The REAL state of the USA : Fact vs Fiction

[Valsuelm]

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/04/17/us/southwest-muslim-passenger-removed/

 

Whoops,  this may be a case of  over-reaction ..... 

Na.

 

Props to Southwest. They've been the only U.S. airline I've had respect for for a long time now. Considering what a whiny brat this kid is (probably a SJW), not an over reaction at all.

Edited April 18, 2016 by Valsuelm

[Meshugger]

In the spirit of the topic, i would like to dispell the fiction that middle America, namely the part with all those small towns with churches and a main square are not like how it is depicted in movies like "Deliverance" from Hollywood and mass-media at large would like to portray. On the contrary, i found America's heart in those places. Incredibly polite and nice people abound. You work hard, you take pride in your achievements, you help strangers in need and you attend service on sunday. 

[aluminiumtrioxid]

i found America's heart in those places. Incredibly polite and nice people abound. You work hard, you take pride in your achievements, you help strangers in need and you attend service on sunday. 

 

 

...Right.

[Meshugger]

 

i found America's heart in those places. Incredibly polite and nice people abound. You work hard, you take pride in your achievements, you help strangers in need and you attend service on sunday. 

 

 

...Right.

 

 

Understandable retort considering what the media portrays. The shock of being treated better there than in most places in Europe took a while for me to accept.

[aluminiumtrioxid]

 

 

i found America's heart in those places. Incredibly polite and nice people abound. You work hard, you take pride in your achievements, you help strangers in need and you attend service on sunday. 

 

 

...Right.

 

 

Understandable retort considering what the media portrays. The shock of being treated better there than in most places in Europe took a while for me to accept.

 

 

 

Wasn't intended as voicing skepticism, more like... sure, they'll be genuinely friendly, nice and polite to you as long as you look and behave like someone belonging to their in-group. But I'm also pretty sure they'll treat you with considerably more... let's say, distance, if you're not that keen on the whole God business, or - heavens forbid - happen to be non-white, non-straight, and visibly a foreigner.

[Malcador]

What are you basing that on? Heh. Sounds like Toronto and we're all enlightened and so on here.

 

Was disappointed when I was in Georgia and Mississippi and not everyone was wearing mirror shades.

Edited April 18, 2016 by Malcador

[Guard Dog]

 

 

 

i found America's heart in those places. Incredibly polite and nice people abound. You work hard, you take pride in your achievements, you help strangers in need and you attend service on sunday. 

 

 

...Right.

 

 

Understandable retort considering what the media portrays. The shock of being treated better there than in most places in Europe took a while for me to accept.

 

 

 

Wasn't intended as voicing skepticism, more like... sure, they'll be genuinely friendly, nice and polite to you as long as you look and behave like someone belonging to their in-group. But I'm also pretty sure they'll treat you with considerably more... let's say, distance, if you're not that keen on the whole God business, or - heavens forbid - happen to be non-white, non-straight, and visibly a foreigner.

 

I'm guessing you have never visited the places you are casting incorrect aspersions on. If you're ever in TN I'll buy you a drink and I don't care if you are non white, non christian, or non hetero. As Viktor Frankel wrote "There are only two races; the decent and the indecent." Anyone who behaves like the former will find friends wherever he goes no matter what he looks like. 

[Hurlshort]

I've visited a number of places where it was pretty uncomfortable being the only white guy around.  There are places all over where skin color can make a difference, but I'd say you are better off in Mississippi than you are in many countries.  

[Meshugger]

 

 

 

i found America's heart in those places. Incredibly polite and nice people abound. You work hard, you take pride in your achievements, you help strangers in need and you attend service on sunday. 

 

 

...Right.

 

 

Understandable retort considering what the media portrays. The shock of being treated better there than in most places in Europe took a while for me to accept.

 

 

 

Wasn't intended as voicing skepticism, more like... sure, they'll be genuinely friendly, nice and polite to you as long as you look and behave like someone belonging to their in-group. But I'm also pretty sure they'll treat you with considerably more... let's say, distance, if you're not that keen on the whole God business, or - heavens forbid - happen to be non-white, non-straight, and visibly a foreigner.

