Have I become a hippy?

Question

Hi. I'm an Australian who was very much against the war in Iraq and the incidents used to justify it. I am not especially antiwar or liberal. I realise there are some necessary wars but now I am getting paranoid that if the US goes down, we're all at the mercy of China. I don't want the US to lose. At the same time, I don't think the course of action they've pursued was right at all (i.e they should try to maintain friendly relations with ALL the countries in the ME, not just one). We can't successfully fight a war on two fronts - trying to maintain control of resources in the ME and dealing with China and they know this. I feel that expressing dissent has become dangerous but if we don't, our governments will continue following a disastrous course in the ME to the detriment of most of us eventually (except the snake oil salesmen who actually WANT us to lose although they are positing this as a battle for Western civ). Should I just shutup and swallow it?

Thanks for the replies. I'm not really Machiavellian but we live in a world that it, no matter how much we might individually want to preach 'peace, love and harmony' (and I HAVE done that ... to no effect). China is arming herself to the teeth and has been for some time. I live in a suburb of Sydney where 85% of the inhabitants are Chinese. Quite a few of the mum's at my daughter's school are freaking out about the situation (most Chinese are Christian here). Then again, China would have nothing to gain by attacking the West as we are her biggest customers and source of her current wealth. I know I need to relax more .... half my mum's side are Scots though and it's like we're kind of biologically wired to be paranoid, power obsessed freaks.

Answer 1

g'day mate!!!!
(sorry couldn resist you auzzies crack me up, i knew a dude from Melbourne we used to party together...)
but your q is serious.
hippies are defined by their unwillingness to take part in a capitalistic (perhaps greedy is a better word for it) society. they care little for their looks, and a lot for their inferiors. (trees and seals and poor people and whatnot)
but the hippie movement was derailed purely by drugs.
yes. when cocaine and heroin took the place of weed and lsd in the Haight-Ashbury, the culture went straight to hell.
look it up.
China will become the most powerful entity in our earth's great history within a decade.
so??
power and economic domination is only one facet of human existence, and surely not the key to happiness.
the us is the main foreign investor in the chinese economy.
do the chinese have beef with the Auzzies? cause they love the american culture. if so let me know, this is new to me.

Answer 2

I am from the US and I have a different take on things. I am for the war in Iraq and winning a free Iraq so the Iraqis themselves can vote and rule themselves without "al Qaida in Iraq" or the Iranians or Syrians vying for power there and messing in their affairs. Are you at all familiar with what has happened in Lebanon the past 25+ years? First the Palestinians and now Syria and Iran through Hezbollah provoke the Israelis to attack Lebanon. It has caused social disorder among the ancient and diverse people of Lebanon. This is happening in Iraq too. Syria, Turkey and Iran would happily join together to kill every Kurd on the planet, probably every Assyrian, too. There is a subculture of hate in the Islamic fundamentalists, both Sunni and Shia.

China and Russia are both watching the world and enjoying what they see. If Pakistan and India destroy each other, that reduce the world energy demand by a lot, you know. If the US gets weak, then Russia will have no problem cutting off natural gas to Europe, etc.

I would be happy to email you links to the articles I read about the Middle East. I read the Daily Star and Gulf News, both in English.

Just email me that you'd like them. I am reading "Future Jihad" which is very interesting.
A good book on what happened in Lebanon is "Pity the Nation". It's older and may be hard to find.

Technology makes it easier for us all to communicate, but it makes it much easier to exterminate large groups of us, too. I think there is so much to understand and learn, then take action to try to prevent all the genocide that is still going on, and prevent more.

Don't ever shut up and take it. You're here for a reason!

Answer 3

Things do look uncertain, and theres no question about that. But I really dont think the US will weaken or 'go down'...no, because we have a vast backup system in this country in case we were to ever 'be attacked' or any action that could bring us down...its called the 2nd Amendment.
The US by having this right, is unique to its soveirnty because IF it came down to it, we'd have the ultimate defense. Its people can/could be literally armed to the teeth....and thats any given 1 person.
If the US EVER went down, trust me Austrailia would surely follow.
Now against a nuke, all this wouldn't matter...little guns cant do anything against that.
But does any other nation on earth have anything close to this...I'm not sure...maybe, but I know it is here. Consider it our last line of defense. Even gangs in the streets would lock and load up to fight an army...hell, recently a gang summit in Detroit, MI...lasted 4 days and the topics ranged from formation of treaty's between rivals, and of course- what happens to them IF an attack on the homeland, and acts of terror. I read the article last week...it was very emotional. It seems even they as a whole see whats ahead...and have for the most part, come up with ways to make changes in gang operations.
What does all of this mean? A Lot!
This country can NEVER be over-run by any army...theres simply too much up against them.
I dunno whats to be in the ME, but the 10 year outlook is undeniably going to be bad.
The ME will explode...it has been written, and so-far seems on par with what some have already said it will be.

Answer 4

ur not a hippy ur an aussie, thats normal

well u shouldnt dwell on that too much, just remember the facts
yes the u.s. will lose WW III and China will take over, end of story
dont worry though cuz aint nobody brave enough to set foot on
australia willingly, you guys are the bravest cuz u live with most
of the worlds deadliest creatures. i will never go there

Answer 5

I was a hippy....you are NOT a hippy. Your writing clearly indicates that you are much too Machiavellian for that.

Answer 6

Im not really religious but the bible does say that China will rule.

Answer 7

Oh my God, it's so scary in your head!