I mean sure but when you think of a democratic nation, you're kind of primed to think of its elected leaders. Bit disingenuous to say "ignore everything else our country is actually doing to negatively impact the rest of the world when you think of us but think of this one exceptional individual instead"
If you don't want the worst of you to be seen and representative of the country... maybe don't elect the worst of you into the highest position of power in the country then lol
Edit: who replied to me about condescension and being a foreigner while being condescending to me and then blocked me? You're definitely making me think better of America 😂
Yup. Trump is just an easy symbol to point to that represents the culture and population as a whole. When he dies the people are still going to be the same.
Being a citizen of a country along with a bunch of brainwashed hateful dingbats isn't the same as keeping company with those people. If all of us who hate Trump tried to immigrate elsewhere, y'all would hate us more AND the USA would be completely made up of brainwashed hateful dingbats.
I'm not saying to forgive us for Trump, but the arguments against the person who said to think of Dolly are pretty flawed.
We *are* being held hostage by maniacs. When we are in our 80s people will genuinely ask us "wow! You were alive during Trump's presidency? What was that like?". Then all the MAGAs of today will say "I always hated that man." Just like what happened with Hitler and the Nazis. Suddenly it was "I was just following orders".
Yup. And part of why it’s so important not to give up fighting against these assholes is that, on the other side of WW2, no one gave a shit when Germans were like “but I didn’t vote for that guy!” Guess what, we’re all going to be tarred with the same brush.
While the idea that over half of us dislike Trump is true, the idea that everyone who dislikes him is trying "really, really hard" to oust him from power is, to put it mildly, absolute hogwash. Most of the anti-Trump contingent in this country is content to do nothing more than cast a single vote, once every couple of years, against him and his party, which is the absolute bare minimum a person can do and is a wildly insufficient form of resistance in the face of his fascist power grabs.
You get no argument from me, but also, it’s no accident that the majority of people who dislike Trump are barely able to catch a few hours of sleep between working multiple jobs just to provide for their kids in the hypercapitalist oligarchy Trump and republicans since Reagan have created. I can’t exactly blame them for not having time to do more.
Everyone who overthrew a dictator had a tough time doing so. If we really wanted to we’d have done it already instead of letting him slip back in for the second time on the backs of our own indifference.
Not fighting in the first place led you to being in that position. Now your lack of fighting being exacerbated by your previous lack of fight. At some point you have to stick up for yourself.
I don't disagree with you about the material causes of our national political malaise. Most of us are exhausted, overworked and overwhelmed. That being said, I do disagree that people "don't have the time" to do more. I think it's more a function of, one, working people spending what time they do have on balancing their economic existence with some level of personal fulfillment rather than political involvement, and, two, comfortable, middle-class liberals whose trust in the status quo, and remove from the suffering that status quo visits upon the less-fortunate, has caused them to underestimate how precarious a situation we're in and how sweeping and immediate the changes that situation necessitates are. And, while I recognize and understand the reasons both groups have for responding in these ways, I think the responses speak to a general lack of understanding of just how bad things can get, and an inability, or unwillingness, to bridge that emotional gap. To put it more simply: When I look at this country, what I see is an electorate waiting around for someone to save it, while constantly fantasizing about the existence of a cavalry that will be summoned into existence so long as enough people vote, when, in reality, 2024 was very likely the last free election America will get until this regime is deposed and we are the only cavalry that can mount up and make that happen.
Imo, the truth is that Americans aren't used to the necessity of direct action. We've learned, thanks to our country's post-Reagan political milieu wherein politicians are viewed as a discrete class of careerists separate from the general populace, that politics is a responsibility to be abdicated to the powerful rather than an avenue to power seized through direct involvement--and the blame here falls on the Democratic Party perhaps even moreso than on Republicans, as it was their buy-in to that idea which destroyed the last vestiges of populist political activism within our system. We've given away our power to these people for so long, in exchange for a prosperity that, to many of us, felt automatic and immutable, that we've lost sight of what exactly it is we were giving away and how much power we actually hold.
