• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Those not living in the USA, how do you feel about what's going on there?

B

brawly

Member
First of all: I realize this is a site dominated by american users, so all these threads about Trump, racism and what not are totally fine, but it has been getting a lot heavier recently.

Seemingly half of the Off topic section is occupied by news surrounding american politcs and its people.


Now when I read this stuff I often get irritated, maybe even too much. But does it really concern me? I don't live there, the people made their choice and I can't do anything about it.

More than anything this site (being really the first and only site that brings me this news regularly) has really soured my desire to visit the US, let alone move there.


What about you guys?
 
D

Dadasch

Member
Seeing videos of people deliberately making "Sieg Heil" signs in front of cameras.
Seeing citizens beaten up by "policemen" on the street without any sense of humanity,
Seeing Trump's tweets and speeches on a daily basis.

I could go on but I think that's enough to warrant the following conclusion: A clusterfuck of a country.
 
D

Dynasty

Member
As someone who is probably going to move there in the next 2-4 years, these next few years are going to be really interesting for me.
 
R

Rhaknar

The Steam equivalent of the drunk friend who keeps offering to pay your tab all night.
well, if you'll allow me to quote myself from another thread

Rhaknar said:
I've always been a big USA fanboy. Growing up on movies, comics, videogames, cartoons, and yes, wrestling from the US, it was easy for a young nerd from a little country to be wondered by all this stuff he saw on TV.

One of my dreams was going to New York (which I did 15 years ago). I still want to go back one day (wru money), I had the time of my life...

...but its increasingly hard to be a US fanboy with whats going on over there lately fam :(

I cant even imagine what its like to, well... actually be American >_>
Click to expand...

its baffling to me you have a President that just said that people that oppose nazis have the same blame as the nazis. How is that even possible from a human being in 2017, let alone from the President of the Unites States of America.
 
S

SomTervo

Member
Fucking bad. Stressed out. Although tbh intolerance is an issue everywhere. Like I've heard it's awful and the norm in a lot of Eastern Europe.

Got some lingering hope things will all be ok in the end.
 
D

Dadasch

Member
SomTervo said:
Fucking bad. Stressed out. Although tbh intolerance is an issue everywhere. Like I've heard it's awful and the norm in a lot of Eastern Europe.

Got some lingering hope things will all be ok in the end.
Click to expand...

Well, I'd think Eastern Europe is not really the bar the USA is striving for.
I'm just glad I live in Germany (stealth brag, not so stealth anymore).
 
L

Linkark07

Banned
Well, I'm Latin American, so I don't have too much love for the US after all the shit they did to Latin America in the last century. In my circles, some say Trump is karma for what the United States did here. My dislike for the country increased even more after seeing how the system helped elect an orange toddler to lead the country.

But also it is quite scary seeing how crazy the White Nationalists are there and how racists are the authorities (even in Obama's era). I mean, police shooting a black person just because he is black. Worst is these shitty racists got a President who openly supports their practices. I just hope they can get rid of these disgusting people and their president fast.
 
S

Sr Kitsune

Member
GrXZ9Ja.gif
 
KaoteK

KaoteK

Member
I'm gen x, so I remember the heights of the cold war. I was absolutely shit scared of things kicking off.

This is somehow worse.

I feel deep empathy for those in the US who never wanted this in the first place and are now having to live through this shit show.

I feel a seething anger at what this imbecile is doing not only to the US, but the world.

I've never bought into the whole "leader of the free world" nonsense, but that fact is, the US is massively powerful, and this guy is in charge.

That is scarier than the cold war to me.
 
L

laoni

Member
It's just... Mindboggling. It's hard to believe that these things are occurring, in a world leading country, in this day and age. It doesn't affect me directly, here in Aus but... My boyfriend lives over there. I worry about him, a lot. And there's always the concern for myself when I travel over, I was apprehensive to wander alone before, but I definitely don't think I'll be going anywhere without him, next time I'm there.
 
S

StarVigil

Member
I am invested in it, mainly because it's the most idiotic thing to have happened in my life time. The whole country is a dumpster fire with so many problems and none of it will be addressed in any capacity for years. Just a few months ago I was worried about the lobbying in the US, how big companies are influencing votes and policy. None of it matters now because every week there is a new drama.

