Is America already a fundamentalist State?

[Carrera]

Comments are pouring in over the said documentary. These folks were equally shocked by the documentary. Here are some comments:

"I think that hitting a child is a cowards way to teach your child the difference between right and wrong. I think it would ultimately lose you the respect of your child and teach them that physical violence is acceptable. I was horrified when i could hear the little boy crying whilst his mother was attacking him with the leather strap ( weapon ). It was not only painful but humiliating for him, and what was the crime!!!!!??? A fib. And a childish one at that! Completely disgusting. I am glad that someone replied and said that not all Christians beleive in this 'corporal' punishment as i would have maybe gone with the belief that all Christians thought this way, this was what i picked up from the programme. I was also saddened by the remark that one of the older girls made. She said she would be totally devastated if there was a ban put on hitting children!!!!
Yet again religion is at the heart of truly destructive behaviour."
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"Where will it end?

I ask all parents to allow their children true freedom of choice by offering them an understanding of all there options. Whether biblical or scientific and thus allow them to decide for themselves whether they are indeed Christian or not! Or any other faith for that matter.

I for one see no benefit whatsoever in my children being ruled by the fear of an object or worse still, their own parents. Even more unbelievable, is the the incredible naivety with which "religious" parents impart a GOD on their children that rules purely through fear, guilt that ultimately results in an incredible lack of self confidence and awareness.

Granted, it may be written (bible), but by who and when and why and what evidence do we have for such unquestioned dedication to something that has historically been so destructive??

We have more evidence for evolution, but most of us avoid the subject through shear fear and guilt, which was possibly imparted in the same way most of us impart it on our own children....."

 

[Wurm]

I thought the objection to floridation was that it's an insidious plot by the Ruskies.

Not sure if I agree with the Dr.'s conclusions as to why the US gov't has promoted floridation, but the evidence is there that it is very harmful.

 

[Carrera]

Carrera's off to work now after having completed a weeks worth of ranting in one day.
I won't have time to post again for a few days so will leave you guys to take charge of the thread if it's worth continuing.
I must say the documentary caused a huge backlash over here. I've just been on Yahoo and there seems to be virtual outrage being expressed by the Hidden Lives Documentary shown on channel 5.
So, for the next few days, no posts on Madonna, Muhammad Ali e.t.c. and added to that, this rider is going to buy a new roadbike. It will replace the one that was stolen.

 

[jhuskey]

Maybe Madonna will design a new carbon frame. The "material carbon girl frame".

 

[stevebaby]

I've posted a link previously in this forum to the World Health Organisation Report on children's dental health.I can't be bothered looking for it again.
British kids...even the poorest...have access to dentists,at no direct cost. As a result, they enjoy much better dental health than American children, who only get access to dentists if their parents' medical insurance (providing they can afford that insurance) covers the cost. The huge quantity of sugar in the average American kid's diet (the highest in the world) doesn't do much for their teeth...except rot them.

Feel free to try to disprove that fact.
And don't believe your own myths.

 

[Scotty_Dog]

As a result, they enjoy much better dental health than American children, who only get access to dentists if their parents' medical insurance (providing they can afford that insurance) covers the cost.

Feel free to try to disprove that fact.

You don't need to have insurance to go to a dentist, and may well spend much less money paying directly for their services.

I spend about US $160/year at the dentist for a bi-annual check-up and cleaning, while dental insurance would cost me about $350/year.

"Fact" disproved.

 

[stevebaby]

http://www.whocollab.od.mah.se/countriesalphab.html
Global Oral Health - CAPP
The "DMFT" figures are the number of "Decayed,missing and filled teeth". The lower the number...the better the oral health.
As you can see, the USA has more than double the DMFT mean that the UK has,.i.e. British children have much better dental health than American children.

Your personal circumstances are irrelevant. Posting them says a lot about your intelligence though. Should we extrapolate that to condemn everyone in the USA as stupid?

 

[Scotty_Dog]

Global Oral Health - CAPP
The "DMFT" figures are the number of "Decayed,missing and filled teeth". The lower the number...the better the oral health.

The report compares 11 year olds from the UK to 12-15 year olds from the USA, so it's already weighted to favor the UK as every nation's DMFT increases with age. Look up the numbers for adults and senior citizens, then be sure to post that link too.

Your personal circumstances are irrelevant. Posting them says a lot about your intelligence though. Should we extrapolate that to condemn everyone in the USA as stupid?

My "personal circumstances" apply directly to your quote regarding dental health insurance in the USA. Many of my family, friends, and colleagues do not have dental insurance because it costs more than simply caring for your own teeth through good dental hygiene and periodic dentist cleanings.

The grossly sarcastic post by fscyclist seems to have struck a personal chord with you. I hope it is readily apparent by all who read it that it was not to be taken seriously, but feel free to post more reports and graphs if that suits your fancy. I believe the post was meant to show Carrera just how silly his original post portrayed "fundamentalist" America.

 

[stevebaby]

Egypt (12-15 years) 1.18 DMFT
USA (12-15 years) 1.75 DMFT

Ethiopia (12-18 years)1.55 DMFT
Compare Ethiopia to the USA. If the DMFT figure increases with age in every nation then the figure is weighted in favour of the USA...and Ethiopians still have better teeth than Americans.

People who live in glass houses..... (big smiley Australian teeth!)

Hmmm...maybe the USA needs some SOCIALIZED medical care?