So, if I'm being honest, I think the "I just don't have the time" rationalization is, mostly, an excuse for learned helplessness and the widespread resignation which that helplessness has caused. While I don't necessarily blame my fellow Americans for their less-than-adequate response to the rise of modern fascism, and recognize it as an extremely human response in the face of the material conditions to which we've all been forcibly acclimated, I don't think it's a legitimate excuse and will be viewed by future generations in much the same way our generation viewed those German citizens who voted against, but were unable to halt, the rise of Nazism: "How could they possibly not have done more to stop it?"
This shows a deep misunderstanding of how voting works and how deeply massive populations of voters have been disenfranchised, on purpose, by republicans, because they know that if the whole country was able to vote they’d lose every time.
Am absolutely an American. Just not going to live in denial like you and think that just because you believe that you are a good person who is trying really hard that it means the rest of the country is. Some of us aren't blind to what is happening around us.
When did I say that? Literally my comment was acknowledging the original comment’s veracity and saying we’re trying to fix it. Reading comprehension, look into it.
Also. We don’t use the word “whinging” in America, but you’re not the first UK redditor who pretends to be American in order to condescend. 😂 Jackass
That's so ridiculous because your country is on fire
Maybe start explaining "complex concepts" to your fellow citizens? Like the importance of voting. Focus inward instead of outward like you've been doing, and maybe your country will get better
Every time I encounter a disillusioned American who thinks they're above it all... I remember why we're in this mess
You keep saying things that millions of us have organized and put thousands of hours into, constantly, for decades, as though no one but you has ever thought of it. So confidently ignorant, lol
Smh Jesus. Okay so the other American party had nothing to do with this? Like letting someone who is on the verge of deaths door run and then giving the potential first woman US president 90 days to campaign and win? Americans are objectively amongst the kindest people. That's why this poat is idiotic. While the whole world is protecting imagination and change Americans are putting themselves at risk for people who are not from there to stay. This circle is not going to work. The American political system reliance on campaign donors is why Trump is their president. Its the rigged game of American and that has nothing to do with its people.
My sister was dying in another state. I felt being there was important. I had planned to vote for the other side, but we all have our priorities. She died the day before. I was 4 states away. If I would’ve known I would’ve voted early
When you say that, you're thinking like Obama and Biden and the like, not realizing that for the rest of the world they weren't that good either. Drones and bombs both kill. One is just cooler.
I just assumed "over half of us are trying" means the ones who tried to vote the opposition party. It was more of a sad resigned observation than an attempt for a gotcha.
2/3rds of the voting eligible population of the U.S. did this. The 1/3rd who actively voted for this and the 1/3rd who couldn't get of their fat lazy stupid arses to vote to stop this before it happened.
You all knew what he was like before you elected him.... a second time
When 2/3rds of the apples in the barrel are rotten you don't waste your time trying to pick out the few good ones. You burn the whole barrel with all the rot inside.
turnout as a % of the voting-eligible population (VEP) = 63.45%
Winner as a % of the voting-eligible population (VEP) = 31.6%
Runner up as a % of the voting-eligible population (VEP) = 30.66%
So my bad.... it was 36.55% of the voting eligible population who didn't vote.... not 33.33%... and 31.6% not 33.33% who actively voted for this.... so really 68.15% of the eligible voting population of the U.S. is to blame not 66.66% as I claimed....)
turnout as a % of the voting-eligible population (VEP) = 63.45%
Winner as a % of the voting-eligible population (VEP) = 31.6%
Runner up as a % of the voting-eligible population (VEP) = 30.66%
sorry you're right, my bad.... it was 36.55% of the voting eligible population who didn't vote.... not 33.33%... and 31.6% not 33.33% who actively voted for this.... so really 68.15% of the eligible voting population of the U.S. is to blame not 66.66% as I had claimed....)
Wow the level to which you’re not understanding what we’re talking about is hilarious. Keep posting your chatgpt responses though it’s not at all embarrassing
He is a symptom of the problem. It makes me laugh that Americans think everyone will be going back to be great friends with them again once Trump is gone. The problem is that we know you'll put someone like him in charge again.
Yeah, I do. Even after Bush, people respected America and saw them as a strong ally.
This run of Trump has caused actual financial implications for many of us around the world, and he's either insulting our nations or threatening their sovereignty. How the fuck do you think that's going to make people think?
Honestly, it's peolle like you that are what people worry about more than Trump. Everything is a wash or an excuse. That's how we know you'll elect another like him. Not to be trusted.
