Something for me to share with you, AG. This is mostly all American, so, if you're not, well... this might just be a story to you, unless if this adheres to you as well.
What is our "American Dream"? It has changed greatly over the years, and because of this, our ways of life are changed. Through this, our principles, our influence, our systems of government... even how we act. Dependently or independently, our entire civilization can change drastically, but it takes pretty forceful things to change it. These forceful things stem from our former "teachings", or influence that was put to us by our teachers that we rely on, or our parents/guardians. Not just them, but public figures as well, like our leaders, or celebrities. The majority of Americans' acts depend on what the government is interacting and shaping our society, it seems, and it trickles down to the common man, and we behave as such to act like them.
So I have for you today, a few things in a list of what our behavioral principles are like today. This may be just for Americans, or it can be from other nations too, but through a series of experiments, here, and in other places, listening to legit sources, I can believe in every one of these statements 100%:
-- Americans don't get involved in foreign affairs until something of theirs is taken. Otherwise, we are isolated.
-- If anything doesn't agree with Americans, whether it is exaggerated fear or way of life, they elect to take it away or destroy it.
-- The majority are gifted with overbalanced and conventional rights, while those of the minority are shamed with lesser rights. It takes a strong, separating force to bring them together.
-- As more and more opportunities arise, Americans stem away from necessities and desire "wants" more, as they take basic needs for granted.
-- The media can take over one's mind by exaggerating situations and events to change his/her thoughts and views about the "cause".
-- Works that portray objects, characters, or events that symbolize current discriminatory or any other majority-minority situations often get attacked by Americans and hypocritically destroy it.
-- Religion and influence oversee almost every aspect of one's views and thoughts about everything, whether it is about race, other religion, sex, sexuality, or nation, if they are too weak-minded to decide for themselves their morals and judgments.
-- The increased range of technology has made us an impatient people.
Don't even try denying any of these, because you are sick with one of these statements or have been in the past. This is how we live, but it takes something special to break away from our habits and to unify us as one... then we move on to another minority and strike them.
Discrimination still goes on today. Homosexuals for instance. There are people in here, and across the globe, that discriminate against it, because they think it is wrong. This stems from religion, the media, past differences, or influence from figures that you depend on. There are those that try so hard to bring them together, or to show us that they deserve equal rights just like everyone else, the freedom to have a family without fear of discrimination. Some states can't even have families, because they made federal laws banning it.
On a lighter note, how about dependence? Something you don't really need to survive, yet you have it and have a physiological need for it? I do too. It's in front of me. It's my source of news, income, and entertainment. Technology has made everything so fast, convenient, and instant, that we take it for granted and has affected our personalities on a severe level. Not such a thing as high-tech related, but also food wise. Instant meals? So convenient that some women have no idea how to cook from scratch? Back then, this was mandatory if you wished to survive effectively ; now, not so much.
So I end today's discussion with some rhetorical questions: Are we responsible for the whole world? Can America FULLY achieve equal rights? What REALLY makes an American? What is this "American Dream"?
WW2, ring any bells? Give me an instance in which the US has got involved without being directly confronted first.
Occupation of S Korea - 1945 Occupation of Vietnam - 1955 Occupation of Lebanon - 1958 Bombing of Laos and Cambodia - 1960s-70s El Salvador - 1981 Grenada - 1983 Iran Air Flight 655 (290 civilians killed) - 1988 Invasion of Panama - 1989 First Gulf War - 1990-91 Involvement in Yugoslavia - 1991-1995 Somalia - 1992 Kosovo - 1999 Iraq War - 2003
Is that enough? That's barely 5% of the military action we have taken since the end of WWII. All of these conflicts were unprovoked, and unjustified.
A symptom of the war on terror, begun by the histeria of 911.
Kosovo - 1999
The whole of NATO was involved, not just the US poking it's nose into other people's business.
Involvement in Yugoslavia - 1991-1995
The above goes for this conflict too.
First Gulf War - 1990-91
Saddam invaded Kuwait and was threatening to invade Saudi Arabia's oil fields. A provocation, albeit indirectly.
Invasion of Panama - 1989
Panamanian forces killed a US serviceman, wounded another and tortured a third. A provocation.
Iran Air Flight 655 (290 civilians killed) - 1988
That was an accident. The airbus was mistaken for an aggressive F14 by a US aircraft carrier.
The following conflicts were caused due to civil war politics. Not entirely unprovoked in my opinion.
Occupation of S Korea - 1945 Occupation of Vietnam - 1955 Occupation of Lebanon - 1958 Bombing of Laos and Cambodia - 1960s-70s El Salvador - 1981 Grenada - 1983
Somalia - 1992
I'll give you that one. The US was certainly unwise to go in at such a time.
Is that enough? That's barely 5% of the military action we have taken since the end of WWII. All of these conflicts were unprovoked, and unjustified.
Firstly, I wouldn't classify the downing of the airbus a conflict. Secondly it is certainly debatable whether or not these were unjustified. The bombing campaigns in Yugoslavia were vital in bringing Milosevic to his knees. As for all of them being unprovoked, I don't think that's true either.
The whole of NATO was involved, not just the US poking it's nose into other people's business.
The US runs NATO with an iron fist. Whatever the US wants, NATO does it. We had no business picking sides in Yugoslavia. It was an internal conflict and all sides were guilty. We picked to support Croatia and Bosnia because Serbia is an ally of Russia. Not because we cared about getting rid of Milosevic.
Saddam invaded Kuwait and was threatening to invade Saudi Arabia's oil fields. A provocation, albeit indirectly.
Not our business.
Panamanian forces killed a US serviceman, wounded another and tortured a third. A provocation.
The US service men were running secret missions in Panama. Panama had a right to defend itself. We provoked them.
That was an accident. The airbus was mistaken for an aggressive F14 by a US aircraft carrier.
So... we weren't provoked then.
The following conflicts were caused due to civil war politics. Not entirely unprovoked in my opinion.
Again, why were those wars our business? We were sticking our noses everywhere.
The US runs NATO with an iron fist. Whatever the US wants, NATO does it. We had no business picking sides in Yugoslavia. It was an internal conflict and all sides were guilty. We picked to support Croatia and Bosnia because Serbia is an ally of Russia. Not because we cared about getting rid of Milosevic.
NATO's involvement in the region was directly caused by the Marakale Massacres.
In addition, the American has never even been a Secretary General in NATO. Nor was an American in charge of the military committee at the time. It was a joint effort in response to a massacre.
As an aside, why would America care if Serbia was an ally of Russia. The Cold War was over and Russia was very weak at that particular time.
Not our business.
An economy that relies on oil, risking a tyrant from taking possession of over half the world's oil. Seems like a provocation to me, not just to America either.
The US service men were running secret missions in Panama. Panama had a right to defend itself. We provoked them.
Noriega made threats against the US population living in Panama, not just the killing and torturing of the soldiers.
So... we weren't provoked then.
The US carrier thought it was an incoming enemy fighter. It was, seemingly a provocation. Plus, like I said before, I wouldn't class that as a conflict.
Again, why were those wars our business? We were sticking our noses everywhere.
Because you were fighting an ideological war against the USSR.
-- Americans don't get involved in foreign affairs until something of theirs is taken. Otherwise, we are isolated.
i believe it was george washington who warned america to stay isolated from other countries. He also warned us to stay away from political parties and away from debt. man, we listen so well.
-- The media can take over one's mind by exaggerating situations and events to change his/her thoughts and views about the "cause".
