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

L

LegendofLex

Member
I have a more specific question, to join with OP's:

If you don't live in the US, do you agree with the statement that embracing identity politics is political suicide for progressives?

Also, how do you define identity politics and what affect do you think it's had on the current political climate?

I've seen a few people who live outside the US exhort US progressives to stop participating in identity politics, so I'm curious if that's a widespread view.
 
captainnapalm

captainnapalm

Member
Things have gotten crazier way beyond a point where I feel I could do any good trying to add to the conversation. The battle lines are way too firmly entrenched. It's all just going to have to play out.

People need to calm down, but there's seemingly nothing and no one to calm them. No leaders, no sensible voices in the media. Everyone just piles on and fuels the fire.
 
A

Annubis

Member
x0hZLvF.gif
 
K

KernelPanic

Member
I'm in Canada.

Some days I worry Trump will invade for our oil or point nukes at Toronto lol.

More realistically, I hope that shit don't spread here although things are different here so I keep telling myself it won't work.
 
Z

Zeus Molecules

illegal immigrants are stealing our air
Kthulhu said:
Our influence was already waning, though Trump ain't exactly slowing that down.
Click to expand...
We still sort of have a lot of guns, military bases globally, and make a lot of food to export to other countries.

The country is running well in spite of him and even his own party (and his incompetence) has relatively discreetly made him a lame duck.

All Trump is doing is embarrassing the US. The only real threat I see is if a natural disaster happens to a liberal area in the country. He's barely a functioning president in good times. I would hate to see him try to lead during a crisis, plus his spite would cost lives.
 
M

Moppeh

Banned
LegendofLex said:
I have a more specific question, to join with OP's:

If you don't live in the US, do you agree with the statement that embracing identity politics is political suicide for progressives?

Also, how do you define identity politics and what affect do you think it's had on the current political climate?

I've seen a few people who live outside the US exhort US progressives to stop participating in identity politics, so I'm curious if that's a widespread view.
Click to expand...

It isn't political suicide in Canada, but it seems to be in America to some degree.

Identity politics have always existed in Canada to some degree due to our multicultural nature. And even before we were labeled as a mosaic, identity politics played a key role due to our English and French backgrounds.

You guys are a right-leaning melting pot, so identity politics are a lot trickier since there seems to be an expectation in America to shut up and assimilate.

I don't think American progressives should ignore these issues, but openly espousing it as a primary tenant of the Democratic Party has been met with a ton of backlash.

It is a tough issue that shouldn't be ignored, but I do have to wonder if a more subtle approach would be to the benefit of American progressives.

I do feel bad, though, since such a large percentage of Americans are so willingly ignorant about these issues and have little interest in progress. It's a really fucked up situation.
 
M

Mosse

Neo Member
Every week feels more and more like Idiocracy, but without the comedy. Trump and his friends have done a great job getting rid of most of the goodwill and respect many people over here had about the US during Obama. There were still a lot of things I and others didn't like about the US before, but the country didn't feel as much as a joke then as it does now. Mostly I feel bad about the people living there.
 
A

Art Teitlebaum

Member
It's heartbreaking and frightening at the same time to see a nation, that once was a beacon of democracy for the whole world, being nearly on the verge of a second civil war, just because some proto-fascists were able to brainwash almost half of the population.

But on the other hand it is good to see the democratic majority slowly getting back the control of the discourse over moral values and racism. It's like a litmus test for the stability of Western Democracy in general.
 
H

Herne

Member
Disgusted. Horrified. Nervous. Angry.

When we grew up we learned about America's great achievements, from a great start in independence to fighting evil in WWII, to sending men to the moon to exploring the solar system and the universe. Most of the films we watched were made there. "The land of hope, of opportunity, of the free." It seemed everything worth being made was, over there.

The last few decades have seen a horrendous turn. We all know not to judge the majority by the actions of a few, but it's not a few anymore. There's plenty that's still great about America, but every year it seems to slide ever more into ignorance and hate. Far from the shining light of civilization I imagined in my youth, it looks more like a cess pit to my still vivid imagination. An incredible example of how so much right can go so damn wrong.

I'm worried about the friends I have over there. A close friend of mine moved over to Alabama and got married, and with his outspoken mouth I'm honestly surprised he hasn't been shot. He came back for a visit and we plied him with questions, he says that casual racism is everywhere and he does his best to keep his head down and not engage with such people.

Ick. I told myself when I was young that I'd go visit the country at some point. Right now I'm glad I'm an ocean away.

America can come out of this, but it's going to require a lot of good people standing up to the ignorance and hate that is rapidly defining their national identity.
 
