I get the impression that the US has a more fundamental constitutional issue than which of those two will be President. How it can happen that two people so widely disliked and distrusted can be the only (realistically) choices that country has being the biggest question.
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
I suspect that having seen the vilification heaped on a thoroughly capable and decent man like Obama, it's a position that has attracted only the most arrogant and egocentric.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
People should understand that Americans are driven by their pocket's more than anything else. Social justice, fairness and equality are rarely on their radar. It is deep within their heads that the rights of the individual outweigh the rights of the many. The right of the individual is protected in their constitution and it's original meaning has been lost over generations. Charity comes with a price to be paid by the recipient. They rarely have a vision of long term consequences, evidenced by so many involments in foreign wars and interference in countries around the world. They believe that that they are right no matter what the outcome, as long as they get what they want. They are a selfish people. I've visited America on many occasions and it's a wonderful country with many wonderful people. However it's a country of stark contrast where the haves and have nots live in stark contrast to each other. It is disjointed. So it's little wonder that this election has been and is so divisive. What they fail to realise is that the rest of the world will have to deal with the choice they make, it will affect far more people than live within that country.
^...it isn't wise to generalise so thoroughly about a whole population of people like that, you could just as easily have written the same about the British, if you want to go down that road.
I think you are a bit hard, Dave! I feel that the cultural differences between us - European and American, are much greater than we sometimes recognise, as great as the difference between Europe and, say, China. Individualism is not attractive to me but it is much greater than mere selfishness; it is an approach to life which argues that each of us is responsible for his own life and well being and, largely, governance. Success and failure, wealth and poverty are viewed as the deserved outcomes of your strengths and weaknesses. Of course, real life isn't like that because we all start the race from different positions and with different abilities but these flaws in the model have not been strong enough to overcome it, anymore than belief in social responsibility has enabled us in Britain to pay up to care for our young, old and vulnerable properly. Most Americans are decent, reasonable people, just like us, but they understand their responsibilities differently. And you will find plenty of greed and selfishness in every country, I fear. The Americans don't have a monopoly on them.
I think there is a tendency towards the binary in American culture - good versus bad etc, demonstrated in the old Western films, where the Good Cowboy wore a white hat and the Bad Cowboy wore a black one. Because of the fundamentalist christian roots of their government there is also a tendency towards the 'he who is not for me is against me' point of view. This is being exploited by the Trump camp.
The reality of life is that most people are a muddy shade of grey.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
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Most things are more fun than the Economist....?
I get the impression that the US has a more fundamental constitutional issue than which of those two will be President. How it can happen that two people so widely disliked and distrusted can be the only (realistically) choices that country has being the biggest question.
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
I suspect that having seen the vilification heaped on a thoroughly capable and decent man like Obama, it's a position that has attracted only the most arrogant and egocentric.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
People should understand that Americans are driven by their pocket's more than anything else. Social justice, fairness and equality are rarely on their radar. It is deep within their heads that the rights of the individual outweigh the rights of the many. The right of the individual is protected in their constitution and it's original meaning has been lost over generations. Charity comes with a price to be paid by the recipient. They rarely have a vision of long term consequences, evidenced by so many involments in foreign wars and interference in countries around the world. They believe that that they are right no matter what the outcome, as long as they get what they want. They are a selfish people. I've visited America on many occasions and it's a wonderful country with many wonderful people. However it's a country of stark contrast where the haves and have nots live in stark contrast to each other. It is disjointed. So it's little wonder that this election has been and is so divisive. What they fail to realise is that the rest of the world will have to deal with the choice they make, it will affect far more people than live within that country.
Last edited: 04 November 2016 10:21:55
^...it isn't wise to generalise so thoroughly about a whole population of people like that, you could just as easily have written the same about the British, if you want to go down that road.
"I've visited America on many occasions and it's a wonderful country with many wonderful people."
yeah Marlo, he shouldn't generalise.
I think you are a bit hard, Dave! I feel that the cultural differences between us - European and American, are much greater than we sometimes recognise, as great as the difference between Europe and, say, China. Individualism is not attractive to me but it is much greater than mere selfishness; it is an approach to life which argues that each of us is responsible for his own life and well being and, largely, governance. Success and failure, wealth and poverty are viewed as the deserved outcomes of your strengths and weaknesses. Of course, real life isn't like that because we all start the race from different positions and with different abilities but these flaws in the model have not been strong enough to overcome it, anymore than belief in social responsibility has enabled us in Britain to pay up to care for our young, old and vulnerable properly. Most Americans are decent, reasonable people, just like us, but they understand their responsibilities differently. And you will find plenty of greed and selfishness in every country, I fear. The Americans don't have a monopoly on them.
Oh! and I forgot to mention Nigel Farage.....
I think there is a tendency towards the binary in American culture - good versus bad etc, demonstrated in the old Western films, where the Good Cowboy wore a white hat and the Bad Cowboy wore a black one. Because of the fundamentalist christian roots of their government there is also a tendency towards the 'he who is not for me is against me' point of view. This is being exploited by the Trump camp.
The reality of life is that most people are a muddy shade of grey.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I like the cowboy generalisation, yee haa
the really bad cowboy wouldn't wear a hat for fear of messing up his wig.