SirTripAlot said: You don't fail to mischaracterize, Just got my fix for the day.
1. I never called for the extermination of the human species. If you can post that, I will own up to it. If you cant back your claim...gasp...own up to it.
2. Things will get better when our species is gone. No more war, no poverty, etc. In fact, all the utopian ideals that people love to spout.... won't be met to that occurs, thats how ridiculous the claims are. Unless there is a system that can change human motivations from self interest to the altruism (that goes from the civilains all the way to the state), we ALL have it coming. I submit the entirety of human history to back this claim.
3. Until that time, we are left with what we have. Capitalism and our form of government has serious flaws but it remains our best shot. Does that mean we shouldnt try and refine it? Of course we should, but throwing the baby out with the bathwater is bullshit. We have a firm foundation to work on.
If someone can invent a better system for the real world, let that play out. Where exactly is that? We have people BUYING our debt. Our currency is absolutely DEPENDED on for all things finanical, and yes, for all the naysayers and haters, we do bring more stability to the world, than instability (by a cunt hair, but we can get better).Look at how Europe freaks the fuck out when our dumbass president floats the idea that they may be in it alone for their defense.
We so big bad USA, yet close to 15% of our population is made up from other countires. In fact, we have more than the next four COMBINED. I guess all those people love misery and an unequal system. Why doesn't the world move to to all those "more enlightened " countries?
4. We all have it coming, especially for the meddling and conflict we have committed. Other countries have it too, lets all get in line. If there is a time when the USA is dethroned because of this, I will have to accept there was a superior system. Until that time, I will be at least thankful for abundance bestowed within my life.... being "lower middle class". Not going to cry in my beer, and make others who are more well off, the booggggie man. I have seen a decent portion of the world; people have no clue the standard of life we have here....sadly, even those citizens in poverty.
So, holy shit if I don't constantly bash the USA on every fundamental thing that makes us, us. I also won't feel guilty for having what I do have or wanting something more.
As you might know, a lot of my posts are made in jest. I don’t explicitly say which are and which aren’t, but I think I make it pretty clear.
But, yeah, I agree with you. This planet would probably be better off without humanity, given that we are actively destroying its ability to sustain life.
However, us being humans, we can probably take the point of view of humanity, and try to grapple with the issues we cause with the goal of maximizing happiness and safety and sustainability of both human and non-human life. Otherwise why even argue about anything?
I take issue with the idea that humans are inherently self-interested which is incompatible with altruism. This insidious “it’s human nature” that immediately discards any argument for progress is just a self-fulfilling prophecy. People have made this exact argument in defense of every system we’ve overcome over the course of human history: from monarchy, slavery, feudalism, apartheid, war, etc. It’s easy to just shrug and say it’s impossible to make change, but change CAN be made, and we know that because it’s been done countless times.
“Capitalism and our government has serious flaws but it’s our best shot.”
Another hymn for the lazy and unimaginative. Folks said this before the Revolutionary War. They said it during chattel slavery, they said it during segregation and the red scares. But there is a difference between an “is” and an “ought.”
“We have a firm foundation to work on.”
???? You say this as if it’s a law of nature. This foundation, which has existed in the blink of an eye in human history, is about to eradicate all life from the planet. This is something we should build on?
“If American bad then why immigrant?”
Because we have a standard of security and prosperity that dwarfs certain other nations, often because of our own actions. If I burn your house down and then offer you a bed in my spare room, it doesn’t prove that me burning your house down is altruistic. I really don’t think I need to elaborate on this point.
As for point #4, it’s admirable of you to pre-accept a superior system. But that system has already been formulated. As capitalism evolved out of feudalism, so too has socialism evolved from capitalism. I’m not going to say socialism is perfect just because it’s an improvement, but our country spent the last century systematically destroying that new system specifically because it threatens the people who control the current system, much in the same way monarchs and feudal lords subjugated mercantilists and capitalists a couple hundred years ago.
We all have to grapple with being, to some degree, culpable for that, and the cognitive dissonance each of us has with respect to the various ways in which we benefit from it.
Further, we share the burden of knowing that the system which benefits us is also at the detriment of the majority of human life AND 99% of non-human life AND 100% of ALL LIFE some 100 years in the future.
It sucks, and it’s harder than just shrugging and saying humans suck, but it’s the truth.
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