Why America Scares The World

[Guest Jobber of the Week]

http://www.msnbc.com/news/885222.asp?0cv=KA01

 

Really too long to paste everything here.

 

Nothing is more appropriate than slapping that pretentious MOAB on the front cover along with that title. Props to the editor who decided to do that.

[Guest Kotzenjunge]

Superb read.

[Guest Tyler McClelland]

Agreed.

[Guest MrRant]

So we should "help" poor countries by buying their goods instead of buying it from you know... actual US companies that employ US citizens? Fuck that.

 

Take care of your own before helping out these other countries.

 

Or we can do like Sam Kinnison said and drive these motherfuckers out of the goddamn desert to someplace where the food ACTUALLY grows instead of wasting out money giving food to people who can't even fucking grow anything where they are. THAT is why they are starving... they are living in the GODDAMN DESERT. MOVE MOTHERFUCKER!

[Guest Tyler McClelland]

Doesn't change the entire point of the article.

[Guest MrRant]

I understand the point of the article even if I think that there are some very...very ungrateful countries out there that we STILL help out and get no thanks from.

[Guest Tyler McClelland]

As the dominant country in the world, the US is expected, not asked, to do these things.

[Guest MrRant]

We should be expected to take care of the poor in this country before helping out Africa. Fuck Africa until everyone in THIS country has a comfortable (relatively speaking... roof, food, etc) and then help out other nations.

 

Our citizens come first. Not the citizens of Bosnia, not some random country in Africa.

 

Why don't we take those billions and build low-rent apartment buildings on golf courses and make sure Americans all have a place to live and something to eat?

 

But no... we have to help out all the other countries because we have money. That's why I don't give to charity. I have to take care of me and my family first and why bother because half the homeless people don't deserve shit. I worked retail at a Rite Aid once years ago and there where "homeless" people (AKA lazy bastards) that sat next to the freeway and got money from passing motorists and bought what? Beer. I've seen them pass up landscaping jobs because its easier for them to ask for money instead of work for it.

 

Fuck them and fuck everyone else who asks me for money to help out the people who are to lazy to lower themselves to landscaping jobs.

 

EDIT: Reworded.

[Guest JMA]

I wouldn't call ALL of the homeless "lazy bastards." That's simply a blatant generalization.

[Guest MrRant]

I was speaking of the ones where I worked. You can plainly see that if you read what I wrote.

[Guest JMA]

I was speaking of the ones where I worked. You can plainly see that if you read what I wrote.

I did read what you wrote. But what about people who are homeless and ARE NOT lazy? You seem to ignore them.

[Guest Tyler McClelland]

The whole point of the article, though, is that every massive superpower has come down hard because the rest of the world gangs up on them. To prevent this, we need to be the big humanitarian and pacifist and diplomat, etc.

 

I suggest you read it a little closer.

[Guest JMA]

I sometimes wish there was a non-hostile, democratic country equal to America in terms of size and military might. It would keep us from ever becoming corrupt.

[Guest MrRant]

I read over that point. This is what I was responding too:

 

As the dominant country in the world, the US is expected, not asked, to do these things.

 

Which you said in response to me saying that we get no thanks for the help we give anyways.

 

I was saying we shouldn't HAVE to be generous, humanitarian, etc like you were pointing out. We should choose to be. Just because we have money doesn't mean we need to give it away.

 

Perhaps you need to read closer.

[Guest Tyler McClelland]

No, I discounted your point as stupid and contrary to the entire point of the article, which is what we were supposed to be discussing in a thread about an article.

 

We're expected to do this because we're rich. If we get the wrong image, we get ganged up on. Then, we come crashing down and become the next France.

[Guest NoCalMike]

We have enough money in the system to make sure NO ONE is sleeping on the streets, has a hot meal at least twice(probably three)times a day, AND help other countries. It isn't like our funds have run out because we help out Africa some. Our government just thinks there are better things to do with 200 million dollars, like umm, say, give it back through the "tax cut/refund" to millionaires that will just put it in their trust fund and do nothing to help the less fortunate.

