Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I don't take anybody's word seriously.
But I know what I see.
That is of course if the "dubious editing" didn't consist of footage made somewhere in Jordan/Iran and grafted into Luton's scenery.
Well what you're seeing is the same 100 (or less) hardcore muslims being shown over and over again to look like there are far more than there are and that the problem is a huge one.
Well, if one considers America's 'money making production line and consumerism' a result of Adam Smith's economic philosophy, and one considers Adam Smith a European Enlightenment figure, then it stands to reason that America's corporate bullishness has its roots in the European Enlightenment.
The USA and the UK adopted Smith's policies before any other countries would and while pure liberism and liberalism fizzled out in the UK, it's still at the center of the politic scene in the USA.
In the same way, the need for Welfare State was first theorized by British economist John Maynard Keynes and put into practice by Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the USA yet no one would consider Welfare State as an American or British phenomenon but mostly a Continental European one
Quote:
Originally Posted by vantexan
As an American who has lived 54 years all over the States I can agree that there are deficiencies in our "culture." But it's ironic that someone would slam the States on the Internet, an American innovation. With all of our faults our profit driven model has lead to innovations that have greatly enhanced our lives. Islam, if forced upon us, would greatly restrict our lives. Is there an Islamic nation that is a world leader in technology, healthcare, or individual rights? We have leaders who constantly refer to Islam as one of the world's great religions. Do leaders in conservative Muslim countries(pretty much most Islamic nations) describe other religions that way? Do they allow the free exercise of other religions in their countries? Do they allow atheists to openly criticize Islam? Anyone who sees America as a greater threat to their lives than Islam is either a Muslim or a hardcore socialist. We do have our faults, and the best way to improve them is to push the best qualities of life in Europe and elsewhere.
The first PC was created by Olivetti, an Italian firm and going by your logic if it wasn't for us Europeans you couldn't brag about the innovations America has brought to the world in the same way i couldn't knock American culture. The problem is that Islam nor any other religion isn't being forced upon us, we are free to act the way we want as long as it doesn't breach any of our country's rules.
Certain aspects of American culture are instead subtly being forced on us by the media
Here in the US, scariest are Evangelical Christians and Hasidic Jewish people. Any group of people that entrenches local governments to take over and create exclusive communities for their people only are creepy. Most Hasidic Jews won't even talk to you if you aren't one of them.
Which make Hasidic Jews quite cool in my book! I don't care if they exclude themselves, as long as they don't lobby to restrict freedoms for people all across the United States (which is quite common among Evangicals - the need to ban, criminalize, restrict, take away freedoms, etc. for all citizens).
If Europe were were to take christian religion seriously, Europe would be as intolerant or more than Islamic countries. It just matters than those Islamic countries have gone though crisis and identitity crisis, as Europe in the past, and they have grasped religion as a lifesaver, which is the worse thing they could do.
To those that praise the "rationality" of Christianity vs. Islam, I will remember something that hapened today but in 1349. The number of Jews burned alive one by one were around 2000, not several hundreds.
But it must be pointed that all bloody progroms and slaughters of heterodox were not favoured by the nobility or church, but were populistic measures which is even sadder.
If in Europe were were to take christian religion seriously, Europe would be as intolerant or more than Islamic countries. It just matters than those Islamic countries have gone though crisis and identitity crisis, as Europe in the past, and they have grasped religion as a lifesaver, which is the worse thing they could do.
To those that praise the "rationality" of Christianity vs. Islam, I will remember something that hapened today but in 1349. The number of Jews burned alive one by one were around 2000, not several hundreds.
Exactly, what's happening in the Middle East and Northern Africa is similar to what had happened in Europe roughly a century ago. The most conservative people are resisting change either through cruel dictatorships or religious fanatism and there's a clash going on inside these countries at the moment even though there are places where it's most subtle and places where it comes out in the form of a civil war
If Europe were were to take christian religion seriously, Europe would be as intolerant or more than Islamic countries. It just matters than those Islamic countries have gone though crisis and identitity crisis, as Europe in the past, and they have grasped religion as a lifesaver, which is the worse thing they could do.
To those that praise the "rationality" of Christianity vs. Islam, I will remember something that hapened today but in 1349. The number of Jews burned alive one by one were around 2000, not several hundreds.
But it must be pointed that all bloody progroms and slaughters of heterodox were not favoured by the nobility or church, but were populistic measures which is even sadder.
