syrup?

[DailyGrind51]

91. That a "free market" is good for workers and consumers

[stopwastingmymoney]

147. That we have a free market at all

[DailyGrind51]

210. Your employer is "free" to screw you over and you are "free" to go home to cry in your beer!

"Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose." Janis Joplin

[Initech]

92. That our leaders care about us.

They dont. We continue to elect these rich motherfuckers who dont give a shit about us. All they want is more for themselves and less for everybody else. They're like James Bond villains - they have already revealed their evil plan for global domination and all they're interested in is escaping with the briefcase full of cash.

[barbtries]

137. that's a good one, a really good one.

that's the one that should be number 1 on the list of most bullshitty and harmful myths that most americans still swallow whole. even AFTER 911, first responders, katrina, and the wars, the many wars. absolute crap. they could not care less.

[Initech]

138. I figured that shit out during the Clinton impeachment trial.

Then it was painfully obvious the way President Stupid Jackass weaseled his way into the presidency and all those CEOs started robbing their companies blind.

[HughBeaumont]

93. "There is NO such thing as a conspiracy, you woo-woo loons!"

:eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes:

[Hugabear]

94. Islam is a threat to the entire world

Once you vilify an entire religion, then you can justify all sorts of things - like war on terror, domestic spying, etc.

[Spider Jerusalem]

95. The myth of the rugged individualist.

That's the single biggest one I can think of. and in its effects one of the most destructive, as it provides a sort of justification for selfishness and disdain of community-oriented thinking.

[anitar1]

122. Good one , Spider. That must include

T. Boone Pickens.

[unapatriciated]

96. The Liberal Media

[catzies]

223. Seconded. n/t

[Initech]

233. Thirded.

Rush Limbaugh can go eat shit and die for that one.

[raccoon]

97. self delete. somebody beat me to the post. nt

[leftofthedial]

100. that the media is liberal

which never was true

that we are a "democracy" (or even a democratic republic).

[ColbertWatcher]

101. American masculinity is defined by violence.

That's a dangerous one and it effects everybody.

It fuels the fear-mongers as well.

[Kitty Herder]

131. That's a good one. Thanks for posting that. nt

[ColbertWatcher]

143. Thank you.

This myth makes confused guys use violence in every situation.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

102. That there is a country named America.

:evilgrin:

[ColbertWatcher]

103. "If you work hard, you'll get ahead" n/t

[raccoon]

106. If that were true, our immigrant workers would be way ahead. nt

[ColbertWatcher]

108. These are myths after all. n/t

[raccoon]

117. Exactly my point. nt

[Frank Cannon]

183. Work your fingers to the bone, and what do you get?

Bony fingers.

"Hard work pays off" is to me, is the #1 horseshit myth of America. It exists only to keep the rest of us slaving desperately away for the Ken Lays of the world.

[MountainLaurel]

109. That capitalism is the end-all/be-all

That this is a family-friendly nation. That you can do anything you want as long as you work hard enough -- the myth of the meritocracy. That we have the best healthcare in the world.

[coalition_unwilling]

110. America is a "classless" society . . . economically, that is. I don't

think there's much disagreement after 8 years of BFEE rule that America lacks class in its conduct with other nations :)

[Occam Bandage]

111. Paul Bunyan. I mean, seriously, how would his heart get blood to his head?

[yellerpup]

112. That the native tribes who occupied this continent before Europeans

came here "gave up" their land. Not true. They were slaughtered for it.

[martymar64]

149. Actually they were decimated by smallpox in the 1500's

The smallpox bug came over with Columbus and reached the mainland well before anybody else got there. By the time of Jamestown, about 90% of the native population was gone, including the Mound Builder civilization in the Ohio valley.

[yellerpup]

157. Actually, infections from Europe played the largest part in the near extinction.

You make it sound like such a tidy event. By Jamestown, they were mostly wiped out and we didn't do anything! They were simply all gone! Yay! My people died from smallpox because, unlike the Europeans, they bathed every day instead of once a year. From a population of about 30 million in 1491 the human beings living on this side of the world were reduced to about 100,000 in 1850 (all tribes in N.A.). The first Europeans were quite put out because they had intended to use the indigenous people as slaves and because of the filth they imported they ended up killing the people they hoped to enslave instead had to import and exploit Africans instead. Actually, survivors of the plagues (some spread deliberately--germ warfare is not a new tactic of war, nor was it then) were murdered en masse because they were not viewed as human, not convertable to Christianity, demanded to keep their own homelands and rule themselves. You may view the genocide of 30 million people as a happy coincidence, but we who are descendants of survivors of this particular holocaust hold a different point of view. So, don't blame it on a "bug." Actually.