 

 

Based on my travels, i would say that whites (and especially nordics) have the weakest ingroup/outgroup-mentality and thus, relatively speaking, the most welcoming kind for all the oddballs of the world.

 

I doubt there's any place in the world though where being an outsider to an ingroup is naturally or culturally celebrated.

[BruceVC]

 

 

 

 

i found America's heart in those places. Incredibly polite and nice people abound. You work hard, you take pride in your achievements, you help strangers in need and you attend service on sunday. 

 

 

...Right.

 

 

Understandable retort considering what the media portrays. The shock of being treated better there than in most places in Europe took a while for me to accept.

 

 

 

Wasn't intended as voicing skepticism, more like... sure, they'll be genuinely friendly, nice and polite to you as long as you look and behave like someone belonging to their in-group. But I'm also pretty sure they'll treat you with considerably more... let's say, distance, if you're not that keen on the whole God business, or - heavens forbid - happen to be non-white, non-straight, and visibly a foreigner.

 

 

Based on my travels, i would say that whites (and especially nordics) have the weakest ingroup/outgroup-mentality and thus, relatively speaking, the most welcoming kind for all the oddballs of the world.

 

I doubt there's any place in the world though where being an outsider to an ingroup is naturally or culturally celebrated.

 

But  its a good thing you Nordics are so welcoming, this is something to be seen in a very positive way 

[Meshugger]

 

 

 

 

 

i found America's heart in those places. Incredibly polite and nice people abound. You work hard, you take pride in your achievements, you help strangers in need and you attend service on sunday. 

 

 

...Right.

 

 

Understandable retort considering what the media portrays. The shock of being treated better there than in most places in Europe took a while for me to accept.

 

 

 

Wasn't intended as voicing skepticism, more like... sure, they'll be genuinely friendly, nice and polite to you as long as you look and behave like someone belonging to their in-group. But I'm also pretty sure they'll treat you with considerably more... let's say, distance, if you're not that keen on the whole God business, or - heavens forbid - happen to be non-white, non-straight, and visibly a foreigner.

 

 

Based on my travels, i would say that whites (and especially nordics) have the weakest ingroup/outgroup-mentality and thus, relatively speaking, the most welcoming kind for all the oddballs of the world.

 

I doubt there's any place in the world though where being an outsider to an ingroup is naturally or culturally celebrated.

 

But  its a good thing you Nordics are so welcoming, this is something to be seen in a very positive way 

 

 

On the contrary it is also the greatest weakness (the strengths have already been pointed out) proned to abuse, since they are incapable to understand that there are whole countries or ethnic groups that have moral particularism as reigning supreme out of cultural reasons and not because of ignorance and poverty.

[obyknven]

Murica do it again. Murica spy overthrow democratically elected Brazilian president

 

Proofs

https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/06SAOPAULO30_a.html#efmAJZAKWAKfAK-ARrASHAS1ATbCf0Cf9CgLCgZDOLDOVDWDDX7EGjEHl

[Gfted1]

Youre next, Canada.

[BruceVC]

Murica do it again. Murica spy overthrow democratically elected Brazilian president

 

 

Proofs

https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/06SAOPAULO30_a.html#efmAJZAKWAKfAK-ARrASHAS1ATbCf0Cf9CgLCgZDOLDOVDWDDX7EGjEHl

Oby you cant possibly believe the US is behind the current crisis in Brazil ?

[Guard Dog]

 

Murica do it again. Murica spy overthrow democratically elected Brazilian president

 

 

Proofs

https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/06SAOPAULO30_a.html#efmAJZAKWAKfAK-ARrASHAS1ATbCf0Cf9CgLCgZDOLDOVDWDDX7EGjEHl

Oby you cant possibly believe the US is behind the current crisis in Brazil ?

 

I remember I used to chide people here who in one post would talk about how stupid George W Bush was and in the next accuse him of masterminding 9-11 just so he could invade Iraq. That would require a criminal mastermind even greater than Emperor Palpatine. And this is the guy they think is stupid?? 

