12-29-2016, 08:20 AM
(12-29-2016, 04:28 AM)taramarie Wrote:(12-29-2016, 04:14 AM)Classic-Xer Wrote:Hmm politics is pretty quiet here in comparison. Never heard of a limousine lib. But thing is the culture is pretty quiet here too and is not divided in the way I see it divided by politics in America. It is quite strange for me to see in comparison to what I have experienced here. Btw we agree on "preference to illegal aliens" but I also despise what I have learned that here in NZ we let in immigrants and certain ones apparently get a house, car and job. Some brag about it. Now, we have citizens who struggle to get all three things. Why are they favoured? They are cheap labour. I just recently heard that miners here are being paid by a certain company only 3 dollars an hour! That is illegal here in NZ when the average minumum wage for an adult is $15 an hour. Of course they will put up with it because they do not want to return home. And of course they are able to be used in ways that citizens will refuse to put up with. This makes it harder for us to get jobs here. Of course I am concerned also about the housing crisis and naturally I am not impressed that they are given a roof over head when we struggle to get homes too. We need to sort out the crisis here first and tend to the quality of life here for citizens first before anything else in my opinion.(12-29-2016, 03:10 AM)taramarie Wrote:Politics has to be more aggressive in the United States than New Zealand for obvious reasons. We are a lot more involved in everything than New Zealand. As I've mentioned before, I live in a smaller US state that's larger than your entire country. But, I would view Minnesota and New Zealand as being equal in level as far as its position in the world. Minnesota has some say but not as much say as a state like California or New York. Does your country have limousine liberals, movie stars, comedians and musicians playing an active role in its politics? Politics that eliminate jobs, gives preference to certain illegal aliens and dishes out policies as if they're free. If I was king, I would separate this group, give this group what it wants and tax it to death.(12-29-2016, 02:45 AM)Classic-Xer Wrote:(12-29-2016, 01:43 AM)taramarie Wrote: Oh wow really? I thought it was extreme now in comparison to what i experience in my own country. That is interesting. I wonder what caused that change.The 4T was much more extreme ten years ago. American politics is still about the same as it was ten years ago.
Well yes we have differences, but it is not like I do not view you as someone who is not my equal. I cannot say the same for others who are disrespectful to me. Which does not usually include you. I measure people on how they treat me. Not in our differences. And that is the honest truth.
Wow. That is interesting. You are right about the culture. My reaction when I started to hear more about what went on over there and also chatting to Americans was sort of like whoa! In comparison it is far more aggressive, far more extreme. It has left an impression on me. Americans have told me it is nothing like how it appears online though. People become emboldened and passionate about their thoughts rather than what they show in public apparently. I guess being online is a way to vent out with "seemingly" no consequences....they think. I thought that the 4T was becoming more extreme. Especially after this last election.
Tara, a big difference between the US and NZ is that we are not an homogeneous culture. If you are interested, I recommend the book American Nations by Colin Woodard. The book goes very in-depth about the different cultural regions of the US and their histories. Here's a book review.
I'm from the region called Yankeedom, which Woodard describes as:
Quote:Founded on the shores of Massachusetts Bay by radical Calvinists as a new Zion, Yankeedom has, since the outset, put great emphasis on perfecting earthly civilization through social engineering, denial of self for the common good, and assimilation of outsiders. It has prized education, intellectual achievement, communal empowerment, and broad citizen participation in politics and government, the latter seen as the public’s shield against the machinations of grasping aristocrats and other would-be tyrants. Since the early Puritans, it has been more comfortable with government regulation and public-sector social projects than many of the other nations, who regard the Yankee utopian streak with trepidation.A lot of our conservative ideologues here in the US come from Greater Appalachia and the Deep South regions, who generally hate us Yankees.
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