For you and me as a citizen of the EU or whatever, all of this doesn't matter in the smaller scale. There are racists and bigots everywhere. But minorities aren't killed or raped or robbed by the police, people aren't getting shot every day, people don't die because they can't afford medicine.
In a greater scale we should pay attention as human beings, as participants of this generation. We can't do anything about nazis in the US. For now, we can watch, pay attention, and don't fuck up our own elections. Because the world isn't black and white anymore. The world is complicated.
At the end of the day, you could also just follow every tweet and drama. That's fine as well. That's the beauty of democracy. We entrust the power to people who are supposed to handle this. For better or worse. International politics is for the politicians. You and I won't be able to fix the US, or find a solution to the Middle East conflict. But I think we should pay attention, because elections matter. No matter how boring they might seem in actual democracies.

(Sorry if it reads like rambling)
 
K

Kthulhu

Member
Rhaknar said:
well, if you'll allow me to quote myself from another thread



its baffling to me you have a President that just said that people that oppose nazis have the same blame as the nazis. How is that even possible from a human being in 2017, let alone from the President of the Unites States of America.
Click to expand...

Failure of reconstruction + 50 odd years of the Southern Strategy + the right wing media bubble = bigoted asshole getting elected president.

There's a lot of cool stuff about the US, our politics isn't one of them.
 
Oppo

Oppo

Member
I feel supremely irritated on behalf of my American friends, who are almost to a man appalled and disgusted and generally completely freaked out by what has happened around Trump.

They all would come to Canada if it was more viable/faster as an option, I think. They see us as basically Alternate Universe USA now where the timeline didn't get fucked up.

I keep telling them, we're not better, we're just smaller and had the benefit of seeing a lot of mistakes... stay and help fix this shit, but I understand the despair. Trump is basically a result of democracy short-circuiting in the USA and that story isn't even close to done, yet.
 
M

Moppeh

Banned
As a Canadian, I'm bummed out because this sort of shit tends to spread to here to some degree.

When I found out some guys from Ontario attended the rally, I was fucking ashamed.
 
W

Wyndstryker

Member
As a Canadian, I feel that the US will face even more pains as the problem is definitely bigger than people realize.

I fully believe that there is a possibility of substantial bloodshed given the current climate and that the US as we know it is going through a major turning point in it's history. It will not come out as the same country once Trump is no longer president, for better or for worse.
 
S

Seik

Banned
As a Canadian, I think what's going on over there is terrible. I've been closely following US politic since the last elections started. I saw people crying in fear as they saw him win. I couldn't believe it myself the night it happened that it actually happened, it's still hard to believe even today.

There's a proud-to-be stupid clown running office that takes horrible decisions over and over and tweets about them and claim all negative press on him is fake.

Racists see themselves validated by him and grow stronger by the day. However, this week-end's series of event are bringing what seems to be a glimpse of hope that the people won't let racists get the best of them and are starting to fight back. It is, however, insanely infuriating that it took a young woman's death and many injuries to make some people realize the gravity of the situation. Things are getting heavier and more violence and confrontations will probably happen, which seems to be the only solution since the most powerful man of the country, if not on Earth, is one of them.

As someone who believes in the human race as something that constantly evolves, that belief got face slapped pretty hard in the last months. However it's important not to generalize. However I do believe that something good will come out of all this and that our current youth generation and the future ones will remember/read about what is happening these days and learn from it and hopefully prevent such context to happen ever again.
 
C

Commander Jameson

Member
I'm from the UK, but I've lived and worked and holidayed many times in the States, mostly East and West Coasts and always enjoyed my time there. I've never had any problems with the people there and found them friendly and polite, which is why I'm really finding it hard to reconcile that with what I'm seeing on the TV and internet.

There is no way I'm coming back until Trump has gone and that makes me sad as I love going over.

Fucking Nazis, guys! Nazis!
 
Charles Brandon

Charles Brandon

Member
It's very worrying but in some ways I wonder if it's a conversation the US has needed to have with itself for a long time.