[obyknven]

 

Murica do it again. Murica spy overthrow democratically elected Brazilian president

 

 

Proofs

https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/06SAOPAULO30_a.html#efmAJZAKWAKfAK-ARrASHAS1ATbCf0Cf9CgLCgZDOLDOVDWDDX7EGjEHl

Oby you cant possibly believe the US is behind the current crisis in Brazil ?

 

Why not? Overtrow of democratic regimes is what Murica usually do in Latin  America and Africa.

 

http://foreignpolicy.com/2013/08/20/mapped-the-7-governments-the-u-s-has-overthrown/

Brazil, 1964: Fearing that the government of Brazilian President Joao Goulart would, in the words of U.S. Ambassador Lincoln Gordon, "make Brazil the China of the 1960s," the United States backed a 1964 coup led by Humberto Castello Branco, then chief of staff of the Brazilian army. In the days leading up to the coup, the CIA encouraged street rallies against the government and provided fuel and "arms of non-US origin" to those backing the military. "I think we ought to take every step that we can, be prepared to do everything that we need to do," President Lyndon Johnson told his advisors planning the coup, according to declassified government records obtained by the National Security Archive. The Brazilian military went on to govern the country until 1985.

In other words i see nothing non-beliveable thing in such Murican actions. And when Bruce reject such obvious facts - it's not unusual thing also.

 

 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denialism

In the psychology of human behavior, denialism is a person's choice to deny reality, as a way to avoid a psychologically uncomfortable truth.[1] Denialism is an essentially irrational action that withholds the validation of an historical experience or event, by the person refusing to accept an empirically verifiable reality.

 

The motivations and causes of denialism include religion and self-interest (economic, political, financial) and defence mechanisms meant to protect the psyche of the denialist against mentally disturbing facts and ideas.

[BruceVC]

 

 

Murica do it again. Murica spy overthrow democratically elected Brazilian president

 

 

Proofs

https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/06SAOPAULO30_a.html#efmAJZAKWAKfAK-ARrASHAS1ATbCf0Cf9CgLCgZDOLDOVDWDDX7EGjEHl

Oby you cant possibly believe the US is behind the current crisis in Brazil ?

 

I remember I used to chide people here who in one post would talk about how stupid George W Bush was and in the next accuse him of masterminding 9-11 just so he could invade Iraq. That would require a criminal mastermind even greater than Emperor Palpatine. And this is the guy they think is stupid?? 

 

Also with  all the  anti-Bush sentiment that increased as the years went on you would assume by now one of the many detractors of Bush would have found evidence and presented it to the world ...but no somehow people think a conspiracy involving thousands of people could somehow be contained 

[Longknife]

 

 

 

 

i found America's heart in those places. Incredibly polite and nice people abound. You work hard, you take pride in your achievements, you help strangers in need and you attend service on sunday. 

 

 

...Right.

 

 

Understandable retort considering what the media portrays. The shock of being treated better there than in most places in Europe took a while for me to accept.

 

 

 

Wasn't intended as voicing skepticism, more like... sure, they'll be genuinely friendly, nice and polite to you as long as you look and behave like someone belonging to their in-group. But I'm also pretty sure they'll treat you with considerably more... let's say, distance, if you're not that keen on the whole God business, or - heavens forbid - happen to be non-white, non-straight, and visibly a foreigner.

 

I'm guessing you have never visited the places you are casting incorrect aspersions on.

 

 

He's right.*

 

I lived in a small town in Oklahoma of 30,000. I lived in a neighborhood occassionally referred to as "N***erville" because it was where most of the black population was, and also one of the poorest neighborhoods. That same neighborhood had it's elementary school shut down when the school board decided they wanted to use some funding to get a cushy new office, even though it was logically more sound to shut down another elementary school (if any at all, I mean this was blatantly corrupt) that was closer to another, as shutting down this one in particular meant an entire neighborhood would lack direct access to a school and the costs of bussing those kids off to another school alone was gonna counteract any profits gained from shutting it down, given enough time.

