4 ms·

I think getting upset comes from the fact that in addition to some very valid criticism, there is a tremendous amount of invalid criticism thrown towards the US

I think getting upset comes from the fact that in addition to some very valid criticism, there is a tremendous amount of invalid criticism thrown towards the US. If Germany or Austria or the Netherlands were constantly being insulted on the world-stage then they would likely grow sensitive to criticism as well, even when it is occasionally valid. Another reason could be the mindless, abject hatred you seem to have of the country. If you approached your criticisms rationally they likely would be better recieved. Instead it sounds like you're spouting what you've read on woke twitter and have left no room for compromise. Saying "The USA is a shithole" is akin to saying "Europe is a shithole". It's a blanket statement that it not unilaterally true for either. I lived in Europe myself for several years and there were things I both loved and hated. There were nice areas as well as shitty areas. After spending those years in the EU, I've come to prefer the US. You're entitled to your opinion, you're not entitled to generalize an entire country and it's population and then insult someone when they object to those generalizations.

boffinAudio 5y ago
> If Germany or Austria or the Netherlands were constantly being insulted on the world-stage This would be a fair argument if you, as an American, weren't ignoring the fact that the USA is the worlds #1 cause of terror, war and torment - in countless other sovereign nations, whose infrastructure was torn apart so that Americans could feel good about themselves and their country. Austrians, and Germans aren't dropping bombs on innocent people every twenty minutes. Your perception that America is unjustly criticized belies the fact that just maybe, you need to travel a bit more to see that a lot of the world is seriously fed up with America's bullshit. The point of travelling is to try to understand that a bit better, and I hope you do that. In the same way that I generalize about America being a shit-hole - Americans generalize, and then drop bombs.
- throwaway6734 5y ago
  >the fact that the USA is the worlds #1 cause of terror, war and torment - in countless other sovereign nations, Pax Americana has been the most productive time in modern history. Europe's track record is objectively worse
  - EricE 5y ago
    I love that you are getting downvoted for pointing out something so objectively true no one has responded to it by other than downvoting :)
- MathCodeLove 5y ago
  A lot of the world is also thrilled with the defense support provided to them by the US. We don't remain in countries like Germany, Italy, Greece, Spain, etc by force. We do so because they couldn't defend themselves without us and they know it - so they request our presence. A lot of these allied nations are participating in those very wars you complain about, but naturally their involvement is usually much smaller since they lack the infrastructure to compete with the US. When you say "a lot of the world" you really talking about a very specific subset of the world, while there is also much of the world grateful for our presence as we are the only real deterrent from NK, Russia, or China taking their country by force. Feel free to deny or say that I'm "othering" or am perpetuating a boogey-man, but there is very real data and intelligence to support these claims, I'm not just pulling it out of my ass.
  - syki 5y ago
    Around the time of our invasion of Iraq the South Korean President of Korea criticized the Bush administration’s fixation with Iraq. A day or so later Rumsfeld announced that the U.S. would withdraw from South Korea in the coming years. Their stock market went into a downward spiral and they quickly recanted their criticisms. The U.S. has done a lot of good and a lot of bad. An Australian once said to me, “If someone is going to rule the world you could do a lot worse than having it be the U.S.” One of the few things I liked about Trump was his statements that our allies need to spend more on defense. We should not shoulder the burden alone. https://thediplomat.com/2015/06/evolution-of-the-u-s-rok-alliance-abandonment-fears/ https://thediplomat.com/2015/06/evolution-of-the-u-s-rok-all...
- nafizh 5y ago
  Last I saw, France, whose army is still inflicting serious violence in West Africa with its army (albeit with the permission of the governments there), is in Europe.
- nec4b 5y ago
  Austria and Germany started the first and the second world war. Austria has a bad record of implementing and respecting laws about its minorities to this day.
syki 5y ago
We recently had a President talk about “shit hole” countries. Roughly one half of the U.S. cheered or at a minimum were passive about such a comment. I use the term “shit hole” country to refer to the U.S. partially as a joke to see Trump supporters get huffy when saying this. For a nation to be as wealthy as we are and to be in the state we are in I think it’s fair to say the U.S. is a shit hole country. Our patriotism and propaganda blind us to this fact.
- MathCodeLove 5y ago
  Okay, good for you, that doesn't at all change my statement. A sitting president talking about "shit hole" countries doesn't equate to constant, enduring criticism from the rest of the world. Glad you can get one over on "other side" though. It's honestly people like you who drive the division that perpetuates the bipartisanship and make it even more difficult to pass legislature that could benefit the country. Before you criticize everyone and everything else, take a look at your own behavior and see if there's anything you can do to mitigate harm at your scale.
  - syki 5y ago
    Talk about generalizing things! You know very little about me and my little joke with using “shit hole” country is hardly a problem the country faces or is in any way perpetuating partisan divides. It’s ok to call out hypocrisy when one sees it. This is especially so when it involves our leaders. Before you criticize everyone and everything else, take a look at your own behavior and see if there's anything you can do to mitigate harm at your scale. I haven’t criticized everyone or everything else. I criticized the U.S. for being as wealthy as it is and being in the state it is in. It’s not a good look for you to complain about overgeneralizing and then write the above overgeneralization. My presidential voting record: George Bush 1992 Bob Dole 1996 Green Party 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 Donald Trump 2016

