How does the World view America these days?

[Nebraska]

 

hells yeah

[EdamAnchorman]

I feel like having to constantly call yourself an alpha male probably means you're trying to overcompensate for not really being one.

[Rubin Farr]

Alabama keeping it classy.
https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-immigration-hyundai/

[usagi]

On 12/22/2022 at 5:31 AM, Rubin Farr said:

 

the only twitter account that matters. I'm glad it's active again.

[Satans Little Helper]

17 hours ago, Nebraska said:

 

hells yeah

I have no clue who this Nick Adams is. But I assume he's kinda like Stephen Colbert during his Colbert report days. If it is, I welcome the idea. The world needs an over the top alpha male republican satire! And Colbert is a bit too beta. Simply not alpha enough... ;D

[Nebraska]

 

[ignatius]

how italy represented america at carnival. 

[usagi]

Italy isn't one to talk, considering who they just elected.

[ignatius]

31 minutes ago, usagi said:

Italy isn't one to talk, considering who they just elected.

every country got mega dirt at various times. but the pic seemed in line w/the thread's title. 

dude below is fine btw. 

[usagi]

at some point the whole "America is so bad lmao" thing repeated ad nauseam just becomes meaningless self-flagellation for certain types of American liberals, many of whom are living relatively comfortably and actually have no problem with their situation. they've turned self-criticism into an idle national pastime, off the back of which nothing actually changes. this is like at least half the content on reddit.

Spoiler

"wish I lived in Denmark or Sweden or one of those places, they're sooo advanced"

[ignatius]

1 hour ago, usagi said:

at some point the whole "America is so bad lmao" thing repeated ad nauseam just becomes meaningless self-flagellation for certain types of American liberals, many of whom are living relatively comfortably and actually have no problem with their situation. they've turned self-criticism into an idle national pastime, off the back of which nothing actually changes. this is like at least half the content on reddit.

  Reveal hidden contents

"wish I lived in Denmark or Sweden or one of those places, they're sooo advanced"

and if you take a step back it's yet another reason america bad mmmkay... 

i think many people daily have a moment or more where they wonder "wtf" or "why is it like this".. and that is spreading as the middle class evaporates and they wake up to the reality that so many people have lived w/for so long which is, generically, "the cruelty of american capitalism" or whatever people want to call it. the memes do the talking for a lot of people i think. it's coping until they win the lottery or one of their parents dies and leaves them some money or they become the next tech bro elon musk or something.. or they die. 

it's pretty easy to look at america and see it as so far behind the rest of the world when it comes to some measure of sanity in how things work.. saying that doesn't mean every other place in the world has it all going 100% correctly for everyone and has dealt w/whatever inequities their societies have... 

American Cops Killed 1,124 People in 2022

Are we okay with this?

https://survivingtomorrow.org/american-cops-killed-1-124-people-in-2022-58e62e1617a7

Also re Italy aren’t they letting migrants drown or something? 

Edited December 25, 2022 by ignatius

[iococoi]

Quote

I’ve saved every video in tiktok of PNWers dealing with ice and I’m sharing them all with you

https://nitter.net/i/status/1606579301557882881

 

 

 

Edited December 25, 2022 by iococoi

[auxien]

7 hours ago, usagi said:

they've turned self-criticism into an idle national pastime, off the back of which nothing actually changes

change happens very slowly in America, by design, and generally only after much friction and loud voices repeating themselves. that looks like inaction from the outside (because essentially it is: nothing changes until eventually it does)) but it’s kind of the way of the gov structures, by and large. the city, county, state, & federal govs and courts are designed to allow things to drag on indefinitely and/or get shut down at the whim of a single person with or without any legit reasoning (often a judge).

the culture of America has been molded by those governmental designs in many ways: we’ve become a source for outsized international influence on purpose, because that’s what’s best for our gov & businesses. the culture adapted to meet that.

change from above happens here easily because it’s designed by the powerful to obfuscate the bad aspects and emphasize the good, and most of the country is too stupid to know or benefits too much to care (see our bombing brown people over the last 30 years, those went through so fast). change from below at the level of the people takes huge upswellings of people speaking, writing, demonstrating, & protesting for years or decades (gay marriage/equality has been litigated and in national conversation in varying ways for decades….it’s still only partly protected, even now).

it looks like self criticism because it is, and it is a national pastime for many. that’s the only way things happen here without money/power.

i agree that it gets old tho (sure it’s more annoying from the outside). it’s just plain annoying however you cut it tho

Edited December 25, 2022 by auxien

[usagi]

I hear all that, I'm not saying self-criticism isn't necessary. I just feel like it gets watered down into meaninglessness at times, especially online.

