_________________________
Please take COVID-19 seriously; don't panic but don't deny it; practice social distancing (stay 6ft from people); wear a mask, wash your hands a lot, don't touch your face, don't gather with too many people, so that you help us contain it.
In quoting my post, you affirm and agree that you have not been goaded, provoked, emotionally manipulated or otherwise coerced into responding.
"The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems.”
Mahatma Gandhi
Docthehun (05-28-2020)
The tendency of Americans, of all people, to play the victim and accuse others of being "expansionist" is absolutely mind-blowing.
Remind me... which government has its military and paramilitary forces deployed to virtually every corner of the globe right now?
Which government is responsible for invading and destroying multiple countries over the past thirty years?
Which government has been incessantly sanctioning and destabilizing other countries over the past thirty years?
Which government is currently catalyzing multiple insurrections and civil wars across the world?
Which government is spending taxpayer money on propping up client states that oppress their populations?
That would be the US government, your government.
But let me guess... it's different when Americans do it? Because they have noble intentions? Because Americans aren't governed by the same standards as everyone else?
Power always thinks it has a great soul, and vast views, beyond the comprehension of the weak. And that it is doing God service when it is violating all His laws.
--John Adams
You guessed wrong. I don't think we are saints. But I do think that if the Chinese take over completely, at some point most humans will look back at the time when the USA was the main superpower, with nostalgia, as the Chinese will be probably a lot more ruthless. I believe that the idea of American imperialism overlooks the fact that we've also been a stabilizing force over the 70 years that followed WWII.
Noble intentions? I'll settle for my country doing well. Isn't it what most nationals want for their countries?
_________________________
Please take COVID-19 seriously; don't panic but don't deny it; practice social distancing (stay 6ft from people); wear a mask, wash your hands a lot, don't touch your face, don't gather with too many people, so that you help us contain it.
Welcome CenterField!
CenterField (05-28-2020)
CenterField (05-28-2020)
The US government hasn't been a stabilizing force, that is ridiculous. It's been invading, attacking, sanctioning, and subverting dozens of countries for decades. Millions of people have had their lives needlessly destroyed because of the US government's aggressive foreign policy. I saw the carnage firsthand while I was in Iraq. Absolutely shameful and disgusting what's been done to that civilization by the US government. But the many victims of US foreign policy are basically invisible to the average American.
Last edited by Ethereal; 05-28-2020 at 09:03 AM.
Power always thinks it has a great soul, and vast views, beyond the comprehension of the weak. And that it is doing God service when it is violating all His laws.
--John Adams
In quoting my post, you affirm and agree that you have not been goaded, provoked, emotionally manipulated or otherwise coerced into responding.
"The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems.”
Mahatma Gandhi
Like I said, I haven't denied that we aren't saints. But the stabilizing force relates to keeping in check the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and the Chinese expansionism in the South China Sea. The world could have been in a lot more trouble if we were isolationists during the last 70 years.
_________________________
Please take COVID-19 seriously; don't panic but don't deny it; practice social distancing (stay 6ft from people); wear a mask, wash your hands a lot, don't touch your face, don't gather with too many people, so that you help us contain it.