G

gabbo

Member
I'm of multiple minds> one is that the American people need to get over it and admit that yes, racism is still a massive, institutionalized problem that everyone can see but they overlook/refuse to admit is there. Only then can such issues be solved

And as a Canadian, I'm worried that this bullshit will spill over the border and take a much bigger hold on the right in this country than it currently has, because I know those sorts of ideas and people exist here, i just want them to stay marginalized.

I really do hope that the president is impeached or thrown out using legal means
 
M

Mr_Moogle

Member
I look at the US as a cautionary tale of how not to run a country. The Republican party is repugnant.

I don't want to say Americans are stupid. Deep down I know there are a lot of really intelligent people in the US but they seem to get drowned out by the a vocal minority of fucking idiots.
 
W

Wiseblade

Member
As a Brit, it's nice to have a partner in this ride into hell. Looking at what is happening in my country is a little easier to deal with knowing that I have company in my despair.
 
C

CannonFodder52

Member
I live in Canada, pretty close to the border. It's pretty unsettling and I follow it way too closely.

Some people I know are fans of trump, one dude at my work is a /pol user. It makes it all feel pretty close to home.

Most of all, I feel pretty awful for you guys though.
 
M

mrkgoo

Member
I'm thinking now, yeah gotta build that wall. But for different reasons.



Joking aside, it's a sad to see what's happening. I mean, sure the world is full of atrocities and such, but you'd think some of them would know better. I dunno.
 
matt360

matt360

Member
It makes me profoundly sad. I am American, and I lived in the US until I was 24. I've been living in Japan though for the past 11 years, and I'll probably live here for the rest of my life. I still consider the US to be my home, but I am absolutely disgusted with what's happening.

I'm also still a bit mad at myself for being so naive. I really thought people were better than this and gave them too much credit, members of my immediate family included.

I live in Hiroshima and when Obama came to visit the Peace Memorial Park last year, it was easily one of my proudest moments as an American, and as a human. But all of that has been trashed and shit on 100 times over.
 
p_xavier

p_xavier

Authorized Fister
Third world country mentality with money is still a third world country. I don't travel there nor want to care.
 
P

Paz

Member
I find it utterly terrifying because Australian culture is usually 10 years behind the USA, it's like a preview of next weeks episode and the shit we'll have to deal with.
 
S

somecrazymember

Banned
It's sad but not that surprising. Better schools/education teaching respect & tolerance should be the main concern, to avoid this in the future.
 
bitbydeath

bitbydeath

Member
I'm surprised how bad racism is over there, neither side helps the matter either.

I'm in Australia and we just tend to laugh everything off.
 
Astral Dog

Astral Dog

Member
Im lucky visit USA alot and im worried, very unfortunate reality they live now, America was the beacon of the world and now Trump and his Nazi supporters are making it something that's not what i and so many others admired :'(
 
M

Massive Duck. C.M.

Banned
From the US but haven't lived there in years and let me tell you, I've never been happier not to be in the country. None of this is surprising to anyone up on American history, it's just that white supremacy being legitimized on a national scale by the electoral college and white voters blew the cap off, and that cap was barely held on as it was.


LegendofLex said:
I have a more specific question, to join with OP's:

If you don't live in the US, do you agree with the statement that embracing identity politics is political suicide for progressives?

Also, how do you define identity politics and what affect do you think it's had on the current political climate?

I've seen a few people who live outside the US exhort US progressives to stop participating in identity politics, so I'm curious if that's a widespread view.
Click to expand...

You should probably start your own thread since this is a completely different topic
 
K

Kthulhu

Member
NeoZeedeater said:
I'm sure video games would still have happened. This came out in the UK in 1952. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OXO
Click to expand...

Well, yeah they'd probably still happen, but the landscape would look completely diffrent.

KaoteK said:
Yeah, as a Brit, I played a ton of games in the 80s. None of them were from America, nor was the hardware I played them on.

Also, Japan.

Edit: that's not to say the US isn't massively important for games, just that they existed outside of it too, and were a global phenomenon.
Click to expand...

America's game industry was in the toilet in the 80's.
 
S

SugarDave

Member
I know there are tens of millions of good American people, but seeing what is happening there infuriates me. The country is a joke at the moment. Being from the UK though, it's not like I don't know how that feels.

There are some areas of the US I would like to visit someday, but it's unlikely to be while that cretin is in office, and I can't imagine a future where I would ever want to live there.
 
J

jett

D-Member
It's pretty fucked up.

I was really disappointed when the Murican population voted for Trump. I felt personally rejected.
 
S

Spectone

Member
I think it is very interesting like watching a train crash before your very eyes. I wasn't really interested in American politics until Trump took control but now I read about it all the time. It is very different to what happens in Australia. Politically Australia and America are worlds apart.

