I witnessed a dialogue between two people – which ended with the person represented by text in red leveling some outrageous accusations against the other – based on nothing but assumptions (and, I suspect, a dark malicious heart dead set on hurting and harming another). Quite disturbing, considering where it took place – in a site where people are supposed to be guided by ‘their higher selves’.
"It doesn’t matter what one’s intentions are, ___.
Hitler’s intentions were to create a better Germany for Germans.
Conquistadors were to create more prosperous home world.
USA attacked Iraq and Afghanistan to defend USonians.
All good intentions.
What they did to reach there was inexcusable and very wrong."
"USA attacked Iraq and Afghanistan to defend USonians."
I had to look up the term USonians as in my entire 53+ years of living as an American I have never heard the term used in reference to my countrymen.[…]My conclusion: an archaic term which has outlived modern usage and not in use today. ___, I suggest you update your vocabulary and use the term American when discussing my countrymen so as not to offend or confuse us.”
“I realize you are not American and thus cannot share in my pride in being one, but many nations around the globe would certainly be upset if the money that the United States contributes to their coffers were to suddenly dry up because we American’s decided to stop those payments and instead use those funds to take care of issues at home instead of abroad. We Americans are getting very tired of criticisms from countries abroad though some are rightly deserved. Its just that when you get shot down enough with criticisms you lose the desire to help those who shoot you…and there also goes the desire to help with foreign aid…Perhaps it is time for other countries, perhaps yours, to make up the payments the United States has been making to the rest of the world for a few years???”
“WHAT?
95% of the world is not USonian. I am 100% sure that there are more people who would be happy to have the “Yankees (and especially Dixies) go home” and take their armies, coca cola and MacDonald’s with them, than people who would be sad.
USA is not alone in the world, and it has deserved every bit of criticism it gets. USA does a lot of good, but also a lot of bad. If you get tired of the criticism, don’t blame the critics, DO SOMETHING TO IMPROVE YOUR ACTIONS.
Don’t help us. We can manage fine without you. We did it thousands of years before United States of America was even thought of, and we will do it fine even after you have long ceased to exist.
Besides, most of the USonian help comes with a price tag that is way too expensive.
Look at what happened to Hawai’i when US came to “help” them. :->
When US UNFAIRLY AND ILLEGALLY attacked Iraq and Afghanistan, and some countries objected to this, what did US do? Started demanding “gratitude for WWII”, when “you saved us” AND a slander campaign against these countries. :-> You seem to have forgotten it, but I haven’t.
Don’t forget that your dear US has a national debt held by foreign nations of about 3 trillion dollars. That is 3 and 12 zeros.
Don’t forget that USA hasn’t paid its due to ODA nor UN for years, if ever.
Don’t forget that 75% of US aid money is private donations, and that PROPORTIONALLY EACH OF THE DEVELOPED COUNTRIES GIVE MORE THAN USA, even after the private donations are counted.
You might need to read this: USA: Foreign Aid
Don’t forget that USA has been very active in CAUSING the damage countries need help with. Not only by warring (always on someone else’s land, huh?), but by murdering democratically elected presidents, because they happen to be socialists, forcing countries to accept unfair trade contracts, colonialism and not to talk about the environmental damage.
Don’t forget that most of your oil comes from somewhere else. Do you still remember when the gas price started rising and how the US reacted on that? Now, think what would happen if you didn’t buy any oil at all from outside US.
Don’t forget that most of your human resources are foreign imports, immigrants or their children.
I think you would do better to be less prideful and more realistic, understanding that you might be one of the richest, biggest and strongest countries of the world, but you are still only one country among the about 200 countries of the world.”[…]
“I had to look up the term USonians as in my entire 53+ years of living as an American I have never heard the term used in reference to my countrymen.”
“Isn’t it great that you learn still new words in English after half a century of using it?
Actually, it’s not an archaic term. More and more people are starting to use it in this new Millennium, to synchronize the language use in the world that is getting smaller.
I can tell you that I too was used to use the word “American” of only USonians, until some years ago I participated in a discussion in which many non-USonian Americans expressed being offended by the use, as it was making United States THE America, as if no other American country mattered.
It’s not “American army”. It’s “US army”.
In your stamps it doesn’t say “America”, it says “USA”.
In many maps the country you live in is called “United States” or “USA”.
Everyone knows what United States mean, but America – could mean a lot of things.
The Olympics start next Friday – there are five rings on the Olympic Flag, representing the five continents: Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania and America.
When I say “Asian”, I mean a person who comes from the continent of Asia.
When I say “African”, I mean a person who comes from the continent of Africa.
When I say “European”, I mean a person who comes from the continent of Europe.
Naturally, when I say “American”, I should mean a person who comes from the continent of America.
I could suggest you update your vocabulary and use the term USonian when discussing with non-USonians so as not to offend every other person living on the continent of America.
As I don’t assume you are after offending anyone, and because I understand that the world is so used to use words for which the reasons to use them is past recall, I’m not suggesting it.
But, you might take it under consideration. An old Swedish man protested in the newspaper against the prohibition of the N-word, as he was used to use the word and didn’t mean anything negative, offensive or derogatory with it. In Sweden, we are discussing other such words that have become part of the colloquial language, but that are obviously offensive, when one understands the reasons why people started using it.”
"I spent time Google searching the term and any reference to the term in describing American’s was old, or infrequently used by non-American’s but the vast majority of references to the term Usonian was to the style of architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright who was designing housing before I was born in the 1950’s.
I find the term archaic and every time I see you use it I cringe because I do not consider myself Usonian but American. I am not a type of architecture and I find that when you use that term to describe me and my countrymen you are offending us, an entire nation of Americans.
You have to be careful how you approach people in the words you use to them. You went out of your way in that discussion to use that term at every point just to be obstinate so you could offend me and my countrymen time and again and you were successful. You went out of your way to be hurtful and this is the type of activity that you engage in that offends people again and again ___. Since you engage people in these ways time and again you get the negative reactions/responses you get from people ___. Stop intentionally trying to be hurtful to others like you did to me and you will stop having those types of reactions."
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Where did the person represented in blue text “go out of their way to be obstinate…to offend…”? Where did the person represented “go out of their way to be hurtful…”?
The answer is: Nowhere. The person represented by text in red and green is going by nothing but their own assumptions about another’s motivations and intentions, and formulating accusations and personal attacks based on this assumed ‘fact’ – which they have no way of knowing anything about. This is accepted in a site where the tolerance for personal attacks is supposed to be zero. Where people who give air to their personal perceptions – clearly stating them as such are told by the Site Admin that they should be careful about ‘assumptions’. Pardon my French, but what kind of frigging crap is that??
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