this post was submitted on 16 Nov 2024
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[–] mercano@lemmy.world 62 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Trump was right about one thing, we are a nation in decline, but it’s not for the reasons he’s claiming.

[–] nova_ad_vitum@lemmy.ca 3 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (2 children)

Democracies grant immense power to the electorate. Including the power of suicide. Democratic systems are inherently capable of ending themselves because ultimately their survival depends on enough people believing in the system and holding the integrity of the system to be more important than any particular democratic outcome. That is lost in the US. Most voters don't care.

That truth alone makes a decent argument for US being in decline. It will take a long time , but it's beginning.

[–] OurToothbrush@lemmy.ml 16 points 3 months ago (3 children)

The US isn't a democracy though, it is a dictatorship of the bourgeoisie, where every election we get to select which group of oppressors will wield state power against us until the next one.

Also decline is caused by anticolonial resistance and the logic of capitalism breaking down. I would suggest reading Lenin's "imperialism" and Fanon's "wretched of the earth"

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[–] interdimensionalmeme@lemmy.ml 3 points 3 months ago

Corrupt democracies should be suicided. Electoral college, first past the post, gerrymandering, partisant suprene court, gridlocked house and senate, bankers running money, wallstreet in charge of the commons, and that's just for starters

[–] davel@lemmy.ml 42 points 3 months ago (1 children)

It is difficult to get Drezner to understand that American exceptionalism is already dead when his salary depends upon his not understanding it.

[–] geneva_convenience@lemmy.ml 10 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Why does Will E Coyote look so much like a Swastika here

[–] Rooskie91@discuss.online 33 points 3 months ago (1 children)

End? It was always a myth?

[–] kent_eh@lemmy.ca 30 points 3 months ago

The End of American Exceptionalism

But not the end of them claiming it regardless of the reality.

Then again, their claims of being the bestest ever at everything have been false for a very long time already.

[–] No1@aussie.zone 25 points 3 months ago (1 children)

"I live in the best country on the planet!"

"Have you ever been to another country?"

"Well, no. But why would I do that when I'm already in the best country!"

This doesn't apply to just the US...

[–] PanArab@lemmy.ml 11 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Traveling does wonders to people. Shame not a lot of people can afford it and even those who can not all travel.

[–] No1@aussie.zone 4 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

You have a point. After I wrote it I thought of 2 things. Firstly, even those that are lucky enough to travel will never travel everywhere. So, how can they claim the best without having seen all possibilities? Secondly, there are ways to learn and /or experience things without being physically present, like read about it in a book, or watch a documentary. That counts for something.

Now I think about it, I could have changed it to:

"I live in the best country on the planet!”

"Really? How do you know? How do you measure that? What evidence do you have to back that up?"

But, it would probably go all downhill from there, as the original one inevitably would....😆

[–] yogthos@lemmy.ml 19 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Maybe even the start of Americans engaging with reality, I'm not holding my breath though.

[–] chloroken@lemmy.ml 5 points 3 months ago

Even though we will admittedly never engage with reality, you may still consider holding your breath around us to be prudent. We smell awful from all the obesity.

[–] Hobbes_Dent@lemmy.world 16 points 3 months ago (3 children)

They aren’t exceptional. They’re just like Russia.

[–] Cris_Color@lemmy.world 29 points 3 months ago

I'd argue we're a lot more like the British empire in their glory days- exporting authoritarianism, subjugation, and hate globally, for as long as it serves our material benefit.

We learned from the best 🤷‍♂️

[–] Meltrax@lemmy.world 16 points 3 months ago (1 children)

We are not just like Russia.

We aren't exceptional though, you got that right. America hasn't been exceptional in decades.

[–] adespoton@lemmy.ca 21 points 3 months ago

Oh, it has… just not in the ways anyone would desire to be considered exceptional.

[–] yogthos@lemmy.ml -3 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Given that Russia has a competent government and isn't on a verge of a civil war, not sure in what way America is like Russia.

[–] avidamoeba@lemmy.ca 2 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (2 children)

You call competent a government that pulled the "special military operation" and led hundreds of thousands of its people into death for not much of anything? You must be trolling.

[–] yogthos@lemmy.ml 6 points 3 months ago (10 children)

Yeah, I call a government that defeated NATO in Ukraine and manged to grow the economy despite the sanctions competent.

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[–] PolandIsAStateOfMind@lemmy.ml 3 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Typical of American exceptionalism to stand other country on the verge of existential crisis and when they react call that "for not much of anything"

[–] PanArab@lemmy.ml 9 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

There is a chance that Trump will inadvertently weaken the US long term, but nothing is certain so until it happens I am not getting my hopes up. The article though is neocon propaganda, they don't even mention the genocide in Gaza or pogroms in the West Bank.

[–] kent_eh@lemmy.ca 10 points 3 months ago (1 children)

There is a chance that Trump will inadvertently weaken the US long term

He already did that the first time.

This time he'll double (or triple) down on that.

[–] finderscult@lemmy.ml 5 points 3 months ago

We can really only hope.

[–] Sam_Bass@lemmy.ml -3 points 3 months ago

Exactly what pootin wants