How is America more conservative than Europe?

[Doggystylin]

If you take a look at American morals and standards and the culture as a whole it is much more conservative than Europeans today. How is this possible considering the U.S. was formed because of oppression in Europe. I just find it very ironic.

[Teddy Roosevelt]

Haven't you seen Eurotrip?
"You know America was founded by prudes. Prudes who left Europe because they hated all the kinky, steamy European sex that was going on. And now I, Cooper Harris, will return to the land of my perverted forefathers and claim my birthright. "

[Joseph Bonanno]

Europeans are very conservative, they are just more effeminate than Americans therefore they alwyas gotta be on the offensive so their collective manhood doesn't completely get ran over.

[virtuoso]

It depends what you mean, if you are insinuating that american politicians are conservative it would make as much sense as asking why did stalin care so deeply for humanity, or why do christians hate god. If you are asking in the general sense why do americans care for the constitution, it's because the constitution is the bed rock of the society, it's what imposes restrictions upon the state in order for them to not interfere in the lives of the people. Unfortunately the level of propogands has been such, that this notion of protecting the constitution has become associated with those who have something to hide, after all why wouldn't you want to a completely benevolent government to impose top down regulation and control, they know best. Of course, with the latter part of that statement I am being sarcastic.

 

[JAZ]

maybe because America as we now it has been around for not to long. maybe 200-250 years. europe has been civilized since forever. America hardly has a culture. the little they have. they want to keep.

[Trauma-san]

"conservative" and "liberal" societies come and go, it ebbs and wanes.  You're alluding to Europe being more liberal than America, when you find that 200 years ago, Europe was more conservative than those that founded America... but if you look back to say the 1500's, shit like pedophilia was an accepted practice in Europe at the time. 

I'm not slamming Europe at all.  I'm just saying that things get crazy, then tightly wound up, then crazy again all the time. This is nothing new.  America is much more conservative now than it was in the 60's with all the hippies and free love, etc.  And the 50's were much more conservative than we have it now... but if you look into info about the 30's, there was a TON of crazy shit going on in the urban cities of America.  Now if you look at statistics, things like teen preganancy is dropping, drug use is dropping, crime in many cities is dropping, there's a lot of things turning back towards more traditional times again.  a lot of it is family values hip-hopping over themselves... i.e. one generation is too strict, the next rebels and is too liberal, their children work hard to make a strong family for their children, who rebel, etc.  It goes back and forth back and forth. 

This is how things are... long after we're all gone, others will be talking about the same thing. 

[K.Dub]

Yo, you know that Europe ain't one nation?

[Doggystylin]

Yo, you know that Europe ain't one nation?

Yes. I am aware of that.

[Doggystylin]

"conservative" and "liberal" societies come and go, it ebbs and wanes.  You're alluding to Europe being more liberal than America, when you find that 200 years ago, Europe was more conservative than those that founded America... but if you look back to say the 1500's, shit like pedophilia was an accepted practice in Europe at the time. 

I'm not slamming Europe at all.  I'm just saying that things get crazy, then tightly wound up, then crazy again all the time. This is nothing new.  America is much more conservative now than it was in the 60's with all the hippies and free love, etc.  And the 50's were much more conservative than we have it now... but if you look into info about the 30's, there was a TON of crazy shit going on in the urban cities of America.  Now if you look at statistics, things like teen preganancy is dropping, drug use is dropping, crime in many cities is dropping, there's a lot of things turning back towards more traditional times again.  a lot of it is family values hip-hopping over themselves... i.e. one generation is too strict, the next rebels and is too liberal, their children work hard to make a strong family for their children, who rebel, etc.  It goes back and forth back and forth. 

This is how things are... long after we're all gone, others will be talking about the same thing. 

That actually makes some kind of sense to me. So what you're saying is that we're just going through different periods.

[Trauma-san]

Yo, you know that Europe ain't one nation?

Yes, I do know that.  Of course, you might as well be because we don't usually give you a second thought.  To the average American, no other country even exists until we start thinking about where we're going to go on vacation. 

[7even]

^...or war

[Joe Bonanno]

Yo, you know that Europe ain't one nation?

Yes, I do know that.  Of course, you might as well be because we don't usually give you a second thought.  To the average American, no other country even exists until we start thinking about where we're going to go on vacation. 

dont listen to this cocksucker he is not nor does he speak for any "average" American.

[Trauma-san]

LOL Yeah, the average American is enlightened about the world.  Please.  I am the epitome of the average American.  I NEVER think about other countries, until I decide to go on vacation or what dude said about War.  You think we really give a shit what's going on in Afganistan?  LOL  Yeah, I lay awake at night thinking about Afganistan. 

There is so much to do in America and everybody is so involved in their lives they have no concern over the rest of the world.  That's a fucking fact. 

[Elevz]

LOL Yeah, the average American is enlightened about the world.  Please.  I am the epitome of the average American.  I NEVER think about other countries, until I decide to go on vacation or what dude said about War.  You think we really give a shit what's going on in Afganistan?  LOL  Yeah, I lay awake at night thinking about Afganistan. 

There is so much to do in America and everybody is so involved in their lives they have no concern over the rest of the world.  That's a fucking fact. 

So that's your pride for America? A pride of ignorance and short sightedness?

[Kill]

LOL Yeah, the average American is enlightened about the world.  Please.  I am the epitome of the average American.  I NEVER think about other countries, until I decide to go on vacation or what dude said about War.  You think we really give a shit what's going on in Afganistan?  LOL  Yeah, I lay awake at night thinking about Afganistan. 

There is so much to do in America and everybody is so involved in their lives they have no concern over the rest of the world.  That's a fucking fact. 

Like Eleven said, this does sound like you're proud of it in some sense. I'm not intending to go anti-american in any way here, but being oblivious of the outside world is not one of the most admirable qualities one could attribute to (many, not all of course) american people, and it is also related to the fact that while the US is the most inventive, powerful and in some ways technologically and scientifically advanced country in the world, the average level of education is deplorably low by first-world standards. Of course, living in such a huge country is different from living in Europe where you might have two different borders half a day's walk off from your house, but i don't quite see the point in saying that this "unawareness" is due to the fact there is "so much to do" in america and "people are so involved in their lives"...as opposed to europeans whose lives consist of reading newspaper articles on Afghanistan and Darfur because there's just nothing to do in their countries? I don't lie awake brooding over political issues in Zimbabwe either, but I read the papers and watch some CNN (yes, american TV ironically)

As for the original question, the point that europe is not one country is a vital one. The average man's opinion on sexual issues is not the same in Serbia as it is in Norway, Holland's liberal drug laws are not applicable in the UK, etc. The reason why the US tends to be more conservative in many ways than most of europe is, simply put, that it is a country much more strongly based on puritan values and a country much more strongly influenced by the opinions and beliefs of (strongly) religious people.

It's a difficult topic though, I'd like to elaborate on this, but right now I got a bus to catch