Why Do Foreigners Presume to Lecture the US?

I am just curious why you foreign folks presume that you should have an opinion on US politics and policies much less lecture us about it? Why not concentrate on your own screwed up countries? Your opinions are rather tiresome because you are as a rule ignorant, prejudiced and bigoted about the US. You also refuse to acknowledge that your liberal Utopia s are enabled by the US providing security for your territories and even your shipping not to mention energy supplies.

I might comment on Europeans' failure to procreate and the attempts to compensate by importing a new people. However; no Americans, not even President Trump are telling you that you need to close your borders and start having babies.

The greatest sin of President Trump and the populist conservatives who elected him seems to be that the US is no longer willing to give foreigners are free ride on territorial or shipping security, trade and access to energy supplies. Your response is to have a temper tantrum.

Well, the amount of ignorance about what's going on outside your borders combined with your ability and willingness to send your military and your corporations everywhere has something to do with it.

TFLYTSNBN wrote:I am just curious why you foreign folks presume that you should have an opinion on US politics and policies much less lecture us about it?

Why do you presume to have an opinion about the countries we live in?

Why not concentrate on your own screwed up countries?

Like that one, for example. If you're allowed to call our countries screwed up, why are we not allowed to do the same with yours? Are you claiming some special exception for the US here?

Your opinions are rather tiresome because you are as a rule ignorant, prejudiced and bigoted about the US.

Your opinions are rather tiresome because you are as a rule ignorant, prejudiced and bigoted about countries that aren't the US.

You also refuse to acknowledge that your liberal Utopia s are enabled by the US providing security for your territories and even your shipping not to mention energy supplies.

Dunno about that. We get most of our energy supplies either from our own ressources, Arabia or Russia. Imports from the US are negligible (See what I mean about your ignorance?).
Also, what you refuse to ackknowledge is that you're running a hegemony and that your stupid internal politics have a nasty habit of affecting the rest of us.

I might comment on Europeans' failure to procreate and the attempts to compensate by importing a new people.

Right back at you, my dude. Your reproduction rates aren't exactly above replacement either, you know.

However; no Americans, not even President Trump are telling you that you need to close your borders and start having babies.

Funny, Trump's comments about how the EU is bad and how european countries would be better off if they were closing their borders to each other kinda tell me something different.

The greatest sin of President Trump and the populist conservatives who elected him seems to be that the US is no longer willing to give foreigners are free ride on territorial or shipping security, trade and access to energy supplies. Your response is to have a temper tantrum.

Hah.

[quote="The E"][quote="TFLYTSNBN"]I am just curious why you foreign folks presume that you should have an opinion on US politics and policies much less lecture us about it?[/quote]

Why do you presume to have an opinion about the countries we live in?

[quote]Why not concentrate on your own screwed up countries?[/quote]

Like that one, for example. If you're allowed to call our countries screwed up, why are we not allowed to do the same with yours? Are you claiming some special exception for the US here?

[quote]Your opinions are rather tiresome because you are as a rule ignorant, prejudiced and bigoted about the US.[/quote]

Your opinions are rather tiresome because you are as a rule ignorant, prejudiced and bigoted about countries that aren't the US.

[quote]You also refuse to acknowledge that your liberal Utopia s are enabled by the US providing security for your territories and even your shipping not to mention energy supplies.[/quote]

Dunno about that. We get most of our energy supplies either from our own ressources, Arabia or Russia. Imports from the US are negligible (See what I mean about your ignorance?).
Also, what you refuse to ackknowledge is that you're running a hegemony and that your stupid internal politics have a nasty habit of affecting the rest of us.

[quote]I might comment on Europeans' failure to procreate and the attempts to compensate by importing a new people.[/quote]

Right back at you, my dude. Your reproduction rates aren't exactly above replacement either, you know.

[quote]However; no Americans, not even President Trump are telling you that you need to close your borders and start having babies.[/quote]

Funny, Trump's comments about how the EU is bad and how european countries would be better off if they were closing their borders to each other kinda tell me something different.

[quote]The greatest sin of President Trump and the populist conservatives who elected him seems to be that the US is no longer willing to give foreigners are free ride on territorial or shipping security, trade and access to energy supplies. Your response is to have a temper tantrum.[/quote]

Hah.[/quote]


Your energy supplies coming from Russia or the Middle East is precisely the type of dependency that I'm referring to.
What would you foreign folks do if the US was not there to keep the shipping lanes open? What would you do if the US was not interveneing to keep the local despots from conquering their neighbors to get a monopoly?

