@Michael: I respect your disgust with yahoos who don't bother to know anything, or to ponder globally the implications of what they do know, but I suggest this may all have to do with the pasting of a restricted (although historically advanced, for its time) democratic polity onto a structure that prevents the yahoos, and everybody else, from actually being part of a democratic SOCIETY (not just a democratic POLITY, even if it were more democratic than it is), which is actually run, in all the important ways, by private wealth (somewhat dispersed among those few who can afford to own influential amounts of stock). This includes the relatively 'open' media, which is obviously seriously distorted (how could one expect otherwise?) by reliance (through advertising, etc.) on private wealth that is largely consolidated elsewhere in the society, and by all the systematic propaganda of the nationalism and legal structures that protect the wealth and its possessors. In such a situation, it's not entirely stupid to remain stupid concerning the details of the process and the events that it leads to (e.g., wars over petroleum, etc.), because your influence is smothered by those who really have it. Then shit goes bad and indoctrinated yahoos find scapegoats for what they can't understand, and candidates in the narrow political system pop up and promise CHANGE! (in my experience, all presidential candidates over the past century or so use the word a lot) - which simply means a 'minor' shift within the overall structure - yet such 'minor' shifts can indeed become major when they can be promoted by the MASSIVE military, economic and cultural power of this particular national government.
Trump supports this arrangement; so did Hilary. But now that the people have spoken - or perhaps have merely inarticulately gasped and shouted - we're supposed to remember that we're all free, and are spreading freedom everywhere, thanks to our (our?) tremendous, democratically-approved control of globally (or wouldbe globally)-hegemonic institutions. But of course it has to be America First, even though, in common with everybody else, most Americans themselves are not exactly first (or even second).
Not a new situation in history, but now it's one within an environment of advanced technology that presents tremendous dangers - though a comparison might be made with 1914. And we all know how that ended...
CHANGE - yeah, that's a thought. maybe Trump & co. will GIVE it to us...
Hmm - maybe I've drunk too much coffee.


Book Review: Xinjiang: A Traveler's Guide to Far West China
发布者Bigger!
Book Review: Xinjiang: A Traveler's Guide to Far West China
发布者Central Asia is awesome, and it goes on forever.
Buddhist shrine sets Guinness World Record in Yunnan
发布者Now THOSE (the thankas) should be something to see!
Aung San Suu Kyi makes historic visit to China
发布者Napoleon, what are you referring to?
Snapshot: Spelunking in Puzhehei
发布者Looks like a publicly(?)-run tourist destination to me. Nice photos with the colored lights.