Edit for typos.

[martymar64]

167. Nothing happy about it

The spread of smallpox did happen whether it was originally intended by the Europeans that first set foot in the Americas or not, and it did kill millions. The germs spread much faster than the Europeans did, thus the wide swath of death in places unknown to Europeans at the time, like the Ohio River valley. Intentional spreading of disease came a few years later.
I don't see how you would think that I would derive one iota of pleasure from this, there is nothing happy or lighthearted about pandemics wiping out whole civilizations. Please cite the words that I said that would prove my attitude towards those events. If not, then back the fuck off. I was making a point as to why the continent was perceived to be empty by the Europeans when they reached the mainland and the interior. You seem to think that you can read my mind and impart all of these attitudes of mine that simply do not exist. I assume your name is not the Amazing Kreskin, so I'm guessing you are not a psychic in any way shape or form. Since you are not a psychic, I'd say that you know absolutely fuck-all about my attitudes about anything.

So spare me your fucked up hatred and go bug somebody else.

[yellerpup]

172. Actually, I was reacting to your condescension

and denial. You did not respond to my original reply to the OP but instead sought to "correct" me via a side issue from a eurocentric POV. I didn't tap you on the shoulder and shoot off my mouth about an issue that was beside the point, you tapped me. For the record, I know nothing about you, I care nothing about you and I hate no one. Now, go back to your Thesaurus and find another word for fuck.

[martymar64]

176. I wasn't correcting you, I was expanding on your point.

What is Eurocentric about pointing out a fact? I wasn't disagreeing with you, but you seemed to get your panties into a twist over my use of the word "actually" and try to turn me into some latter day Custer. You're so seemingly consumed by your hatred of white people that you can't even accept when somebody is on your side. As for denial, exactly what did I deny? I did not deny the intentional slaughter of indians, I pointed out that much of it happened on the side by the natural spread of disease that wasn't originally intended by Columbus and other early explorers. Would they have approved over the effect? Very possibly, but without documentation of their intentions, it would be speculation.
"Go back to your thesaurus"? Now who's being condescending?

Sheesh! Go smoke a joint or something, you're obviously wound a little too tightly tonight.

[yellerpup]

188. I am sorry for attacking you.

The points you make are valid and I over reacted to your original post. If you hadn't replied with this message I would have PM'd you with an apology. I do not hate white people, I pass for white myself. If it had not been for the genetic infusion of those early white relatives, my line would have not survived smallpox in the 1700's. If it were possible I would buy you a beer (or whatever) and we would never speak of the hard feeling again.

[kimmerspixelated]

234. Another interesting point about the Plague

is that it was actually brought about by the fact that the rat population had exploded. Why? Because the Christians believed that cats were devils or part of the witch's clan, and so they were all destroyed! Another wonderful thing that "Christians" brought into the world! Pompous pigs!

[yellerpup]

239. It's been 'splained to me and 'splained to me, but I still don't get

what's so great about artificial religion. We've gotten too far away from loving our planet and respecting nature in favor of worshipping some form of ourselves, and look at the shape we are in today. As I key this in, my kitty purrs at my side.

[kimmerspixelated]

236. I know. A lot of folks forget about that detail!

[yellerpup]

237. Easier not to think about.

Thank you for remembering, FitzmasAgain. :hi:

[boomerbust]

113. Independant Conservative

A term that was invented over the last 7.5 years.

[raccoon]

115. I believe one of the covert reasons for the "war on drugs" is to disenfranchise members

of the underclass, who would tend to vote for progressive candidates.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

118. "America is a Christian nation"

:puke:

[ColbertWatcher]

119. The myth that there is no racism in America. n/t

[C_U_L8R]

125. That crashing your plane and getting captured

entitles anyone to proclaim themselves a hero.

[salguine]

128. That it's a free country where everyone can get ahead if they just work hard.

That you're free to speak your mind. That America is always the good guy and always fights for right. That voters choose leaders and officials.

