5 ms·

> And this is the best country in the world, with the best system of government, because private citizens can voice their disagreement with such actions, includ

by foo42 7mo ago

> And this is the best country in the world, with the best system of government, because private citizens can voice their disagreement with such actions, including by refusal to participate. On the off chance other Americans were unaware of this: Other countries are democracies too (and many are better functioning)

xhcuvuvyc 7mo ago
America's not a democracy, hell it's not even a country.
- qsort 7mo ago
  ???
  - laffOr 7mo ago
    Some Americans think the "democracy" vs "republic" distinction is extremely important, and that "democracy" means something like "tyranny of the majority", hence why it is good that America is not a _democracy_, but a _republic_ or a _democratic republic_. Some other Americans (there is some overlap) also think that the US is so large and diverse that essentially its States are their own countries and the US is more like its own continent, and talking about the American _nation_ or even _country_ is meaningless. It is a union of States (though it is rare that someone argues that the US is not a country).
    - qsort 7mo ago
      Isn't this some extreme distortion of semantics though? Going by the majority usage of those words, "democracy" and "republic" mean different but not incompatible things and the claim that America isn't a country is just baffling.
      - eru 7mo ago
        Yeah, republic doesn't really mean much these days (in the common definition and applied to contemporary countries). North Korea is officially a republic, but it's closer to a hereditary, absolutist monarchy in practice. The UK is officially a constitutional monarchy, but in practice not all that much would change, if they demoted the royal family.
  - quietbritishjim 7mo ago
    I think they're making a USA vs America (continent) distinction.
abyssin 7mo ago
This kind of patriotism is embarrassing, I don’t think I have ever seen it displayed by others than US citizens.
- noduerme 7mo ago
  Well, North Koreans and Iranians say it, but they have a gun to their heads.
andruby 7mo ago
That quote was indeed off-putting to read. > because private citizens can voice their disagreement I'm not sure that's true anymore in the US. At least not without fearing repercussions.
bbor 7mo ago
Yeah that's a terrible note to start on -- this is just someone hoping for a pat on the head from the fascists. Not even they would truly believe something so absurd! That whole intro is whack, really; There are many things that I or Anthropic or most of you would look at as mass domestic surveillance, that are legal, and it is DoW’s position that it’s their job and duty to do everything legal to protect our country, including those things. "It's not their fault that they're evil, they're doing things that have yet to be explicitly forbidden by statute!" would be bad enough for a typical executive agency, but to say that about the US Department of Defense in March 2026 is just... brazen.
knuppar 7mo ago
how cooked do you have to be to synthesize that sentence without universal healthcare and an enormous chunk of the population living paycheck to paycheck
- dash2 7mo ago
  You're the richest country in the world (Andorra isn't real, don't @ me). And if you want universal healthcare, come and experience the joy of the NHS. I have to actually live with it.
  - reeredfdfdf 7mo ago
    Don't you have private healthcare in the UK too, if you aren't satisfied with the NHS? IMO universal healthcare is awesome as the final safety-net that provides critical care, no matter your financial or employment situation. Yet it doesn't need be the only option. If businesses or people with money want to pay more to get care faster from private sector, that's okay too. It's how the system works here in Finland.
    - defrost 7mo ago
      Ditto Australia, hybrid public / private healthcare ... * private is good for better rooms, more scenic views, personalised spa like service and near immediate access to non life essential procedures * public keeps the majority of people alive and triages procedures, you can get overnight heart stent surgery for free if required, might have to wait a few months for non critical knee surgery.
    - dash2 7mo ago
      Private healthcare exists in the interstices of the NHS. The gorilla in the room squishes everything else into the corners. Safety nets would be great, but a net that arrives several days after you have already fallen to the ground is not very helpful. That is what rationing-by-queueing does. Maybe Finland is great - I believe you! Britain's system is not.
- jaccola 7mo ago
inemesitaffia 7mo ago
UK and Germany

by foo42 7mo ago

xhcuvuvyc 7mo ago

America's not a democracy, hell it's not even a country.

qsort 7mo ago
???
- laffOr 7mo ago
  Some Americans think the "democracy" vs "republic" distinction is extremely important, and that "democracy" means something like "tyranny of the majority", hence why it is good that America is not a _democracy_, but a _republic_ or a _democratic republic_. Some other Americans (there is some overlap) also think that the US is so large and diverse that essentially its States are their own countries and the US is more like its own continent, and talking about the American _nation_ or even _country_ is meaningless. It is a union of States (though it is rare that someone argues that the US is not a country).
  - qsort 7mo ago
    Isn't this some extreme distortion of semantics though? Going by the majority usage of those words, "democracy" and "republic" mean different but not incompatible things and the claim that America isn't a country is just baffling.
    - eru 7mo ago
      Yeah, republic doesn't really mean much these days (in the common definition and applied to contemporary countries). North Korea is officially a republic, but it's closer to a hereditary, absolutist monarchy in practice. The UK is officially a constitutional monarchy, but in practice not all that much would change, if they demoted the royal family.
- quietbritishjim 7mo ago
  I think they're making a USA vs America (continent) distinction.

abyssin 7mo ago

This kind of patriotism is embarrassing, I don’t think I have ever seen it displayed by others than US citizens.

noduerme 7mo ago
Well, North Koreans and Iranians say it, but they have a gun to their heads.

andruby 7mo ago

That quote was indeed off-putting to read. > because private citizens can voice their disagreement I'm not sure that's true anymore in the US. At least not without fearing repercussions.

bbor 7mo ago

Yeah that's a terrible note to start on -- this is just someone hoping for a pat on the head from the fascists. Not even they would truly believe something so absurd! That whole intro is whack, really; There are many things that I or Anthropic or most of you would look at as mass domestic surveillance, that are legal, and it is DoW’s position that it’s their job and duty to do everything legal to protect our country, including those things. "It's not their fault that they're evil, they're doing things that have yet to be explicitly forbidden by statute!" would be bad enough for a typical executive agency, but to say that about the US Department of Defense in March 2026 is just... brazen.

knuppar 7mo ago

how cooked do you have to be to synthesize that sentence without universal healthcare and an enormous chunk of the population living paycheck to paycheck

dash2 7mo ago
You're the richest country in the world (Andorra isn't real, don't @ me). And if you want universal healthcare, come and experience the joy of the NHS. I have to actually live with it.
- reeredfdfdf 7mo ago
  Don't you have private healthcare in the UK too, if you aren't satisfied with the NHS? IMO universal healthcare is awesome as the final safety-net that provides critical care, no matter your financial or employment situation. Yet it doesn't need be the only option. If businesses or people with money want to pay more to get care faster from private sector, that's okay too. It's how the system works here in Finland.
  - defrost 7mo ago
    Ditto Australia, hybrid public / private healthcare ... * private is good for better rooms, more scenic views, personalised spa like service and near immediate access to non life essential procedures * public keeps the majority of people alive and triages procedures, you can get overnight heart stent surgery for free if required, might have to wait a few months for non critical knee surgery.
  - dash2 7mo ago
    Private healthcare exists in the interstices of the NHS. The gorilla in the room squishes everything else into the corners. Safety nets would be great, but a net that arrives several days after you have already fallen to the ground is not very helpful. That is what rationing-by-queueing does. Maybe Finland is great - I believe you! Britain's system is not.
jaccola 7mo ago

inemesitaffia 7mo ago

UK and Germany