If you had taken a cultural anthropology class, you would know that there are no "levels of culture", there is just culture... Cult Anth 101... "Ethnocentrism"... Folks in power that had thoughts similar to you, completely rape-pounded the Native Americans.
Well then, our culture is greater than their culture, and it is being adopted all over the world.........and not through bullying about some archane religious edicts. DD
I guess it depends upon how you define culture, and whether you believe Mr. White tower, that there is only one. But, hey, glad he got to use something from that class in real life....... DD
I agree with you on that last bit, the religion part. That said, I don't think it is right to claim that our culture is superior, or centrally important. Ethnocentrism is bad, mmkay?
There are winners in life and losers, nothing wrong with recognizing that, this is not political correctness class. Some of these countries are losers...the USA is a winner. Not going to apologize for that. DD
Exactly, and I agree, but you were talking about culture. I think there is a better term that you are looking for. All the work is in front of the individual that wants to profess that they have a superior culture.
We're discussing two separate issues. You're discussing why the middle east is in the porous condition it is in. I'm discussing why the region has anti american sentiments. If you're denying that we've had any impact on that whatsoever, you're kidding yourself. As for the rest of what you said, I'd once again encourage you to look at our own country. In the past decades we've had politicians authorize illegal wiretapping, torture, and a ton of other violations of civil liberties and the law. They have not been held accountable. Your statement is doubly bizarre for the fact that we're seeing the entire region overthrowing its leadership. For someone so adamant about education, this is a remarkably ignorant statement. You act as if we're talking about things from so long ago....as if Palestine and Israel have not had ongoing hostilities, as if desert storm is some far off memory, as if economic sanctions only impact presidents, or that they'll all just be over iraq and afghanistan by now (even though both wars are still being fought). In total casualty count from the last decade- combine Somalia, Iraq wars, economic sanctions, and Afghanistan and you have a civilian death toll that exceeds half a million that we've been directly responsible for. Thats all in the last 20 years. We had 3,000 people die on 9/11 and have a hard time getting over it. Try to contextualize peoples realities. You're right that on the whole, everyone has responsibility and choice, but at the same time, you simply cant diminish the impact that a communities history and context plays into deciding how they become as people. The problem is also the process by which we make determinations about how culpable people are for their actions and how they should be 'above' certain things. The fact is that aristocrats and people of power have the education and opportunity to do the same things we condemn impoverished people for doing, the difference being that its socially acceptable for people of wealth and power to do so. So you have rich and powerful people commiting some of the worst crimes on earth, impacting hundreds of thousands of people, but they get viewed as intelligent and are looked up to. We have a natural tendancy to admire those in power, and assume everything about them- their cultural proclivities, moral dispositions, etc. to form a standard for the remainder of the world. Poor and weak people lack the agency to commit the same types of crimes and so their crimes become more evident, and more distasteful. Even in an era where racism was acceptable, poor white racists were frowned upon by aristocratic racists, because poor racists manifested their racism through 'classless' crimes like lynchings or pejorative slinging. That's what makes Black American's condition even more difficult to address, because their cultural realities are viewed through a lens of upper class examination, and thats why we're willing to accept so many simplistic explanations for why they are the way they are. If you were born in a different city, to a different set of parents, you'd undoubtedly be a different person, regardless of how culpable you are for your own actions. Who knows, you might even like the Jazz. And cultures dont independently give rise to an empire, create political power, or finance a nation. America, in the scope of history, is a very, very young nation, with certain strategic advantages (geographic distance from most of the world being one of the biggest). America's position of global primacy, above all else, is a direct result of financial and military strength. Einstein once referred to nationalism as the 'measles of mankind' and I think there's a lot of truth in that. There's nothing wrong with loving your country, but to adopt a superiority complex is where it gets problematic.
