40 embarrassing things that America is the best in the world

Warph · July 04, 2012, 10:41:20 AM

Is the USA still #1?

Well, there are many things that America is still the best in the world at, but unfortunately a lot of those categories are nothing to be proud of. Once upon a time the United States was the greatest nation on earth, but now we are a nation that is in a horrific state of decline. Just consider a few of the embarrassing things that America leads the world in: obesity, crime, divorce, teen pregnancy, child abuse deaths and government debt. The statistics that you are about to read below are incredibly disturbing. Most people that write these kinds of articles about the decline of America hate this country. But that is not the case with me. I was born and raised in America and I love this nation deeply. It is time to realize that we will never be able to start fixing our problems until we take a really good look in the mirror and realize just how far we have fallen. America is not the country that it once was. America is a complete and total mess and just "tweaking" a few things here and there is not going to return this nation to its former glory. We have forgotten the things that once made us great, and if we do not return to them we will continue to fall apart as a nation.

With that being said, the following are 40 embarrassing things that America is the best in the world at....

#1 America has the highest incarceration rate and the largest total prison population in the entire world by a good margin.

#2 There are more car thefts in the United States than anywhere else in the world by far.

#3 Of all the major industrialized nations, America is the most obese. Mexico is #2.

#4 The average American drinks more than 600 sodas a year - the most in the world.

#5 U.S. corporations sell more fast food and more soda than anyone else in the world by a wide margin.

#6 Nobody watches more television per week (28 hours) than Americans do. Although to be honest, people living in the UK are tied with us.

#7 The United States leads the world in credit card fraud.

#8 The United States has the highest percentage of one person households on the entire planet.

#9 The United States has the highest divorce rate in the world by a good margin.

#10 The United States has the highest teen pregnancy rate in the world by far.

#11 There are more school shootings in America than anywhere else in the world.

#12 The United States has the highest child abuse death rate in the world.

#13 There are more "deaths by reptile" in America than anywhere else in the world.

#14 The United States has the most lawyers per capita in the entire world.

#15 The United States produces more pornography than any other nation in the world.

#16 Americans take more prescription drugs than anyone else in the world.

#17 More is spent on prescription drug advertising in America than anywhere else in the world.

#18 The percentage of women taking antidepressants in America is higher than in any other country in the world.

#19 More people have been diagnosed with mental disorders in America than anywhere else on earth.

#20 The United States has the highest rate of illegal drug use on the entire globe.

#21 There is more credit card debt in America than anywhere else in the world.

#22 There is more mortgage debt in America than anywhere else in the world.

#23 There is more student loan debt in America than anywhere else in the world.

#24 The United States spends more money on government schools than any other nation on earth does.

#25 U.S. citizens spend more time in school than anyone else in the world. So why are so many of us dumb as a rock?

#26 Nobody in the world gets more plastic surgery done than Americans do.

#27 The United States leads the world in eating disorder deaths.

#28 According to nationmaster.com, the United States has the most total reported crimes in the world by far.

#29 Nobody has more airport security thugs groping women and children than America does.

#30 The United States spends much more on health care as a percentage of GDP than any other nation on the face of the earth.

#31 The United States has the most complicated tax system on the entire planet.

#32 The United States has the most laws on the entire planet.

#33 The United States spends more on the military than the next 12 nations combined, and yet the Obama administration is considering plans to unilaterally slash the size of the U.S. nuclear arsenal by up to 80 percent.

#34 The United States has the most foreign military bases in the world by far.

#35 The United States exports more arms to other countries than anyone else in the world.

#36 Americans spend more time sitting in traffic than anyone else in the world.

#37 Americans spend more money on elections than anyone else does in the world by a very wide margin.

#38 Every single year, the United States has the largest trade deficit in the world by far.

#39 The U.S. government wastes more money than any other government on earth does.

#40 The United States has accumulated the biggest mountain of government debt in the history of the world.

So is the USA #1?

Unfortunately, the answer way too often is yes.

The goal of this list of embarrassing things is not to trash America.

Rather, the goal is to wake Americans up and to get them to realize what has happened to us.

We should be deeply humbled and embarrassed as a nation. We were once the best in the world and the envy of the entire globe, but now the whole world is laughing at us.

America is supposed to be a beacon of liberty, freedom and prosperity for the entire planet.

Instead, we are rapidly turning into a horror show.

Wake up America. The condition of our country is absolutely shameful, and every single day it gets even worse.

