Everyone else knows who we are, but we don’t.
To be fair, we just read the tea leaves, it’s you guys who make and drink the tea.
Due South, a Canadian TV show, remarked on Canadian/American perceptions from time to time. In the pilot, Mountie Benton Fraser is doing some detective work:
What are we elucidator?
He doesn’t know, of course. Says so right in his post.
Used to know. Way back when I was but a lad, I knew. I knew that all around the world, wherever there were the hopeless, the fearful, the poor and oppressed…that when they heard the glad news…“The Americans are coming!”… they knew that the greatest military power in human history was coming to break their chains and gladden their hearts.
Nothing wrong with that, except that it just wasn’t so.
“I wish I didn’t know now what I didn’t know then.”
- Bob Seegar
You do know that Iran was majorly unstable and the Shah was absolutely loathed by the population. And while Iran may have been progressive, its government was not – the Shah was basically a dictator in all but name. Not to mention that the U.S. and the U.K. had been behind a previous coupe to reinstate the him, after he had been kicked out and a democratic government put into place.
Same with Nazi Germany – the Weimar Republic was a hot mess. So unless Trump has outside help, we’re NOT going to see Muslims herded into concentration camps, people. Relax. I’m not saying he won’t utterly suck as a president, because he will. The guy totally makes me think of Richard Nixon and Michael Pence creeps me out. But all this OH MY GOD, NUCLEAR WAR THE WORLD WILL END! is bullshit. Perspective here, people.
It’s just that the election is so close, and so close.
I don’t believe it’s anywhere near close; Clinton is going to have a large majority. Remember that it’s in the press’s interest to portray the contest as close.
I have been given to understand that the Shah was hated by lower socio-economic class, zealous religious people. Upper middle class, educated, less religious people liked him.
Much had to do with his being pro Western. The poor naturally resented his wealthy life style.
I’m a 65 year old American, and like the Flying Dutchman said, I am also worried about America.
Yes, I sure as Hell wanted the Vietnam War to end and fought for racial equality.
It does surprise me that some of my “baby boom” generation has become conservative. (Actually, some were conservative even back then. Students would argue with me for being against the Vietnam War. So, I’d ask them - “why don’t you give up YOUR student deferment”??? Yes, it is so easy to be an “armchair patriot” and an “anybody but me soldier”.)
What really bothers me about America now is the fact that “creationism” is becoming so popular. :mad: I grew up during the “race for space” and the Cold War. Now being intelligent and educated is nerdy and it seems Americans have been given permission to become stupid.
As a young(er) Canadian I don’t think I agree that (most?) Trump voters are racially motivated… IMO they’re just willing to overlook an incredible amount to have the chance to stick it to “the man”. Kinda like Brexit, only I think they have more of an idea what they’re asking for this Tuesday.
Like the OP I am very worried about a lot of very non-trivial alliances, agreements and understandings, as well as some internal institutions I’ve always admired like NASA.
I’ve never been sure if the 2-party American system encourages divisiveness, or if American politics was driven by society, but regardless of who wins it seems pretty clear that about 40% of Americans really disagree with the other 40%. Even if Hillary wins it seems to be that she’s got 4 years to be the president everyone though Obama could be, or 3rd-party candidate Trump wins it.
We are Devo.
I’m not the only one generalizing:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2016/10/25/7d0c6a62-9aef-11e6-b3c9-f662adaa0048_story.html
And yes, I know not all boomers are trump fans (never said that), but they are his base.
That’s complete bullshit, and Dana Milbank is a contrarian troll who shouldn’t be taken seriously.
It’s not that “not all boomers are Trump fans”, it’s that there’s very little correlation there at all. One would have to be a complete moron to believe that boomers are “his base”. It’s true that old farts of the baby boomer variety are slightly more likely to be Trump supporters than snot-nosed kids, but it’s a weak correlation compared to much stronger demographic factors, like stupid uneducated white men of any age.
More precisely, the Atlantic breaks the Trump demographic down into these categories, taken directly from the article section headings:
[ul]
[li]They Didn’t Go to College[/li][li]They Don’t Think They Have a Political Voice[/li][li]They Want to Wage an Interior War Against Outsiders*[/li][li]They Live in Parts of the Country With Racial Resentment[/li][/ul]
*Meaning they want an authoritarian style of government to deal with perceived issues like illegal immigrants and Muslims
As I’ve said before, it is a ‘close the door after ME’ way of thinking and it is kind of Human Nature. I saw a lot of it in the martial arts. People get a ‘rank’ belt and then get the idea in their head that while they earned it, the people after them are inferior. People will jam themselves into a crowded sale or bus and then demand that the door be shut after them. Likewise, people move into an area and then don’t like it when people who look, believe or just belong to a different clan move in.
When we drove up in northern Minnesota, there were a lot of Trump signs in bumfuck nowhere. In places like this, there is a steady stream of people moving out, as kids grow up, see nothing for them, or want different, and head off to the big city. The people who stay behind are those that inherited the family farm or business. Or just work in the same old places and never move because they have no great ambitions. So if, for example, 10,000 Icelanders were to suddenly show up, buying places, taking up low end jobs, starting businesses, there would be a lot of anger, because they’re competition and outsiders, and the locals don’t know their language or customs.
Funny story. I moved into a new town(southwestern ontario)as single mom with two kids and during the three winters I lived there someone shovelled my driveway almost every snowstorm. If I had to shovel my way out to get to work, by the time I came home it was completely cleared. Never did find out who it was.
Sounds like Arkansas. Mrs. Plant, (v.2.0) while bragging how she and other Northerners knew how to drive in snow got her van stuck in a light snowfall here. A guy couldn’t pull her out with his truck, and borrowed a very large truck to get her back on the road.
Southern snow is indecisive, hence treacherous.
You’re really good at never saying anything.
And prose. Fuck do you have prose.