Why so much interest in the US?

[attofishpi]

My answer is the US is a leading, maybe the leading country in this world.

The US leads the world in arms sales and stirring up trouble so that those arms can be sold. That about sums up the US. Millions of the world's poor dying because of the US arms factory. The United States still supports the manufacture and deployment of land mines FFS.

The youth and not so young of the US buy copious amounts of cocaine from its southern neighbour, Mexico, fueling and feeding the drug cartels, but hey it all works out great, cause then they get to sell arms to the cartels and make shitloads of money!

Simply being picky focusing on the negative. What about the positive qualities of the US?

PhilX

Ok. I've been to many places in the US, liked most of the people I met. I like NASA and the shit they pull off. I like hotdogs. I like a lot of what the film industry creates. The people on the whole are good people, its just a shame their over-zealous patriotism blinds them to what their government is up to...and the pain it causes to peoples beyond their coastline.

[Philosophy Explorer]

The US leads the world in arms sales and stirring up trouble so that those arms can be sold. That about sums up the US. Millions of the world's poor dying because of the US arms factory. The United States still supports the manufacture and deployment of land mines FFS.

The youth and not so young of the US buy copious amounts of cocaine from its southern neighbour, Mexico, fueling and feeding the drug cartels, but hey it all works out great, cause then they get to sell arms to the cartels and make shitloads of money!

Simply being picky focusing on the negative. What about the positive qualities of the US?

PhilX

Ok. I've been to many places in the US, liked most of the people I met. I like NASA and the shit they pull off. I like hotdogs. I like a lot of what the film industry creates. The people on the whole are good people, its just a shame their over-zealous patriotism blinds them to what their government is up to...and the pain it causes to peoples beyond their coastline.

Would you say that in a sizable population, say 1,000,000 or more people, that people are essentially the same? (btw recently read that when humans first started, they were dark skinned to start off with. If anyone finds this disturbing, take it up with the scientists).

As far as the pain it may cause to foreigners, there are many peoples and governments (through treaties, etc.) who do welcome the US. It's a complicated world and the US can't live in isolationism like it once did and the oceans are less important than they once were from this POV.

PhilX

[Lacewing]

The people on the whole are good people, its just a shame their over-zealous patriotism blinds them to what their government is up to...and the pain it causes to peoples beyond their coastline.

I think most Americans do NOT have an over-zealous patriotism that blinds them to the self-serving and destructive games the American government is playing. Rather, they are just as disgusted and disheartened by it, while trying to function day-to-day in the midst of all the overwhelming stresses of the world they live in. It's not their fault... and most Americans do what they can to make things better.

Why do you attempt to collectively blame and target a huge group of diverse people? How does that even make sense?

[attofishpi]

The people on the whole are good people, its just a shame their over-zealous patriotism blinds them to what their government is up to...and the pain it causes to peoples beyond their coastline.

I think most Americans do NOT have an over-zealous patriotism that blinds them to the self-serving and destructive games the American government is playing. Rather, they are just as disgusted and disheartened by it, while trying to function day-to-day in the midst of all the overwhelming stresses of the world they live in. It's not their fault... and most Americans do what they can to make things better.

Why do you attempt to collectively blame and target a huge group of diverse people? How does that even make sense?

Oh, well i dunno, probably stems from the fact that the US insist they are the worlds leading democracy!

[Lacewing]

Why do you attempt to collectively blame and target a huge group of diverse people? How does that even make sense?

Oh, well i dunno, probably stems from the fact that the US insist they are the worlds leading democracy!

The U.S. is a country -- it cannot insist anything. In any country, there are diverse people. Some individuals wave flags and talk about how much better they are than others. Those individuals are ignorant. Also ignorant are any people who think that those individuals are representative of everyone in the country. So don't be ignorant.

[vegetariantaxidermy]

The people on the whole are good people, its just a shame their over-zealous patriotism blinds them to what their government is up to...and the pain it causes to peoples beyond their coastline.

I think most Americans do NOT have an over-zealous patriotism that blinds them to the self-serving and destructive games the American government is playing. Rather, they are just as disgusted and disheartened by it, while trying to function day-to-day in the midst of all the overwhelming stresses of the world they live in. It's not their fault... and most Americans do what they can to make things better.

Why do you attempt to collectively blame and target a huge group of diverse people? How does that even make sense?

So it's just 'coincidence' that your country has the image that it does?

[Lacewing]

So it's just 'coincidence' that your country has the image that it does?

No, it's not a coincidence that the U.S. has the image it does on the world stage... but IS it intelligent to bash an entire country and everyone in it, as if it is ONE ENTITY? Doesn't that seem like ridiculously narrow, lazy thinking? No different than judging/condemning all theists... or atheists... or women... or men... as if they are ALL THE FUCKING SAME. What kind of simple mentality needs to conceive of things in that way? A narrow, lazy mentality that needs to create enemies that must be destroyed. A hateful mentality that needs to WAR against things! It's very primitive.

[vegetariantaxidermy]

So it's just 'coincidence' that your country has the image that it does?

No, it's not a coincidence that the U.S. has the image it does on the world stage... but IS it intelligent to bash an entire country and everyone in it, as if it is ONE ENTITY? Doesn't that seem like ridiculously narrow, lazy thinking? No different than judging/condemning all theists... or atheists... or women... or men... as if they are ALL THE FUCKING SAME. What kind of simple mentality needs to conceive of things in that way? A narrow, lazy mentality that needs to create enemies that must be destroyed. A hateful mentality that needs to WAR against things! It's very primitive.

