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The deep roots of the US have always been racist and misogynistic. From seeing indigenous Americans has inferior beings subject to either slavery or annihilation, to the blatant enslavement and continued oppression of subsaharan Africans and their descendants.
America has always been extremely color conscious and racist. Of course, this it has in common with most of Europe. It's just that the US is more obviously blatant about it. That's especially evident today with the Trump administration. I mean separating children from their parents at the border to serve merely as a deterrent against immigration, legal or illegal?
-And then not to be adequately responsible to have the capacity to reunite children with parents!
It's quite obvious that the Trump administration does NOT care about these people. Most of whom are people of color.
It's difficult to imagine that this Alt-Right driven Trump administration would treat white immigrants in even a remotely similar fashion...
My opinions about Trump were formed by listening to him. When I hear a speech, I rarely stick around afterward for talking heads of any political stripe to tell me what was just said.
That might be the case but doesn't change the fact that the media spin on Trump is mangled to the point of becoming Fake News. Over 90% of the stories on Trump are negative and this despite wiping out ISIS, solving the Korean crisis favorably, lowest unemployment in decades...if he solves cancer, the story will be about the unemployed cancer doctors. I also expect the next story to be how Trump is forcing children back to illegal immigrant parents that are very bad.
Sometimes I think, based on comments I see here, that there are people who would be delighted to bring back debtors prisons, just as long as the debts in question were not related to taxes. We tend to mock the Victorians, yet many of our prevailing attitudes about the poor seem to come directly from that era.
America does seem to have a very Victorian type of attitude to the poor and unfortunate.
It's a country where many people are happy to give money to charity and the church, but at the same time many people want tax cuts and are against any form of welfare or universal healthcare.
It's become almost like survival of the fittest, and to see tent cities and skid rows in the cities of the richest country on earth beggars belief.
I have been fascinated with America, and it's people all my life. At the same time I have been puzzled by many attitudes, and the seeming despising of so called failures in society. The one's who don't 'lift themselves up by their bootstraps', and the like.
With the election of Donald Trump, this underlying cruelty has manifested itself, and is on display all the time in this forum. Whether it's illegals, different racial groups, UHC, politics in general, the educated sneering at the uneducated, and a more inward looking population. A seeming cheering at Trump's wrecking ball type of politics. It is endlessly interesting to me, as an outsider looking in, but difficult to understand.
I came across an online article which for me, helped a little in understanding the American mentality. The writer of it says America was a promised land - for the despised, loathed and hated. Folks not given an ounce of respect, dignity, or even belonging in their societies of origin.
It was built on hate. First the British and French settlers hating the Native Americans, and then the next wave of settlers too. Cruelty was established as a way of life. Each new tribe that came to this promised land, brought the burden of being despised and oppressed with them. They were finally above someone else in a social hierarchy. They were not at the bottom anymore. The basis of a dog eat dog, survival of the fittest mentality was formed, which continues today. Today's servant wants to be tomorrow's master. Today's peasant, wants to be tomorrow's landlord. Today's victim aspires to be tomorrow's oppressor.
An attitude of cruelty was formed. Punching down, not lifting up. It's all that Americans expect from each other, and give to each other. A perverse idea of virtue, that by punishing people, we can better them. It is all that Americans expect from each other, and give to each other.
This article made me think, and ponder about this great country, and why it does, what it does. How did the 'Promised Land' get to where it is today? Led by a sociopathic, hateful man, who can do no wrong to a large part of the population. Do Americans on this forum agree with what he has to say, or think he's wrong?
well well, big surprise another anti american anti trump hit piece. and interesting that a european liberal is buying into the bull cap being spewed by the author.
how about coming here and living among americans for a couple of years or so, and really see what is going on in this country.
well well, big surprise another anti american anti trump hit piece. and interesting that a european liberal is buying into the bull cap being spewed by the author.
how about coming here and living among americans for a couple of years or so, and really see what is going on in this country.
EnglishDave: Thanks for the post. As you've seen in this thread, America has a large contingent of people who are incapable of self-reflection or a critique of the US that might be counter to their world view.
While I don't agree 100% with the article it does have some valid observations. I would like to add a clip from the late Christopher Hitchens...the hyper smart Brit who adopted the U.S. as his home. The interview of Hitchens was during the rise of the Tea Party (circa 2010) and has some very relevant observations which relate to your question:
A brief synopsis of his comments: The distrust of the government and a reluctance of allowing the state intervene to help people has deep roots:
-A legacy of Calvinism handed down from the frontier days. And really, we aren't that far removed from our frontier days. In the broad sweep of human history....150 years is a drop in the bucket.
-A belief that life should be risky and if you fall on hard times you did something wrong.
well well, big surprise another anti american anti trump hit piece. and interesting that a european liberal is buying into the bull cap being spewed by the author.
how about coming here and living among americans for a couple of years or so, and really see what is going on in this country.
If you do visit the US, don't watch FOX news, or listen to AM radio shock propoganists or political talking heads...
Thinking of how the US sent soldiers to deal with the indigenous population. Canada sent police.
Our history is filled with massacres, Trail of Tears, etc.
Theirs, not so much.
Why the difference?
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