Evan Prodromou
In the current aggressive imperialism of the US, some Americans online insist that they don't approve of war and shouldn't be lumped in with the Americans who are banging the drums for war.
It's not the job of Canadians, Kalaallit (Greenlanders), Panamanians or Gazans to make you feel better and absolve you personally of complicity in potential invasions. We have other things to do.
It's *your* job to make sure the wars don't happen. Stopping wars is hard; you need to start now.
David Penfold :verified:
@evan That's almost equivalent to lumping English peasants in with the aristocracy who first enslaved them, then used that model around the world (and it got worse). There is no longer a functioning democracy in the USA. You can resist the best you can, but I don't think they can do much individually right now and you can't really put this on Americans in general.
Evan Prodromou
@davep "Don't blame me; I voted for Kodos."
Evan Prodromou
@Matt_Noyes Absolutely.
Matt Noyes
@evan Hmmm, as someone who has protested every US war in my lifetime, and that's no small number, I recall the Canadian state being a key player in many an imperialist venture. Our movements know no borders, right?
Evan Prodromou
@exador23 it's just trivial for people who are not going to do anything to stop the problem to ask for absolution for responsibility for the problem.
Hippy Steve
@evan while all that may be true, I would suggest that such statements are only helpful as a release of frustration and anger. They do little to gain allies in any cause and instead sow division in the very ranks you’re trying to enlist.
I would posit that similar (equally justified) sentiments of anger and frustration aimed at men for not doing enough during the MeToo era resulted in riper conditions for the likes of Jordan Peterson to gain a following, which in turn contributed to the fascist pickle we find ourselves in down here.
I could be justified in saying it was the responsibility of all Canadians to stop your madman Jordan from spewing all his hatred south of the border. Note how that statement makes you feel. Does that kind of passive aggression motivate you to do something about him? No. It sows the very division that makes achieving our mutual goals further out of reach.
I see you. I hear you. I feel you. And we will do what we can, but that may not be enough. Iraq remains fresh in my memory after all.
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