 

Mr. Rant, I do agree that we should WANT to, rather than HAVE to, but with all the greed that this country is based on, sometimes there is not enough WANT, and some need to be reminded they SHOULD.

[Guest Jobber of the Week]

MrRant, you refer to the homeless people at the Rite-Aid near where you worked as lazy bastards, but you are in favor of helping the lazy bastards outside your store than the people in dire poverty in other countries?

 

In Africa, you can be a hard worker, far from a lazy bastard, and still have some pretty terrible living conditions.

[Guest JMA]

This reminds me of when Sen. Sonny Bono (RIP) said he didn't want to give away any of his money because "he earned it."

[Guest Jobber of the Week]

I guess I'll attempt to steer this thread back on topic:

 

I think it was a very good article. It's absolutely fucking mind-blowing that there's more opposition to war with Iraq than with Vietnam. At first I thought the world had lost it's marbles, but I think it's more like we're all trying to grow out of the "krush kill destroy" mentality and solve problems without instigating further problems. Unfortunately our semi-elected leadership hasn't quite come out of the iron age to become capable of rationally undertaking non-military measures in the name of "peace". We were doing fine keeping him fenced in. We need to create smart sanctions to alleviate the pressure off the people, not blow everything up and help out the embittered survivors who will in no way be thanking us for killing half their country.

 

 

In other words, We scare the world because right now we look like a 4 year old with a tank.

[Guest godthedog]

while bush's foreign policy tactics certainly aren't helping matters, i don't know if that's where i'd put all the blame. how did the rest of the world see us during the clinton administration? (that's not a rhetorical question either, i honestly can't remember.)

[Guest TheMikeSC]

As the dominant country in the world, the US is expected, not asked, to do these things.

So, we try to help everybody and we're meddling in everybody's affairs and they hate us.

 

We try and leave people alone and they hate us for NOT helping.

 

Yup, gotta love these catch-22's.

-=Mike

[Guest TheMikeSC]

We have enough money in the system to make sure NO ONE is sleeping on the streets, has a hot meal at least twice(probably three)times a day, AND help other countries. It isn't like our funds have run out because we help out Africa some. Our government just thinks there are better things to do with 200 million dollars, like umm, say, give it back through the "tax cut/refund" to millionaires that will just put it in their trust fund and do nothing to help the less fortunate.

 

Mr. Rant, I do agree that we should WANT to, rather than HAVE to, but with all the greed that this country is based on, sometimes there is not enough WANT, and some need to be reminded they SHOULD.

Just checking---

 

Why is the world's suffering OUR problem? Why should WE be expected to fix ALL of the problems for a world that resents and dislikes us? Why should MY money go to help people in Africa? No offense, but the suffering of Africans means approximately squat to me. My family and loved ones are of infinite more importance to me.

 

We we the world NOTHING. We owe nobody one darned thing.

 

We give more than anybody else. We have for many, many years.

 

I say we simply remove ALL money and let them see how helpful we really have been.

-=Mike

[Guest TheMikeSC]

This reminds me of when Sen. Sonny Bono (RIP) said he didn't want to give away any of his money because "he earned it."

And he HAD earned it.

 

He didn't HAVE to give away one red cent.

-=Mike

[Guest CanadianChris]

We have enough money in the system to make sure NO ONE is sleeping on the streets, has a hot meal at least twice(probably three)times a day, AND help other countries.  It isn't like our funds have run out because we help out Africa some.  Our government just thinks there are better things to do with 200 million dollars, like umm, say, give it back through the "tax cut/refund" to millionaires that will just put it in their trust fund and do nothing to help the less fortunate. 

 

Mr. Rant, I do agree that we should WANT to, rather than HAVE to, but with all the greed that this country is based on, sometimes there is not enough WANT, and some need to be reminded they SHOULD.

Just checking---

 

Why is the world's suffering OUR problem? Why should WE be expected to fix ALL of the problems for a world that resents and dislikes us? Why should MY money go to help people in Africa? No offense, but the suffering of Africans means approximately squat to me. My family and loved ones are of infinite more importance to me.

 

We we the world NOTHING. We owe nobody one darned thing.

