European and American Redditors go to war after someone says "The EU will defend itself to the last American." (np.reddit.com)

SubredditDrama

180 ups - 53 downs = 127 votes

292 comments submitted at 02:13:58 on Apr 10, 2014 by PhysicsIsMyMistress

  • [-]
  • btmc
  • 0 Points
  • 16:01:56, 10 April

Oh come on now. Every post in the news subreddits is about how awful America is, starting wars and spying on everybody. We get it, the NHS is great and Northern Europe is literally paradise. Praise be to Snowden and his great Russian protectors. The only time you see an American circlejerk in one of those subreddits is when some Paulbot shows up crying about socialism and the Second Amendment, and the European counterjerk is at least as vocal.

  • [-]
  • Ferrarity
  • 0 Points
  • 16:09:32, 10 April

> starting wars and spying on everybody

Well, those are things that America has done in recent years.........

You don't see European countries doing that - I think that gives some degrees of moral high ground.

  • [-]
  • btmc
  • 0 Points
  • 16:13:57, 10 April

Ha! Hahahaha. Really? So there was no coalition in Iraq? No information-sharing program between US spy agencies and the UK and other countries? No European intelligence agencies? No, oh I don't know, WWI and WWII? How about Bosnia? Or what's happening now in Ukraine?

  • [-]
  • Ferrarity
  • 2 Points
  • 16:25:02, 10 April

My country was involved in none of those things. At all. As was the case with most European countries. And that sort of cooperation with America is clearly on the decline regardless.

  • [-]
  • btmc
  • 0 Points
  • 16:30:39, 10 April

Fine, but that's not what you said. Europe, as a whole, is most certainly not excused from its past behavior. You can't hold the US to a higher standard just because you feel like it.

  • [-]
  • Ferrarity
  • 2 Points
  • 16:36:13, 10 April

> You can't hold the US to a higher standard just because you feel like it.

When you act like the world police, it's only natural that you open yourself to a higher level of scrutiny.

  • [-]
  • ishouldntbereplying
  • 2 Points
  • 20:53:26, 10 April

Yup. No Anti-Americanism here.

Act like the world police? You mean Pax-Americana? Which hands down, has been a better presence than any other previous superpower.

  • [-]
  • Ferrarity
  • 0 Points
  • 20:56:26, 10 April

Actually, amongst my peers I'd be considered rather pro-American in many respects. But, America does act like the world police, and has a very interventionist policy when it comes to certain forms of global affairs - that's impossible to deny.

In addition, just because you see yourself as "better" than any previous world superpower, doesn't mean America is an objectively "good" superpower.

  • [-]
  • ishouldntbereplying
  • 1 Points
  • 21:06:12, 10 April

A superpower should be interventionist. American is often considered a hyperpower as well.

When you wield near unilateral power, you should use it. Recently we've intervened through the use of sanctions, drones, and missiles instead of boots on the ground, but to say that we're doing it willy-nilly for no reason is ridiculous. Often times we're asked, and when we aren't asked it's usually because it's in the best interest of security.

Think about all the conflicts America hasn't intervened, there's plenty. We don't do it all the time, this is textbook confirmation bias.

  • [-]
  • Ferrarity
  • 1 Points
  • 21:17:25, 10 April

> A superpower should be interventionist.

That's a matter of opinion.

>American is often considered a hyperpower as well.

Semantics

>When you wield near unilateral power, you should use it.

Why?

>drones, and missiles instead of boots on the ground,

Implying that missiles and drones are somehow better from the perspective of anybody but America.

>and when we aren't asked it's usually because it's in the best interest of security.

"American security"

>Think about all the conflicts America hasn't intervened, there's plenty. We don't do it all the time, this is textbook confirmation bias.

So, we should just ignore all the places America has intervened just because there are plenty of places it hasn't intervened in?! Bullshit!

Your nationalistic rhetoric is becoming annoying even to me.

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