badmojo97
Member
Registered: Sep 2001
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Posts: 22 |
 Re: You are right but/...
quote:
Originally posted by yardie
You are right BadMOjo (BTW Your posts are a pleasure to read!)..But..No one is saying that the American government is evil. I strongly believe that America is trying to do good with their actions and policies. However, America needs to realuize that what is good for America is not necessarily a good thing for Uganda and China. They also should make every effort not to look like a bully. America was targetted by these terrorists not because of their leadership position in the world..particularly the west, but because they are seen or perceived as a big bully that wants to dominate and change the world.
I completely agree with you that forcing our way of life on others is the wrong way to do things. Every society should be able to live as how their culture allows them (coming from an ethnic family, I'm familiar with this). Hey, even Americans can't stand it when the government tries to tell them how to live! And while American foreign policy often hinges on some aspect of "human rights" or something that validates/violates our beliefs, I tend to think that it's not so much the political figures acting out on how they personally believe the target country should act, but on how other countries and organizations expect the United States to act. Do I really think George Bush & Colin Powell care about how China treats its citizens, or that African tribes are killing each other (which they still are, but no one hears about it)? As compassionate human beings, yes, I'm sure they do. However (and this sounds cynical), as political figures, unless it becomes an issue for the global society or for human rights organizations, I think they'd rather leave it be to avoid embroiling the nation into something that it would regret later.
To put it in perspective, do everyday American citizens really concern themselves with the refugees in Bosnia and Kosovo who are still trying to settle in their homes without worrying about having their throats cut in their sleep? When it was on the news, sure they did. To say you didn't care would brand you as heartless. Nowadays, it's not such a big issue and below people's laundry list in priorities. In general, Americans like to leave other people's business as other people's business (you can see that in our day-to-day lives). This is a result of our society that treasures independence and individuality. It doesn't mean we're not compassionate, but when the issue arises and others are looking, as other countries do, our government responds as our values dictate. As for politically self-serving or "national security" reasons for why we get involved, all I can say is that America plays the game, and sometimes the only ammunition we have to use is some iconic platform. I think there's a big difference between the rhetorics of what we believe and how governments implement them. Furthermore, politics is a device created by humans that's complicated and often defies logic. Sorry, I don't mean to go on a diatribe, but I like discussing these things.
BTW, thanks for the compliment. I'm a pretty new poster, but discussion throughout the boards are great. I'm glad we all have a common interest in technology but can still talk about broader issues.
__________________
"A Noble Spirit Embiggens the Smallest Man."
�Jeremiah Springfield's Epitaph
on The Simpsons
|
I'll keep searching, but this should be enough to prove that someone is having a joke at everyone's expense.
09-14-2001 03:13 PM
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