It's semi-serious in that it does bother me that the US does a lot to help the world and we get nothing but mocked and belittled by the very same nations who constantly have their hands out begging for our help.
The US can do a lot to help in the world, but it also does a lot of pretty terrible things. (To say nothing of the things we stand by and wash our hands of.) The difference between the two has gotten pretty thin in recent years, if not gone negative.
I mean, Trump seems to have forgotten one of the secret purposes of NATO - keeping the French under control so they don't get any ideas about re-creating their African empire. Picking fights with Macron by joking about giving him ISIS fighters is emphatically not a good way to keep France under control. As far as Africa goes, the fact I trust America more in Africa than France says something.
I think that's because we are getting tired of helping and never having anything to show for it. I mean, even when the US does try to do something good, people still find something to complain about or accuse us of having some nefarious motive instead of just saying "thank you". So if people are going to hate us no matter what, then what's our motivation to not act purely out of self-interest and say "screw you" to the rest of the world?
I guess I would say that I am coming more and more to believe the US should return to its isolationist ways of the 1930s. Let the world tear itself apart while we sit back and watch and only intervene when we are directly threatened. Worked out pretty well for us last time.
I think that's because we are getting tired of helping and never having anything to show for it. I mean, even when the US does try to do something good, people still find something to complain about or accuse us of having some nefarious motive instead of just saying "thank you".
Okay, let's have a top ten list of 'good things the US has done in the last decade the world didn't thank us enough for".
I guess I would say that I am coming more and more to believe the US should return to its isolationist ways of the 1930s. Let the world tear itself apart while we sit back and watch and only intervene when we are directly threatened. Worked out pretty well for us last time.
Except for the collapse of the global economy and rampant militarism which plunged the world into the largest and most destructive conflict ever seen; a conflict that left untold million dead and dying and saw an attempt to exterminate an entire race with industrial methods.
When writing the UN Charter, the writers didn't stick the phrase "We the peoples of the United Nations determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind" simply because they thought it sounded good.
Okay, let's have a top ten list of 'good things the US has done in the last decade the world didn't thank us enough for".
Except for the collapse of the global economy and rampant militarism which plunged the world into the largest and most destructive conflict ever seen; a conflict that left untold million dead and dying and saw an attempt to exterminate an entire race with industrial methods.
When writing the UN Charter, the writers didn't stick the phrase "We the peoples of the United Nations determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind" simply because they thought it sounded good.
Except for the collapse of the global economy and rampant militarism which plunged the world into the largest and most destructive conflict ever seen; a conflict that left untold million dead and dying and saw an attempt to exterminate an entire race with industrial methods
Yeah, but the US came out of that on top of the world because our homeland was largely untouched by the conflict. Seems like when the US withdraws from world affairs, other nations quickly get at each other's throats to the benefit of the US. So why not try it again? As long as the conflict doesn't go nuclear, it is highly likely the US mainland will go largely unmolested again, positioning us to reassert our dominance over the global economy. And if it does go nuclear, well then none of us will have to worry about anything anymore so...
And plus, the rest of the world is constantly telling us we need to stop acting like the global police. All I'm saying is we should give the world what it wants. Why do you seem to have a problem with that?
Talking points from Trump now? And no he said the US does good for the world and gets no thanks and nothing to show for it. Which is complete and utter nonsense, the US intententionally positions itself as global hegemon and reaps countless benefits.
Talking points from Trump now? And no he said the US does good for the world and gets no thanks and nothing to show for it. Which is complete and utter nonsense, the US intententionally positions itself as global hegemon and reaps countless benefits.
And plus, the rest of the world is constantly telling us we need to stop acting like the global police. All I'm saying is we should give the world what it wants. Why do you seem to have a problem with that?
It's not that we're acting like police, it's that we're acting like American police, with all the negative connotations that come from that.
We don't have a good record and the world has very little reason to trust us when we're very eager to **** over entire countries for our own short-term benefit.
Withdrawing would hand over more power to the likes of China or Russia, why are you so intent on empowering the enemies of America?
There is a thing called the petro-dollar, ie having the US currency tied to gulf oil exports, with allies having to sell their oil in dollars thus artificially maintaining the currency at a decent level internationally. It may have something to do with endless US invasions in the area. Not seeing how any US invasion or support for dangerous regimes in the middle east is done to "help the world"; while that it is done to help the US economy is easier to notice.