Bullwinkle · July 04, 2012, 03:02:54 PM

Part of this list , I don't agree with. #10 is one , who can make this claim? I'm sure not China. Where did these stats come from?

Our nation has spent God knows how much money rebuilding other countries, whether from war or disasters, but where are those countries when we have need, NOWHERE. The Red Cross almost went bankrupt helping around the world, and when we have had hurricanes, earthquakes, did any other country pitch in to help us? NO !

I just think it needs to be shown that we have gone the full mile to help those in need, while they sit on their hands when the shoe is on the other foot. Regardless, I also feel we have done the right thing in helping where we can, I just feel we have let our own people down by putting those most deserving of our help, veterans and elderly, LAST.

The welfare system has created many of these statistics and our county is certainly a good example. How many HUD developments are here? More than in much larger communities. Another reason we are electing people who push government assistance, people go to the polls in droves to protect their government check, not to choose what is best for our country.

The USA is still #1, on all counts , but if we don't turn our families around and get back on track ............

Warph · July 04, 2012, 03:44:43 PM

Quote from: Bullwinkle on July 04, 2012, 03:02:54 PM
Part of this list , I don't agree with. #10 is one , who can make this claim? I'm sure not China. Where did these stats come from?

Why don't you agree with #10... and what other part do you not agree with

No.#10 comes from: http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/hea_tee_pre_sha-health-teenage-pregnancy-share
SOURCE: UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre

Others? From various sources throughout the internet.

Bullwinkle · July 05, 2012, 07:50:29 AM

I guess I was thinking more along the line of the pregnancy going full term. I wonder where we rank in abortions. Since 18 is a teen, I suppose it could be true, but the countries with huge popualtions would by sheer numbers seem to be more logical to have us beat.

The illegal drug use I would question, but then, what is illegal here, isn't, elsewhere.

srkruzich · July 05, 2012, 08:02:29 AM

why is this a bad thing?

#8 The United States has the highest percentage of one person households on the entire planet.

Bullwinkle · July 05, 2012, 08:17:43 AM

Because in most cases, they are on the dole.

Warph · July 05, 2012, 08:13:01 PM

Quote from: Bullwinkle on July 05, 2012, 07:50:29 AM
I guess I was thinking more along the line of the pregnancy going full term. I wonder where we rank in abortions. Since 18 is a teen, I suppose it could be true, but the countries with huge popualtions would by sheer numbers seem to be more logical to have us beat.
The illegal drug use I would question, but then, what is illegal here, isn't, elsewhere.

Abortion
Source: http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/hea_abo-health-abortions
http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home.html

Illegal Drugs
Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/07/01/health/webmd/main4222322.shtml
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_ill_dru-crime-illicit-drugs

Drug offences (most recent) by country
Source: http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_dru_off-crime-drug-offences#source

Drug Use
Source: http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/hea_dru_acc-health-drug-access
WHO (World Health Organization). 2001. Correspondence on access to essential drugs. Department of Essential Drugs and Medecines Policy. February. Geneva
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/lif_can_use-lifestyle-cannabis-use

Quote from: srkruzich on July 05, 2012, 08:02:29 AM
why is this a bad thing?

#8 The United States has the highest percentage of one person households on the entire planet.
Source: http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/peo_one_per_hou-people-one-person-households
http://www.oecd.org/home/0,2987,en_2649_201185_1_1_1_1_1,00.html

srkruzich · July 08, 2012, 10:46:17 AM

Quote from: Bullwinkle on July 05, 2012, 08:17:43 AM
Because in most cases, they are on the dole.

I don't believe that. You can't qualify to be on the dole as a single.

srkruzich · July 08, 2012, 10:47:12 AM

Quote

#8 The United States has the highest percentage of one person households on the entire planet.
Source: http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/peo_one_per_hou-people-one-person-households
http://www.oecd.org/home/0,2987,en_2649_201185_1_1_1_1_1,00.html

still didn't answer why it is a bad thing.

Warph · July 08, 2012, 11:45:45 AM

Quote from: srkruzich on July 08, 2012, 10:47:12 AM
still didn't answer why it is a bad thing.

This one is a hard one to answer. In some ways it is a bad thing. In others, rather embarrassing for the United States. It depends on the situation... one person households has to do with poverty, divorce, crime, etc.

Look it up. Google "The United States has the highest percentage of one person households" and I'm sure you'll find your answer.