Did anyone read the book "The Sellout" by Paul Beatty? If I understood it correctly, Beatty's point was that all that happened since civil rights was that people pretended the problem was fixed, when really it was there all along. Equality is a lie but the pretence of equality robbed minorities of ability to fight back, because there was nothing to fight, ostensibly.

Well it looks like that period is over. The mask has slipped and people are organising again. Maybe this time it gets fixed for real. But it's not going to be pretty.
 
K

Kthulhu

Member
N7.Angel said:
2 things:

1) What a shit show...
2) What are you waiting for to force trump to get out the office ?
Click to expand...

There is an ongoing investigation into his alleged (let's be honest he probably did it) collusion with Russia. If that turns anything up then the House of Representatives can choose to vote for impeachment. Then the Senate can convict him of "high crimes and misdemeanor". If all that happens, he will be removed from office.

None of these things have ever happened. Either the president has only been impeached (Clinton and Johnson), or they resigned before it could happen (Nixon).

Here's a better explanation: https://youtu.be/JRtJXnsUYBc
 
S

ShadowSwordmaster

Banned
Interesting thread so far.
Kthulhu said:
Failure of reconstruction + 50 odd years of the Southern Strategy + the right wing media bubble = bigoted asshole getting elected president.

There's a lot of cool stuff about the US, our politics isn't one of them.
Click to expand...

I would say there are few cool things about the US. The bad outweighs the good.
 
J

John Dunbar

correct about everything
the crazy stuff you hear about their business culture and worker rights pretty much makes it feel like trump is the president you would expect them to have.
 
N

NeoZeedeater

Member
I'm pretty disgusted with what's going on. I never thought that many Americans would vote for Trump or not vote at all to stop him. People will blame the electoral college but it doesn't change the fact that millions of Americans did want that piece of shit in office.

It's hard to predict what will happen from here. I hope it leads more progressive Americans to stop viewing the US as the automatic best country in the world (Americans across the political spectrum tend to do this). I'm cool with making it easier for them to move to Canada although I understand the desire to stay and fight. Moving isn't easy.
 
O

Oberon

Banned
I grew up with Obama as the face of the US. I was aware of the US dark past ( what developed country doesn't have one?) and more recent stuff like the Irak war and so on. But Obama gave the US the look of progress and heading to the right direction. Especially growing up with American media, whcih made me very fascinated by it. I wasn't paying much attention to what was actually happening in the US until Trump actually. And what a shock it was. I was more disappointed than anything. And looking closer at the US, it wasn't very surprising in hindsight
 
S

Syf

Banned
I'm a Canadian watching my overachieving high school best friend turn to meth. Hope the good side of that country pushes back, and pushes back hard. Unfortunately I do see it turning more violent than we've seen so far. I've visited the US plenty of times in the past but have no desire to go there right now.
 
G

Gai Murakumo

Member
Being a Canadian I am somewhat removed from what is going on in the U.S. but at the same time large issues such as what has been happening recently tend to trickle up here. I feel bad for my relatives that live in the States because even they are disgusted at what their country has become. I have not travelled there in quite some time, but the way the U.S. keeps on going I will probably not travel there again except on rare occasions.
 
M

Moppeh

Banned
ShadowSwordmaster said:
Interesting thread so far.


I would say there are few cool things about the US. The bad outweighs the good.
Click to expand...

The US has a shit ton of issues but there is a ton of cool stuff to experience in even the most fucked up parts of it. The food, the locales, the movies, music, theatre, architecture, literature, etc.

The US is a cultural powerhouse, and it is a damn shame that far right rhetoric has plagued it so much.
 
C

CREMSteve

Member
I see a country being torn apart, while at the same coming closer together than in recent memory. Whether it's police brutality, Trump's antics or racial clashing, everywhere you seem to look there's chaos.

Yet beneath it all, I see more and more people speaking up against all of it, wanting to unite for what's right. Gives me hope that the country can get through it.

They've gone from apathetic to angry. This is not necessarily a bad thing.
 
T

traveler

Not Wario
Dadasch said:
Well, I'd think Eastern Europe is not really the bar the USA is striving for.
I'm just glad I live in Germany (stealth brag, not so stealth anymore).
Click to expand...

