Quote:
Originally posted by bhutocracy
fucked up foreign policy that many average americans aren't aware of and bad statistics in some areas don't stop it from being a great country.. Australia was complicit in the indonesian genocide in East Timor - we looked the other way for a share of the oil in the Timor Sea while a third of their country was killed.. how many average australians at the time knew what was going on? none.. Aboriginals still have 3 times the death rate from preventable diseases as white australians.. the liberal party introduced a regressive tax that hurt poor people and benefitted the rich, we allow mining and despoiling on world heritage sites...
does that stop me from thinking Australia is a great country? hell fucking no. these are things that big business and elected officials do in our name.. not things we have great control over.
England is has done things every bit as horrible in foreign places as America.. selling arms to banned countries and whatnot but no-one mentions them at all.. if anything they're seen as a moderate influence!
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"these are things that big business and elected officials do in our name.. not things we have great control over."
Personally, I have more faith in democracy, and believe it <b>can</b> make a difference if you vote for the right person or party. However, if what you are saying now would be true, it would refute democracy as a good political system.
Aside from that, I absolutely agree that there are many more countries doing shitty things. That's why I don't limit my criticism to America. But, when people start shouting American-nationalistic nonsense, I will focus on America for that moment.