boffinAudio 5y ago

> If Germany or Austria or the Netherlands were constantly being insulted on the world-stage This would be a fair argument if you, as an American, weren't ignoring the fact that the USA is the worlds #1 cause of terror, war and torment - in countless other sovereign nations, whose infrastructure was torn apart so that Americans could feel good about themselves and their country. Austrians, and Germans aren't dropping bombs on innocent people every twenty minutes. Your perception that America is unjustly criticized belies the fact that just maybe, you need to travel a bit more to see that a lot of the world is seriously fed up with America's bullshit. The point of travelling is to try to understand that a bit better, and I hope you do that. In the same way that I generalize about America being a shit-hole - Americans generalize, and then drop bombs.

throwaway6734 5y ago
>the fact that the USA is the worlds #1 cause of terror, war and torment - in countless other sovereign nations, Pax Americana has been the most productive time in modern history. Europe's track record is objectively worse
- EricE 5y ago
  I love that you are getting downvoted for pointing out something so objectively true no one has responded to it by other than downvoting :)
MathCodeLove 5y ago
A lot of the world is also thrilled with the defense support provided to them by the US. We don't remain in countries like Germany, Italy, Greece, Spain, etc by force. We do so because they couldn't defend themselves without us and they know it - so they request our presence. A lot of these allied nations are participating in those very wars you complain about, but naturally their involvement is usually much smaller since they lack the infrastructure to compete with the US. When you say "a lot of the world" you really talking about a very specific subset of the world, while there is also much of the world grateful for our presence as we are the only real deterrent from NK, Russia, or China taking their country by force. Feel free to deny or say that I'm "othering" or am perpetuating a boogey-man, but there is very real data and intelligence to support these claims, I'm not just pulling it out of my ass.
- syki 5y ago
  Around the time of our invasion of Iraq the South Korean President of Korea criticized the Bush administration’s fixation with Iraq. A day or so later Rumsfeld announced that the U.S. would withdraw from South Korea in the coming years. Their stock market went into a downward spiral and they quickly recanted their criticisms. The U.S. has done a lot of good and a lot of bad. An Australian once said to me, “If someone is going to rule the world you could do a lot worse than having it be the U.S.” One of the few things I liked about Trump was his statements that our allies need to spend more on defense. We should not shoulder the burden alone. https://thediplomat.com/2015/06/evolution-of-the-u-s-rok-alliance-abandonment-fears/ https://thediplomat.com/2015/06/evolution-of-the-u-s-rok-all...
nafizh 5y ago
Last I saw, France, whose army is still inflicting serious violence in West Africa with its army (albeit with the permission of the governments there), is in Europe.
nec4b 5y ago
Austria and Germany started the first and the second world war. Austria has a bad record of implementing and respecting laws about its minorities to this day.

syki 5y ago

We recently had a President talk about “shit hole” countries. Roughly one half of the U.S. cheered or at a minimum were passive about such a comment. I use the term “shit hole” country to refer to the U.S. partially as a joke to see Trump supporters get huffy when saying this. For a nation to be as wealthy as we are and to be in the state we are in I think it’s fair to say the U.S. is a shit hole country. Our patriotism and propaganda blind us to this fact.

MathCodeLove 5y ago
Okay, good for you, that doesn't at all change my statement. A sitting president talking about "shit hole" countries doesn't equate to constant, enduring criticism from the rest of the world. Glad you can get one over on "other side" though. It's honestly people like you who drive the division that perpetuates the bipartisanship and make it even more difficult to pass legislature that could benefit the country. Before you criticize everyone and everything else, take a look at your own behavior and see if there's anything you can do to mitigate harm at your scale.
- syki 5y ago
  Talk about generalizing things! You know very little about me and my little joke with using “shit hole” country is hardly a problem the country faces or is in any way perpetuating partisan divides. It’s ok to call out hypocrisy when one sees it. This is especially so when it involves our leaders. Before you criticize everyone and everything else, take a look at your own behavior and see if there's anything you can do to mitigate harm at your scale. I haven’t criticized everyone or everything else. I criticized the U.S. for being as wealthy as it is and being in the state it is in. It’s not a good look for you to complain about overgeneralizing and then write the above overgeneralization. My presidential voting record: George Bush 1992 Bob Dole 1996 Green Party 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 Donald Trump 2016