I've already explained umpteen times why it's perfectly rational to do that. It's your country btw that is made up almost entirely of warmongers and military-lovers. If it were not, wouldn't you be having huge protests over your Govts. (which apparently have nothing at all to do with the actual population) mass murder of peoples they consider inferior, with lives that are nowhere near as important as 'American lives'? I mean, a country of 300 million would surely be able to muster up some pretty impressive protest marches. Do you 'support our troops'? What exactly do you call blowing up an entire country, because of what? Was that done in the name of 'love'?
Get stuffed. Your country deserves all the hatred it gets, and I'm surprised there isn't a lot more of it. I suppose next you will say there is no such thing as American culture and globalisation. 'Diversity' is just another bullshit PC political expression that means zilch.

[Lacewing]

You like raging against things, Veggie. That's extremism and intoxication... not clarity or truth.

No, I do not support what the U.S. government or the military is doing -- nor do most of the people I am associated with, nor the people that they are associated with, and so on. You aren't seeing the full picture. You're just convinced by the LOUDEST NOISES you hear.

It's your country btw that is made up almost entirely of warmongers and military-lovers.

Can you provide some statistics to back that up... or is it simply a convenient claim to support your hate?

There have been a lot of ongoing protests... many of them massive, all across America. But AGAIN, there's only so much that people can do against their own government (are you aware of that?) -- and most people are just trying to get by day-to-day in their lives. ANY country's citizens are NOT likely to CONDONE corruption and lying and destruction by their government! Most people are not caught up in that shit.

Your country deserves all the hatred it gets

So, clearly you're no better than the warring mentalities that you rage against. If you want to understand that madness, look no further than yourself.

[vegetariantaxidermy]

You like raging against things, Veggie. That's extremism and intoxication... not clarity or truth.

No, I do not support what the U.S. government or the military is doing -- nor do most of the people I am associated with, nor the people that they are associated with, and so on. You aren't seeing the full picture. You're just convinced by the LOUDEST NOISES you hear.

It's your country btw that is made up almost entirely of warmongers and military-lovers.

Can you provide some statistics to back that up... or is it simply a convenient claim to support your hate?

There have been a lot of ongoing protests... many of them massive, all across America. But AGAIN, there's only so much that people can do against their own government (are you aware of that?) -- and most people are just trying to get by day-to-day in their lives. Any country's citizens are NOT likely to CONDONE corruption and lying in their government! Most people are not caught up in that shit.

Your country deserves all the hatred it gets

So, clearly you're no better than the warring mentalities that you rage against. If you want to understand that madness, look no further than yourself.

Which protests would they be, and about what?
I'm not killing anyone. Look at all the supposedly 'loving' people who love war. They are a lot thicker on the ground than people like me. By your 'logic' I'm the one who should be pro-war. Yes I'm angry. Angry at your country for fucking up the whole planet. A country is only the sum total of its people.

[Walker]

VT is just fishing and bashing is the bait.

However, the United States is the greatest country on the face of the earth for several reasons.

One reason is that The United States is a state of mind. It is the state of becoming rather than the state of being. Becoming is movement; being is stillness. Being is the still axis around which the hamster wheel spins. Being is just gonna happen no matter where you are. To be, requires no movement.

Reason two, it’s pretty, although I heard somewhere that the admission price to national parks is going to double. With luck, that’s fake news.

[vegetariantaxidermy]

Hobbes was right. I don't actually have to say anything, just let them post.

[Lacewing]

Which protests would they be, and about what?

They're all documented online (and easy to find) if you really care to know.

I'm not killing anyone.

Do you think your pro-hate attitude is constructive?

Look at all the supposedly 'loving' people who love war.

Look at all the supposedly intelligent people who are acting completely ignorant. Humankind is like that.

Yes I'm angry. Angry at your country for fucking up the whole planet.

You know, I'm just living in a place on the planet that I was born into. I don't remember making a conscious choice for that to happen... I'm not hung up on borders or flags... I like all people (except assholes) regardless of their location on this planet. Whatever crazy trip you're on is your own.

A country is only the sum total of its people.

Then let's pull up every horrible thing that has been done in whatever countries you have lived in, and we'll direct all of our rage about that at you. Does that sound reasonable and productive?

[vegetariantaxidermy]

You know, I'm just living in a place on the planet that I was born into. I don't remember making a conscious choice for that to happen... I'm not hung up on borders or flags... I like all people (except assholes) regardless of their location on this planet. Whatever crazy trip you're on is your own.

A country is only the sum total of its people.

Then let's pull up every horrible thing that has been done in whatever countries you have lived in, and we'll direct all of our rage about that at you. Does that sound reasonable and productive?

It hasn't cocked up the planet, but I'm not patriotic anyway. I don't give a damn what anyone says about this country as long as it's true. In fact I think it's quite funny when people say negative things about it.

http://www.npr.org/2011/04/15/135391188 ... r-movement

So I'm not the only one that has noticed the absence of an anti-war movement in the US. I suppose it's just not 'trendy' at the moment.

[Lacewing]

...

Your toxic and bitter rage is tiresome, Veggie. And it's too unbalanced to take seriously.