[asteroid2003QQ47]

152. If hard work were such a wonderful thing,

surely the rich would have kept it all to themselves.
--Lane Kirkland

[baby_mouse]

129. Wind Turbine Syndrome.

Yes, WIND TURBINE SYNDROME.

[Codeine]

169. Elucidate, please.

You intrigue me with your sexy mysteriousness.

[barbtries]

130. nobody could have foreseen

that they would fly airplanes into buildings

[HughBeaumont]

132. Any sentence that starts off with "I'm a registered Democrat, but . . ."

. . . is actually spoken by a real registered Democrat.

"I usually vote Democrat, but (insert praising out of left field right wing cause/candidate here)" = NO. YOU'RE NOT!

:rofl:

[mrfrapp]

159. You're absolutely right.

A similar utterance is, "I'm not racist but..."

And given the current situation presented to "real registered Democrats", I suspect the two phrases are exactly equivalent.

[unblock]

135. that we've got a capitalist economy

[ColbertWatcher]

139. Another myth: Americans respect science. n/t

[Initech]

140. Good one. I have two words for that: Scopes-Monkey.

[ColbertWatcher]

144. Three more words: creationism and Intelligent Design. n/t

[harun]

141. That you're going to be rich

[DefenseLawyer]

142. That white collar workers have more shared interests with the owners of capital

than they do with blue collar fellow wage earners.

[stopwastingmymoney]

145. Reefer Madness

[immoderate]

146. Lowering taxes creates jobs.

Jobs are created so people can make money off of the work of others. Lowering taxes destroys this incentive.

--IMM

[Initech]

151. Another one: Trickle down economics

We can thank Raygun and HW for that one.

[Greyhound]

155. Everything Horatio Alger wrote, imminent domain, anybody can "make it"

through hard work and perseverance.

How many would you like?

[DailyGrind51]

156. That no one ever died because he/she was uninsured.

[Philosoraptor]

161. Mexican 'guest workers' do the work Americans won't do.

[Berry Cool]

162. That the USA is the greatest country on earth.

Really pisses off the Canadians, for one.

[pinto]

163. See your point, yet I think those you mentioned are merely scams.

Myths, imho, are more than that. Some good, some bad, some pointless.

[Alexander]

164. The myth that the United States won the War of 1812.

The British invaded our Capitol and burned down the White House.

At best, it was a stalemate.

[BlueIris]

165. America is a democracy.

It's about everything but.

[harun]

174. It is a Republic where we get told by the media who to elect.

The representatives then "represent" corporate interests once in office. The government we have is no longer for the people, it is a government for corporate profit.

Of course not all of us listen, that is why we are at DU :-).

[BulletproofLandshark]

166. The "American Dream"

The common people of this country have NEVER had a level playing field with the elite. My dad worked his ass off in various building trades for the last 45 years, and he'll leave almost nothing behind after he passes. Meanwhile, a man who never did an honest day's work in his life (and looked down on people that had to to survive) has been allowed to run the country into the ground for the last 7+ years.

"It's Called the American Dream Because You Have To Be Asleep to Believe It"
George Carlin

[Codeine]

170. That baseball is a sport. nt

[Thothmes]

171. USS Maddox and C. Turner Joy

were actually attacked by North Vietnames gun boats.

[Sabriel]

177. That testing students constantly helps them learn better/more.

The fiasco that is NCLB is chock full o' myths.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

179. "Sports build character" (How many pro players have been arrested lately?)

"Sports teach teamwork" (So do the performing arts.)
"Sports teach responsibility." (So do the performing arts.)
"Sports give young people a sense of accomplishment." (So do the performing arts.)
"Sports are a young person's hope of escaping poverty." (So are academic accomplishment, talent in the performing arts, and learning a skilled trade.)
"A city requires professional teams in every sport and taxpayer sponsored facilities for them in order to have a 'good quality of life.'" (I'd rather have nice parks, good schools, well-stocked libraries, a symphony orchestra, an opera company, a major theater company, and some art galleries and no sports teams than a full complement of sports teams and shabby parks, poor schools, closed libraries, and no arts organizations.)

