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.
Here is the rub, AJ. There is a significant class in this country (not in numbers, but influence) who are, shall we say, fawning towards Europe and all things European. They name their children with odd sounding, quasi-European names; they watch incredibly boring, pretentious French "films," and generally carp and complain about how bumptious and uneducated their countrymen are. I think it is a thinly veiled, Januarian inferiority (of their own country) / superiority (towards their countrymen) complex. They just need to have validation from their European betters. Read Hemingway. It's not new.
I am an adopted American, for what it's worth. We came to this country when I was in school; we could have moved to Europe, but its stifling, racist, xenophobic, and archaic structures made it (and continue to make it) undesirable. I think Europeans (and I am not naive to the EU), if you scratch the surface, recognise that they are not the Lords of the Earth anymore. They do not set culture; they surely no longer get to go round the Earth with impunity and trying to either make it over in their image or destroy resistance. I think that they recognise that American culture, unlike what they tried to export for 300 years, was ACCEPTED by the rest of the world, and not forced on them with a gun.
The US made mistakes - in Vietnam; in Iraq. But it is not Belgium. We don't have a King Leopold in our history. We are not France. The US is certainly not Spain, who knew a thing or two about imperialism.
An intelligent well thought out answer. Thank you.
Just like you can look at US foreign policy from the 1800s until now.
Might want to read a little about US intervention and the school of the americas. There's a real threat by the US government to the rest of the world.
What's the US doing in Africa now? Or South America or all of the Pacific Islands?
Yes; just what is the US doing in Africa right now? I mean, besides sending food and subsidised HIV meds. Now, they have a long way to go to catch up with Leopold and his arm and leg chopping, so they best get cracking if we want to be "European."
Might want to look at them setting up shop there.
All you have to do is a little research, called AFRICOM, start there.
Yeah, what we did to the Native Americans, any other country we've fought in as well.
How about the Mai Lai massacre? Or don't you know about that, either?
How about overthrowing duly elected governments in South America?
Might want to look at them setting up shop there.
All you have to do is a little research, called AFRICOM, start there.
Yeah, what we did to the Native Americans, any other country we've fought in as well.
How about the Mai Lai massacre? Or don't you know about that, either?
How about overthrowing duly elected governments in South America?
Oops, forget that item, too?
For the record, I am not a NeoConservative, so don't try to pin that on me.
The "Native Americans" were pretty well exterminated by the enlightened and civilised Spanish, French, and British, so Americans more or less finished the job. (Note: not an endorsement of the policy; just some context)
Nobody "forgot" any item. The US has baggage (as I said). It's not a perfect country. I know all about Viet Nam and US imperialism in SE Asia (hint: unlike many Americans and Europeans, what I know about the history of East Asia is a result of living in it, not talking a bunch of pseudo-intellectual "consciousness" pabulum over overpriced coffee and cigarettes).
The thread was about why Americans should care about European attitudes. My point in talking as I have is that the Europeans ought to be the LAST people on earth to lecture anyone about imperialism.
I guess, to boil it down, it's about pots and kettles and who ought to be calling whom dark colours.
For the record, I am not a NeoConservative, so don't try to pin that on me.
The "Native Americans" were pretty well exterminated by the enlightened and civilised Spanish, French, and British, so Americans more or less finished the job. (Note: not an endorsement of the policy; just some context)
Nobody "forgot" any item. The US has baggage (as I said). It's not a perfect country. I know all about Viet Nam and US imperialism in SE Asia (hint: unlike many Americans and Europeans, what I know about the history of East Asia is a result of living in it, not talking a bunch of pseudo-intellectual "consciousness" pabulum over overpriced coffee and cigarettes).
The thread was about why Americans should care about European attitudes. My point in talking as I have is that the Europeans ought to be the LAST people on earth to lecture anyone about imperialism.
I guess, to boil it down, it's about pots and kettles and who ought to be calling whom dark colours.
The voice of reason. I started the thread with a rant to gain attention.
Thank you to the responders. For the most part It s a good conversation.
Nobody "forgot" any item. The US has baggage (as I said). It's not a perfect country. I know all about Viet Nam and US imperialism in SE Asia (hint: unlike many Americans and Europeans, what I know about the history of East Asia is a result of living in it, not talking a bunch of pseudo-intellectual "consciousness" pabulum over overpriced coffee and cigarettes).
Hmmmm, just because you live somewhere doesn't mean you know anything about it. For example, look at the US.
I currently live in east asia and have lived in several countries here.
I'm also quite knowledgeable of several of the se asian countries from study and extensive visits there.
So cut your crap. You're not the only one on this forum with any knowledge about the world.
Hint: I'm not the only one who lives, has lived, or understands and/or studies Asian culture and history.
Read: Neither are you.
The United States is the last remaining nation that shows a semblance of capitalism that was borne out of Calvinism and natural law. In spite of FDR and successive generations of encroaching socialism, our economy attempts to reward prosperity. The framers of our Constitution authored a very unique doctrine that enables this to occur, in spite of generations of politicians and judges that have attempted to desecrate it. There are no other nations that practice this doctrine, and its purpose is to allow for a free market, with limited barriers and restrictions, while using our largess to (in theory) to fortify our military and soverignity. It's a very complex doctrine, and is not easily replicated. For one thing, you have to have a citizenry in place that understands and appreciates the values of this doctrine. We've enjoyed this built in advantage for some time now, but the left has made incremental, successive in roads towards corrupting the sanctity of capitalism, prinicipally through the hallowed halls of higher education. Why are educators predisposed to this thinking? Simple, self-interest. Tax dollars in the form of salaries are reliant upon their continued existence. So, when wars are fought, you invariably begin to see the proliferation of bumper stickers on the Lexus's about it being a great day when the government would have to have a bake sale to fund a B-52, without realizing, of course, our Constitution does not allow for their salaries or budgets, indeed, these are local issues. Instead, their resentment is passed down into the classroom, inculcates our youths, and fosters an entire new generation of students and citizens that believe that Washington D.C. is the cure to our ills. Anyway, I've digressed from my original point. Our nation has been able to sustain a belief in capitalism being the best form of government, but this is being encroached upon, and the tipping point is near. For it is my belief when you can absolve 50% of the population of having to pay meaningful taxation, you've passed the point of no return. The Democrats are fast approaching their goal. When we lose this belief system, then we become no better than Western Europe. Western Europe knows this, and has an interest in our destruction, because then it finally disavows the capitalist system of government we've enjoyed for the past 200+ years.
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.
My take