 

Same town also had a news story where some friends of mine went to jail because some known racist from our high school class openly provoked them by picking a fight and calling them the N-word until one broke his jaw. Shortly after the story broke out, the racist dude's parents made sure to delete his facebook and any other social website profiles that showed him standing proudly in front of a confederate flag or blatantly signed up with some white supremacy group. (KKK, Neo Nazis, you name it. That this kid was racist was the worst kept secret in town) My friends went to jail, broken jaw racist got out scot-free as the "poor innocent white guy" who did nothing wrong despite all attempts to archive his blatanty racist facebook page amongst other things. Another black friend who was a little more concious and clever about how targeted he was got pulled over as frequently as 4 times a week for driving while black over the course of ~6 months, one day he finally had enough raw evidence from the abnormal frequency of how often he was pulled over compared to how they never found **** on him with which to charge him with, and with that he was able to go to City Hall and basically get an unspoken immunity because if they didn't, they were gonna have a serious issue on their hands. 

 

I myself lost numerous friends who sniffed out that I wasn't a Christian until I finally figured out to keep my mouth shut about that, and the school system regularly tried to shoehorn religion into the criteria. One example is that while analyzing greek and roman mythology, they argued that's practically religion and thus this would be a great time for us to likewise study bible passages as part of the curriculum. I kept my mouth shut, my mom often didn't, and often after she'd speak up and force them to stop I would find myself targeted or alienated by students (the ones who had the parents and connections neccesary to figure out what went down) and faculty alike as "that kid who's the reason we can't teach Jesus in English class." Same way the above driving-while-black friend was the clever one, I consider myself the clever one because there were about ~4 other athiests/Democrats/minority opinion kids who didn't hide it, and you better believe they didn't have a friend in the world aside from each other.

 

 

 

*The main thing to note is that no, being a southern state does not automatically mean blind bigotry and hatred. If anything, being a small rural town often (keyword often, not always) means blind bigotry and hatred, and I'd bet you could find small towns in New York and California that are just as bigoted, but in different ways. I've traveled through Dallas and Atlanta for example on multiple occassions and never got the sense that being black or non-Christian was a cardinal sin in those cities. Another German friend explicitly traveled through the South out of boredom with the standard travel locations (New York, California) and despite being very anti-religion, she was super pleased with her travels through Memphis, New Orleans and a couple other southern capitols/major cities.

 

  Small populations and little incentive to travel means people are less likely to encounter other ideas and thus they become bigoted because they view opposing ideals as "wrong" rather than attempting to understand them.. Small populations affects this far more than any singular religion or political stance, cause yeah wtf for example I actually know a Baptist Republican Christian from Oklahoma that I met here in my town here in Germany, and he and I get along great, often debating our different ideals in the most respectful way possible. Another example of how small populations and little travel can make a community bigoted, I was the *only* disabled kid in my town (aside from one dwarf, though being short lets you blend in til people stop caring) and that was quite an adjustment for me because San Francisco vs. random butt**** town act quite different in terms of the disabled. One of those didn't bat an eye because half it's population was already disabled, the other...? Distinctly recall a time as a teen where my prosthetic leg was falling apart and I needed either some tools (wrench etc) to fix it or I needed a phone so I could get to my doctor. This was in front of an elementary school on the way home. The faculty's response? They didn't come out to offer assistance, they came out to tell me to put my leg back on and to please leave the area because I was scaring the children. Bitch I would love to but that's kind of the issue right now, and hey here's a thought: how about instead of yelling at me for being me, you teach the god damned kids not to flip the **** out when someone's different.

Edited May 15, 2016 by Longknife

[aluminiumtrioxid]

I myself lost numerous friends who sniffed out that I wasn't a Christian until I finally figured out to keep my mouth shut about that, and the school system regularly tried to shoehorn religion into the criteria. One example is that while analyzing greek and roman mythology, they argued that's practically religion and thus this would be a great time for us to likewise study bible passages as part of the curriculum. 

 

To be fair, studying the Bible probably should be part of any literature class. There's a massive body of texts that engage with it one way or the other, where lots of nuance is lost if you don't have the same background information the writer assumes is default.

