 papananook says: I know, y'all think I hate America...Not so, but I despise what the people of the USA has done in so many instances of genocidal hypocrisy...I cannot celebrate our Independence without seeing all the death and destruction we have brouht to the brown, red and yellow segments of Mankind. I'm thoroughly disgusted with 'Murrika today and especially of the last 8 years. Our collective karma is disastrous and the Empire will fall, just like all Empires do. The "Noble Experiment" in Democracy gets a big FAIL. Despite all the good we have done, the USA is a racist, war-loving, greedy, Earth-polluting, voracious nation. Pretty sad when you think about it, neh? Australia has a history of genocide, as do most countries that have experienced invasion. It is found continuously through history and the only learning from this history was a justification to carry on in a worse manner. A friend once told me that America was still in it's teens. I suppose acceptance of a genocidal past is part of "growing up". It will be a great time anyway, when Dick'n'George have gone, the people may be able to reclaim to country from the corporations and neo-cons. Papa...dude...ssshhhh! What are yo doing man! Your devious truths are distracting us from praising all conquering, all saving America Umber-Alles! She can't do no wrong, not now, not ever! Truth? Truth! We can't handle the Truth! Oh, sorry, Ratilfar...did I speak out of turn? hahahaha. I don't care any more, I'm so sick of the way people drool over how the USA is supposed to be the best country in Human history when that is so far from true it makes my hair hurt. (see http://community.livejournal.com/sos_usa/1900673.html and you'll see what i mean. interesting little discussion there). Tabsey, I really doubt it, especially the way Obama has been racing to the "center"...if he keeps it up, he may even lose the election. I know I really don't want to vote for him, but we're back to that old 'Merrikan favorite--the lesser of two evils. Obama is a sell-out corporate jag-off politician, too, just a matter of degre... From observations two very apt descriptions of "patriots/patriotism" are: The last refuge of scoundrels. Those who are always eager to send other people's children to die for their beliefs/interests. Now please pay attention! The exercise/lesson of the day is: compile a list of people in the present administration who you believe fits the above descriptions.  I don't care any more, I'm so sick of the way people drool over how the USA is supposed to be the best country in Human history when that is so far from true it makes my hair hurt.I feel the same way. I will stop banging my head against the wall. It is just to painful by far. I mean I understand that you are proud of your country, its your country for God's sake, but this lunatic self-infusing euphoria just makes me swivel my head and ask: "Did I miss the bonfire rally? Or is that tonight?" This is my least favorite Holiday. All that wasted energy and money on fireworks, glorifying patriotism. Bleh. I was having a discussion with my son last night and he told me he still loved The USA and when I asked him why, he had a real hard time coming up with an answer...I let him off the hook, poor guy. 'Tis sad, neh? Two of my favorite quotes on patriotism: "Patriotism is often an arbitrary veneration of real estate above principles." -George Jean Nathan "You're not to be so blind with patriotism that you can't face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who does it or says it." -Malcolm X There's a lot about the U.S that sits online, in research facilities and bookshelves in every American library, that we don't want to see even though it is in plain sight. No country is perfect, it's just that the U.S tries the hardest to force its people to believe it is. My brother, who was an Intelligence Officer in Vietnam, once told me that if Americans knew half of what their country has done 'to' them (not 'for them) in it's quest for domination, that most would crawl under their beds and cry like children. How ironic this is! I was a grade-schooler in the '50s, and everybody knew we had free, enlightened education and communists only heard the parts of history most favorable to them. Little did we know that the self-censorship of the publishing industry, eager to produce saleable, non-controversial textbooks that catered to the nationalism of the 50s, had left us in the same place, utterly unable to truly look at our own history. We never talked about the genocides of native Americans, or of Filipinos, or of the destruction of democracies going on in those very years, or the destruction of Central and South American governments for the benefit of US industry, or why Haiti is such a wreck, or ... Little did we know that the self-censorship of the publishing industry, eager to produce saleable, non-controversial textbooks that catered to the nationalism of the 50s, had left us in the same place, utterly unable to truly look at our own history.It was no different in the 1980s. Columbus discovered America and the Natives kindly made room for the white man. Gawd. Every American public school student's US history text should be Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States. Hah! I can just imagine the reaction of some Kansas school board to Howard Zinn's A People's History of the US when it comes up for approval as a textbook!!!! They'd go purple with patriotic rage. Thanks for all your comments, clippers...it mitigates some of the pain, really! Well said, masbury! I didn't even have a clue about the true USA history until I married a lady who was part Native American, who turned me on to "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee". And then there was the occupation of Alcatraz by the N.A.'s in the late 60's...a lot of us got educated. Once my interest was piqued...I read everything I could, Including a wonderful book called Seven Arrows, Illustrated with beautiful art and amazing stories. Highly recommend it...it's not political, just wonderful. Thank you papananook, masbury, dulios, and others whom have given their heartfelt comments here on this important clip. Tis refreshing to read about empathy, truth, compassion, and passion in this little corner of sanity Keep up the good work .... it is much needed. Cheers. Same to ya, Socratoad! I didn't expect such a positive feedback. Thanks, all. Likewise . . . these comments do help me realize that the "America-hater" charge is crazy-making. Thanks! As Socratoad wrote: Tis refreshing to read about empathy, truth, compassion, and passion in this little corner of sanityHow strange it is - and how ironic - that we who yearn for "empathy, truth, compassion, and passion" would be said to hate! Sounds like it's more than a bit of a manipulation trick - perhaps those who say it know we hate hate, and they say it to give us a guilty conscience in hopes we'll shut up. I realized a year or so ago that Zinn is one of the most up-beat and optimistic historians around, and I was astonished how he could hold on to that attitud... “To live now as we think humans should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us…”Anything else would amount to not being able to look at myself in the mirror each morn. That for me dear friends is what self esteem is all about .... trying each day to make this world just one tiny bit better than it might have been if I were not a part of it. Often I fail, but not to have tried would really be a failure in my own eyes, for unless one is a sociopath than one cannot bullshit oneself without tremendous cost Thank you for the link masbury Yes, thanks, Masbury--excellent stuff by Zinn and you. |
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