Americans

[Kendo 2]

@Trandoshan

You've gone completely sideways man! Marxism? C'mon.

 

Look at what happened in Rhodesia after the Marxists took over. They did more than change the name of the country to Zimbabwe. Once in power, they started a rabid campaign of redistribution of wealth. Massive land grabs booted skilled agriculturists and mechanized farmers off of their lands. Their farms and their equipment were given to people who didn't want them and didn't know what to do with them once they had ownership. These booted farmers were the ones feeding the country. And what did the people who 'rightly' deserved their share of the wealth do with the farm equipment? They sold it. Yeah, Marxism works. The Zimbabwe Marxists drove their own country into the dirt.

 

 

*24.6% of Zimbabwe’s population of 12 million people are infected with HIV/AIDS and there is no goverment-funded program for assistance. The inflation rate is 11 MILLION percent, unemployment is roughly 80%, the GDP is negative 6.1 percent. People eat rats for sustenance. Due to their own government, the people of Zimbabwe have the shortest life expectancy on the planet (37 years for men and 34 years for women). The population growth rate is currently 0.568 percent. Before the Marxist takeover the country's population growth rate was 4%.

 

*Taken strait from the Central Intelligence Agency’s World Factbook.

 

And guess who helped put all of this in motion? The British Government forcing U.N. economic sanctions starting in the 1960's. They DROVE Rhodesia to Marxism. But hey, the United States isn't any better. FDR sold out Eastern Europe to Stalin at Yalta.

 

Is rampant unchecked Capitalism better than Marxism? NO. Recent events in the U.S. prove that. There needs to be middle ground, but unfortunately the middle ground is scarce.

 

But this is just one stupid American's take on things.

[Maharg67]

 

You have taken just small parts out of my post, out of context, and presented them in a biased fashion. Because of that you have misrepresented me, making me out to be some kind of wishy washy non-American fool. Anybody can play this game. It is boring and meaningless but can also be dangerous. The news media does it all the time, either right or left wing. As I have constantly stated, I am a former Marxist as in I AM NO LONGER A MARXIST so it appears you can not read very well.

 

I will not be posting in this debate any more because it is very close to turning into a flame war.

 

No need to leave. We aren't all against Marxism. I'm just against the Communist regurgitation of Marxism. Carl Marx had many good points on how the world is run by money, and how it takes a rich man to be in power.

 

I do love my capitalism, as it allows me to aspire to be rich. I guess that's the best part of it all. In truth, Capitalism wants the consumer to be stupid. I takes a special push to make someone wise enough to see through it. Same way it takes a Former-Marxist to give up his Marxist ways. Kudos if I could give Kudos ATM....

 

Cheers to America!

 

 

 

Thank you for your support and your honesty. Both are welcome. I used to see myself as becoming a powerful activist but got over it. The price of gaining power or wealth is often too high, especially if one climbs over others to get the power/wealth.

 

I am starting to lean towards a more spiritual approach to life and thus the question of if Americans are stupid or not is becoming meaningless.

[Christine777]

@ Maharg67

"The price of gaining power or wealth is often too high, especially if one climbs over others to get the power/wealth."

 

 

I guess no one can gain power and wealth without climbing over others.

Circumstances are: It could be that others allow you to climb unto them, or You step right unto their faces without them noticing.

 

- just a side comment, nothing important... :)

[Trandoshan]

@Trandoshan

You've gone completely sideways man! Marxism? C'mon.

 

Look at what happened in Rhodesia after the Marxists took over. They did more than change the name of the country to Zimbabwe. Once in power, they started a rabid campaign of redistribution of wealth. Massive land grabs booted skilled agriculturists and mechanized farmers off of their lands. Their farms and their equipment were given to people who didn't want them and didn't know what to do with them once they had ownership. These booted farmers were the ones feeding the country. And what did the people who 'rightly' deserved their share of the wealth do with the farm equipment? They sold it. Yeah, Marxism works. The Zimbabwe Marxists drove their own country into the dirt.

 

 

*24.6% of Zimbabwe’s population of 12 million people are infected with HIV/AIDS and there is no goverment-funded program for assistance. The inflation rate is 11 MILLION percent, unemployment is roughly 80%, the GDP is negative 6.1 percent. People eat rats for sustenance. Due to their own government, the people of Zimbabwe have the shortest life expectancy on the planet (37 years for men and 34 years for women). The population growth rate is currently 0.568 percent. Before the Marxist takeover the country's population growth rate was 4%.

 

*Taken strait from the Central Intelligence Agency’s World Factbook.

 

And guess who helped put all of this in motion? The British Government forcing U.N. economic sanctions starting in the 1960's. They DROVE Rhodesia to Marxism. But hey, the United States isn't any better. FDR sold out Eastern Europe to Stalin at Yalta.

 

Is rampant unchecked Capitalism better than Marxism? NO. Recent events in the U.S. prove that. There needs to be middle ground, but unfortunately the middle ground is scarce.

 

But this is just one stupid American's take on things.

 

Eh? Not Marxism as a whole, but I do agree with the man when he says that money runs the world. All of his other policies don't make enough sense.

 

Don't worry, I'm far from being Communist/Marxist/Chinese... I love my country more than Glen Beck does...

 

I looked it up, and can honestly agree with your statistics. Africa is a hell-hole when it comes to anything governmental anyways. Looks like Marx just nudged one of the nations completely off the edge. I have to ask, what nation in Africa isn't dirt poor to begin with? (minus South Africa, Egypt, and maybe Morocco)

 

 

I'd stay and chat about it more, and try to separate the differences between Marx's take on Capitalism and Capitalism's take on Marxism, but this is the wrong thread. Sorry for taking it off topic. I write crazy things when I'm tired, and it's 6:00 a.m...

