Are americans the root of the problems

[EvilRedGuy]

EDIT: What arguments do you use against this "americans are the problems" argument.



Sorry for not editing this earlier *facepalm*

[gorillafuck]

No.

[Who?]

So??

No, capitalism is the root of most of our problems.

Americans can be good or bad, just like the people in any other nation. Their primary problem is that they tolerate their imperialist government. I'd be willing to say that the American government is the strongest force for capitalism in the world thus making it a huge problem.

[Rusty Shackleford]

Americans may be assisting the problems but its not their fault. It just happened to be that capitalism became very well entrenched in the American mindset.

But, Americans arent bad. There are many good American people its just they support the imperialist government and capitalism.

[thecoffeecake1]

That's an ignorant thing say, of course Americans aren't the problem, America and the commercial imperialist garbage its spewed all over the world is but you can't blame Americans as a whole. I certainly didn't cause it.

[Vampire Lobster]

America might be easier to hate for you average leftist (cool too!) and they are a handy scapegoat, but no, they're not the root of the problems. Capitalism in USA is pretty in-your-face, but that doesn't mean that things would be any better if, say, the EU, Russia or China was the sole global superpower. The problem is not any single country, not any single company; it's the entirity of contemporary political and economical system. Whoh!

[TheGodlessUtopian]

No absolutely not!

Most americans are indoctrinated into the capitalist system at a young age and that is why they tolerate their imperialist government.

If you want to pin the blame on some group blame the U.S ruling class (different-completely seperate-from the individual people).Capitalism is the enemy not normal,everyday american citizens.

[#FF0000]

Eh kinda sorta but not really.

I mean the U.S. has been one of the two major world powers since World War 2 so the government has their fingers in a lot of pies and have contributed to the rise of really terrible people, especially in the Middle East.

But at the turn of the century, England was more or less doing the same thing.

So, is America the only problem in the world? No. The government certainly causes problems (putting it extremely mildly) in foreign countries, but any super power would be doing the same. This doesn't absolve anybody, however. The point is that every government will butcher and kill as many people as it has the power to do so if it serves certain interests.

[FreeFocus]

Well, capitalism is the root of most of the problems we face today. The United States is at the head of global capitalism and is the major imperialist power, and has been for some time (moreover, it is inherently imperialist, as a settler state). Americans do tolerate the government, support capitalism, and fall in line behind the wars - if not in rhetoric, in deed (where is the so-called anti-war movement?). All of this is ingrained in American national culture. Americans, as people, aren't necessarily to blame. You can make a strong case that there are serious problems in American national culture that contribute to, exacerbate, and create major issues.

[progressive_lefty]

I think it's fair to say that America is driving de-regulated capitalism on a global level. When you think about the fact that the US is the only industralised country to never have nationalised/universal health care, that says a lot. It even says a lot, when you have soo many people in the US that do not support universal health care. Universal health care exists in many second and third world countries as well, so it really shows how bizarre the US really is globally.

There is no doubt that in relation to the history of South America, or social democratic movements in a lot of countries across the world, the US has had a large negative effect on democracy. And no one could forget, that the situation in Israel/Palestine would not be as bad, if it weren't for the action of the US. I think Americans are quite unique globally, they seem so content with removing healthcare, free education and establishing deregulation - free market ideas. People have to remember that Conservative Majority Governments in places like Australia (John Howard) and the UK (Margaret Thatcher) opposed naionalised health care, but didn't oppose universal health care. It's soo staggering to think of the opposition towards nationalised/universal healthcare in the US..

[9]

I don't mean to derail the thread, but...


People have to remember that Conservative Majority Governments in places like Australia (John Howard) and the UK (Margaret Thatcher) opposed naionalised health care, but didn't oppose universal health care.

What does 'universal healthcare' mean, if it doesn't mean nationalized healthcare? In the US, they're typically synonymous, or at least that is the way I have generally understood it. 'Universal health insurance', though, tends to mean something different.

[EvilRedGuy]

BTW i know that americans aren't the trouble, thats a stupid question but i was asking this to find replies i could give to peoples who uses this "americans are the problems" argument, but i was busy while writting the thread title so i forgot what i typed for a moment. So sorry for the misunderstanding i didn't mean to offend anyone.

[Obzervi]

Yes. The "american lifestyle" is only made possible by exploitation of wage slavery within third world countries. The US is a capitalist military force which attacks random countries halfway around the world at will if they don't succumb to the shitty capitalist system.

[Comrade Marxist Bro]

So??