[ProdigalJunkMail]

207. sports DO build character

when the things you mention (teamwork, responsibility and a sense of accomplishment) are emphasized and not the uber competitive crap we see in sooo many places. and i agree, performing arts are GREAT...but i was not geared for those (i have the artistic talent of a doorknob)...just like many people are not geared to be athletes...i think a balance in those can be achieved.

and for the pro athletes, it ain't the sport that causes the problem...it is the endless supply of money and the problems THAT brings and the damn near worship of them...people with a God complex generally behave pretty badly...

sP

[DutchLiberal]

181. Horatio Alger; the American Dream; you could be the next multimillionaire.

Or what about 'the Wild West'?

[DailyGrind51]

187. And don't think that's why more Americans aren't griping about those sky high CEO salaries!

The working middle-class is its own worst enemy!

[agent46]

182. gotta have it

The myth that says to own is to exist.

[donco6]

184. Homosexuality is a Choice.

Number one in my book.

[charlyvi]

185. George Washington and the cherry tree.

Sorry, folks. But it's not true. I hope this knowledge doesn't send anyone into therapy.

[Arugula Latte]

186. Jesus was a magical person who is coming back to save us.

Riiiiight. :eyes:

[ProdigalJunkMail]

205. yeah...cause that one is SOOOOO American...

WTF...just couldn't wait to roll your eyes at the evil christians???

sP

[Arugula Latte]

214. It's not uniquely American, but many other civilized countries

are moving away from embracing superstition, while the US only seems to embrace it harder, because pretending stuff is so much easier than reality.

[JCMach1]

196. People who are poor, MUST be LAZY

I really hate that one!

[Norrin Radd]

197. "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter"

I can believe it. Go try some Kerrygold and get back to me.

[Philosoraptor]

198. That marijuana, crack, heroin and meth are all the same thing

[FloridaJudy]

199. "We value our families"

Nope. Not even close. I've lived in other parts of the world, and this country has the least family-friendly policies of any developed country.

[HughBeaumont]

212. I'm surprised that took so long to mention . . .

and it's absolutely correct.

For all of the talk about "FAMilies" and "FAMILY values" America does absolutely NOTHING for working families or single parents. We're the most overworked nation in the world, with no mandated vacation OR maternity leave:

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/HughBeaumont/46

Families? PFFFFFFT! You should have thought about that before joining the work force! You know better!

:sarcasm:

[FloridaJudy]

215. Vacation?

That's the least of it. Try medical care, affordable child care, guaranteed unpaid(!) family leave, elder care, affordable housing, decent retirement pensions and disability income that actually meets one's basic needs. Sure, people in Europe and the more developed Asian nations pay a higher portion of their income in taxes, but I wouldn't mind that if I knew that an unexpected emergency wouldn't bankrupt me or throw my family out in the streets. Hell, we probably pay at least as much in insurance, if we're lucky enough to have the kinds of jobs that allow us to purchase it - and wouldn't it be nice if that money went to people who really need it, instead of to already overpaid insurance executives?

And our infant mortality and life expectancy rates are dismal compared to equally developed nations.

[HughBeaumont]

221. My sore spot is our social safety net in case of job loss.

UI that doesn't even cover poverty level wages (IF you get it, that is), it's only available for a certain time period (during a decade in which the average time between downsizing and new job increased from 6 weeks to 20), you get no re-training, the job banks are terrible, never kept current and woefully outdated systematically . . .

See, this big cycle of failure is why the middle/working/poor classes get tossed out into the street/forced to move back home with their parents.

And yes, I would LOVE to be overtaxed if it meant I get to keep the money I'd otherwise be paying for lousy insurance and I wouldn't be disqualified for major surgery due to a "pre-existing condition" . . .

[asteroid2003QQ47]

200. God n/t

[pipoman]

201. Gun control = Crime control/reduction N/T

[Donald Ian Rankin]

217. No, that one's a fact. The myth is that guns make people safer.

Oh, and the idea that an armed populace makes armed revolution easier and therefore helps prevent government repression, rather than necessitating armed police and increasing it.

[pipoman]

224. Show stats that areas with strong gun control have lower crime rates.

You can't because they don't.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

228. Areas with more police tend to have higher crime too...

The more of a problem an area has with crime, the more likely it is to introduce gun control measures to help combat it.

