182 wrote School shooters

182 wrote School shooters

Frog wrote What about the views of our Aussie, Kiwi, Saffer and Paddy brethren? We even have some mainland Europeans around here too.

When I think of the US I don't just think of Florida. I think of an enormous intercultural society spanning a large and diverse landmass. I think of a broken nation living under the illusion that it is still the world's leading power, soon to follow in the footsteps of the path us Brits have unknowingly and unwillingly walked over the past half century. I think of a divided nation, with wounds still unhealed from its colonization, from its civil war and from its current political shambles. I think of a country that may be better off split into independent nations. I think of the country in parts, where social attitudes widely differ, from the relative sanity of New England, to the slow lives on the plains, to the traditional and antiquated values of the deep south and of the endless race for technological progress led by those on the Pacific coast. I think of a people cut off from their ancestral roots, lacking a sense of connection to the land which their ancestors stole in the not too distant past. I think of those who walked the Trail of Tears, and those who did not make it. I think of old Hollywood movies, great highways, anachronistic diners, great open expanses, hurricanes, cowboys, hicktowns, homelessness and great urban sprawls.

When I think of your land my mind shows me the birthing of neolibralism, a poison which your leaders have spread, by both force and coercion, all over the world. I think of a ridiculously overfunded and oversized military, birthed through paranoia and fear, used to enforce a worldview which cannot possibly be implemented throughout most of the world. A worldview which lacks that which it claims value above all else, liberty and democracy. Your liberty is taken to extremes which comes full circle and limits the individual liberties of most, while your democracy is a bi-decadal vote between two decrepit old men who stand for almost exactly the same thing. America is no more a democracy than Russia and China are Communist states. The governments of these nations are practically the same. There's but a difference of degree. They all possess the same basic form of government: economic totalitarianism. The solutions to all issues are not determined by that which makes people healthy and happy in the bodies and minds but by economics. Dollars, yuan or rubles. The economy trumps all. Let nothing interfere with economic growth, even when that relentless growth castrates truth, poisons beauty, desertifies continents and drives entire civilizations insane. I think of a land that I would love to visit and discover the beauty of. A land and a people that I would like to know more about and understand the values that are held. But, these are my perceptions from the outside, one day I'd like to develop them on the inside. And please let it be known, many of my critiques do not apply to the new world alone.

When I think of America, I think of a land full of extremities. Extreme personalities formed by an outdated constitution. A land full of people that share my mother tongue and who I can receive and offer opinions, stories and ideas with. A people that appear so similar, yet so different. As an Englishman, I sometimes wonder if I feel closer to those on the European continent or those of the new world. In a way, you are but our trans-Atlantic cousins. I think of gun toters and booze shop hold ups. I think of isolated gas stations and filter coffee and pancakes. I think of racoons and grizzly bears and I think of beers that say "light" after them and alcohol in brown paper bags. I think of a land and a society that has created many of the great minds of the previous centuries and acknowledge that American society must be conducive to such developments. I think of New York city, yellow taxis and hot dogs, I think of Mark Twain's south eastern swamplands, Lawrence's romanticization of Arizona and Thompson's degradation of it, King's depiction of Maine and New Hampshire, Kesey's psychedelic California, Kerouac's broken Colorado and Krakauer's Alaska.

When I think of America I think of a land of abundance and desperation. A land where people die from diabetes while there are fully stocked hospitals within walking distance. I think of a land that lacks buses, trams, subways and trains and has an over-reliance on cars and planes. I think of homelessness en-mass. Those people, those ghosts who have been waiting for us on the pavement as poor tramps noticed only in our peripheral vision, if they are noticed at all. They are ghosts that we do not recognize. Those who have been waiting for us all along. And once we rush by, they collect their bundles of rags and memories and fall in behind us, retracing our steps and slowly catching up to us. I think of baseball and basketball and ice hockey and rugby shaped "footballs". I think of casinos and strip clubs and bright neon lights. I think of Lincoln and Truman and Nixon and Trump. I think of the atom bomb and the Marshal Islanders and Friends and ghettos. But mostly when I think of America, I just think of you Johnathon.

