stop using the word 'islamists'!!!!!!

ardath said:
there is no way nihilists/murderers can ever make a difference.
but please don't anyone ever equate these cold blooded criminals with good law abiding muslims.
this is a totally godless games in which so-called islamists are just pathetic little pawns.
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I agree 100%

Muslim does not equal Terrorist.

but the way the media portrays it, you would think so. So you have a valid point in your first post.
 
think that those involved in the second world war were christians.
but am trying not to get too entrenched in the religion thing here.
religion has nothing to do with war, only politics and economics does.
 
groundpounder said:
We as Americans do tend to be blissfully self-centered. That's why this place is so great to live in - we have so much great stuff going on here that we have a tendency to inadvertently cut ourselves off from the rest of the world and come off as self absorbed. It's not intentional isolationalism for the most part, but the perception is EXACTLY that, unfortunately, by those who don't live here or care to know more about us as individuals.

It's not a bad thing, mind you, but it's another reason why so many outside the US don't like us. I'm thinking there could be a lot worse things than having so much going on inside your own country that you don't have time to notice what's going on outside of it.

People like me tend to be the exception to the rule, where they keep up on foreign events. That doesn't give me a shred of moral authority on the subject, just a different perspective.

I know I cannot be considered objective in this since I am an American and proudly so, but I won't hesitate to point out the warts of America, her administration, her policies (foreign and domestic), military strategy and execution, laws and behavior as a whole.

We tend to bully, but when we do, we'll pick up the ass that we just kicked, dust it off, prop it back up and say, "Now that we've kicked your ass by swatting a fly with a baseball bat, get back in there and make something of yourself. Here's a few billion to get you started. Don't fuck it up or we'll beat your ass again. Then give you more money to get yourself right."

We're not monsters. America's made up of wonderful people who care for people of all nations, creeds, religions, orientations and the like. We can't help it if either a) truly evil people (islamic terrorists) or b) people who've never been here (99% of the world) or c) narrow-minded people who already make up their minds about us given what they "think they know" think that we are monsters. What can we do? They don't know us!! We're good people, by and large. There are rotten apples in every barrel, and we have our fair share, but no more than any other country, dammit, and it's time that the world starts recognizing that.

We're rich. So what? We work for it and we have the freedom and the laws to make it possible for those who want it.
We have food. So what? We are just taking advantage of our resources, both natural and financial. We make it happen. There's not a third world county on the Earth that wouldn't do the same if given the same.
We're powerful. So what? 231 years ago this week we were nothing but a bunch of ragged nationalists fighting for freedom from at the time the most powerful nation on the whole fucking planet. And we won. And 231 years later, our collective leadership, collective laws, collective freedoms, collective military power, collective native and imported intelligence and collective policies have made us into the most powerful nation human existence has ever seen. And we're not screwing it up, for the most part. We're not perfect, but who is??
We have the freest country in the world. We're supposed to apologize for that? We're FREE!! Come join us!! Just learn the language, obey the laws and don't blow shit up. Stick to that, people will pretty much leave you alone.
We're arrogant. No we're not. We just have a great country and we know it, so like I said we tend to be self absorbed, but not proactively, just by circumstance. That does NOT make us arrogant - just ignorant. Yeah, we should pay closer attention to what goes on around us, but is that any reason to hate us?

Please share your thoughts. They are welcomed here.
Click to expand...

Best post on OTz. Ever. In history.

I wish I could put it in my sig...
 
point away man.... its all good.
I love my country and I would die for it any day of the damn week.
love it or hate it, live it or leave it. makes no difference to me, but if you are going to complain, offer a plausible solution to problems, do your homework, and know the whole story, not just what the media tells you.
 
groundpounder said:
We as Americans do tend to be blissfully self-centered. That's why this place is so great to live in - we have so much great stuff going on here that we have a tendency to inadvertently cut ourselves off from the rest of the world and come off as self absorbed. It's not intentional isolationalism for the most part, but the perception is EXACTLY that, unfortunately, by those who don't live here or care to know more about us as individuals.

It's not a bad thing, mind you, but it's another reason why so many outside the US don't like us. I'm thinking there could be a lot worse things than having so much going on inside your own country that you don't have time to notice what's going on outside of it.

People like me tend to be the exception to the rule, where they keep up on foreign events. That doesn't give me a shred of moral authority on the subject, just a different perspective.

I know I cannot be considered objective in this since I am an American and proudly so, but I won't hesitate to point out the warts of America, her administration, her policies (foreign and domestic), military strategy and execution, laws and behavior as a whole.

We tend to bully, but when we do, we'll pick up the ass that we just kicked, dust it off, prop it back up and say, "Now that we've kicked your ass by swatting a fly with a baseball bat, get back in there and make something of yourself. Here's a few billion to get you started. Don't fuck it up or we'll beat your ass again. Then give you more money to get yourself right."