What would you do if the US was not interveneing to keep the local despots from getting nuclear weapons? Oh I forgot. It is you foreign folks who keep selling nuclear weapons technology to the despots.

TFLYTSNBN wrote:I am just curious why you foreign folks presume that you should have an opinion on US politics and policies much less lecture us about it?

I was unaware geography had a determinative effect on the ability of a person to form an opinion on any subject.

How fascinating. Please, describe how this phenomenon works. I'm sure we'd all be fascinated to learn all about it.

I often comment on US politics and customs as I'm intrigued as to how it is unique among the "developed " countries in many things. Geography seems to be irrlevant, as NZ, Canada, UK, all of western Europe and Australia all tend to be very similar in many ways that the US isn't.
Obvious items are the right to bear arms, and the lack of a universal health and welfare system. The belief that the US has a right to play global policeman and invade countries that have no direct threat to them and then to drag other allies into the conflict through treaties. US businesses tend to be more ruthless, caring little about good will, and having no shame about portions going into bankruptcy. Your regarding the US Constitution as being something sacred. Your high levels of religion and how they affect your secular state.
All of these and more are different and it intrigues me. Now retired, I used to interact with many American businessman and senior military, and noticed the personal differences between us and them. Despite the language barrier I had more in common with the French and German equivalents.

I would like to comment on the OP because the question is a legitimate one IMO.

1) Why do foreigners presume to 'lecture the US'?

To answer this question I have to first understand what is meant by this. Is it meant like official foreign government entities 'lecturing' the US government?

If that's your meaning then yes, I someowhat agree with the OP (though not completely). But yeah 'lecturing' would be going too far. However that foreign governments have their own agendas and priorities - and must be allowed to voice them even if they differ from the US' governments standpoint that also is clear.

However: I have a suspicion (which may be wrong and if so then please correct me) that the OP is not actually concerned with governments 'lecturing' each other but rather with 'lecturing the US' you mean lecturing TFLYTFLNB' and you are confusing yourself with the US here.

If this is actually what you object to then please realize that discussing policy - including US policy - is what this forum is meant for.

Everyone - even 'foreigners' have a right to have political opinions and voice them - especially on political webpages like this one which are especially made for this. People also have a right to have political opinions which are not the same as yours. If you do not like that then do not go to this page or do not read it! No one is forcing you. You are reading this out of your own free will and if you feel lectured that's also your own issue! But do not attempt to prohibit anyone from excercising their rights.

2) 'Your opinions are tiresome'

Tiresome is a judgemental term, not a fact. It just states your feelings and thus there is nothing to discuss.

3) Your opinions are 'ignorant'

Ignorant is a judgemental term, not a fact. It again only states your feelings and does not in any way further a discussion.

4) Your opinons are 'prejudiced'

Prejudiced the way you use it (without any facts to back your judgement up) also seems judgemental and simply a statement of your emotions. It does not further a discussion.

5) Your opinons are 'bigoted'

Bigoted is a judgemental term, not a fact. It states your feelings and does not in any way further a discussion.

6) Your countries are 'screwed up'

Screwed dup is a judgemental term, not a fact. It states your feelings and does not in any way further a discussion.

7) You have liberal utopias

This would be something discussion-worthy. However the topic is so broad that it would takes many studies and fill books.

You only scratch the surface here. You do not seem to dispute that 'liberal utopians' exist in Europe. Rather you seem to object to their existence with the argument that they are enabled by the US through security

First I don't know if I agree with you that we have 'liberal utopias' in Europe.
It is however true that we have universal health care in Europe and free college - and even University - education in Germany in particular. If this is what you object to then I can't help you.

As for the security aspect you have a point.
Yes, Europe in part relies on the US for security. However the picture is much more complicated than that and your assumption that we would get neither trade nor energy without the US is misguided IMO. The energy suppliers rely on our money for their products. They have an interest in selling to us. US warships do not force Russia or the middle east to supply oil or gas to Europe. The suppliers sell to us because we pay them!

As for the 'keeping the shipping lines open' please give an example? I don't really know anyone having an interest in cutting off shipping lines to Europe? Who would do that and for what purpose?

There were the Somali pirates but those got put back by an international effort, not a US one. Then there are pirates in the far east but I have not heard that its the US navy in particular who is keeping them in check.

As for state actors: countries are interested in trading with Europe, not in blockading it.

Now we come to the 'procreate' and 'importing a people' part.

If I understand you right then replacing the missing part of one's population with immigrants is something you strongly object to.