There is a thing called the petro-dollar, ie having the US currency tied to gulf oil exports, with allies having to sell their oil in dollars thus artificially maintaining the currency at a decent level internationally. It may have something to do with endless US invasions in the area. Not seeing how any US invasion or support for dangerous regimes in the middle east is done to "help the world"; while that it is done to help the US economy is easier to notice.
Everything we do is to help the US economy. Overthrow commies, slaughter commies, install non-commie capitalist friendly dictators, and pretend we are fighting terror while supporting the very country most linked to our excuse for perpetuating endless war while they commit countless terrors. Hilarious that many still buy into this American exceptionalism nonsense.
Everything we do is to help the US economy. Overthrow commies, slaughter commies, install non-commie capitalist friendly dictators, and pretend we are fighting terror while supporting the very country most linked to our excuse for perpetuating endless war while they commit countless terrors. Hilarious that many still buy into this American exceptionalism nonsense.
We get it Zard. You have made up your mind 20 years ago and no one or any evidence is going to make you think twice about it. You and Commodore could start a successful think tank.
Best at what? Using its power to enrich itself at the expense of others? What is China doing that America hasn't? Africa likely will come out better than South America actually. Heck America isn't even the best at how it treats its own citizens, imprisoning more of them than any other country in the world. What's the stat, 20% of prisoners though only 5% of population? Life isn't kindergarten Hollywood good guys bad guys, a few other places being worse than America doesn't make it's atrocities acceptable.
Best at what? Using its power to enrich itself at the expense of others? What is China doing that America hasn't? Africa likely will come out better than South America actually. Heck America isn't even the best at how it treats its own citizens, imprisoning more of them than any other country in the world. What's the stat, 20% of prisoners though only 5% of population? Life isn't kindergarten Hollywood good guys bad guys, a few other places being worse than America doesn't make it's atrocities acceptable.
I feel obligated to point out the Uighur situation at this point. Also that China is like 95% Han Chinese and extremely xenophobic by nature. At least our ideals are human friendly outside of the patrician class here, that is not the case outside of here. (I do not deny the obvious war mongering and country overthrowing the US has partaken in for the benefit of a small amount of large US corporations)
I feel obligated to point out the Uighur situation at this point. Also that China is like 95% Han Chinese and extremely xenophobic by nature. At least our ideals are human friendly outside of the patrician class here, that is not the case outside of here. (I do not deny the obvious war mongering and country overthrowing the US has partaken in for the benefit of a small amount of large US corporations)
Again I'm not trying to say one is better or worse, or that they are the same. But America is no moral good guy vs. anywhere else. Yes what China is doing to the Uighurs is despicable. However our prison population reaally doesn't allow us to point out how other countries oppress minorities with a straight face, not to mention our treatment of asylum seekers and caging kids and pretty much giving them up to sex abusers and child traffickers. So we're not China or Saudi Arabia, yes that is a good thing, but let's not pretend we are that much better than them either. Again when you say our ideals, what ideals really set us that much apart? Women's rights pale in comparison to many places, our healthcare is a joke when the rest of the rich world isn't bankrupting people who need medical help, and our government clearly infringes on our privacy right up there at similar levels as our favorite boogeyman. Sure we don't censor sites on the internet and arrest journalists, or kill them like the Saudis, but we allow corporations to buy politicians and influence the media. We are not the leader of the free world by some moral authority, just might. We are Rome. There is no 'ideal' chosen country/people we should look to follow as the just and 'best' hegemon, we just care about our own interests same as any would. We've done good, bad, same as the rest. But the world has every right to laugh at our gaffes and frown at our big stick wagging and, like you said, destabilizing places to the benefit of our corporations.
Also there are a lot of crap governments out there, lets not conflate them with the 'ideals' of the people they rule over.
Russia and China are struggling to maintain themselves as regional powers, there is no plausible near-future in which they replace the United States as global hegemon.
Russia and China are struggling to maintain themselves as regional powers, there is no plausible near-future in which they replace the United States as global hegemon.
I don't know if you noticed, but Russia / Ukraine already happened, and nobody (in terms of international bodies that can make an impact) seemed to care.
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No. It hasn't, sadly.