Like watching a train crash it is horrifying but I am totally unable to do anything about it.
 
Joe T.

Joe T.

Member
I've wanted to move there for a good while now. Trump's not the reason I've refrained from doing so, but he's definitely not helping matters either.
 
B

Betty

Banned
Feels like the end of the Bush era all over again, things are chaotic, people are anxious, things are getting worse.
 
U

UpDownLeftRight

Banned
It makes me realize that the UK and US aren't so different in a number of ways. We're just designating the enemy as different people and are a bit more sly about our shitty politics over here. If anything I wish our government were less tactful since it would be easier for the public to see the bullshit.

I also feel the deepest sympathies since like much of the US I feel like I'm stuck in a country controlled by the wrong party and the public continue to side with those who want the worst for them.
 
M

Mr_Moogle

Member
Paz said:
I find it utterly terrifying because Australian culture is usually 10 years behind the USA, it's like a preview of next weeks episode and the shit we'll have to deal with.
Click to expand...

We're pretty damned racist here, especially in Queensland. Things will change here when we inevitably get hit by terrorism. It's a powder keg.
 
W

whytemyke

Honorary Canadian.
KernelPanic said:
I'm in Canada.

Some days I worry Trump will invade for our oil or point nukes at Toronto lol.

More realistically, I hope that shit don't spread here although things are different here so I keep telling myself it won't work.
Click to expand...
He wouldn't do that because Trudeau is the only world leader who has actually figured out how to handle Trump.
 
P

Pomerlaw

Member
It's shameful.

How many americans died on the beaches of Normandy to get rid of that shit...

Still hopeful that the good Americans won't let that shit go too far without a fight.
 
U

Unaha-Closp

Member
It's very depressing as, Hello from Scotland a teeny weeny little part of a teeny weeny little Island, the US is a massive continent spanning country and you know there are so many smart and intelligent and open minded people there but how they must feel having what seems to be ignorance and oppression be what the World sees. We have Brexit happening, which has the whiff of xenophobia I admit and Scottish Independence will roll back around for us , but the US seems to be a very scary place for a lot of people right now.

Not being there of course it's hard to gauge exactly what it's like but looking in - I wouldn't want to go there for any reason. Don't come to Scotland though as it's grey skies mostly and the accents are baffling even to me :D
 
S

Shaanyboi

Banned
I'm in Canada. There's an Alt-Right Nazi rally this Saturday at Vancouver City Hall, with a counter protest planned to shout down these fucks.

We don't have to look over to the US to be shocked and disgusted. This shit affects us too. The US is a fucking trashfire right now, and that shit will only inspire assholes over here.
 
L

lemmykoopa

Junior Member
I don't feed into the mass hysteria of the moment because the things we are seeing today have been in America for a long time already. Unarmed black people were shot and killed by the police long before Trump, prisons being used to keep control and suppress millions of mostly people of colour. You have had Confederate statues on the street for decades already that glorify slave holders for God's sake!

The Trump effect has brought a lot of these issues more mainstream instead of hidden though and I hope it can spur debate and bring more people awareness of this ugly part of America's DNA.
 
B

Boylamite

Member
It's terrifying to see it happening, but it's the natural extension of the absolute shitshow that is american politics.
 
B

bionic77

Member
Zeus Molecules said:
We still sort of have a lot of guns, military bases globally, and make a lot of food to export to other countries.

The country is running well in spite of him and even his own party (and his incompetence) has relatively discreetly made him a lame duck.

All Trump is doing is embarrassing the US. The only real threat I see is if a natural disaster happens to a liberal area in the country. He's barely a functioning president in good times. I would hate to see him try to lead during a crisis, plus his spite would cost lives.
Click to expand...
The people running our country don't believe in science, the rule of law, the honest spread of information or the equality of men and women. Thats not a winning formula.

They were elected by a large section of the country and those people are not going away.

I don't see how we can continue to be a dominant superpower with this many losers in our country. Immigration has probably just slowed the inevitable but I imagine pretty soon the smart people are going to start going to other countries and then the collapse of the American Superpower is going to accelerate.

I live here so I am saddened and shocked to see it, but we brought it upon ourselves.
 
S

Syder

Member
I always thought of the US a country with a lot of issues but was generally a great place to live and while that may still be the case, I would never want to live there. That never used to be the case, the US was listed high on places I would emigrate to.

Makes me feel a lot better about the UK at least.
 
C

Commander Jameson

Member
Two positive things.

1. I'm much more aware of how US politics works and some of the names of the key players and what they do

2. I've enjoyed subscribing to videos of Samantha Bee, Seth Meyers, Stephen Colbert and Trevor Noah amongst others.
 
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