21 Comments

As a foreigner, I don't see the USA as the shining light of democracy, only a circus with too many billboards for cats pretending to be lions. The flag-wagging fervour of Democrats and Republicans is cultish, creating an unfortunate destiny for further personal loss. I'm sure that's exactly what your military industrial complex and other corporates wanted to create, a Hollywood version of America that dances and dances and dances. The USA is a dangerous comedy show for an international audience.

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That's a wonderfully written comment. Thank you.

I agree on the points, but, as an immigrant myself, I think its focus is on the cabal, the grift, and the matrix of evil and does not necessarily reflect on the American people. If they've committed a sin—I am talking about the last 50 years—that sin is myopia. The life was too good, and the opportunities were ample. America is geographically blessed and as safe as they come, so no real danger was ever present.

So they - all of us living here - did not care, neither about what their country is doing to others so they can maintain their own prosperity, nor about the slow destruction of everything that once made the country great.

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I'm not on a high horse. My country, of which half is unemployed, has millions of idiots to spare for politics. I'm both critical and sympathetic, and mostly on the side of the common human being of which I'm but one. I may not appreciate willing victims but I loathe those beating them, especially the " cabal". These things doen't constrain me to one opinion.

There are many extraordinary Americans, as there are exceptions in every country, but it's reasonable to generalise where there is general effect.

Fervent blind nationalism, a type of racism, is evil. Whether it be American flag-wavers who don't care where their bombs are dropping, or India's Hindu vs Moslem politics, it sucks. The convenience of superiority is dangerous.

It's a human rights crime to treat the world as if it's only Republican vs Democrat when possessing 800 military bases on foreign soil and being the world's biggest death machine supplier. The sales of Bud Light are not more important than the fate of Julian Assange, Edward Snowden, Jamal Khashoggi, and the millions killed in Iraq, Yemen, Ukraine etc.

Myopia is a brick in Public malaise but it's not an excuse whilst "other-people-not-us" are unnecessarily killed. It's outrageously selfish to accept and proliferate the propaganda that: "We're the world's defenders of democracy."

Consequently, I like the blogs of Americans questioning the status quo. There are more of you than my fellow South Africans.

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Carl G. Jung described an encounter with the Native American chief Ochwiay Biano (“Mountain Lake”) of the Taos pueblo in New Mexico in 1932: “I was able to talk with him as I have rarely been able to talk with a European,” Jung recalled.

Chief Mountain Lake: “See how cruel the whites look, their lips are thin, their noses sharp, their faces furrowed and distorted by folds. Their eyes have a staring expression; they are always seeking something. What are they seeking? The whites always want something. They are always uneasy and restless. We do not know what they want. We do not understand them. We think that they are all mad.”

If we were not all mad, I am increasingly convinced that we are indeed going mad, at least in the Western world which I am more familiar with.

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Well put. Misplaced discontent may be the biggest crime of my race.

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Mike, I like your substack (and gonna subscribe in a bit). We seem to have some overlapping interests/people followed (Larry Johnson, Simpliccius, Aaron Mate). Looking forward to reading your writings.

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Been caught up in non-internet life so have been reading less and not writing but I'll ditto subscribe for my return. Then I've hundreds of pages of research to sift through before next article. I want to break down Zelensky, Putin, Biden, Erdogan, the actors in the war. But intentions are not this week's reality. Catch you on the flipside.

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Speaking as a Southerner whose people were here before the "united" "states", I regard the United States as an international pariah, a gangster nation and the enemy of everything good, beautiful and true.

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It's painful to agree with you.

That word - 'painful' - reminded me that when I used to discuss 'America' with my overseas friends, I always told them that the real America is not in its military might, perhaps not even in its diversity, NYC, or the vast spaces I crossed three times.

To me, the real story of America is in its pain. Be it the pain of Frederick Douglass or in its music. I briefly tackled those feelings here:

https://trygvewighdal.substack.com/p/man-in-black-an-open-letter-to-johnny

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" The real story of America is in its pain." I like that. The pity is that most haven't identified the source of their pain, instead misguiding it into figureheads such as Obama and Trump. Issues require focus, not bigger-than-my-life people.

I cannot forgive its over-the-top support of its military but America has got a lot of great activists, rock 'n rollers and indie movies.

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It never has been a shining light of democracy; wherever big money flows democracy recedes.

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It's possible that democracy, like Communism, is a grand thought that extreme believers will always make fail.

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I feel dirtier having just read about this human excrement. That said, it was an excellent piece and written with all the scorn required for proper understanding of this most heinous subject. Thank you.

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Bravo! Lots to unpack here. Thanks for pulling it all together.

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Outstanding piece thanks for sharing it

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Thank you!

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Biden is not the problem. Everybody has the right to be a dick. The problem is the people who put him in power.

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I agree to a point. To me, Biden is, more than anything, a symbol of a deeply rotten system.

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Brilliant piece and I am now a subscriber.

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Thank you, truly.

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Very well written article. However, in regards to Busing, while Joe Biden was likely opposed to busing because he was trying to make friends with racists, it was a genuinely contentious issue. Toward the end of its implementation, many polls found it to be quite unpopular, even among Black people, for whom it was intended.

One major critique was that busing was seen as a superficial solution, often employed in lieu of increasing school funding. Instead of investing in under-resourced schools, governments opted for the seemingly cheaper option of busing students elsewhere. But this had adverse effects.

Busing inadvertently contributed to upper-middle-class flight. As schools were integrated, many affluent families, predominantly white, moved to suburban areas or enrolled their children in private schools. This exacerbated urban decay and further strained city resources.

There were also practical concerns. Many Black children had to endure exceptionally long bus rides, cutting into their personal and study time. These commutes also took students away from their local communities, undermining the communal essence of schooling. Families felt disconnected from the schools their children attended, reducing parental involvement which is critical for academic success.

While the intent behind busing was noble, the policy had numerous negative consequences. It not only sidestepped deeper systemic issues like school funding disparities but also introduced new challenges for the communities it aimed to serve.

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