[pipoman]

238. And in those areas there should be stats after a period

of time showing reduced crime, which exceeds reduction trends experienced in the nation as a whole. But alas, no such stats can be shown in those areas which have enacted strong gun control, see Chicago, Washington DC, California, etc, because the positive effects of gun prohibition in the US are a myth. OTOH implementation of true Democratic measures like affordable/accessible health care, higher standard of living through higher minimum wage laws, improved working conditions, relaxed drug laws and increased drug treatment availability would almost certainly reduce crime. The problem is we can't enact or improve these areas because our party insists on driving gun control which looses elections for us and has no demonstrable effect on crime.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

240. No area of the US has had meaningful gun control in recent history.

Using a country that has never tried anything approximating meaningful gun control as evidence that gun control wouldn't help doesn't work.

The effects of minimal, localised gun control aren't going to be great (although it may do some good); for it to do a lot of good it would need to be federal, well-enforced and fairly restrictive, as in the UK (which has some of the best gun laws around, and where they do do a lot of good).

But for that, you'd need to repeal the bloody stupid 2nd ammendment, and sadly attempting that would be political suicide.

[pipoman]

242. The UK hasn't experienced reduced crime due to gun control

the weapons have changed, crime has not diminished. Combined with the idiotic anti-self defense (or defence if we must) laws, now the strong, criminal element have free reign over the weak law abiding.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

247. No, actually, crime has fallen (although you wouldn't know it from the media).

It's just that we have a left-wing government and a right-wing media, and so we get an awful lot of stories about how crime is on the up, in defiance of the actual statistics, in order to help re-elect the Tories.

The so-called "knife-crime epidemic" is actually a "knife-crime-reporting" epidemic.

[MiniMe]

203. George Bush was elected the 43rd President of the United States

[Vinca]

204. Hard work pays.

Maybe sometimes, but what pays is a huge pile of money that is invested on your behalf while you sit by the pool. Just ask me - not about the pool part, though. We've renovated or built from scratch 5 houses over our married life, doing all the work ourselves, with the belief at the end we'd have a giant nest egg for all our hard work. Hard work only wears out joints. It doesn't pay. Although I do take some pride in knowing I'm an old woman who can install a hardwood floor on her own as long as I have those wonderful pneumatic tools.

[Solly Mack]

206. That we're the good guys. That all our actions , regardless of how criminal, are for the good

and so should be judged accordingly. That America never does anything criminal to begin with so...all our actions are for the good. See how that works? You know..."in good faith"

[Indenturedebtor]

208. *Free Market*

The concept of a free market isn't even logically consistent. The rich will always get richer and suppress everyone else.

Also the idea that we are the "Greatest Country on Earth". How do you even measure that?

Education *fail*
Healthcare *fail*
Social moblity *fail*
Public transportation *fail*
Vacation time *worst on earth*
Justice? *arguably a fail*
Free media *fail*
Clean elections *fail*
Retirement and social safety net? *fail*
Racial and gender equality *fail*
Uncorrupted government? *fail*

I could go on, but fuck we've got so many problems it's rediculous.

[cap]

209. McCain's time as a POW gives him credibility on defense and foreign affairs issues

A guy who crashed 5 planes and who could keep on flying because he is an admiral's son is given this kind of deference. If his commanding officers had used some judgement around plane crash 3 or 4 and yanked his flight status, he would not have ended up in a POW camp. His problem is that the last time he crashed, he was really unlucky to land where he landed. What was his CO thinking when he started sending him to fly over North Vietnam? That somehow, his flying abiities would improve? The whole thing is too stupid for words. I'm sorry but his time as a POW doesn't mean a damn thing in terms of military planning and strategy. Leadership? You don't have that big a staff as a junior pilot in the Navy. I have 2 relatives who have bronze stars and a MIL who was a nurse in the Philippines during WWII and I wouldn't accept their judgment on larger matters concerning our national defense. Why should I accept McCain's. Yes, he did suffer greatly and it has been duly noted in the press and by the Obama campaign. But, 'nuff's enough on this point.

This is the greatest myth...except for maybe McCain's honesty.

[LWolf]

211. Equal opportunity.

Freedom.

The first fucking amendment.

[Terran]

213. "There's no more racism."

and "Homelessness--that ended in the 80's, didn't it?"