Frog wrote What about the views of our Aussie, Kiwi, Saffer and Paddy brethren? We even have some mainland Europeans around here too.

When I think of the US I don't just think of Florida. I think of an enormous intercultural society spanning a large and diverse landmass. I think of a broken nation living under the illusion that it is still the world's leading power, soon to follow in the footsteps of the path us Brits have unknowingly and unwillingly walked over the past half century. I think of a divided nation, with wounds still unhealed from its colonization, from its civil war and from its current political shambles. I think of a country that may be better off split into independent nations. I think of the country in parts, where social attitudes widely differ, from the relative sanity of New England, to the slow lives on the plains, to the traditional and antiquated values of the deep south and of the endless race for technological progress led by those on the Pacific coast. I think of a people cut off from their ancestral roots, lacking a sense of connection to the land which their ancestors stole in the not too distant past. I think of those who walked the Trail of Tears, and those who did not make it. I think of old Hollywood movies, great highways, anachronistic diners, great open expanses, hurricanes, cowboys, hicktowns, homelessness and great urban sprawls.

When I think of your land my mind shows me the birthing of neolibralism, a poison which your leaders have spread, by both force and coercion, all over the world. I think of a ridiculously overfunded and oversized military, birthed through paranoia and fear, used to enforce a worldview which cannot possibly be implemented throughout most of the world. A worldview which lacks that which it claims value above all else, liberty and democracy. Your liberty is taken to extremes which comes full circle and limits the individual liberties of most, while your democracy is a bi-decadal vote between two decrepit old men who stand for almost exactly the same thing. America is no more a democracy than Russia and China are Communist states. The governments of these nations are practically the same. There's but a difference of degree. They all possess the same basic form of government: economic totalitarianism. The solutions to all issues are not determined by that which makes people healthy and happy in the bodies and minds but by economics. Dollars, yuan or rubles. The economy trumps all. Let nothing interfere with economic growth, even when that relentless growth castrates truth, poisons beauty, desertifies continents and drives entire civilizations insane. I think of a land that I would love to visit and discover the beauty of. A land and a people that I would like to know more about and understand the values that are held. But, these are my perceptions from the outside, one day I'd like to develop them on the inside. And please let it be known, many of my critiques do not apply to the new world alone.

When I think of America, I think of a land full of extremities. Extreme personalities formed by an outdated constitution. A land full of people that share my mother tongue and who I can receive and offer opinions, stories and ideas with. A people that appear so similar, yet so different. As an Englishman, I sometimes wonder if I feel closer to those on the European continent or those of the new world. In a way, you are but our trans-Atlantic cousins. I think of gun toters and booze shop hold ups. I think of isolated gas stations and filter coffee and pancakes. I think of racoons and grizzly bears and I think of beers that say "light" after them and alcohol in brown paper bags. I think of a land and a society that has created many of the great minds of the previous centuries and acknowledge that American society must be conducive to such developments. I think of New York city, yellow taxis and hot dogs, I think of Mark Twain's south eastern swamplands, Lawrence's romanticization of Arizona and Thompson's degradation of it, King's depiction of Maine and New Hampshire, Kesey's psychedelic California, Kerouac's broken Colorado and Krakauer's Alaska.

When I think of America I think of a land of abundance and desperation. A land where people die from diabetes while there are fully stocked hospitals within walking distance. I think of a land that lacks buses, trams, subways and trains and has an over-reliance on cars and planes. I think of homelessness en-mass. Those people, those ghosts who have been waiting for us on the pavement as poor tramps noticed only in our peripheral vision, if they are noticed at all. They are ghosts that we do not recognize. Those who have been waiting for us all along. And once we rush by, they collect their bundles of rags and memories and fall in behind us, retracing our steps and slowly catching up to us. I think of baseball and basketball and ice hockey and rugby shaped "footballs". I think of casinos and strip clubs and bright neon lights. I think of Lincoln and Truman and Nixon and Trump. I think of the atom bomb and the Marshal Islanders and Friends and ghettos. But mostly when I think of America, I just think of you Johnathon.