[auxien]

agreed

[ignatius]

1 hour ago, usagi said:

I hear all that, I'm not saying self-criticism isn't necessary. I just feel like it gets watered down into meaninglessness at times, especially online.

Part of the problem is that there’s so much to complain about. So many problems. So half the time it gets turned into some sarcastic type of comedy built around “fuck my life” and “Karens”. 

[Rubin Farr]

 

[Rubin Farr]

 

[marf]

I think most people are tribal. I hate it in myself. I hear an European scoffing at America. Calling Americans ignorant and not free as we think we are. Very focused on the freedom slogan the Europeans. I don't think most Americans buy that shit. It's just a slogan. But my tribal instincts are like fuck you you arrogant Euro trash cologne wearing cunt. With the scarf. But then I back up and think why do I give a shit? A nation is not everyone. Everyone is an individual.  Ive been giving zero fucks lately. Walking towards shadowy figures in the dark instead of veering away from them. Walking closer to cars passing by instead of getting on the grass for them. I must be going a little nuts.  Every country has its problems. America is just under a microscope. I listen to the BBC all the time. They are having huge issues with the NHS. Does the world know? Of course not. It's fun to poke sticks at America because I guess we invented practically everything that is fun in the last 100 years. We make the world fun. We dominate. Id hate that country, too.  Id point out its shirt comings as much as possible to make my tribal mind feel better. It's a trap. You aren't your country.

 

What bothers me, is seeing Billionaires not help obvious poverty like at the border. Fuck waiting for the government. Build a bunch of facilities to help those people in the border towns. 

The rich always have to make charity a science project to obfuscate any real progress. So we don't expect to see any real progress for 30 years on a their very altruistic endeavor. blah blah blah.

I keep hearing about charities , What fucking charities? Im poor'ish, no one tells me about charities I can go to. No government official has sent me a letter with a list of charities. They aren't real. 

[marf]

On 12/21/2022 at 10:44 AM, QBLA said:

My son has friends from Europe, Australia, and South America that usually come to San Diego for Scooter and Skate events and they are like "WTF is wrong with you people?" Some of them were afraid for their lives when they went to Lake Havasu and saw trumpito flags as far as the eye can see. They thought they were gonna get shot up. They said that they feel safer in South Central L.A. when they went to skateparks there.

Can you rephrase that in English?

You mean Trump flags made them afraid for their lives? Why? They are much more likely to get shot in South Central. Unless Im reading you wrong. The whole gun thing is awful here, but it's a foreign concept to non Americans who just have an inbuilt compass for avoiding that shit. 

Trump was nothing. The George Bush jr years were the height of America the pariah. We sent other countries off to die over a lie, Talk about America bashing? Holy shit. It was deserved too. Fucking Spain had 300 people die in a subway bombing, or else. They backed out of going to Iraq.  Trump is a side show comedian compared to the George Jr /Cheney days

 

Non sequitur; The 45 billion to Ukraine I have a funny feeling isn't really being spent. But recirculated back into our weapons manufacturers. 

Edited December 26, 2022 by marf

[ignatius]

10 minutes ago, marf said:

What bothers me, is seeing Billionaires not help obvious poverty like at the border. Fuck waiting for the government. Build a bunch of facilities to help those people in the border towns. 

they do not care and think that's the government's problem. they resent the small or 0 amount of taxes they do actually pay.  they are hoarding wealth. 

[marf]

well, duh. 

[marf]

10 minutes ago, ignatius said:

they do not care and think that's the government's problem. they resent the small or 0 amount of taxes they do actually pay.  they are hoarding wealth. 

 I guess you have to have that mind set to get to that position in the first place. I guess. I mean, lots of overnight billionaires in the tech world. Steve Wozniak threw a huge festival called the US festival back in 81. That has to count for something. He even said he never wanted to be rich.  Meaning he's never had an actual shitty job. Like George Harrison hated being a Beatle because he never had to actually work at a shitty manufacturing job for a couple years first. Where am I going with this? Im going nowhere.

[usagi]

I think you got a little cum on your own shirt there.

[marf]

Speaking of tribes. I love Aussies. Yeah , Im flagellating a bit on a forum. Little adderral and a lot of tabs open. Very rare I go on a rant.  Im all out of cum though. Something in the water maybe