[QUOTE="MilkMaster69"][QUOTE="mrbojangles25"][QUOTE="MilkMaster69"][QUOTE="Zentrenius"][QUOTE="MilkMaster69"][QUOTE="mrbojangles25"][QUOTE="Zentrenius"][QUOTE="Xx_CYC756_xX"][QUOTE="MilkMaster69"][QUOTE="Xx_CYC756_xX"] [QUOTE="MilkMaster69"]Why does America still seem like the wild, wild West?! Is it because they still cling to a social and political stigmata that should long ago have been buried, or is it because of governmental mismanagement inducing a deep-rooted sense of distrust, or is it some other thing?mrbojangles25
Think of it this way. You know how there are "checks and balances" in the United States government? Think of the 2nd Amendment of the final "check and balance" of the government. When a government goes way beyond its power and loses its ability to be controled, the people can still stand for their rights. Take for example Nazi Germany. Given that Hitler didn't steal everyone's firearms, you can bet Hitler would have never expanded. He never even attempted to invade Switzerland, where everyone owns a firearm. Gun control laws have failed in almost every situation they've been enacted.
"When you outlaw guns, only the outlaws have the guns."
It almost seems like you fear your own government and what they will do (bojangles included)- is that any way to live?
Maybe you need to think about moving to a saner country in that case.
Quite frankly, yes, I do fear my government. I'd rather be the guy on his toes at all times, rather than a citizen following his government like a sheep. Will I move? No, because it could happen to any country, and I feel safe enough in my country; but that doesn't mean I should trust my government.
"When one gets in bed with government, one mustexpect the diseases it spreads."
Damn straight. Except I would refer to it as caution. I think fear would step in as soon as we realize "Oh damn, we can't lawfully defend ourselves anymore!"
I agree, "fear" is a bit excessive. I dont look at a cop and say "if the government took away our guns, he would be the enemy".
But caution is definately how I view the government. I hear about tax cuts and instead of going "oh joy!" like everyone else, I think "crap, there goes the education system again".
If the paper read "guns banned in America" I wouldnt think "oh joy, gun crime is going to decrease" like my mostly-liberal mind should, but instead I would think "what is my government's motivation behind this?"
I mean, honestly, do you really think the government would impose the banning of guns simply for the good of its people?
Hmmm, "for the good of it's people"- why is that so hard to imagine for you?
I've never done this before, so please witness the monumental event of me, Zen, finally breaking down and doing it:
/FACEPALM
The /facepalm is a pop-culture fad, much like Libertarianism and the legacy of Ron Paul, but tell me, why is this so hard to imagine for YOU?
Its not hard to imagine. Ive read Utopia and I can be pretty creative; I can easily visualize a world where nobody kills eachother, and foie gras, truffles, and Chimay ale costs only pennies.
What is hard to imagine is making that a reality. And do you know why? Because my dream world is different from everyone else's, and I acknowledge that fact by making compromises.
Like I said earlier; you are living in the ideal world. You are a romantic, you think of the ways things should be and you get upset with the way things are. I dont mean that in a bad way; being a romantic is a good thing as often as its a bad thing.
But you have to learn that you do, in fact, live in the real world and you cant get bitter with the people that remind you of that.
So, by all means, have your dreams and ideals. Campaign to get them instated for all I care; if youre good enough, you just might convince me. But lighten up and dont try to make others as miserable with their existance as you appear to be.
I just find it hard to understand how you could be so dystopian. Life in the rest of the world, or the political climate where Westerners are concerned just isn't as dire as you seem to want to make it out to be. Granted the scourge of terrorism is a very real threat for everyone, but no more than it always has been. I guess it took a major act of terrorism on American soil to bring you to where you are today.
Ive travelled to:
Japan
Vietnam
France
England
Germany
Switzerland
Austria
Spain
...and a lot of other places.
And I can say, without a doubt, that I prefer the US. Now, I will be honest, I say this mostly because I have been raised here, but there are also a few occasions I can recall to refresh my memory. For instance:
1. In Japan I went to visit my sister, who taught English there, at her school one day and repeatedly saw female coworkers groped by men, in full view, and nothing was done. After some research, I find that not only is this common, but nothing is done about it
2. In Tokyo I saw a salaryman, in the middle of rushhour, come outside and take a piss in the middle of the sidewalk. Nothing was done; yet I am proud of that fact that had this been done in the US the guy would have been called on it, either by the authorities or by a regular joe such as myself.
3. In Kyoto we visited a friend and saw her apartement. Compared to, say, my home of San Francisco, the apartments in Kyoto are hovels. And I have seen some crappy SF apartements.
4. In England it seems they dont even try to call it a "random" search; during my layover at Heathrow, I saw 30 muslim-looking people get pulled aside.
5. I was able to take my backpack and my suitcase as carryon for my flight from San Jose to London. But from London to Barcelona I had to go out of my way two hours to check my suitcase due to terrorism fears.
6. I am a large guy (both vertically and from a weight standpoint) so I have grown up my whole life getting the occasional glance or glare as people think "woh, there is a big guy!" but Ive never felt more ashamed of who I was (Ive lost weight, hence the "was") physically than during my travels in Europe.
And, in general, I just prefer the American life****to the European one. Their cities stink, there are too many people, and they dont have a lot of open areas. I can drive for hours in the US and see nothing but pristine countryside. In Europe, you can maybe drive for 20 minutes in scenic France before stumbling across another city.
I am not saying Europe is worse t han the US, I am saying its just different and I find those differences distasteful. I like being able to go deer hunting, grill up some vension, and consume GMO corn seasoned with irradiated pepper all in one day. In Europe, I can do none of that.
I'm glad (not) that you appreciate your genetically-modified foods (may you grow a third ear someday), and I am sorry that you had bad airport experiences and apparently hate Japan (touchy statements on a site that ignorantly worships *** pop-culture by it's users).
Without seeming defiant, and though I totally discredit all your foreign travel experiences as not being truly internationally representative of anything, why is it that I spent 15 years living in beautiful European countries, but on my first visit to Boston I found it drab and totally devoid of any kind of "charm" whatsoever? So Fanuel Hall was remotely rustic, but the whole atmosphere was drab and just lacklustre...
Scottish farmed venison is good meat/eats, but does killing it yourself somehow make you more civilized? or does it just reinforce your primeaval instincts?
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