We heard you guys were completely overrun by migrants and experiencing a crisis like never before. Can't fool me, Germans!

But, seriously, it's pretty hilarious to me when people here bring up modern day Germany as a cautionary tale. Actual double takes occur.

IISANDERII said:
I'm surprised this hasn't happened sooner.
Click to expand...

There was a similar event just over a hundred years back, but it was pretty minor.
 
K

Kthulhu

Member
ShadowSwordmaster said:
Interesting thread so far.


I would say there are few cool things about the US. The bad outweighs the good.
Click to expand...

Obviously I'm biased, but I disagree. I feel like we've got a long way to go to catch up with a lot of our European friends in some areas, but I have faith we will overcome this.

Moppeh said:
The US has a shit ton of issues but there is a ton of cool stuff to experience in even the most fucked up parts of it. The food, the locales, the movies, music, theatre, architecture, literature, etc.

The US is a cultural powerhouse, and it is a damn shame that far right rhetoric has plagued it so much.
Click to expand...

Ehh, Hollywood ain't what it used to be.

Also you forgot the most obvious cultural export of the US, video games. Video games might not even exist if the US wasn't around.
 
R

Raylan Targaryen

Member
Kthulhu said:
There is an ongoing investigation into his alleged (let's be honest he probably did it) collusion with Russia. If that turns anything up then the House of Representatives can choose to vote for impeachment. Then the Senate can convict him of "high crimes and misdemeanor". If all that happens, he will be removed from office.

None of these things have ever happened. Either the president has only been impeached (Clinton and Johnson), or they resigned before it could happen (Nixon).

Here's a better explanation: https://youtu.be/JRtJXnsUYBc
Click to expand...
this video is depressing

wanting dude to lose his presidency cuz of a sexual affair but they still loyally stick by trump.
 
E

Eylos

Banned
USA has think tanks on Brazil, some are real Trump fans. Second place on the presidential run for next year, is a meme fascist White Guy,the third place is a White Guy that made the Br the aprentice show, and he's a plutocrat.

So... thx USA....
 
S

Shoeless

Member
As a Canadian who actually has in-laws that still live in the USA, it's a bit weird. I'm also Gen X, and still have it in my head that Canada is just this huge, but ineffectual country north of "The Country That Actually Matters," so I'm astounded to see our standing in the world community continue to go up and up.

At the same time, I look down south, see that my in-laws are largely in agreement with what's happening--even though they're not white--and kind of just have to throw up my hands and shake my head. My wife has already given me plenty of lectures about keeping the peace and avoiding politics like the plague as a topic of discussion as that's guaranteed to Not End Well, when meeting with in-laws, and yet at the same time there's that part of my my head screaming HOW CAN PEOPLE RATIONALIZE THIS AS OKAY?!

It almost goes without saying that in the last year or so, our desire to travel to the US has dropped to zero, and we now actively find excuses to avoid doing so, unless work-related issues absolutely cannot avoid it. Otherwise, we no longer feel safe, nor welcome in the states, being visible minorities, and I'm not sure how long it'll be before that feeling goes away. Charlottesville did nothing to ease that.
 
V

vooglie

Member
Fucking glad I'm not there nor have any family there - do have some friends though and I hope they stay safe.

Also worried af that my country might head the same way if we let go like the USA did.
 
M

Mr. Poolman

Member
I fear for the future of the world.

Climate change politics and racism affect me, no matter how far I am from the US.
I expected better from my US friends :(
 
K

Kthulhu

Member
Roches said:
this video is depressing

wanting dude to lose his presidency cuz of a sexual affair but they still loyally stick by trump.
Click to expand...

It bit them in the ass in the next congressional election and forever made Newt Gingrich look like a dumbass.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

How do you spend your time?
26
3K
Tams replied
Do you frequent any specific sites for gaming news?
2
80
2K
justiceiro replied
How do you change careers when you're middle aged?
39
2K
WoJ replied
How do I deal with PTSD?
23
1K
Leopold replied
How do you feel about the Ratchet and Clank franchise?
2 3
106
3K
Onironauta replied
Top Bottom