A thought about the recent events in the US

[nairiporter]

I don't know. After reading most of what was said and written about the Giffords case over the last couple of days, I feel disturbed. There is something very wrong going on in the US society. People seem to be at the tip of their toes and their nerves strained to the extreme. You may say it is because of the crisis but the crisis is everywhere and I haven't seen such extreme reactions in most of the remaining part of the so called democratic world.

Comments

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

OTOH, if the USA was proposing deporting an entire minority with a history of genocide attached to it, I daresay that the reaction from the rest of the civilized world would hardly be so tepid. If the United States had used near-genocidal tactics to suppress an insurgency led by a people with a genocidal history attached to it, I daresay the reaction would be more than apathetic. If the United States was incapable of forming a government but found time to give a quick sop to the racist populists, I daresay that the reaction would be more than apathetic. If the United States were steadily seeing an enhancement of government power and ability to spy on people's lives every day without notable murmur of protest from either party, I daresay there'd be a huge deal of comments about it.

But nobody's really made any effort to stop Sarko WRT the Gypsies, Russia's war with the Chechens is virtually ignored outside certain corners of the Internet, Belgium and its treatment of Muslims is more than certainly ignored, and the UK's increasing slide into Airstrip One is entirely seen as not in the least bit troublesome. So yes, things here are bad and getting worse, but they aren't so much better on the other side of the Pond.

[nairiporter.livejournal.com]

You are diverting the topic. You do it often when you don't have anything to add to the actual topic. Yes, the things you are talking about are horrible. Yet it is no excuse if external excuse is what you are looking for.

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

It's a near knee jerk reaction of his.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

It's not an excuse, it's a reminder that the USA has spree killers, the EU has much deeper problems than an outbreak of lone-wolf violence. We haven't seen this since the 1880s, but then we aren't giving sops to our fascists half as quick or fast as you are doing.

Perhaps if the USA even grows a backbone firmer than a wet noodle we might resolve the problems that are leading to the lone wolves, but as that requires dealing with multi-decade issues dating back to Reagan's Administration I highly doubt that will happen.

[nairiporter.livejournal.com]

Who is that "you" that you are talking about? I am African, not European. Or you will now blame me for the apartheid? Go on I know you want to.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

Nah, I won't blame you for apartheid. That's not right, neither you nor Stijn have any actual responsibility for what people like Smut did. I reacted emotionally and I think I ended up proving your point, and for that I apologize.

[nairiporter.livejournal.com]

You don't need to apologize. You're entitled to your opinion. Just when you form an opinion, think first not after. :-)

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

I thought America was better than those genocidal sonsofbitches, or at least it claims to be? I'm not sure you really want to compare the US to Sarko, Putin et al...

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

Nah. We claim to be but we're just another imperialist like all the others, we just try to pretend we're more moral about it. The truth is the other way around, that at least they were *honest* about their motivations where we are not. And in any case Spree shooters =/= to trying to expel a people who went through the Pojaramos. Or to the revival of Jew-hating in Europe.

Essentially my comment was an irritated "It's not just us with the problems, so get off your high horse about our problems and fix your own."

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

I feel weird every time someone makes the argument that we shouldn't talk about someone else's problems since we have problems of our own. That's just not fair. If a smoker urges people to stop smoking because he has seen how harmful it is, does it make him hypocrite? No it makes him a person with a very bad experience.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

That's a good point. It was an emotional reaction, and it was not the best choice of words. I still feel that France's proposing expulsions and Belgium's sop to racists instead of more important matters like forming governments are slightly more troublesome than the string of spree shootings through the last three years in the USA.

That said, I did react emotionally, which does to some extent prove her point.

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

Yes I know it was an emotional reaction. That's why I responded this way.

[il-mio-gufo.livejournal.com]

Well our President Obama just gave a speech last night at the memorial service held for those that died in the Arizona shooting. He said:

“At a time when our discourse has become so sharply polarized … it’s important for us to pause for a moment and make sure that we’re talking with each other in a way that heals, not in a way that wounds,” Obama said. He later added, “If this tragedy prompts reflection and debate -- as it should -- let’s make sure it’s worthy of those we have lost.”

I really hope this will aid in quelling the commotion :/ the very last part put me in check & i've never even sided with either side.