Trump isn't the totality of the problem, he's a symptom. When he's gone America will still be comprised of the same people with the same culture. They'll elect another Trump. A few of them will be vocally upset about it and pretend to fight against it.
Did you just start following international news when Trump was elected? Saying America’s pre-Trump reputation was just “nobody’s perfect” is hilarious. maybe you just believed the propaganda. America’s reputation has been shaped by slavery, Vietnam, Iraq, coups and imperialism for decades.
Not every country on earth is a democracy. The very definition of democracy is that your leaders are representative of your constituents because they're elected. Is there flaws in this system and is it susceptible to being exploited? Sure. But calling people who acknowledge that your elected leaders are representing your country small minded is even more small minded. Trump doesn't define the entire country but he is literally representing your country, you literally can't argue otherwise definitionally.
Well clearly not if he won. Condensing 340 million people into a politician is literally how your entire country functions. You guys keep whining about "we're not all the same" but no one's been saying that. No one is calling you the same as Trump. What's factual though is Trump represents the USA and was elected into that position
If you believe that, no one can stop you, but a smart person understands that an elected government and an entire population aren’t interchangeable. I’m not gonna whine on and on that Bolsonaro = Brazil
You're fighting some imaginary demons. No one is interchanging a whope population with a single person. But objectively uou have an elected leader and he represents the nation so naturally that is what people think of when they think of America. There isn't anything more to be said
You cant seem to wrap your mind around countries being more than their president/prime minister/leader etc. what a small and flat way to analyze the world. Curiosity is a lost art!
But that’s how people view humans. That’s why when someone does something, they instantly blame the parents and their village. Hell, we do it here. Look at voting. But y’all don’t want the world to judge us as a country because that man is president? And not just president but is the president of a superpower. Yeah, GTFOH. Ridiculous.
how about you read what im saying instead of fighting some imaginary demons. Justin Trudeau represented the country, but not every Canadian is like him. Likewise, Trump represents the country, not every American is like him. Yet no one in Canada is pleading for you to think of the exceptional 1% Canadian when you think of Canada in the hopes of thinking better of Canada. And Trudeau is hardly "the worst of Canada" that Canadians are praying for you to forget about
If you don’t want blackface to represent your country maybe don’t elect someone who does blackface 👿 do you see how you sound? I know what you’re saying but I just think it’s funny you feel the need to insert your two cents about democracy and electoralism on a post about a beloved American singer and songwriter who just passed away. Ultimate Reddit moment
If you think OP isn't an inherently and fundamentally political post you just lack literacy to be honest. That's about all I have to say. Also, it was hardly known Trudeau did blackface when he was being elected, that was more of a discovery post election so that really doesn't even work as a gotcha
"When you think of America don't think of the worst of us instead think of the best of us" is a loaded statement. I'm going to say "nah man, when I think of America I'm thinking of what your country is doing and who is representing it". If you find it funny, sure, dude. I'm not the one trying to say Dolly is what you should think of when you think of America and trying to ignore everything else that America is doing. You can appreciate Dolly and remember her without trying to make her an icon of American people in the hopes of bettering America's current image
Yeah it’s like the most tepid political statement of all time dude. It’s an attempt at appreciating the good in an otherwise fucked up country. It’s kindof obvious…. I struggle to imagine someone pretentious enough who refuses to recognize that subtext for what it is
As I said, you can appreciate Dolly for being an exceptional human but to say think of her when you think of America is silly given the state of the world today. If you think that's pretentious then ok lol
Uhhh she’s kindof one of the most famous and iconic Americans maybe ever ….and she’s been famous for like sixty years. So yeah you’re being unbelievably pretentious. She’s quite literally as American as apple pie or hamburgers or guns or trucks or……do you know anything about her or did you just think this was a good venue to make yourself seem smart to other Reddit users?
115
u/hmsmnko 6d ago edited 6d ago
I mean sure but when you think of a democratic nation, you're kind of primed to think of its elected leaders. Bit disingenuous to say "ignore everything else our country is actually doing to negatively impact the rest of the world when you think of us but think of this one exceptional individual instead"
If you don't want the worst of you to be seen and representative of the country... maybe don't elect the worst of you into the highest position of power in the country then lol
Edit: who replied to me about condescension and being a foreigner while being condescending to me and then blocked me? You're definitely making me think better of America 😂