Well, yes. The root of the problem isn't the current system, the growing material inequality and problem of insufficient access to resources like medicine or education, the lack of genuine democracy for the masses, the never-ending wars, or the institutional oppression of the workers; the root of the problem is Americans. The other root, of course, is the Jews.

[EvilRedGuy]

Well, yes. The root of the problem isn't the current system, the growing material inequality and problem of insufficient access to resources like medicine or education, the lack of genuine democracy for the masses, the never-ending wars, or the institutional oppression of the workers; the root of the problem is Americans. The other root, of course, is the Jews.

Read the post 2 posts over yours. (my second post)

I allso edited the thread description.

[Comrade Marxist Bro]

Read the post 2 posts over yours. (my second post)

I allso edited the thread description.

You said "i was asking this to find replies i could give to peoples who uses this "americans are the problems" argument," well, there ya go.

[progressive_lefty]

What does 'universal healthcare' mean, if it doesn't mean nationalized healthcare? In the US, they're typically synonymous, or at least that is the way I have generally understood it. 'Universal health insurance', though, tends to mean something different.

Like in Australia, the Conservatives here (Nationals+Liberals) brought in Private Health Insurance, but didn't remove public hospitals. So now in Australia we have two systems - private and public(free). The wealthy use private, and everyone else uses the public system.

[RadioRaheem84]

Americans are not the problem, it's the system. It uses people like so many parts in a machine to main it's strength. The problem has always been social.

BUT, I am concerned that Americans, or at least a section, is becoming so radicalized by the right wing that they cannot even speak to you rationally.

I use my gf's father as a perfect example. His business suffered from the recession and he was always a pretty rational apolitical conservative traditional type. As soon as the recession his his business and Obama was elected he went apeshit. Now he watches Glenn Beck and Mike Huckabee all day and subscribes to right wing news rags. The man has become unbearable! He knew more about politics and history when he was apolitical than now, a rabid right winger.

FOX News and the right wing media are the most evil thing to come out of the mainstream media. I mean they just bombard people with scare messages and disinformation and give them a clout of superiority. It's disgusting.

I really do not know just how this nation is going to work out with a growing number of people radically watching FOX or at least casually watching it.

[BLACKPLATES]

Its misleading and i think wrong to hold an example like GB, and say the British have always supported Universal Health care, but Americans havent. As an American i am exasperated by that problem as well although i have noticed that Europeans arent very hip to Socialist policies in the US either. Its one thing for the British to want health care but when a policy is debated in the US they only look at how it will affect their investments in the US.And that is how most of the world sees it. There is no solidarity in Europe with the American working class. America is still seen in Europe as a place to get rich and exploit labor and the environment, to behave in ways they wouldnt even attempt in Europe.

[RadioRaheem84]

Its misleading and i think wrong to hold an example like GB, and say the British have always supported Universal Health care, but Americans havent. As an American i am exasperated by that problem as well although i have noticed that Europeans arent very hip to Socialist policies in the US either. Its one thing for the British to want health care but when a policy is debated in the US they only look at how it will affect their investments in the US.And that is how most of the world sees it. There is no solidarity in Europe with the American working class. America is still seen in Europe as a place to get rich and exploit labor and the environment, to behave in ways they wouldnt even attempt in Europe.

I've noticed this too among Europeans.

Europeans do not really see us as the same as them. They look at us like we would look at China or Russia. A huge powerful country with a Wild West Economy to get rich and exploit workers and stake your claim to fame.

I doubt many of our policies would be that popular in Europe.

Do Europeans even see us as a western liberal democracy like France, Germany or the Scandinavian nations?

Do they really see us more in line with China and Russia?

[The Guy]

Don't hate the player, hate the game.

[L.A.P.]

I think many Europeans are way too fucking elitist about the whole "It's all America's fault" thing when Europe is just as responsible as America for a lot of the problems in the world, and I love it when Canadians go around being elitist towards Americans because there is such a huge difference between the two:rolleyes:. I don't think the American people are the problem I think it's the governments of the West who cause most of the problems. Big difference.

[Amphictyonis]

slKNd22GGaQ


I live in America and am afraid of Americans ;) I may get some flack for this but there are a lot of reactionary assholes here. It's just the way I see it. It's not just America though, the working class in all advanced capitalist nations are dropping the ball. Not all of us of course. If we can't even get more than 20% of the population to vote ( not that voting changes anything)how do we get even 20% to facilitate a socialist revolution?

I see too much apathy in America. Distractions and apathy mixed with endless propaganda pushed on us by the bourgeoisie.