I actually had some jerk in my Yahoo group, Bears Who Hate Bush, post that homelessness was "so Eighties."

[RubyDuby in GA]

216. Just about everything. There is a wonderful book by Stephanie Coontz called The Way We Never Were

http://www.amazon.com/Way-We-Never-Were-Nostalgia/dp/0465090974

The Way We Never Were: American Families and the Nostalgia Trap

I definitely urge people to read it who try to give me that ol' line of crap about how everything used to be so much better way back when.

[HughBeaumont]

222. Also - "The Good Old Days - They were TERRIBLE!" by Otto Bettmann

Reads like an old Sears/Roebuck catalog, but it's an eye . . . and nose . . . opener, especially when they describe the conditions of cities and schools in the Industrial - Gilded ages.

http://www.amazon.com/Good-Old-Days-They-Were-Terrible/dp/0394709411/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219168132&sr=8-2

[TrogL]

219. Manly self-reliance

The true American male doesn't need anybody else. He can do anything, doesn't need government handouts, shouldn't need to pay taxes.

Despite that, he feels no compunction about using the "commons" including transportation infrastructure, health care system, old age security, police, military, courts and expects clean water to come out of the tap by magic, his toilet to empty to some mythic place, and his garbage to magically disappear overnight.

[KG]

220. guns don't kill people.

[WilliamPitt]

225. Three words...

"Department of Defense."

Mmmmmm...'k.

[spanone]

226. under bu$h* it has become the department of offense

[WilliamPitt]

227. Been that way since 1947.

"Blaming Bush for all this shit is like blaming Mickey Mouse when Disney screws up." - Me, August 2003

[kimmerspixelated]

231. That only Big Pharma drugs can cure you.

Everything else is just snake oil!

[Bluebear]

232. "You can be ANYTHING you want to be if you set your mind to it!"

[Cleita]

235. That all men are created equal, well except the brown ones and women. n/t

[Manifestor_of_Light]

241. Get a good education and you can always get a good job.

Uh-huh.......


A.A.S. (2 years of college--60 semester hours of vocational school)
B. A. (4 years of college, 130 semester hours, plus 15 semester hours advanced credit from high school)
J. D. (5 years of grad school, 90 semester hours, at night while working full time)
plus
years of experience working in law offices and taking down court trials, plus a biology degree which helps greatly with medical/tort/malpractice cases

equals "haven't had a job since 2001, spent two years looking for a paralegal job, with help from the placement office of my law school, and got ONE interview and NO offers".

:wtf:


Same thing happened with my friend who has an A.A. degree in Music and Video Production;
B.S. in Physics/Math;
M.S. in Physics;
years of experience in the engineering and programming fields;
was canned from a shitty job in 2006 that was killing him;

we both decided to say "TO HELL WITH THE JOB MARKET" and retire.


:wtf:

[FKA MNChimpH8R]

246. Excellent point

Me:

B.A. summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa (University of Mn)
J.D. Harvard Law School (with good grades); 3 years on a journal (not the Harvard Law Review, but a respected scholarly journal)

I've been unemployed since Jan 1, 2006 and worked temp jobs with no benefits from 2002-mid 2004. I'd be homeless if it weren't for the generosity of friends and a cousin who married money as I lost my car a year ago and was foreclosed out of my house early this year.

I guess that is the price of being brilliant but Asperger's in a world that puts more value on your ability to socialize than your ability to do the job.

I'm not surprised that you couldn't get a paralegal gig. in my experience law firms, and especially other paralegals, hate nothing so much as someone with a law degree who applies for a paralegal position. The lawyers think it means "failure as a lawyer' and the paralegals resent your butting into their territory.

[Earth_First]

243. Bigfoot. n/t

[Manifestor_of_Light]

244. If a man does housework, his testicles will fall off.

This is quite common on "Wife Swap". There's always one redneck macho guy who thinks that he will turn into a sissy if he does anything for himself at home, and his wife waits on him and the kids, and one guy who stays home and takes care of the kids while mom works hard at her dream, without considering the kids' needs.

[YankeyMCC]

249. That the USA will be in existance and in power forever nt

[asteroid2003QQ47]

250. God! NOTHING trumps the god myth in import!

Our nation is chosen by God and commissioned by history to be a model to the world.

--George W. Bush, B'nai B'rith convention, 8/28/00