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How does the World view America these days?


Rubin Farr

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There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.

[...]

There are 200 million Americans who have inhabited schoolrooms at some time in their lives and who will admit that they know how to read (provided you promise not to use their names and shame them before their neighbors), but most decent periodicals believe they are doing amazingly well if they have circulations of half a million. It may be that only 1 per cent–or less―of American make a stab at exercising their right to know. And if they try to do anything on that basis they are quite likely to be accused of being elitists.

I contend that the slogan “America’s right to know” is a meaningless one when we have an ignorant population, and that the function of a free press is virtually zero when hardly anyone can read.

-- Isaac Asimo, A Cult of Ignorance (Newsweek, 1980)

Edited by dcom
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9 hours ago, dcom said:

-- Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark (1995)

well said comrade carl

 

longer version including other discussions like the US's disgusting behavior during the cold war and the USSR's amazing advancements

 

Edited by cyanobacteria
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6 minutes ago, randomsummer said:

Yes, I know.  It's one of my favorite documentaries!  :emotawesomepm9:

I commented for the benefit of those who might not know, it would be rather odd if you didn't.

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Biden trying to outshine the glory of International Workers' Day with "Loyalty Day" where we pledge our loyalty to the state [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loyalty_Day]

what an absolutely fucking braindead piece of worthless garbage, FUCK america

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/04/30/a-proclamation-on-loyalty-day-2021/

On Loyalty Day, we celebrate our allegiance to the project of this great Nation and the democratic ideals woven into the fabric of our Constitution. As Americans, we do not command loyalty, but seek to earn it through our actions — including by living up to the principles enshrined in our Constitution and respecting the will of the people as reflected in the democratic process. Drawn together by the promise of equality, freedom, and justice, we are a Nation of shared ideals and strong, resilient people. Here in America, loyalty does not mean fealty to any one leader or political party, nor does it mean unthinking praise or willful ignorance of our shortcomings — it means loyalty to our common ideals, and to one another. It means standing united as one people, even as we cherish our differences and respect dissent.

Our country is a diverse tapestry of many cultures, heritages, religions, and languages, brought together around the values and ideals we all share as Americans. Together, we celebrate our differences and draw strength from our common commitment to perfecting our Union. No matter what challenges come our way, our Nation holds strong together — bound by our Constitution and the rule of law, uplifted by individual liberties and promises of justice we have worked hard in each generation to secure and expand, and consecrated by those who have sacrificed to preserve, defend, and care for our Nation.

We see loyalty in the members of our Armed Forces, who selflessly serve in harm’s way; in their families, who, in the timeless words of the poet John Milton, “also serve who only stand and wait;” in our educators, who dedicate their lives to nurturing young minds; in our first responders, who put their lives on the line to save others; in all those who have the courage to call out our Nation’s imperfections when we fall short, and who continue to push our society to live up to its founding promise of freedom, justice, and equality for all. May 1 is also International Workers’ Day, and we honor the workers whose service and sacrifice has helped turn the tide against the COVID-19 pandemic. On this day, we show our gratitude to our essential workers — and to all of the workers who have organized and fought to improve our Nation and create a fairer and more just society for all.

To acknowledge the American ethos of patriotism and the sacrifices so many of our fellow citizens have made, the Congress, by Public Law 85-529, as amended, has designated the 1st day of May each year as Loyalty Day. On this day, let us reaffirm our commitment to the values that bind us together and honor all those who have defended our freedom.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 1, 2021, as Loyalty Day. This Loyalty Day, I call upon the people of the United States to join in this national observance, display the United States flag and pledge allegiance to the Republic for which it stands.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-fifth.

JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

Edited by cyanobacteria
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32 minutes ago, cyanobacteria said:

FUCK america

Honest question, why don't you leave? I don't mean this in the trolling way, but you seriously dislike America, so why not seek residence somewhere else?

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4 minutes ago, chenGOD said:

Honest question, why don't you leave? I don't mean this in the trolling way, but you seriously dislike America, so why not seek residence somewhere else?

your question makes no sense. how would that help me or anyone else?

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11 minutes ago, cyanobacteria said:

your question makes no sense. how would that help me or anyone else?

You might feel less stress not living in America?

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30 minutes ago, chenGOD said:

You might feel less stress not living in America?

living in america is great for privileged people like me.  moving elsewhere won't fix anything.  my critiques of america are for its mistreatment of its people, which doesn't apply to me because of my privilege, and its treatment of the people of the rest of the world.  me moving to another country wouldn't help anyone

no matter where a proletarian moves they will still be a wage worker.  i want capitalism and alienated wage labor entirely abolished in favor of free associative labor.  the only way to achieve that currently is retirement, which is my present goal so I can begin working on more useful things during my daily working hours

Edited by cyanobacteria
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4 hours ago, chenGOD said:

Honest question, why don't you leave? I don't mean this in the trolling way, but you seriously dislike America, so why not seek residence somewhere else?

you paying for that process or...?

and besides, america's economic and military presence, blockades and policy affect the whole world and are inescapable, so it's all well and good saying "omg vuvuzela 100 million iphone bottom text" but it's silly to tell someone to move to another country as a cheap way to dismiss somebody's genune critiques of our modern way of life

Edited by milkface
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4 hours ago, cyanobacteria said:

living in america is great for privileged people like me.  moving elsewhere won't fix anything.  my critiques of america are for its mistreatment of its people, which doesn't apply to me because of my privilege, and its treatment of the people of the rest of the world.  me moving to another country wouldn't help anyone

no matter where a proletarian moves they will still be a wage worker.  i want capitalism and alienated wage labor entirely abolished in favor of free associative labor.  the only way to achieve that currently is retirement, which is my present goal so I can begin working on more useful things during my daily working hours

It may also provide you some perspective and experience? Like America's issues not withstanding you could experience the treatment of people in other countries (for better and worse).