I believe the OP was talking about American culture vs. Islamic culture. But to your point, while Christianity has had it's past sins, true Christianity is based on love for your fellow man. Those who use it for intolerance aren't practicing true Christianity, and that has always been the case. Thus Christian influenced countries have evolved into something better than the brutality of the Middle Ages. Islam was spread by the sword since it's beginning. Where are the Muslim missionaries preaching to the lost? Southern European history for much of the last 700 years was about resisting Muslim occupation and domination. Glossing over the evil of groups like ISIS by pointing out what Christians wrongly did a long time ago doesn't change the fact that a large percentage of the Muslim world still wants to spread their religion by any means they deem necessary.
I believe the OP was talking about American culture vs. Islamic culture. But to your point, while Christianity has had it's past sins, true Christianity is based on love for your fellow man. Those who use it for intolerance aren't practicing true Christianity, and that has always been the case. Thus Christian influenced countries have evolved into something better than the brutality of the Middle Ages. Islam was spread by the sword since it's beginning. Where are the Muslim missionaries preaching to the lost? Southern European history for much of the last 700 years was about resisting Muslim occupation and domination. Glossing over the evil of groups like ISIS by pointing out what Christians wrongly did a long time ago doesn't change the fact that a large percentage of the Muslim world still wants to spread their religion by any means they deem necessary.
The USA and the UK adopted Smith's policies before any other countries would and while pure liberism and liberalism fizzled out in the UK, it's still at the center of the politic scene in the USA.
In the same way, the need for Welfare State was first theorized by British economist John Maynard Keynes and put into practice by Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the USA yet no one would consider Welfare State as an American or British phenomenon but mostly a Continental European one
The first PC was created by Olivetti, an Italian firm and going by your logic if it wasn't for us Europeans you couldn't brag about the innovations America has brought to the world in the same way i couldn't knock American culture. The problem is that Islam nor any other religion isn't being forced upon us, we are free to act the way we want as long as it doesn't breach any of our country's rules.
Certain aspects of American culture are instead subtly being forced on us by the media
It's not a matter of bragging. If you allow average men the chance to improve their lives by inventing products that improve ours, you get an explosion in innovation that moves the world forward. If you hold people back with a restrictive culture that demonizes change, you get something like today's Islamic nations. Nowhere is that more evident than America vs the Middle East.
I believe the OP was talking about American culture vs. Islamic culture. But to your point, while Christianity has had it's past sins, true Christianity is based on love for your fellow man. Those who use it for intolerance aren't practicing true Christianity, and that has always been the case. Thus Christian influenced countries have evolved into something better than the brutality of the Middle Ages. Islam was spread by the sword since it's beginning. Where are the Muslim missionaries preaching to the lost? Southern European history for much of the last 700 years was about resisting Muslim occupation and domination. Glossing over the evil of groups like ISIS by pointing out what Christians wrongly did a long time ago doesn't change the fact that a large percentage of the Muslim world still wants to spread their religion by any means they deem necessary.
Good point that shouldn't be forgotten. For centuries the Byzantines resisted the Muslim advance, but eventually they were defeated in part due to Western European betrayal. After them, other European powers fought to keep the Turks out. You can see the effects of Turkish rule in the Balkans to this day.
I love when people bring up the crusades, because most people do not know anything about history.. The crusades were launched in response to Arab Muslim aggression
The Islamic world as the enemy of Christian Europe has been a political reality for over a thousand years... Why would things be different now?
-POLITICAL CORRECTNESS: Yes it works in the US, considering American history and culture it makes sense, but do not export it elsewhere where most likely won't work.
-FORCED SHOVED DOWN YOUR THROAT USA-STYLE MULTICULTURALISM: You HAVE to abandon your cultural heritage and label yourself with white/black or whatever term Americans use, and accept this new identity and embrace the American concept of multiculturalism, because you HAVE TO!
- CORPORTATION WINS OVER THE PEOPLE: Small businesses are over, it's all big corporations ruling everything, notice how stores everywhere in the world are nowadays pretty much the same! (this was born and largely pushed by the US)
- RUSSIA IS YOUR ENEMY EUROPE, AMERICA YOUR FRIEND: If Europe had TRULY INTELLIGENT LEADERS, they would take advantage of both Rusia and the USA relations wise.... Sadly European leaders are spineless and at the orders of the US, as a result Europe always ends up in the middle of all this power struggle against Russia, often paying for the broken dishes after the party is over, while the US is happy keeping its power over Europe!
- EUROPE NEEDS TO LOSE ITS CULTURE AND ACCEPT THE GLOBALIZED MULTICULTURAL USA-STYLE WORLD: I already mentioned something similar earlier, but American influence while good in many ways, has been terrible for Europe in A LOT OF OTHER WAYS! Certain countries especially Sweden, Netherlands, Germany are starting to look like the USA!
- WORK WORK WORK CONSUME CONSUME CONSUME, DON'T THINK! JUST WORK AND CONSUME: yes Europe is starting to become like that (Sadly!)
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