[BruceVC]

 

I myself lost numerous friends who sniffed out that I wasn't a Christian until I finally figured out to keep my mouth shut about that, and the school system regularly tried to shoehorn religion into the criteria. One example is that while analyzing greek and roman mythology, they argued that's practically religion and thus this would be a great time for us to likewise study bible passages as part of the curriculum. 

 

To be fair, studying the Bible probably should be part of any literature class. There's a massive body of texts that engage with it one way or the other, where lots of nuance is lost if you don't have the same background information the writer assumes is default.

 

You really think studying the bible should be part of literature, you see this would  not be considered a reasonable way of  learning in many African countries because using religious text would be seen as being biased against people who aren't Christian ...also is the bible well written from a studying perspective?

 

And most people in Africa are Catholic or Christian but more neutral sources would be used 

[BruceVC]

 

 

Murica do it again. Murica spy overthrow democratically elected Brazilian president

 

 

Proofs

https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/06SAOPAULO30_a.html#efmAJZAKWAKfAK-ARrASHAS1ATbCf0Cf9CgLCgZDOLDOVDWDDX7EGjEHl

Oby you cant possibly believe the US is behind the current crisis in Brazil ?

 

Why not? Overtrow of democratic regimes is what Murica usually do in Latin  America and Africa.

 

http://foreignpolicy.com/2013/08/20/mapped-the-7-governments-the-u-s-has-overthrown/

Brazil, 1964: Fearing that the government of Brazilian President Joao Goulart would, in the words of U.S. Ambassador Lincoln Gordon, "make Brazil the China of the 1960s," the United States backed a 1964 coup led by Humberto Castello Branco, then chief of staff of the Brazilian army. In the days leading up to the coup, the CIA encouraged street rallies against the government and provided fuel and "arms of non-US origin" to those backing the military. "I think we ought to take every step that we can, be prepared to do everything that we need to do," President Lyndon Johnson told his advisors planning the coup, according to declassified government records obtained by the National Security Archive. The Brazilian military went on to govern the country until 1985.

In other words i see nothing non-beliveable thing in such Murican actions. And when Bruce reject such obvious facts - it's not unusual thing also.

 

 

Yes but Oby in the  1960's and during the Cold War this use to happen, it made sense and both sides did it

 

But nowadays, the West doesnt have to use the CIA to overthrow leaders because without fail most of the " anti-Western  " leaders in the world were generally mishandling there economies and they became unpopular on there own

[obyknven]

 

I myself lost numerous friends who sniffed out that I wasn't a Christian until I finally figured out to keep my mouth shut about that, and the school system regularly tried to shoehorn religion into the criteria. One example is that while analyzing greek and roman mythology, they argued that's practically religion and thus this would be a great time for us to likewise study bible passages as part of the curriculum. 

 

To be fair, studying the Bible probably should be part of any literature class. There's a massive body of texts that engage with it one way or the other, where lots of nuance is lost if you don't have the same background information the writer assumes is default.

 

 

 

 

I myself lost numerous friends who sniffed out that I wasn't a Christian until I finally figured out to keep my mouth shut about that, and the school system regularly tried to shoehorn religion into the criteria. One example is that while analyzing greek and roman mythology, they argued that's practically religion and thus this would be a great time for us to likewise study bible passages as part of the curriculum. 

 

To be fair, studying the Bible probably should be part of any literature class. There's a massive body of texts that engage with it one way or the other, where lots of nuance is lost if you don't have the same background information the writer assumes is default.

 

 

Religious fanatics everywhere... 

[obyknven]

 

Yes but Oby in the  1960's and during the Cold War this use to happen, it made sense and both sides did it

 

But nowadays, the West doesnt have to use the CIA to overthrow leaders because without fail most of the " anti-Western  " leaders in the world were generally mishandling there economies and they became unpopular on there own

 

F**** Yeah!            

http://youtu.be/k1F_E1splZg

[Guard Dog]

Nowadays the CIA is a shadow of what it once was.

[BruceVC]

Nowadays the CIA is a shadow of what it once was.

Yes, you probably right but it also doesn't need to be like it was 

 

End of the day its the effectiveness of information gathering and departments like the NSA that probably are the most effective considering the threat that the West faces from Islamic extremism ?