Well - you'll have to live with that. I am sorry but the facts are how they are. In the developed world women have too few children to replace the population. You can mourn that, dislike that or put up a tantrum as you call it - it is your right. But that doesn't change the fact that its the way things are and we need the immigrants to make up the numbers.

For example: Germans have a medium life-span of roughly 80 years (can be a little more or less but does not matter for the argument).

We have about 80 million people living in Germany. (Actually a bit more but again for the sake of the argument 1 or 3 million don't matter.)

So mathematically speaking each year about one million Germans die.

Women would need to produce a little over 2 children each to keep population levels up. If they only produce 1 child each they only replace half the population (so 500.000 new citizens each year instead of the million that die).

Women produce 1.2 - 1.3 or so children each so about 350.000 or so children are missing each year.
So we need about 350.000 people from somewhere. And the only places we can get them are other countries.

Thank you for reading and for posting on this forum.

TFLYTSNBN wrote:

The E wrote:[quote="TFLYTSNBN"]I am just curious why you foreign folks presume that you should have an opinion on US politics and policies much less lecture us about it?

Why do you presume to have an opinion about the countries we live in?

Why not concentrate on your own screwed up countries?

Like that one, for example. If you're allowed to call our countries screwed up, why are we not allowed to do the same with yours? Are you claiming some special exception for the US here?

Your opinions are rather tiresome because you are as a rule ignorant, prejudiced and bigoted about the US.

Your opinions are rather tiresome because you are as a rule ignorant, prejudiced and bigoted about countries that aren't the US.

You also refuse to acknowledge that your liberal Utopia s are enabled by the US providing security for your territories and even your shipping not to mention energy supplies.

Dunno about that. We get most of our energy supplies either from our own ressources, Arabia or Russia. Imports from the US are negligible (See what I mean about your ignorance?).
Also, what you refuse to ackknowledge is that you're running a hegemony and that your stupid internal politics have a nasty habit of affecting the rest of us.

I might comment on Europeans' failure to procreate and the attempts to compensate by importing a new people.

Right back at you, my dude. Your reproduction rates aren't exactly above replacement either, you know.

However; no Americans, not even President Trump are telling you that you need to close your borders and start having babies.

Funny, Trump's comments about how the EU is bad and how european countries would be better off if they were closing their borders to each other kinda tell me something different.

The greatest sin of President Trump and the populist conservatives who elected him seems to be that the US is no longer willing to give foreigners are free ride on territorial or shipping security, trade and access to energy supplies. Your response is to have a temper tantrum.

Hah.

Your energy supplies coming from Russia or the Middle East is precisely the type of dependency that I'm referring to.
What would you foreign folks do if the US was not there to keep the shipping lanes open? What would you do if the US was not interveneing to keep the local despots from conquering their neighbors to get a monopoly?

What would you do if the US was not interveneing to keep the local despots from getting nuclear weapons? Oh I forgot. It is you foreign folks who keep selling nuclear weapons technology to the despots.[/quote]What would we do if the US wasn't fucking around with the middle east? We'd be paying less for oil for starters.

TFLYTSNBN wrote:What would you do if the US was not interveneing to keep the local despots from getting nuclear weapons?

A better question would be what we would do if the US didn't have a policy of propping up tinpot dictators in the middle east and central and south america because they're easier to deal with than actual democracies.
Or do you not want to go into the US' history of consistently backing autocrats over popular uprisings against them when US economic interests are threatened?

I'm an American, but I've traveled enough to have learned something about how other countries view the US. We are such a 900 lb. economic gorilla that whatever we do influences countries around the world. I once spent a month in Ireland helping to set up a manufacturing plant. The Irish welcomed the American investment that provided jobs, but resented the way American business execs expected deference and ignored advice about local conditions. Things were much the same when I was in Britain, Germany, Korea and Mexico. Canada (except for Quebec) is so Americanized that they don't make much of an issue about it (or maybe it's just their native politeness).

The US also aggressively exports its culture. Musicians and film/TV producers in other countries have to compete with US exports backed with huge budgets, while their own art has trouble breaking into the American market. American consumer brands drive out local products. When I walked out of the train station in Frankfurt, I was faced with Mickey D's and Burger King, etc.

Finally, the US has long made a habit of heavy-handed interference in the governments of other countries. Whether it's foreign aid, military intervention or trade policy, the US takes a "my way or the highway" attitude in its meddling. This is how we wind up with Vietnam, Iran-Contra, civil war in Guatemala, the Bay of Pigs, Pinochet, and the Ayatollah Khomeni replacing the Shah.

In short, we get in everyone else's faces, why shouldn't they get in ours?