It's called social responsibility. The well-off have a moral obligation to help the less fortunate.

 

I'm sick and tired of all of the me-first attitudes I see nowadays, as exemplified by this thread. If someone's living on a shoestring budget, fine, but if he's out there spending money on a home theatre system or a tricked-up SUV and still complaining about giving money to charity, there's something wrong with him.

[Guest Vern Gagne]

Since when is the United States an empire? The U.S. isn't like any other nation in the history of the world. While the others countries mentioned were empires, who conquered other country, the U.S. hasn't done that.

[Guest Vern Gagne]

People don't wanna give money to Africa. They never said anything about not giving money to a charity in this country.

[Guest godthedog]

As the dominant country in the world, the US is expected, not asked, to do these things.

So, we try to help everybody and we're meddling in everybody's affairs and they hate us.

 

We try and leave people alone and they hate us for NOT helping.

 

Yup, gotta love these catch-22's.

-=Mike

judging from the article, i don't think lack of financial aid is the problem here. the animosity seems more to stem out from arrogance more than anything else. clinton administration arrogance was basically white man's burden: we're going to help you because you people can't help yourselves, etc. bush administration arrogance is more akin to, "we don't want anything to do with any of you, unless we want something from you, then we fully expect to get it from you even though we previously wanted nothing to do with you."

[Guest TheMikeSC]

We have enough money in the system to make sure NO ONE is sleeping on the streets, has a hot meal at least twice(probably three)times a day, AND help other countries.  It isn't like our funds have run out because we help out Africa some.  Our government just thinks there are better things to do with 200 million dollars, like umm, say, give it back through the "tax cut/refund" to millionaires that will just put it in their trust fund and do nothing to help the less fortunate. 

 

Mr. Rant, I do agree that we should WANT to, rather than HAVE to, but with all the greed that this country is based on, sometimes there is not enough WANT, and some need to be reminded they SHOULD.

Just checking---

 

Why is the world's suffering OUR problem? Why should WE be expected to fix ALL of the problems for a world that resents and dislikes us? Why should MY money go to help people in Africa? No offense, but the suffering of Africans means approximately squat to me. My family and loved ones are of infinite more importance to me.

 

We we the world NOTHING. We owe nobody one darned thing.

It's called social responsibility. The well-off have a moral obligation to help the less fortunate.

 

I'm sick and tired of all of the me-first attitudes I see nowadays, as exemplified by this thread. If someone's living on a shoestring budget, fine, but if he's out there spending money on a home theatre system or a tricked-up SUV and still complaining about giving money to charity, there's something wrong with him.

The well-off OWE the less fortunate nothing. They give regularly, but they are under NO obligation to do so.

 

And who the heck are YOU to decide what somebody SHOULD give? If the world hates us EVEN THOUGH we give tons of money and kept millions free from communism --- then screw them.

 

We did more good for the world than any country in history has ever done.

-=Mike

[Guest CanadianChris]

The well-off OWE the less fortunate nothing. They give regularly, but they are under NO obligation to do so.

Like I said, it's a moral obligation. It does, though, require a functioning moral compass. And I'll remember that when one of your loved ones is dying from an incurable disease and you're wishing there were more money for research...hey, not my problem.

 

And who the heck are YOU to decide what somebody SHOULD give? If the world hates us EVEN THOUGH we give tons of money and kept millions free from communism --- then screw them.

I'm a member of the human race, man, with compassion and everything. If you have the means, you should give SOMETHING to SOMEONE. Doesn't matter who or how much, but sitting on your ass doing absolutely nothing is unacceptable.

 

We did more good for the world than any country in history has ever done.

What, you want a pat on the back for being lucky enough to live in a country you can say that about?

[Guest Plushy Al Logan]

Why does the US take care of other countries instead of it's own citizens? In my opinion we should boot out all non-English speakers, and criminals, and give a chance to people who follow the laws of this country; we should also start prinitng things in English only. Someone once told me that a nation, is a group of people united by a common culture and/or belief, but I don't see that anywhere, we are not a nation of anything, we are just people who occupy a space known as the United States of America.