I am not an American, but i really can't believe that the majority of Americans voted for that idiot Trump. I hope God Blesses America. I have always held Americans in the highest esteem, but my views have been shattered. How can so many not see through that lying, cheating, criminal?
I am not an American, but i really can't believe that the majority of Americans voted for that idiot Trump. I hope God Blesses America. I have always held Americans in the highest esteem, but my views have been shattered. How can so many not see through that lying, cheating, criminal?
There're a number of phenomena that operate more or less independently here in the U.S.
1. Anti-intellectualism -- In the 20-30 or so years after independence a number of French authors, historians,etc. came here to see what kind of country their own government had helped birth. One of the big things many of them noticed was a pervasive distrust of anything even hinting of 'book-learning'. Not much has changed since then.
2. Religious fervor -- Around 1845 some preacher predicted the Second Coming was nigh. Thousands of people sold their houses, businesses, etc to gather in a few places in the midwest. Unfortunately, the guest of honor didn't get the memo and never showed up. There's surprisingly little written (that I can find) about what happened to these tens of thousands of people. My gut is that their descendants are a large part of the MAGA crowd. It kind of fits the theory of Inter Generational Trauma: Immense anger that nobody seems to know a reason for, the feeling of having been ripped off without knowing exactly what was stolen.
3. Semmelweiss Reflex -- It's endemic here in the U.S. You simply can't talk to those who've been hit with it.
4. Deep seated distrust of government. Go research what happened when the federal government first implemented an income tax in 1913 or thereabouts.
5. Numerous social cleavages that run along very similar lines. Ask an American his position on 2 or 3 social issues and that tells you his position on a half dozen more.
6. Our country was settled largely by religious fanatics and social misfits. There's a semi-joke about this:
Q: Why is there so little ADHD in Europe?
A: They all went to the New World. And today the least densely populated states have the highest per capita consumption of ADHD meds.
7. Poplation mixing stopped. Until WWII men went into the military or higher education then came home and married the girl next door. In WWII thousands of single woman joined the armed forces as nurses,secretaries, etc. Most of them married soldiers and moved to a town/city between their original home towns. So the best/brightest/most ambitious left and did not come back.
I could go on and on and on about similar things.....
All great points. One I think you likely forgotтАФcuz weтАЩve all been tryingтАФis the Civil War never really ended. While it ended, LincolnтАЩs assassination and the revisionist тАЬhistoriansтАЭ like Daughters of the Confederacy made sure southern тАЬheritageтАЭ would be loud and proud for generations to come. I grew up in the south and remember those monuments in town squares and asking my dad тАЬWerenтАЩt they on the wrong side of history?тАЭ HeтАЩd nod and sigh. Pride, prejudice, and willful ignorance is way more American than apple pie. Sad but true.
Thanks, Richard. I've lost several formerly reasonable people to his cult and I can't understand anything that comes out of their mouths. I get being a conservative, but this is a whole new level of hate and ignorance I thought was a thing of the past. Evidentally the Civil War (from 1865) never ended for some...it was just a cancer in remission and it's gonna kill a lot more people before it's eventually eradicated. With Trump, he'll say and do anything to feed his ego. Which is sadly common amongst a slim majority of Americans. I'm disgusted at the self-righteous bullshit they spout. I can't...even. Anyone believing a bankrupt spoiled rich kid is a self-made billionaire who cares about them and their problems has more issues than the National Geographic. Fingers crossed he and his trip and fail/fall on the way to the inauguration.
I am not an American, but i really can't believe that the majority of Americans voted for that idiot Trump. I hope God Blesses America. I have always held Americans in the highest esteem, but my views have been shattered. How can so many not see through that lying, cheating, criminal?
There're a number of phenomena that operate more or less independently here in the U.S.
1. Anti-intellectualism -- In the 20-30 or so years after independence a number of French authors, historians,etc. came here to see what kind of country their own government had helped birth. One of the big things many of them noticed was a pervasive distrust of anything even hinting of 'book-learning'. Not much has changed since then.
2. Religious fervor -- Around 1845 some preacher predicted the Second Coming was nigh. Thousands of people sold their houses, businesses, etc to gather in a few places in the midwest. Unfortunately, the guest of honor didn't get the memo and never showed up. There's surprisingly little written (that I can find) about what happened to these tens of thousands of people. My gut is that their descendants are a large part of the MAGA crowd. It kind of fits the theory of Inter Generational Trauma: Immense anger that nobody seems to know a reason for, the feeling of having been ripped off without knowing exactly what was stolen.
3. Semmelweiss Reflex -- It's endemic here in the U.S. You simply can't talk to those who've been hit with it.
4. Deep seated distrust of government. Go research what happened when the federal government first implemented an income tax in 1913 or thereabouts.
5. Numerous social cleavages that run along very similar lines. Ask an American his position on 2 or 3 social issues and that tells you his position on a half dozen more.
6. Our country was settled largely by religious fanatics and social misfits. There's a semi-joke about this:
Q: Why is there so little ADHD in Europe?
A: They all went to the New World. And today the least densely populated states have the highest per capita consumption of ADHD meds.
7. Poplation mixing stopped. Until WWII men went into the military or higher education then came home and married the girl next door. In WWII thousands of single woman joined the armed forces as nurses,secretaries, etc. Most of them married soldiers and moved to a town/city between their original home towns. So the best/brightest/most ambitious left and did not come back.
I could go on and on and on about similar things.....
Thoughts, anyone?
All great points. One I think you likely forgotтАФcuz weтАЩve all been tryingтАФis the Civil War never really ended. While it ended, LincolnтАЩs assassination and the revisionist тАЬhistoriansтАЭ like Daughters of the Confederacy made sure southern тАЬheritageтАЭ would be loud and proud for generations to come. I grew up in the south and remember those monuments in town squares and asking my dad тАЬWerenтАЩt they on the wrong side of history?тАЭ HeтАЩd nod and sigh. Pride, prejudice, and willful ignorance is way more American than apple pie. Sad but true.
Thanks, Richard. I've lost several formerly reasonable people to his cult and I can't understand anything that comes out of their mouths. I get being a conservative, but this is a whole new level of hate and ignorance I thought was a thing of the past. Evidentally the Civil War (from 1865) never ended for some...it was just a cancer in remission and it's gonna kill a lot more people before it's eventually eradicated. With Trump, he'll say and do anything to feed his ego. Which is sadly common amongst a slim majority of Americans. I'm disgusted at the self-righteous bullshit they spout. I can't...even. Anyone believing a bankrupt spoiled rich kid is a self-made billionaire who cares about them and their problems has more issues than the National Geographic. Fingers crossed he and his trip and fail/fall on the way to the inauguration.