We're not monsters. America's made up of wonderful people who care for people of all nations, creeds, religions, orientations and the like. We can't help it if either a) truly evil people (islamic terrorists) or b) people who've never been here (99% of the world) or c) narrow-minded people who already make up their minds about us given what they "think they know" think that we are monsters. What can we do? They don't know us!! We're good people, by and large. There are rotten apples in every barrel, and we have our fair share, but no more than any other country, dammit, and it's time that the world starts recognizing that.

We're rich. So what? We work for it and we have the freedom and the laws to make it possible for those who want it.
We have food. So what? We are just taking advantage of our resources, both natural and financial. We make it happen. There's not a third world county on the Earth that wouldn't do the same if given the same.
We're powerful. So what? 231 years ago this week we were nothing but a bunch of ragged nationalists fighting for freedom from at the time the most powerful nation on the whole fucking planet. And we won. And 231 years later, our collective leadership, collective laws, collective freedoms, collective military power, collective native and imported intelligence and collective policies have made us into the most powerful nation human existence has ever seen. And we're not screwing it up, for the most part. We're not perfect, but who is??
We have the freest country in the world. We're supposed to apologize for that? We're FREE!! Come join us!! Just learn the language, obey the laws and don't blow shit up. Stick to that, people will pretty much leave you alone.
We're arrogant. No we're not. We just have a great country and we know it, so like I said we tend to be self absorbed, but not proactively, just by circumstance. That does NOT make us arrogant - just ignorant. Yeah, we should pay closer attention to what goes on around us, but is that any reason to hate us?

Please share your thoughts. They are welcomed here.
Click to expand...
Actually, the world hates us because we have a pretty oppressive foreign policy right now, and have had one for a while.


Its a actually a very bad thing to be self centered, especially a entire country, and one that happens to be the most powerful (well, not really anymore, China is exceeding us everyday. One day we'll know what its like to have a single country controlling most of what goes on in the world.)


I really don't get why people are proud of the country they come from. You didn't choose to be born here, so why be so rabidly patriotic about something you were randomly born into?


We tend to bully, but when we do, we'll pick up the ass that we just kicked, dust it off, prop it back up and say, "Now that we've kicked your ass by swatting a fly with a baseball bat, get back in there and make something of yourself. Here's a few billion to get you started. Don't fuck it up or we'll beat your ass again. Then give you more money to get yourself right."


^^^ Perfect example of the kind of attitude that makes everyone hate us. No offense, but thats how it is. Do you honestly think its ok to impose our way of life on other countries that we disagree with? But its ok to do it as long as we give them a few billion to start to live the way we want them to? Thats extremely dangerous and fascistic.



Um, I highly doubt the percentage of the world that hasn't visited America is 99%. That would mean there would be hardly an immigrants that come to the US each year from most of the countries on this planet, and that is not so. They don't need to know each individual American. All they need to know is that the American government is an expansionist, imperialistic power, and there is no arguing that. I can see how they would have bad attitudes towards us, because if a country steps out of line and doesn't do what we want, we either invade them or do some other sort of countermeasure.



We're rich: And we deplete the world's economy with our excessive lifestyles. Plenty of people in third world countries work 5X's harder than we do just to survive.

We have food: We waste so much of it we actually have to burn crops annually, while we could send it to third world countries so their people don't starve to death.

We're powerful: And we use this power for good things, but mostly on military spending we do not need, defense projects that are blatantly absurd, and we impose this force on other countries as a bullying tactic quite often. The victory of revolutionary war was actually due A LOT to the French and their navy. Odds are we would have been crushed if it wasn't for them.

We have the freest country in the world: So what you are basically saying here is....just do things out way, and we will accept you. Good luck archiving that one, bud.


We're arrogant: Um, yes. yes we certainly are. Most Americans think this country is the best country on earth, and every other country should be just like us, while most of those people have hardly ever been to other countries and have no knowledge if there is even a better one out there...also, the amount of patriotism that seeps from this country is pretty vast and overwhelming, and full of arrogance. DON'T MESS WITH US OR WE'LL BLOW YOUR ASS UP! We are also one of the dumbest countries in the world, so I agree with the ignorance part. Some third world countries score better than us on a damn writing test!


There is plenty of reason for other countries to dislike us, and i think they are blatantly obvious is you remove the Uncle Sam goggles for a moment. America isn't an angel like a lot of people think, and its ok to think its not.
 
All Else Failed said:
I really don't get why people are proud of the country they come from. You didn't choose to be born here, so why be so rabidly patriotic about something you were randomly born into?
Click to expand...
Never heard anyone call patriotism stupid before. Interesting.

All Else Failed said:
All they need to know is that the American government is an expansionist, imperialistic power, and there is no arguing that.
Click to expand...
Well, I'm gonna argue that. When is the last time our nation was expansionist? WWII. Gave Europe/Japan back. Korea, gave it back. Panama? Don't own it either. Grenada? Again, not ours. Somalia, also not an American territory. Kuwait isn't ours either. Where's this expansion at?
 
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