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The more that I read of (US) history the less extremely worried I am. Maybe I should be more worried about climate change. But other than that, we've been doing

The more that I read of (US) history the less extremely worried I am. Maybe I should be more worried about climate change. But other than that, we've been doing crazy stupid stuff, some evil stuff, some good stuff for a long time. Yet the general trend has been to become more democratic, more socialist, more multi-ethnic/multi-cultural, more scientific, etc. I'm not defending any of the bad parts historically or that still exist today, just trying to understand better what the US is and was. I think that this is a good article reminding everyone of all of this.

akie 5y ago
[flagged]
- vt85 5y ago
  - eropple 5y ago
  - pessimizer 5y ago
    What made it the "greatest country on earth" was not being in Europe when WWII was fought.
    - nivenkos 5y ago
      A whole lot of imperialism. The intervention in Panama and construction of the Panama Canal was huge too - redirecting a lot of wealth from Argentina.
    - gonzo41 5y ago
      Yeah, this was a really big edge for the USA, not having to rebuild a second time in 40 years after massive wars that killed a majority of your working men. And you got to keep all the scientists (operation paperclip), and take reparations in technology transfers (250K ton break presses used in aircraft manufacturing).
- jjtheblunt 5y ago
  > US is literally build on slavery and genocide the south sure was, but the north? is that not a topic of the civil war?
  - em500 5y ago
    The north wasn't uninhabited land before the Europeans arrived.
  - pjc50 5y ago
    The two are kind of glued together.
  - mkr-hn 5y ago
    Where were the banks that financed the slave trade, and who bought the output? The north was economically interdependent then, too.
  - TremendousJudge 5y ago
    Besides what others said, the textile factories were in the north
archhn 5y ago
Reading history to comprehend the present is like watching videos of other people driving, while you are driving. The past is not like the present. Things have changed. There were no nuclear bombs when the constitution was written, nor chemical weapons, bio labs, genetic engineering, the internet, etc. We live in unprecedented times--if we can believe the mainstream view of history. Some like to think that history repeats itself. That human history is just a demonstration of invariable principles of human nature in different guises. This is an antiquated view, given man's newfound ability to change himself and his environment. Some people have also said that we're reaching the end of history. That the systems of the world will become so stable, owing to the apocalyptic prospect of war with modern technology, that everyone will basically become a moronic beurocrat in it and there will be no more wars. Humanity will be benevolently managed a la brave new world. Social stability will become the only goal of the human race because every other aim leads to war, and war will become suicide for humanity. I'm also skeptical of this idea as well. The will to power that breeds war will adapt. We won't fight wars with guns and nukes, but with words and culture. The new wars are psychological. And these wars are constant and just as destructive as real wars. More Americans die from complications associated with being overweight than from fighting in foreign wars. French fries are the new bullets in modern wars. If you look at Mexico and see the alarming rise of diabetes, this can be traced back to U.S. corporations pushing unhealthy sugar drinks on their population. Pepsi is just as dangerous to these people as the cartels. I believe we're in the midst of a war we can't recognize because it isn't fought with conventional weapons. Birth rates crashing, social blight everywhere, insane wealth inequality, families unable to stay together, cultural chaos, etc. Lives are being destoroyed, casualties are mounting, but they aren't seen as such. It's "just the way things are." My friend, I hate to rain on your parade but my ultimate prediction is this: the psychological warfare will get so bad that people will believe things are the best they've ever been as they are being destroyed. People will be conditioned to yearn for their own destruction and will see all healthy things, all things that could save them, as bad things. Death will become the ultimate good. And when everyone is dying, the world will be seen as a paradise.
- eatonphil 5y ago
  It's more that, just like you are doing here, I saw that people have been predicting the end of times for a long time. :)

akie 5y ago

[flagged]

vt85 5y ago
- eropple 5y ago
- pessimizer 5y ago
  What made it the "greatest country on earth" was not being in Europe when WWII was fought.
  - nivenkos 5y ago
    A whole lot of imperialism. The intervention in Panama and construction of the Panama Canal was huge too - redirecting a lot of wealth from Argentina.
  - gonzo41 5y ago
    Yeah, this was a really big edge for the USA, not having to rebuild a second time in 40 years after massive wars that killed a majority of your working men. And you got to keep all the scientists (operation paperclip), and take reparations in technology transfers (250K ton break presses used in aircraft manufacturing).
jjtheblunt 5y ago
> US is literally build on slavery and genocide the south sure was, but the north? is that not a topic of the civil war?
- em500 5y ago
  The north wasn't uninhabited land before the Europeans arrived.
- pjc50 5y ago
  The two are kind of glued together.
- mkr-hn 5y ago
  Where were the banks that financed the slave trade, and who bought the output? The north was economically interdependent then, too.
- TremendousJudge 5y ago
  Besides what others said, the textile factories were in the north

archhn 5y ago

Reading history to comprehend the present is like watching videos of other people driving, while you are driving. The past is not like the present. Things have changed. There were no nuclear bombs when the constitution was written, nor chemical weapons, bio labs, genetic engineering, the internet, etc. We live in unprecedented times--if we can believe the mainstream view of history. Some like to think that history repeats itself. That human history is just a demonstration of invariable principles of human nature in different guises. This is an antiquated view, given man's newfound ability to change himself and his environment. Some people have also said that we're reaching the end of history. That the systems of the world will become so stable, owing to the apocalyptic prospect of war with modern technology, that everyone will basically become a moronic beurocrat in it and there will be no more wars. Humanity will be benevolently managed a la brave new world. Social stability will become the only goal of the human race because every other aim leads to war, and war will become suicide for humanity. I'm also skeptical of this idea as well. The will to power that breeds war will adapt. We won't fight wars with guns and nukes, but with words and culture. The new wars are psychological. And these wars are constant and just as destructive as real wars. More Americans die from complications associated with being overweight than from fighting in foreign wars. French fries are the new bullets in modern wars. If you look at Mexico and see the alarming rise of diabetes, this can be traced back to U.S. corporations pushing unhealthy sugar drinks on their population. Pepsi is just as dangerous to these people as the cartels. I believe we're in the midst of a war we can't recognize because it isn't fought with conventional weapons. Birth rates crashing, social blight everywhere, insane wealth inequality, families unable to stay together, cultural chaos, etc. Lives are being destoroyed, casualties are mounting, but they aren't seen as such. It's "just the way things are." My friend, I hate to rain on your parade but my ultimate prediction is this: the psychological warfare will get so bad that people will believe things are the best they've ever been as they are being destroyed. People will be conditioned to yearn for their own destruction and will see all healthy things, all things that could save them, as bad things. Death will become the ultimate good. And when everyone is dying, the world will be seen as a paradise.

eatonphil 5y ago
It's more that, just like you are doing here, I saw that people have been predicting the end of times for a long time. :)