[Maharg67]

@Aurielius,

The vast majority of the posts in this thread are anti-American in nature. They are fueled by misinformed reactionary and emotional elements. Half-truths and open contempt for America and Americans creeps into their posts. The gist of their posts are 'Americans are dumb and they don't know what's best for them.' Being an American automatically disqualifies anything I post as being rightwing, even thought I am politically neutral.

 

Both you and Trandoshan are the exceptions, along with a few others. I don't mean any offense to you guys or those who do not share my views but post with reason and factual information. I respect that, but the balance is a joke. The posts don't contain cohesive thoughts and are about as organized as a monkey dung fight at the zoo.

 

"The truth hurts, man."

Hunter S. Thompson

 

Could say much the same about your posts. Your self, mutual congratulating overlooks the narrow and often 'selective' fashion in which you approach any views other than your own. The only thing that causes me to feel 'anti-American' is the arrogance of a few Americans and your amazingly quick reaction of branding any opinion you don't like as anti-American. The vast majority of posts in this thread are not anti-American. A few are. Some are anti extreme right wing American.

 

Generally your posts are no more cohesive or organised and are just as biased as those you do not like. Bias is natural. Pretending you are less so than others is just a fraud. Yes I am biased and it comes through sometimes though I try hard to be fair, sometimes too much so and it messes my writing up, but I am not anti-American. I studied history at university under a wide range of academics, many of whom had a conservative bent. I studied modern American history of the whole 20th Century (up to the 1980s because I got my degree and left) and some of those who taught me were either American or had studied in America (again, a few were conservative). There are many facets of America that I admire.

 

Being right wing American is not automatically bad, admittedly a shift in my thinking, but being extremely nationalistic and overly sensitive to outside criticism is. As an Australian I have faced what could have been seen as anti-Australian sentiments. Just see what some of our Asian neighbours to the north really think of us, especially extreme fundimentalist muslims. Some of them, about ten years ago, killed over a 100 Australian tourists in a savage Bali bomb attack and regularly target Australians in Indonesia. There have also been some foiled attempts to bomb sites here in Australia, civilians included. I long ago decided what they think is less important than what they do. I no longer worry about anybody being anti-Australian unless they are trying to do actual harm.

 

You also tend to be rude, judgemental and down right nasty plus self defeating in the long run. You could express the same opinions in a way that communicates better even to those who really are 'anti-American'. The big irony is that it is sometimes fashionable to be anti-American just because it is so easy to provoke many Americans into over reacting. Non-Americans often do so online just to provoke Americans so they can get a cheap laugh; I have been told this by Australian teens and have overheard them discussing it. I personally have better things to do.

 

The truth might hurt but you do not present the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. (This is, of course, my personal bias.)

 

PS: I have also been suffering stomach flu over the last week and more which doesn't help in communicating clearly or dealing with the way you and others have often taken bits of my writing out of context and then building illogical and false arguments on them.

[WaLkAwaY]

@ Maharg67

"The price of gaining power or wealth is often too high, especially if one climbs over others to get the power/wealth."

 

 

I guess no one can gain power and wealth without climbing over others.

Circumstances are: It could be that others allow you to climb unto them, or You step right unto their faces without them noticing.

 

- just a side comment, nothing important... :)

 

In my experience this is not true. You can be successful and gain wealth without exploiting others.

 

Maybe I am not understanding what some people think of someone who has money. In a class I took offense to the teacher saying I was a capitalist because to me a capitalist is someone who uses others to get their wealth... this had never been my family and is not me.

 

What do people think of extremely wealthy individuals? Capitalists?

 

___________________________________________________________________________________

@the Africa comments: My brother during his military career and now in a different capacity spent/spends a lot of time in Africa. One of the major factors contributing to the demise of the areas most heavily plagued with what has been described in the above posts, is the people themselves. Whether by design or by accident the people have become careless. The tribes and sects, whole villages will secure an area for living use up all of its resources and instead of cultivating the land and reusing it they move on 500 meters down the road and start over leaving a dust patch of useless ground behind them. It is not because they do not know how to farm, or how not to have sex and create more burdens or even its not even because they are just trying to survive. Its because they don't care.

___________________________________________________________________________________

 

PS: I have also been suffering stomach flu over the last week and more which doesn't help in communicating clearly or dealing with the way you and others have often taken bits of my writing out of context and then building illogical and false arguments on them.

 

Don't you be a pansy!!!:verymad::teehee:

 

Australians are some of the hardiest people in the world. Pretty much every animal in your country is either pissed off, can kill you with a bite or is large enough to take you out. Seriously the Platypus? A weird looker for sure with a poisonous spine. What's the purpose of that... (i know the purpose just sayin) Prety much if it moves it can kill you... Orb weaver... seriously!

 

And you want to complain about a little tummy hurts...:tongue:

[Vagrant0]

You know what... You may all disagree, but this topic has gone too far off its original purpose. Political discussions are one thing, but usually they don't go anywhere since people tend to be rather attached to their own political beliefs. For what it's worth, I don't think this is the time or place to really get into stuff like this. It's been allowed to continue for the past few days, but you'll hopefully agree that it has not brought this thread anywhere good.

 

So, seeing that the discussion has developed into a sort of quagmire or political beliefs and nationalistic pride, and that pretty much everything that is worth saying about this topic has been said 10-20 pages ago, I'm just going to lock this here. I think it's simply for the best for all of us.