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24 minutes ago, milkface said:

you paying for that process or...?

and besides, america's economic and military presence, blockades and policy affect the whole world and are inescapable, so it's all well and good saying "omg vuvuzela 100 million iphone bottom text" but it's silly to tell someone to move to another country as a cheap way to dismiss somebody's genune critiques of our modern way of life

Did you read the part about it not being a trolling question - and since I view none of his critiques as genuine (loyalty days are things in many countries he espouses as better examples of living) it may give him some perspective.

Also, moving countries is not particularly expensive - depending on how willing you are to get rid of your material possessions. In many cases, it is possible to get a company to pay for your move.

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2 minutes ago, chenGOD said:

Did you read the part about it not being a trolling question - and since I view none of his critiques as genuine (loyalty days are things in many countries he espouses as better examples of living) it may give him some perspective.

Also, moving countries is not particularly expensive - depending on how willing you are to get rid of your material possessions. In many cases, it is possible to get a company to pay for your move.

I never said you were trolling, it's just that I hear that dismissive phrase used all the time to shut people down. It still costs money to move country and not everyone is bilingual either - let alone leaving all your friends and family behind. It's this defeatest attitude that causes bad things to continue. Moving country instead of trying to change things for yourself and other disadvantaged people around you is giving up in my eyes.

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10 minutes ago, milkface said:

Moving country instead of trying to change things for yourself and other disadvantaged people around you

I don't think that posting "Fuck AmeriKKKA" on an international bulletin board aimed at people who enjoy a niche form of music is going to be particularly productive in that regard either...

12 minutes ago, milkface said:

It still costs money to move country and not everyone is bilingual either - let alone leaving all your friends and family behind

You don't have to be bilingual in many cases and thanks to the hard work of many people around the world, it's very easy to stay in touch with friends and family should you wish to do so (as I recall, zeff doesn't have much desire to interact in person with people, although I could have misinterpreted him).

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12 minutes ago, chenGOD said:

I don't think that posting "Fuck AmeriKKKA" on an international bulletin board aimed at people who enjoy a niche form of music is going to be particularly productive in that regard either...

Telling the truth is usually always productive.

 

12 minutes ago, chenGOD said:

You don't have to be bilingual in many cases and thanks to the hard work of many people around the world, it's very easy to stay in touch with friends and family should you wish to do so (as I recall, zeff doesn't have much desire to interact in person with people, although I could have misinterpreted him).

How are you going to live in a non-English speaking country without speaking the language? You'd be more miserable than you once were. And besides not everyone is Zeff. People just want to live a dignified and happy life which is pretty tricky to do nowadays with the damage the UK's Conservative party have done to the UK in the last 11 years because the capitalist system is inescapable. Doesn't really matter which country you move to. Have a swipe through.

https://www.instagram.com/p/COGYhI2Bk73/

Edited by milkface
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10 minutes ago, milkface said:

Telling the truth is usually always productive.

 

How are you going to live in a non-English speaking country without speaking the language? You'd be more miserable than you once were. And besides not everyone is Zeff. People just want to live a dignified and happy life which is pretty tricky to do nowadays with the damage the UK's Conservative party have done to the UK in the last 11 years because the capitalist system is inescapable. Doesn't really matter which country you move to. Have a swipe through.

https://www.instagram.com/p/COGYhI2Bk73/

There is a lot of context missing though in that truth, and as Derrida said "there is nothing outside context".

You learn the language as you move there. Immersion is the easiest way to learn a language. View it as a challenge, how do you think I learned Korean?

Conservatism is a form of government, and progressive implementations of market-based economic structures have also provided real happiness in many countries.

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30 minutes ago, milkface said:

How are you going to live in a non-English speaking country without speaking the language? You'd be more miserable than you once were.

Most people I know who work in Finland as ex-pats or immigrated here know almost nothing of the two native languages and at least one of them has been here for over twenty years. Seems pretty easy for them.

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2 hours ago, zkom said:

Most people I know who work in Finland as ex-pats or immigrated here know almost nothing of the two native languages and at least one of them has been here for over twenty years. Seems pretty easy for them.

Yeah sounds amazing, I'm sure disillusioned working class people all over the world will have the money to flock to Scandinavia, the most expensive and educated part of Europe.

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1 hour ago, milkface said:

Yeah sounds amazing, I'm sure disillusioned working class people all over the world will have the money to flock to Scandinavia, the most expensive and educated part of Europe.

Well, if you're really in a tight spot you can apply for an asylum but I don't think people from US and UK qualify no matter how oppressed they might feel.

Jokes aside, lots of working class migrants here in Helsinki in construction business from all over the former Soviet States at least. And then there are all the food delivery guys, cashiers, waiters, etc. It's not perfect but what I gather they make quite a bit more money here than in say Ukraine. Of course if you're from EU you can just move in, freedom of movement and all that.

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8 hours ago, chenGOD said:

It may also provide you some perspective and experience? Like America's issues not withstanding you could experience the treatment of people in other countries (for better and worse).

its very hilarious that you think its appropriate to make lifestyle suggestions to people and dismiss their claims outright because they used the "fuck" word.  i have no intentions of moving to another country and it has nothing to do with literally anything mentioned in this thread because who am I? nobody. so your argument is inherently ad hominem if you're bringing my identity into the discussion, and as such it's YOUR argument that can be dismissed

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