Do Americans Think...

...that pointing their finger at other countries will somehow make the massive problems inside their own country go away?

How can Americans accuse countries like China, Russia, and Iran of "aggression" when the USA has invaded and destroyed more countries in the past three decades than any other country in the world?

How can Americans criticize the civil rights records of foreign governments while they spend billions of dollars propping up a murderous dictatorship in Saudi Arabia?

Why don't my fellow Americans worry about their own country for a change? Or are things so perfect inside the USA that we can waste our limited time and energy obsessing over every problem in the world?

 

Wow. My fellow Americans avoided this thread like the plague. I must have hit the nail right on the head.

 

There are many advocating that we live up to our ideals. Those issues are systemic and fundamental changes are required to address them.

 

America First?

 

People tend to not like to have their hypocrisy pointed out. The relative silence is of no surprise to me. I am posting because I am a bit of an intellectual masochist in that I like my bias to be pointed out as it facilitates my quest to become more objective.

 

I guess that depends on your definition of many...

 

That would be nice. I wonder when we'll actually try it.

 

Do Americans Think...

Occasionally

 

We used to think that "America First" meand our ideals, our dedication to the rule of law, out equality, our democratic representation, our humanity, our freedoms, etc.

Today, it appears that "America First" is purely economic.

 

Which countries have been destroyed? Certainly not Iraq. Can't think of any other candidates since 1989 as you specified (three decades).

 

No, it was your thumb. You must not have felt it.

 

I cannot argue too much with what you say. In the last three decades, most government and political wags have lost count on how many billions, actually trillions of dollars we have spent in warring, engaging in, and rebuilding the Middle East. All to what end? In our defense, at least our goal has not been one of occupation.

America has an amazing propensity for choosing the wrong side. Viet Nam would have gone a lot smoother (without the loss of 58,000 American lives) if we had sided with the North. Saudis? Pull up our tankers to the docks, fill 'er up, and here's an F-16 or two for the oil. Then sail away and take a shower.

Iran? What would happen if the U.S. inked a juicy trade deal with Iran, established full diplomatic relations, issued American tourist visas, and sold them a bunch of Japanese cameras to use on their visits. Who knows?

How would it be to have that $3 trillion to fill up the potholes on our Interstates, replace a few thousand miles of railroad track, rebuild a few airports, and build a homeless shelter or two?

What with our new blessing of our very own oil, maybe we should think hard about our role as a superpower and how we can maintain a grand alliance and affect a positive influence in the world politick. Should we abandon our seventy year leadership in the world? What, you'd rather have China and Russia take the reins?

God matters. America and it's allies didn't win the Cold War so a bunch of evil dictators could take over. God's hand was on the scales. Holding all that together is America's role. You have another candidate in mind?

 

Except the US has killed unbelievable amounts of innocent people during its hegemony, so I'm not sure how you can claim the moral high-ground.

 

Real Americans don't think that.
America has been the aggressor since the end of WW2.
Early on, IMO, with good intentions to stabilize the world. Then capitalism and corpratism took over.
Now we use our might to make money and wealth. That's it. In simple terms.

 

Real Americans are in the minority these days.

 

I guess there's not an accurate definition of real American. Is there.

 

Never has been and never will be.

 

So, objectively, Real Americans can't be in the minority or majority. Since we don't even know what a real American is.

 

Indeed.

 

If we focus on our own problems, most of the worlds socialisms will have to increase their defense spending, which will make them not be able to afford socialism. If we make socialism look unaffordible, there will never be utopia.

So we must imperialize for the rainbows and unicorns!

 

There is no such thing as an innocent person today. Nor has there been in quite some time.

 

Certainly not Iraq??

Wtf...

 

Things perfect here? Nope just pretty darn good, and certainly better than most if not all places.

 

Sorry there are very few countries in the Middle East that aren't run by murdering thugs, crazed theocrats or some odd combination of the two. America's primary crime in the region was thinking that we could fix it.

 

I think it's clear America cannot make things better in the ME by having boots on the ground there at least as an occupying force.