@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.
Chinese student apologizes after Maryland graduation speech sparks firestorm
Posted byWhat's Europe got to do with it?
Chinese student apologizes after Maryland graduation speech sparks firestorm
Posted byLibertarianism in terms of personal practices etc., fine, but in economic terms it's usually just more free-market capitalism, with an imagined level playing field, which is hard to find when a few players own most of the table,and not just because they 'work hard', or whatever. Class antagonisms remain.
Up to 1,000 Dali businesses to close in face of new policy
Posted byWho gets most of the eggs?
Chinese student apologizes after Maryland graduation speech sparks firestorm
Posted by@Peter: Relevance?
Chinese student apologizes after Maryland graduation speech sparks firestorm
Posted byOh, nations, yeah - obviously there are cultural differences, as well as strategic ones.