darth_ender said:
I don't have time to deal with this at the moment. Zombie84, I sure appreciate your suddenly softened wording. However, you clearly made several statements that actually branded the entirety of Americans and our culture as idiotic. And even if you speak only of our government, as a republic, it is representative of the people. You are free to disagree with how we do things. But you have made bigoted statements, regardless of how noble you feel because you stand against other forms of bigotry. I don't mean to say you are a bigot, or at least any more guilty than the rest of us. Sadly, if we were all to reflect, we'd all find ourselves bigoted in some thoughts. But you have been rather insulting today as well as foolish in your statements. I don't appreciate it, and I pointed out your fallacies.
This is the thing.
I'm not saying that all Americans are idiots. Or crazy. Clearly that is not the case. Why? Most people you meet on the english speaking internet are American. Many of my friends are American. I go to United States on a semi-regular basis. It's a place I know very well.
My point is that, up here, a lot of the views and actions that we hear about...don't click. They perplex us...and offend us. And this happens all the time. We're neighbours, so we all know that not every American is a ranting lunatic. But increasingly it feels that way, and not without good reason. You guys should listen to this even if you don't agree, because this is the way the rest of the world sees the United States and I think Americans don't quite get that. A guy in Italy might not know the first-hand things that I know from visiting, he just will hear about stuff like creationism and gun fetishizing that frankly makes your culture look like a scary, backwards, ignorant country. Which it is in many ways. But they don't know the good side as well.
I'm not saying every American is like that. Obviously that is not true. Because in the first place: I am outnumbered here. So that clearly proves me wrong. But when you consider just the discussions happening at a government level, that is in theory supported by--if not a majority than at least a large percentage--of Americans, and the views espoused by individuals all over the place...it just comes across as crazy. Because of this terrible news story you become aware of stuff like this. And everyone who isn't in the United States thinks what I am thinking, they just might not say it...which is "what in the world is wrong with these people?"
As I said...by American standards I must seem like some demented psychopath. Our government is ruled by a far right party that believes in gun control, universal health care and gay marriage. That is right wing by Canadian standards. I'm not a right-wing Canadian. I voted for the socialist party, in second place positiion which is now the official opposition (parliament, remember) and has a chance at winning the 2014 election. When I hear about all the crap that goes on in the south of me...perplexion is a polite word to use. But even the conservatives wonder what in the world is in the drinking water down there. And so do people in the rest of the western world. I don't think Americans are aware of this because they live in their own bubble. It seems "ignorant" and "shocking" for me to come out and say this, but it's true, by the standards of an entire country bordering the United States, United States politics seems like a crazy, ignorant, backwards thing. That's why it is hilarious when sociopaths like Donald Trump threaten to move here should the best president in living memory be re-elected...come on up here buddy, and prepare to meet the personalized hell for you. If those are your criteria.
Like I said: perplexion is a polite word. We're usually too polite to say anything other than shaking our head and sighing. Which is why I usually stay out of American politics all together. It's too depressing.