the longer i live outside the country of my birth, the less american i get. it stands to reason. we are most affected by the environment in which we find ourselves. for me, this means that i have become more egalitarian (what? a differentiation in the car taxes by area (200% instead of 150%) to help with traffic congestion in cities? no way, car taxes must be the same for all), i have better taste, i am less likely to talk to strangers or say "excuse me," and i think that famous people should be allowed to get on with living their lives unmolested (winona, you did NOT just take a hit on that 17 when the dealer has a 6 up).
generally, i trust the integrity of the media where i live, find the healthcare system to be modern and accessible (even if they're not the most service-minded folks ever), and while politicians are a bit idealess, they're generally not corrupt (i mean, what's a little fudging your taxes among friends). all of this contributes to my today having generally logically-reasoned, balanced, non-conspiracy theoretical opinions about the events of the world. and for that i
so it's quite interesting to encounter someone who makes wild leaps of reason in the course of an otherwise quite normal and reasonable discussion. for example, that michelle obama hates america. this reasoned from a comment that she made about having never been more proud of america before whatever day she made the speech. conclusion: since she'd never been proud of america before, she must hate it. really? i don't know the context of her comment (and neither did the person making the conclusion), but it seems pretty innocuous to me. and context would seem to be completely necessary to drawing any untoward conclusions. but my impression of clips i see of current american media is that context is irrelevant. and the person making this statement (possibly parroted from something former miss america (obviously makes her an authority on the level of affection for america) gretchen carlson said on fox "news") didn't question that at all. he had just ingested and then passed along the venom.
i really don't understand the venom towards obama. while i grant that he has not lived up to the promise and hope i felt in november 2008 as i bought a huge ring to commemorate his election and for the first time in 8 years didn't conceal my passport in line as i went through passport control, he has done what he can. i simply can't fathom why, when millions and millions have no health insurance anyone would be against obamacare. i'm still reeling a little a bit from a bloggy friend who asked me if it wasn't just horrible for the poor insurance companies? really? you can't be serious.
it strikes me that people's memories are short - does no one recall the mess he was handed by bush, an illegitimate president, bent only on being elected to get the approval of his father? when bush took office, there was a budget surplus. after two wars that have accomplished little as far as i can see there is now billions in crippling deficits. bush's cronies dismantled the last of the regulation keeping the financial sector in check and i think it's quite obvious to everyone that's been a disaster of global proportions. these are the things that obama was handed to deal with. and no mere mortal could solve these problems overnight.
it's problematic in general that the people who might be the very best for a job like president of the united states or even prime minister of denmark aren't the ones running. it's problematic that we seldom have access to the real person behind the power - they are so spun and fluffed and polished that i don't think we have any idea who they really are and what they stand for, other than remaining in power. but, we've got to keep cool heads and draw logical conclusions and then vote accordingly. michelle obama doesn't hate america. to say so is ludicrous. and makes me a little bit more inclined to start hiding my passport again when i'm in line for passport control.
5 comments:
So many true words julochka. Ay, I see you as one of the sane Americans I know of (but that's probably because we seem to think alike...YOU should probably start to worry at this stage and seek help).
"if it wasn't just horrible for the poor insurance companies?" is the kind of question that makes me hit my heat on walls and keyboards with regular monotony. So is the negativity, as I see it anyway, that is to randomly aimed at anyone whose words you can possibly twist for a news story. I use the word "news" loosely...
Very well said. Context is important to understanding, but most people I know around here don't want to understand. They just want to opine-- objective facts & reasoning are optional. Sad, but true. Occasionally funny as heck.
Amen! I've never understood the amnesia in this country regarding the 8 years preceding Obama's election...so much to deal with and blocked at every turn. I have a hard time trying to glean any meaningful news from any of the media outlets these days!
one of my favorite quotes in President Obama's defense was something like:
"He chose to captain the Titanic, as it was sinking."
I loved this post of yours and wish I could wrestle better words out of my noggin. I am quite tired of people here who have outlandish expectations for what the President does. I am also quite leery of extremists both left and right. I am continuously looking for an unbiased opinion on all political parties and runners. I know I will sooner probably find a golden egg but I still hope.
Back when President Obama was running for presidency, I was in a class on Community and Diversity in a Social Context. One day our professor handed out folded up slips of paper with the names of the candidates listed on them. She said it did not matter where your proclivities lie that the assignment was to research the candidate's stance on Education. My paper slip read Obama, the woman acorss from me made a face and groaned a groan so I tossed her my slip of paper and motioned for her to hand me hers. She exclaimed "You LIKE McCain?" I replied that I had no idea. I already knew Obama's stance on education, why not research McCain? and so I did and was surprised.
Yikes, I'm rambling but thank you for this post. It's nice to be engaged in an intelligent conversation.
I agree with much of what you have said....and wish that someone had an answer......smiles
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