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mccutcheon
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A long-winded phrase whose meaning reflects a nation's worry about war with Iraq has been voted 2002's word of the year. The American Dialect Society selected "weapons of mass destruction" as its annual choice at a meeting in Atlanta. "The term goes back 50 years, but you can't turn on the radio or television without hearing about 'weapons of mass destruction,'" said Wayne Glowka, an English professor at Georgia College & State University who is also chairman of the society's new words committee...this really reflects our society. I wonder what the Iraq word of the year was. We are the ones who are starting this war, USA is the nation that has the most 'weapons of mass destruction' in the world. I was hoping the word of the year was going to be 'Blowjob'.
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Fuck ... I don't think "weaons of mass distruction" relfects the nation's worry over imminent war. Hell, the constant media use of the word is perpetuating it more than anything. Hmmm ... are we starting a war? ... or just picking up where we left off in '92? I think the sanctions left over from the gulf begat an inevitability of future conflict. The Iraqi people didn't choose war then and aren't gonna choose it now ... but have they really ever had a choice in anything? You may see them on TV chanting "long live Saddam" but how much of that is voluntary versus coercive rhetoric prompted by acute fear of their own leader or sheer hatred of America? The US may be the head of the beast that rattles the sabre of war but the beast itself has limbs named China, Russia, and little wimpy feet called the European Union. Nobody from either side of the Atlantic wants to admit any lessening of national sovreignity ... but facts are, the economies of the western nations are so infinitely intertwined, no one can ever afford to go it alone. Every ripple in the capitalistic current effects everyone else. My one gripe with the Europeans ... however cuturally less bombastic .... is the historic inability to deal with conflicts and ethnic strife within their own borders. The results over the years have often led to other nations ... the US & others alike ... having no choice but to step in .... it has occured way back to the Austro-Hungarian Empire to the tyrranical Balkan leaders.
But I digress ... in essence ... I'm a moderate with the view that America does have "issues" that aren't admirable. But so does nearly every other incorporated nation-state on the planet. I'm not sure that any single one can be called worse than the other. If Napoleon or Stalin or Milosoviec or Hirohito or Kim Jong Ill 1st, etc etc had the same "weapons of mass distruction" at their disposal ... they seem quite likely to have used them.
But I digress ... in essence ... I'm a moderate with the view that America does have "issues" that aren't admirable. But so does nearly every other incorporated nation-state on the planet. I'm not sure that any single one can be called worse than the other. If Napoleon or Stalin or Milosoviec or Hirohito or Kim Jong Ill 1st, etc etc had the same "weapons of mass distruction" at their disposal ... they seem quite likely to have used them.
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The difference I guess is that the EU doesn't go around saying things like "We are the leader of the free world" and "We love liberty" and they don't teach you in school that Europe is hands-down the best place on Earth.
Preparing for War while talking about peace and justice is what helped make Hitler such a great guy.
Preparing for War while talking about peace and justice is what helped make Hitler such a great guy.
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<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by ooh:
<strong>The difference I guess is that the EU doesn't go around saying things like "We are the leader of the free world" and "We love liberty" and they don't teach you in school that Europe is hands-down the best place on Earth.
Preparing for War while talking about peace and justice is what helped make Hitler such a great guy.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Europe is much more discreet about how it espouses nationalistic political views at the governmental level. Doesn't mean they're not there. The vast majority of the world's nationalistic, ethnic, and religious eruptions over history have fermented and often exploded on the European continent. Perhaps the main thing the Europeans have over America is their wealth of experiences dealing with strife. The US is a relative babe in the scheme of things compared to Europe.
Two things actually made Hitler's star rise in post WWI Germany: First, post war reparations were to harsh and left the Germans to be an embittered and downtrodden populace ripe for the rhetoric of a nationalistic leader who promises to return their nation to the world stage. Second, Nevile Chamberlain of the UK was instrumental in letting Hitler rumble thru half of Europe before he actually admitted that Germany might threaten the greater whole of the continent. If Winston C. had not come to power, the swastika might adorn the door of 10 Downing Street right now.
<strong>The difference I guess is that the EU doesn't go around saying things like "We are the leader of the free world" and "We love liberty" and they don't teach you in school that Europe is hands-down the best place on Earth.
Preparing for War while talking about peace and justice is what helped make Hitler such a great guy.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Europe is much more discreet about how it espouses nationalistic political views at the governmental level. Doesn't mean they're not there. The vast majority of the world's nationalistic, ethnic, and religious eruptions over history have fermented and often exploded on the European continent. Perhaps the main thing the Europeans have over America is their wealth of experiences dealing with strife. The US is a relative babe in the scheme of things compared to Europe.
Two things actually made Hitler's star rise in post WWI Germany: First, post war reparations were to harsh and left the Germans to be an embittered and downtrodden populace ripe for the rhetoric of a nationalistic leader who promises to return their nation to the world stage. Second, Nevile Chamberlain of the UK was instrumental in letting Hitler rumble thru half of Europe before he actually admitted that Germany might threaten the greater whole of the continent. If Winston C. had not come to power, the swastika might adorn the door of 10 Downing Street right now.
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Myke said what I've been trying to put into words for a while now. I like the part about the US being part (but not all)of the Sabre-rattling establishment, and I agree that the EU nations have their own brand of nationalism that isn't as loud as the US, but definitely exists.
Without capitalism there wouldn't be so many computers for us to sign on and post notes to each other about how fucked up the US is. Did anyone ever stop to think how lucky we are to be here, in the middle of a serious recession, and most of us are not starving? We can still watch our tv's with the biased media, buy books to read that preach liberalism, and best yet, not get arrested for having views that differ substantially from those of our current president.
Without capitalism there wouldn't be so many computers for us to sign on and post notes to each other about how fucked up the US is. Did anyone ever stop to think how lucky we are to be here, in the middle of a serious recession, and most of us are not starving? We can still watch our tv's with the biased media, buy books to read that preach liberalism, and best yet, not get arrested for having views that differ substantially from those of our current president.
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I agree every country has its nationalism, but too often I have found that people from outside the U.S. know more about us and our history than we were taught about theirs in school, and that's always bugged me.
I think it's worth noting that the EU countries must be in somewhat of a state of flux regarding their nationalism, since it was so recently that the EU came into existence.
You are right Mav, we are very very lucky. But the newspaper said today that an appeals court has ruled that the executive branch of government (president, military) can detain a U.S. citizen without due process of law, stripping them of all constitutional rights, merely by calling them an "enemy combatant". How much longer will our luck last, Mav?
If someone could please explain to me why we must give up our constitutional rights in order to fight the war on terrorism, I'd really like to understand. Because if that's what it really takes to fight the war on terrorism, then the terrorists have already won.
I think it's worth noting that the EU countries must be in somewhat of a state of flux regarding their nationalism, since it was so recently that the EU came into existence.
You are right Mav, we are very very lucky. But the newspaper said today that an appeals court has ruled that the executive branch of government (president, military) can detain a U.S. citizen without due process of law, stripping them of all constitutional rights, merely by calling them an "enemy combatant". How much longer will our luck last, Mav?
If someone could please explain to me why we must give up our constitutional rights in order to fight the war on terrorism, I'd really like to understand. Because if that's what it really takes to fight the war on terrorism, then the terrorists have already won.