 

[cheapie]

As you can see, the USA has more than double the DMFT mean that the UK has,.i.e. British children have much better dental health than American children.

then how do they get all jacked up when they get older?

 

[stevebaby]

then how do they get all jacked up when they get older?

They don't. It's just another one of the many myths that Americans delude themselves with.

 

[cheapie]

They don't. It's just another one of the many myths that Americans delude themselves with.

whatever. why do you hate us so much? there are so many posts about why americans suck but not so many about you.

if i asked most of the people i know they look very favorably at pretty much all europeans. but somehow many of you brits crack on us all of the time, at least on this site. however, the animosity is not generally returned. why is that?

 

[Scotty_Dog]

Compare Ethiopia to the USA.

Come on now, you don't really want to do this. I'll bet there are millions of Ethiopians who would not mind a little more tooth decay instead of their current situation.

 

[Scotty_Dog]

They don't. It's just another one of the many myths that Americans delude themselves with.

The facts on the charts I've seen say otherwise.

 

[cheapie]

Come on now, you don't really want to do this. I'll bet there are millions of Ethiopians who would not mind a little more tooth decay instead of their current situation.

cuz it takes food for teeth to decay?

 

[stevebaby]

whatever. why do you hate us so much? there are so many posts about why americans suck but not so many about you.

if i asked most of the people i know they look very favorably at pretty much all europeans. but somehow many of you brits crack on us all of the time, at least on this site. however, the animosity is not generally returned. why is that?

We hate you because you're free.
Of teeth!

 

[stevebaby]

cuz it takes food for teeth to decay?

Quite the opposite.Chewing stimulates the salivary glands to produce saliva which helps to clean bacteria from the mouth.
That cleansing effect is negated by large amounts of sugar however.

 

[jhuskey]

Does anyone know who complies the statistics on teeth? I think it might be dentists that do it.
Consider this.

 

[fscyclist]

http://www.whocollab.od.mah.se/countriesalphab.html
Global Oral Health - CAPP
The "DMFT" figures are the number of "Decayed,missing and filled teeth". The lower the number...the better the oral health.
As you can see, the USA has more than double the DMFT mean that the UK has,.i.e. British children have much better dental health than American children.

Those numbers are easily explained. Children in the USA are diagnosed with dental problems because they actually see dentists. Children in Britain never see dentists, therefore they are never diagnosed and treated for their oral maladies. No patients, no numbers. Given the current fervor that has overtaken Britain, I was quite surprised to see any dental problems reported.

According to that documentary I saw, Britain is already an Anti-Dentite State. The dentists are being run out of the country. Protest groups picket their offices and don't allow patients inside. There are even reports of bomb threats on dental clinics throughout Britain. Parents of white-toothed children are so fearful their children will be murdered, they actually smear feces on their teeth prior to letting them leave the house.

The letters and outrage that have come in after the airing of that documentary (which aired on BBC America) has been enormous. A new foundation, Toothstrong, has been formed with the intent to save just one tooth. They are selling trendy yellow bracelets with the intent of raising $1 million for this lofty goal. Their motto: "Yellow wrists, not yellow teeth."

All this is true, I saw it on an unnamed documentary.

 

[ndbiker]

I just watched a very worrying documentary on the U.S.A. and was left pretty much horrified by what has been taking place over the last few years. One of the documentaries addressed the issue of so-called Biblical upbringings where, so it seemed to me, children were effectively isolated from the modern world, schooled in their own homes and indoctrinated by religion.
These children were simply taught from birth that everything in the Bible was literally true (God's word), that evolution was "UnGodly" and all television and music was off limits (except for programs dealing with evangelical conferences. The children answered to names such as Benjamin or Noah.
Imagine my astonishment when the scene switched to one married couple who manufactured wooden paddles in a workshop, in ordert that like-minded parents could beat the word of God into their offspring! Apparently they have an internet site where they sell the paddles, inscribed with the words, "Never in anger".
This particular nutcase would actually stand in the streets with his paddles handing out tracts but the truly astonishing thing was he wasn't arrested on site (as he would have been in any European country!).
Of course, these Bible bashers justified their use of paddles and sticks by the lame excuse social breakdown was destabilising society due to lack of family discipline and teachings of the Bible. It probably didn't occur to them that antisocial behaviour actually has its roots in unstable families, social inequality, alcohol or drugs and that scores of successful, balanced folks today were never indoctrinated by scriptures or beaten with paddles (including Lance Armstrong who totally cut his dad out of his life due to such childhood beatings).
So, the question you ask yourself is what on earth is going on? The U.S. criticizes North Korea yet here we see behaviour being tolerated that's tantamount to brainwashing. These parents are imposing their values on children from birth and being allowed to get away with what can only be described as brainwashing and indoctrination. You wonder if these folks have any conception of free-thinking, evaluation, personal responsibility or even freedom.
I confess I felt kind of sorry for one American girl who was basically intelligent and attractive but had been taught from early childhood that sex was indecent and wordly and marriage didn't serve God's best interests. This girl would often spend time marching with her group, holding out placards with the words, "God hates faggots!" or "God hates Jews" (seeing as the latter group don't believe Jesus was the messiah).
Basically I was horrified and wonder if anyone else saw these documentaries?

Two points. One it's the parents (and perhaps their church), not the state, doing the indoctrinating as it does in Korea. As long as the parents are not breaking any secular laws then they will be left alone. The government is not involved until a crime is committed. Second, critizism of fundamentalist Christians is unlikely to wind you up dead (at the hands of its fundamentalists) as would critizism of another major religion.