01-05-2018, 11:30 PM
(01-05-2018, 09:57 PM)nebraska Wrote: Americans seem to have forgotten their own history.
Humans will typically read history selectively in an attempt to justify their own perspective.
(01-05-2018, 09:57 PM)nebraska Wrote: Americans should be moral, be proud, and have personal responsibility.
Humans should be moral, be proud, and have personal responsibility, but often find selective readings of history preferable. Thus, self interest often replaces what it would be nice if it were true. People are not always moral, proud and have personal responsibility, regardless of what continent they might come from. Truth tumps cultural half truths.
(01-05-2018, 09:57 PM)nebraska Wrote: Americans are supposed to be the good guys. We should not be Commies or Nazis. Governments are not kind. Government is force... Businesses are not cruel... Companies are about voluntarily transactions.
In the 1930s, it seemed obvious to many that industrial democracy had failed and that a Communist revolution was necessary. They were wrong, based on what was learned in the history that unfolded. Marx was wrong in his solutions. He counted on the People to maintain his revolution rather than the party becoming a corrupt selfish dominant elite. Marx was quite correct in identifying the problems. A capitalist system with an elite ruling class that monopolizes control is a problem.
Buisnessmen are not generally cruel but they generally consider the size and strength of themselves and their company as all important. In this they often are like those obsolete elites and governments who considered land (agriculture) and military power as primary. They often focus on themselves. Thus one often ends up with forces pulling in nigh on as many direcions as there are companies with little concern as to whether there is any advantage to the People.
I know, it is fairly obvious, that conservatives today favor corporations, while the progressives favor government. To me, this is a false dichotomy. There ought to be balance between the two and both should be working in the interests of the People. If the little fish are doing well, it generally follows that the big fish will do fine, will find plenty of prey.
(01-05-2018, 09:57 PM)nebraska Wrote: Americans wrongly think that because the US is immoral now, the USA was always immoral.
Morality can seem relative. I essentially minored in philosophy, but only learned how easy it is to create a supposedly moral system that justifies one's supposed goals. Still, it is hard to call monarchy, colonial imperialism, slavery or unchechecked capitalism moral. Civilization has always been flawed. As I see it, removing these flaws through crisis is the job of progressives forcing down conservatives. This does not imply that everything old is bad, but that is the way is has always been. Global warming is one of the latest cases. I expect lots of revenge when the next generation of prophets comes of age.
***
I could go on, but you have chosen a path impossible to rebut in reasonable sized posts. All I can do is show that your opinions are not uniquely true. They involve one particular, selective and thus flawed approach. I too could spam and provide links to often partisan sources, but that isn't the tradition here. Can you defend your short biased posts?