Everyone impacts everyone, of course we have had an impact, but the main impact on their situation has been created by their own leadership, not the west. I agree completely, we are not perfect, and that is something we can and should do better, but the comparison was between us and the Middle East, while we have our warts, in comparison, they have elephantitis. It is not bizzare, it is ABOUT ****ING TIME ! This depends entirely on your viewpoint, whether you believe we have been responsible or not. I think we are involved, but not the main culprit. And looking out for our own interests as a country is what leadership is supposed to do, doesn't mean they have to run over other countries, but to act like we don't have an agenda, is silly, we do, and so do they.....the problem is that no one likes the guy at the top, and that is what we are...the top. No doubt, but there are a lot more poor people who decided not to deal drugs, and commit crimes, and they were from some of the same poor communities. If you want to rise above, you have that opportunity, it is there in the USA, not so much in the middle east. No one said it would be easy....or that life is fair.... Einstein was a great mathematician, but not a great leader of people...... Agree that it would be great if we were all one community, of course that would imply one culture wins out..... And, I am putting my money on the USA's. DD
This would sure as hell piss me off: http://dissidentvoice.org/2010/09/nuclear-weapons-20-facts-they-don’t-want-you-to-think-about/ Why in the hell aren't we disarming any of our nuclear arsenal?
The US is quickly losing traction as a winner. Even Canadians are sympathizing for us :grin: China, India, and Brazil are going to be the superpowers later in this century. And the average Middle Eastern does have negative feelings towards the US. They might not hate us but they certainly don't like us. Obama has changed perceptions some. jo mama and a couple of others hit the nail on the head on why they don't like us. Supporting Israel will always be the first thing the average Middle Eastern or Muslim person will bring up. Our time in Iraq hasn't gone smoothly and created a civil war between Muslims with over a million lives lost. Being booty buddies with Saudi and turning a blind eye to the atrocities committed in Bahrain doesn't help the cause. Also, that whole thing about providing arms to Saddam and the Taliban makes the US look hypocritical.
How is this relevant to the topic discussion? I don't think we're being attacked because Islamic fundamentalists want everyone to get rid of nuclear weapons.
It certainly doesn't help matters. Is it really our conventional military muscle that keeps any one single country from disagreeing with us? God forbid the Iraqi or Afghani government's armed forces be responsible for 9/11. It has to be individual groups of Islamic extremists or we'd blow them completely off the map. We have the ultimate do as I say "or else". We're bullies. Maybe I'm way too optimistic in thinking there can ever be world peace, but dismantling our nuclear arsenal would be a gigantic first step.
"Which causes things to be difficult". You may make better points in the future if you weren't talking out of your ass. How many countries have you even been to in the Middle East? One? And lemme guess, it was only for 1 hour inside the airport. Congratulations DD, you are an expert on the Middle East! Now you can start creating a new video segment titled Middle East Talk, which no one will care about too! Get over it? How exactly are they supposed to get over a situation we put them in? And good job displaying your asinine reasoning with a stupid analogy. What lasting hardships did the Louisiana Purchase (over 200 years ago) make? Yet, here you are responding with your ignorant thoughts yet again. Perhaps you should never have even did those Rockets Talk video and instead got a real education. Then you wouldn't look like such a clueless idiot like ATW and basso.
When it comes to smaller countries like Afghanistan and Iraq? Yup - we beat the crap out of Hussein pretty easily without nukes after all. I mean, if we never had nukes, how would things in Iraq be different? Well, the Taliban WAS responsible for 9/11, and Bush argued Hussein was too. No nukes, and come on, even someone like me, who wouldn't have wept a single tear if we had burned Afghanistan to the ground Sherman-style, draws the line at nukes. Whether world peace is a GOOD thing aside, the idea that it'll come through disarmament and throwing away our nukes is fantasy and really shows how badly Wilson corrupted American foreign policy. It may be over a 150 years from him, but Bismarck is the one who understood foreign policy, not Wilson or FDR.
Forgive my ignorance, but I think I can sum it up in the broadest context: In order to maintain it's current political, economic, and military power, the U.S has no choice but to do things (justifiable or not) that will make some people extremely hateful. As an American, how would one feel to see troops from other countries marching down Washington, for any reason? Planes, tanks, troops from any foreign country marching down and blowing up your neighborhood, how would you feel? As to the exact reasons why there are conflicts in the Middle East, I don't think anyone knows. Humans are just not that evolved yet. I think people have to learn to let go of tribal, ethnic, national, group thinking. Excessive pride and allegiance to any particular group except to the human species as a whole is dangerous.
If they hate the government, then they most likely hate the people who voted the government in. I wonder which country is the least liked. I also wonder which government is least liked.
I think the most important thing to remember is that the average American and the average middle easterner (whatever that means) rarely meet each other, and if they don't know each other, then any emotions towards the other side are just illusions.
