This comment is not directly related to the above, but something has moved me to write it.
Judging by the World Cup, the US has earned open antipathy from Europeans and beyond. In the past they would publicly suppress this attitude but now apparently it's permissible. The US team was not a strong group and so not destined to go far. But the way the refs handled the games showed clear bias toward opponents -- I watched the Bosnia side play relentlessly dirty football with no calls by the refs, but when Balogun accidentally trod on an ankle, he was issued a red card. When that red card was rightfully rescinded, the Belgian coach went into a public rage. In the end it didn't matter. The Belgians (with some help from US players) rolled right over them. Then the Belgians showed incredibly poor sportsmanship toward our demoralized and weeping boys. And so the real issue was thereby exposed: Belgium was just looking for an excuse to revile us. Poor sportsmanship has been a theme of this cup (and not only toward the US): Bosnia, Brazil, Uruguay, Mexico, and finally Belgium. Some really bad behavior. Clearly I've spent too much time watching this. But it's here on my home soil and so a rare opportunity to gain a better understanding of the world religion, AKA "football." But after the Belgian spectacle, I've turned it off.
Why is this of interest? Because we are seeing the fruits of Trump's global actions? But the US Military is now openly supporting Ukraine again. Why isn't that good enough for Europe? Isn't US support required for Ukraine to have any chance at all? Considering all the decades of NATO, will the European maw for US military support never be satisfied? What would do it? Are we supposed to go into a ground war with Russia?
But that's not really the issue. Europeans and British nationals in general have always shown contempt for the US. I've experienced it first-hand on numerous trips to those regions. I speak decent Spanish and enough French to navigate and order meals properly, and I'm impeccably polite -- perhaps too polite -- so I don't earn these attitudes. Sure, generally people are decently-mannered, and some are even cordial. But here and there the mask comes off. The simmering resentment underneath is the real deal. And it can't really be resolved. Nothing will fix it. The more the US would give, the more nastiness we would receive. And now Trump has given them permission to be open about it.
One thing I don't know is the degree to which the Hormuz Strait incursion is amplifying this hatred. But don't educated people understand that Trump is not there at the behest of his own people? I don't think even Israel is the key driver here. I think it is the usual global crowd, trying to seize Iranian assets. But perhaps I'm wrong about that, too. Whatever it is, the Euros have their excuse to show their true stripes, and they are running with it.
sorry to hear this mate; i'm here in Kanuckistan and often hear this type of rhetoric emanating from the average Canadian; and not only do i try to defend the good peoples of the USA from this line of criticism; more pertinently, i try to point out that Canada is one of the few nations in the world w/ no national identity; and, quite frankly, if there is an attempt to invoke one it's simply an anti-American one (eg., it's pretty bad here; but do you wanna live in America?!?). Suffice it to say, that in today's world of recessions and depressions the average joe is oscillating between two general states of being: tribalism; and finding a scapegoat for said scenario. And the truth is: all of us are responsible for this mess; and none of us are responsible for this mess; viz. if you're mired in the muck of modern-day materialism the only way out is in, i.e., find God! God Bless you and yours!! RGB-Y6 out!!!
Nothing to add...
This article deserves a nice musical end as a laughter:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUrBRYHfB6U&list=PLvucyDghQh0wr8QCiuTB0w1NF8GexgLz4&index=6
This comment is not directly related to the above, but something has moved me to write it.
Judging by the World Cup, the US has earned open antipathy from Europeans and beyond. In the past they would publicly suppress this attitude but now apparently it's permissible. The US team was not a strong group and so not destined to go far. But the way the refs handled the games showed clear bias toward opponents -- I watched the Bosnia side play relentlessly dirty football with no calls by the refs, but when Balogun accidentally trod on an ankle, he was issued a red card. When that red card was rightfully rescinded, the Belgian coach went into a public rage. In the end it didn't matter. The Belgians (with some help from US players) rolled right over them. Then the Belgians showed incredibly poor sportsmanship toward our demoralized and weeping boys. And so the real issue was thereby exposed: Belgium was just looking for an excuse to revile us. Poor sportsmanship has been a theme of this cup (and not only toward the US): Bosnia, Brazil, Uruguay, Mexico, and finally Belgium. Some really bad behavior. Clearly I've spent too much time watching this. But it's here on my home soil and so a rare opportunity to gain a better understanding of the world religion, AKA "football." But after the Belgian spectacle, I've turned it off.
Why is this of interest? Because we are seeing the fruits of Trump's global actions? But the US Military is now openly supporting Ukraine again. Why isn't that good enough for Europe? Isn't US support required for Ukraine to have any chance at all? Considering all the decades of NATO, will the European maw for US military support never be satisfied? What would do it? Are we supposed to go into a ground war with Russia?
But that's not really the issue. Europeans and British nationals in general have always shown contempt for the US. I've experienced it first-hand on numerous trips to those regions. I speak decent Spanish and enough French to navigate and order meals properly, and I'm impeccably polite -- perhaps too polite -- so I don't earn these attitudes. Sure, generally people are decently-mannered, and some are even cordial. But here and there the mask comes off. The simmering resentment underneath is the real deal. And it can't really be resolved. Nothing will fix it. The more the US would give, the more nastiness we would receive. And now Trump has given them permission to be open about it.
One thing I don't know is the degree to which the Hormuz Strait incursion is amplifying this hatred. But don't educated people understand that Trump is not there at the behest of his own people? I don't think even Israel is the key driver here. I think it is the usual global crowd, trying to seize Iranian assets. But perhaps I'm wrong about that, too. Whatever it is, the Euros have their excuse to show their true stripes, and they are running with it.
sorry to hear this mate; i'm here in Kanuckistan and often hear this type of rhetoric emanating from the average Canadian; and not only do i try to defend the good peoples of the USA from this line of criticism; more pertinently, i try to point out that Canada is one of the few nations in the world w/ no national identity; and, quite frankly, if there is an attempt to invoke one it's simply an anti-American one (eg., it's pretty bad here; but do you wanna live in America?!?). Suffice it to say, that in today's world of recessions and depressions the average joe is oscillating between two general states of being: tribalism; and finding a scapegoat for said scenario. And the truth is: all of us are responsible for this mess; and none of us are responsible for this mess; viz. if you're mired in the muck of modern-day materialism the only way out is in, i.e., find God! God Bless you and yours!! RGB-Y6 out!!!