Are Indian immigrant Ramaswamy and African immigrant Musk correct that America is a mediocrity?

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Cypress

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Ramaswamy is wrong: Why ’90s America was the pinnacle of greatness​


Vivek Ramaswamy’s critique of 1990s American culture — a swipe at sleepovers, Saturday morning cartoons and kids hanging out at malls — lands like a lecture from someone who never quite understood what made the era magical. Yes, mall culture might seem frivolous to him, but at least when kids gathered there, they were socializing — a lost art in today’s age of isolation and endless scrolling.

His nostalgia for a joyless, hyper-utilitarian upbringing shows how out of touch he is with the essence of what made ’90s America great.

During this golden decade, as Ramaswamy was growing up, America wasn’t just leading the world — it was shaping it. The United States was the cultural capital of the globe, setting the standard not just for innovation but for influence. This was soft power at its peak — effortless, magnetic and aspirational. America wasn’t just a superpower; it was the cool kid everyone wanted to emulate.

The ’90s also celebrated a meritocratic ethos. High school wasn’t just a hierarchy of cheerleaders and jocks; it was a proving ground for everyone. Prom queens weren’t crowned for looks alone — they balanced academics, extracurriculars and social leadership. The star quarterback wasn’t handed glory; he earned it through sweat and skill. Think of “Friday Night Lights,” where characters like Jason Street and Matt Saracen weren’t just athletes; they were complex individuals balancing immense pressure on the field with personal challenges off it.

Ramaswamy’s dismissal of this cultural richness is shortsighted. His call for more math tutoring and fewer sleepovers reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of what it takes to build a well-rounded individual. Hanging out at the mall or watching cartoons weren’t wastes of time; they were essential social experiences that developed empathy, teamwork and creativity.

Consider today’s innovators: Steve Jobs, who famously merged art with engineering, or his buddy, Elon Musk, whose inspiration came as much from science fiction as from science itself. These are the fruits of a culture that valued imagination as much as intellect. The ’90s weren’t just about producing engineers — they were about cultivating dreamers who could revolutionize industries and reshape the world.

 
Cypress said:

Ramaswamy is wrong: Why ’90s America was the pinnacle of greatness​


Vivek Ramaswamy’s critique of 1990s American culture — a swipe at sleepovers, Saturday morning cartoons and kids hanging out at malls — lands like a lecture from someone who never quite understood what made the era magical. Yes, mall culture might seem frivolous to him, but at least when kids gathered there, they were socializing — a lost art in today’s age of isolation and endless scrolling.

His nostalgia for a joyless, hyper-utilitarian upbringing shows how out of touch he is with the essence of what made ’90s America great.

During this golden decade, as Ramaswamy was growing up, America wasn’t just leading the world — it was shaping it. The United States was the cultural capital of the globe, setting the standard not just for innovation but for influence. This was soft power at its peak — effortless, magnetic and aspirational. America wasn’t just a superpower; it was the cool kid everyone wanted to emulate.

The ’90s also celebrated a meritocratic ethos. High school wasn’t just a hierarchy of cheerleaders and jocks; it was a proving ground for everyone. Prom queens weren’t crowned for looks alone — they balanced academics, extracurriculars and social leadership. The star quarterback wasn’t handed glory; he earned it through sweat and skill. Think of “Friday Night Lights,” where characters like Jason Street and Matt Saracen weren’t just athletes; they were complex individuals balancing immense pressure on the field with personal challenges off it.

Ramaswamy’s dismissal of this cultural richness is shortsighted. His call for more math tutoring and fewer sleepovers reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of what it takes to build a well-rounded individual. Hanging out at the mall or watching cartoons weren’t wastes of time; they were essential social experiences that developed empathy, teamwork and creativity.

Consider today’s innovators: Steve Jobs, who famously merged art with engineering, or his buddy, Elon Musk, whose inspiration came as much from science fiction as from science itself. These are the fruits of a culture that valued imagination as much as intellect. The ’90s weren’t just about producing engineers — they were about cultivating dreamers who could revolutionize industries and reshape the world.

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Beautifully written truth. Thanks for sharing.

MAGATs don't seem to understand that education is more than just spitting back stuff memorized for a standardized test. They do everything they can to render teachers impotent, then cry when kids graduate h.s. with less of an education than their peers in other countries.
 
Well, it certainly is no longer a Meritocracy. The mediocre get appointed to positions where merit should be the reason for the appointment due to DEI and considerations other than their merit.
 
Cypress said:
So he is an Indian anchor baby. MAGA morons complain that foreign nationals who come here should not have their babies be given automatic citizenship for being born on our soil
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He's not an Indian immigrant... You're welcome... And of course his parents are here legally...
 
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Cypress said:
So he is an Indian anchor baby. MAGA morons complain that foreign nationals who come here should not have their babies be given automatic citizenship for being born on our soil
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It's very kind of you to give Toxic some much-needed attention. She knows where he was born. Just a couple days ago she was praising him and President Musk, and told someone who asked why she likes him it's because he was born in Ohio, like she was. lol
 
Damocles said:
Well, it certainly is no longer a Meritocracy. The mediocre get appointed to positions where merit should be the reason for the appointment due to DEI and considerations other than their merit.
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You were almost right there, till you decided to blame DEI instead of Trump's nominations and appointments based on loyalty and donations rather than competence and experience.
 
ThatOwlWoman said:
Beautifully written truth. Thanks for sharing.

MAGATs don't seem to understand that education is more than just spitting back stuff memorized for a standardized test. They do everything they can to render teachers impotent, then cry when kids graduate h.s. with less of an education than their peers in other countries.
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Agreed. A fully developed human being is about more than just studying math problems. Creativity and imagination have to be cultivated too.

During the Clinton era, America was at the height of it's power and influence. I remember Russian kids wearing t-shirts with the American flag.
 
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Cypress said:
So he is an Indian anchor baby. MAGA morons complain that foreign nationals who come here should not have their babies be given automatic citizenship for being born on our soil
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Were his parents here illegally? The only way to become an "anchor baby" is to be born to folks who are here illegally and the leadership decides to use the child's citizenship as a reason to document the undocumented, or at the very least as the reason not to deport someone that is here illegally.
 
ThatOwlWoman said:
You were almost right there, till you decided to blame DEI instead of Trump's nominations and appointments based on loyalty and donations rather than competence and experience.
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The current lot were not appointed by Trump. Either way, do you see the folks that Braindead appointed as being appointed on their merit? I believe that you are delusional if you do.
 
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Damocles said:
Well, it certainly is no longer a Meritocracy. The mediocre get appointed to positions where merit should be the reason for the appointment due to DEI and considerations other than their merit.
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Historically it has not been due to DEI, it often, still today, is due to money or family name. Why do you believe Musk and RFK, Jr. are in the position they have found themselves?
 
Cypress said:
Agreed. A fully developed human being is about more than just studying math problems. Creativity and imagine imagination have to be cultivated too.

During the Clinton era, America was at the height of it's power and influence. I remember Russian kids wearing t-shirts with the American flag.
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The peace and prosperity we enjoyed then were a good part of our culture.
 
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