America the _______

Scott Hardie | December 16, 2013
What does America mean to you in one word, and why that word? Noun, adjective, even a verb, all words are fair.

Erik Bates | December 16, 2013
[hidden by request]

Samir Mehta | December 16, 2013
[hidden by request]

Steve West | December 17, 2013
Example.

I really believe that despite our flaws, this country shines as a beacon of freedom that the world envies. The despots of the world fear what we engender within their citizens from thousands of miles away. Mismanaged elections are the exception not the rule where we the people are represented by those we choose. Interior strife is met with a desire for justice not revenge or tyranny. Those that highlight the flaws of our country don't appreciate that those flaws are multiplied tenfold by nations around the globe and are not excused by those that matter but recognized as things that require change. Civil Rights, Women's Rights, Gay Rights. We're not a perfect example but we're as close as you get in this world.

Chris Lemler | December 17, 2013
Beautiful

I really think America is the best place where we live. No matter what situation that were in we are the greatest in the world!!!!!

Scott Hardie | December 29, 2013
Provider.

Of Norman Rockwell's Four Freedoms, Freedom from Want and Freedom from Fear strike me as much closer to the typical American experience (if somewhat exaggerated) than our more widely celebrated freedoms of speech and religion, which are very rarely in doubt, even for Phil Robertson. Our forefathers and foremothers toiled very hard to build up this impossibly wealthy land in which most of us would never suffer. The poor of this nation have a far more comfortable life than those in, say, the slums of Mumbai or Rio de Janiero. A foreign nation invading our borders is unthinkable. We do expect you to work in America (if anything, our work-hard ethos may be too strong), but we let you choose the job, and we reward your work with ample comfort and safety, and we take care of those who cannot work. To have all of this wealth and opportunity, and to have generated it from nothing two and a half centuries ago, that is what I'm most proud of when I say that I'm proud to be American.

Scott Hardie | March 30, 2017
David Brooks recently wrote a consideration of the American story and why it matters that we have one. It's not summing up the nation in one word, exactly, but I found it thought-provoking and wanted to share.