Comment

Comment on Sometimes when I think about US politics, I worry. But then I remember this is a country that had gone through a civil war, numerous scandals, a great depression and dust bowl, two world wars,

protist@mander.xyz ⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago

You’re not wrong about all the things that have happened, but there are lots of countries around the world over that same timeline who have had a much worse go of things. The US has been the most powerful country in the world, so what happens here has an outsized impact, however this is just another facet of “American exceptionalism,” that the bad things that the US has done or had happen are somehow more special than all the bad things that have happened everywhere else.

source

Sort:hotnew top

TrickDacy@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago
So if you notice that we bombed Iran this week, you must find it the most important bombing? I truly don’t get how some people’s hobby is to shit on the US

source
- FreakinSteve@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago
  Why wouldnt you?
  
  source
  - TrickDacy@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago
    Because the time the world has existed includes times other than this week. And other countries.
    
    source
    FreakinSteve@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago
    Exactly So why wouldnt you? The US is not and has never been a good guy.
    
    source
    -> View More Comments
MangoCats@feddit.it ⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago

The US has been the most powerful country in the world

For roughly 75 years.

France was strongly dominant under Napoleon for 15 years and didn’t suffer too badly for 15 more years after that.

The period of the British Empire’s global dominance, often referred to as the Pax Britannica, ran roughly 300 years.

The Roman Empire was dominant for roughly 500 years…

The primary difference of the period of US dominance is that it has been almost entirely sustained by MAD - mutually assured destruction vs every other entity on the globe.

source
- possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip ⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago
  I think a big factor was world war I. Europe got decimated so the US had a major upper hand.
  
  source
- protist@mander.xyz ⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago
  Among the empires you just cited, let’s consider the wars, atrocities, assassinations, crises, and plagues they perpetuated and endured
  
  source
  - MangoCats@feddit.it ⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago
    
    let’s consider the wars, atrocities, assassinations, crises, and plagues they perpetuated and endured
    
    Absolutely. And, while there’s always atrocities and tragedies around the world, back in “those days” the height of civilization was still brutal and cruel. We, globally, seem to have improved the “bright spots” somewhat as time goes by - even if we still leave the bulk of global human population in poverty and oppression.
    
    My point about the 75 years? There have been shorter flashes in the pan, and much longer ones, we’re nothing particularly special - what is special about this era is the power that fossil fuels have endowed modern society with. We’ve done some good things with those, and a lot of bad too.
    
    source