Discussion can be as broad as you want We can beat chest and make Tarzan noises too thoughI wanted this discussion to be broader, but it went down to who is more insulted and beating chests with fists. Well, lets do it.
First thing to specify from the start is that when talking about the "greatest," I (and I think cavscout too) am talking about the current "greatest" not the greatest of all time. If cavscout means something different let him say so.
So anyway you raised some good points for discussion...
I would say the relative poverty of China cancels this out. No woman will say "He is the greatest man because he comes the fastest and gets me pregnant so quick." Its the opposite in fact Sure China is good at having lots of children, but look how poor they are fed . China's low relative per capita GDP undermines the points for their high population.I could have said China, is greater nation than USA because of their vast numbers superior number of citizens.
Yes they do, but for whom? My point is that you dont go to a restaurant and see the cooks making plate after plate of food for the rich patrons sitting at the tables and say "See how much greater the cooks are than the patrons! Look how much food the cooks produce, while the patrons produce nothing... just sit there and eat!" Who is greater? The servant who toils to produce or the consumer/master who enjoys what the servant produces? Obviously the consumer is greater, because the consumer is the master.Or because they produce more goods than USA.
Ethiopia and Iraq are some of the oldest regions in the world (in terms of human habitation)... and still the poorest. Age is not a good measure of who is the greatest. Wealth and power are far better measuments.Or because they have 5000 years of history and culture compared to less than 300 years USA history.
Antarctica is the second largest territory. So what? Its all ice. Canada is the largest area in North America... but again, just alot of ice and frozen wilderness... Same for Russia... big, but mostly just frozen wasteland. I can't agree with measuring greatness by who has the most frozen tundra. Better to go by fertile, useable, inhabited lands.Or Russia being greater nation for occupying way more territory than USA.
Greece is bankrupt and in chaos, they can't be the greatest.Or the Greek nation for having created the Western culture,
Rome (as a nation) doesn't even exist anymore, so they can't be the greatest.or Roman nation for being world empire 1000+ years compared to USA's 100 years of world empire.
Right but the United States defeated England. So if they are so great, then th US must be even greater for kicking their @ss, right?Or the English nation, for having spread their culture and language all over the world - in USA included.
Now this one I can tell you is just dead wrong. The United States has no official language or religion. As Spanish becomes more and more popular, and other religions too, our conservative politicians are always arguing for Constitutional amendments to make English the official language and Christianity the official religion but they always fail.After all, in USA the official language spoken is English.
Vietnam kicked everyone's @ss, including France, and China who you also claim is one of the greatest. So with this argument, you do two things.And if it was about being able to bully/beat someone, then I can point Vietnam is way greater nation than USA, because USA lost the war with them.
1. You concede that US is greater than England AND Russia because US kicked both those @sses (in US Revolutionary War and Cold War).
2. You concede that China can't be the greatest because they got @ss-kicked by Vietnam too.
So by your reasoning Vietnam>US/China>England/Russia