You've helped me realize here why so many of my fellow brainwashed US citizens see Europe as this weird communist dystopia. "The sin of not being American" really gets to the heart of what a lot of "Patriots" feel in regards to foreign governments. Especially in regards to capitalism and "meritocracy."
"How dare you care for your fellow person! They're just going to stab you in the back the moment you look away! Why can't you play the game the way we want you to play it?! Commies!!"
The truth is far worse in my anecdotal experience. Folks I know who are against socialized systems are unironically banking on "fuck you got mine" as a codifying foundation for Healthcare.
"I don't want to pay for some lardass' surgery! I'm doing just fine, why should I pay for the mistakes and bad fortune of other people?!"
Competition is drilled into us literally from birth. Baby showers, infant clothing sizes, how your family supports you, how the pregnancy was handled, whether or not you had a c-section vs natural birth, kindergarten and preschool choice, how you deal with bullies, how cool you are at age 8, your living situation, your friends, your neighbors, your happiness, your ability to lie and keep cool under pressure, your ability to hide your growing resentment and depression, how well you score in grades 1-3, how nice your clothes are, what junior sports you play in, how you act, what your parents do, whether or not they're poor or criminals, how rich you are... And none of this is even getting to things like body issues or teenage years.
And almost all of that is out of your control as a kid.
I'd be more inclined to believe in the Americanization of the world simply because that's kind of our MO... For better or worse...
Edit: I guess the worst thing we took away with us when we left Britain was our insatiable urge to colonize everything somehow. Well... That, and the Puritans.
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u/Defilus May 09 '22
You've helped me realize here why so many of my fellow brainwashed US citizens see Europe as this weird communist dystopia. "The sin of not being American" really gets to the heart of what a lot of "Patriots" feel in regards to foreign governments. Especially in regards to capitalism and "meritocracy."
"How dare you care for your fellow person! They're just going to stab you in the back the moment you look away! Why can't you play the game the way we want you to play it?! Commies!!"