Lemmy has a strong tendency to criticize the US, and a lot of the critiques of certain issue with the US are valid. However, I started getting really tired of opening comment sections in innocuous and non-political posts only to see that someone somehow found a way to criticize the US in it. At first, I started thinking that maybe some Lemmy users are really unhappy and find criticizing a something stronger helped them feel better as if standing up to injustice was a passion of theirs. But, we don’t see them do that with other targets, just the US. The more I notice and think about it, I’m starting be suspicious that some of those users and comments aren’t authentic, but made to create divisiveness in the West and reject the US entirely. In other words, they may be Russian, Chinese, et al. agents working to feed a stream of propaganda in order to further cause chaos and lack of unity in the West as we have seen them do before.
Anyone else think about this?
This is what I’m thinking the game plan is:
- Criticize something obviously unjust that the US has done. Ignore that all other major powers have also committed atrocities.
- Link and liken it to other US matters & behaviors
- Paint the US entirely as evil so that nothing the US can do is just
- Attack anyone that supports anything out of the US (we are between here and #3 above)
- Create a black-and-white model of geopolitics: US vs everyone else. EU and Russia on the same team lol
- West fragments as US and EU relationship dwindle from pseudo-populist movements (e.g. MAGA)
- Pick specific countries in the EU to start alienating and repeat the cycle
- ???
- Profit in special economic zones
I agree wholeheartedly. My assumption was that such behavior was simply a symptom of the relatively larger proportion of Europeans on this site, and their obvious jealousy and insecurity regarding Americans. I still believe that is the most likely explanation. To be clear, America has done hella dumb shit lately, and is deserving of criticism on many fronts. But what OP is referring to goes beyond that. It’s emotional animosity that overflows the bounds of reasonable criticism and targets individuals rather than governmental decisions or policies.
The number of times that I have seen people refer to the American contribution to WWII as cowardice, meaningless, etc, is too damn high. 400,000 Americans died in that war. Read a fucking history book you ignorant, insensitive fucks.
It’s certainly possible that there are agents in our midst sowing divisiveness, although unlikely. I don’t have any beef with any nationality, because I don’t judge people based on where they were born. That should be common sense, but it’s apparently difficult for some people to wrap their heads around.
very difficult to wrap your head around isn’t it.
You think Europeans are jealous of Americans? You couldn’t pay me to live there, especially with Trump in power.
Yes. America controls the world, and Europeans are salty about it. I didn’t even realize how salty until I started using Lemmy, but it’s incredibly obvious on here.
FWIW, I would be salty too. But you can also be mature about it and realize that the average American isn’t to blame for this reality.
You are a perfect example of what I said today in my other comment: vast proportion of USians are properly, certifiably insane.
America is a powerful country sure (though hardly controlling the world these days), but I don’t see how that would make me jealous. I wouldn’t want my country in that position. It’s not like the country’s power improves peoples’ lives, as America can clearly demonstrate. Your country’s immense wealth is put into the military or hoarded by your billionaire class, while regular people are suffering or dying for not being able to afford medical treatment, something unheard of in Europe. I feel pity there, rather than jealousy.
All that power you have will now be wielded by some fascist clown who is threatening to throw the world into disarray. I am angry and worried about that, so you I guess can call me “salty” if you want. The average American might not be to blame for that, but quite a lot of Americans who voted for this shit sure are.
No, stop, I can’t fucking breath… 🤣🤣🤣
Removed by mod
Yes, thank you! This is what I was getting at. The critique isn’t objective stuff. It seems deep-rooted and personal. It’s not about being upset with an action or policy. It’s hate.
I should have read this before I wasted my time writing the main response. I don’t know who’s more delusional the person who thinks Europeans are jealous of a country where most couldn’t be paid enough to move or the person who thinks any of the critique I mentioned is objective (not even sure what non objective critique you’ve heard).
Counter hypothesis: OP and the person he’s replying to here are in fact agents trying to create a rift between the US and the rest of the world by making us believe that the population there is actually this narcissistically stupid.