why do liberals only see problems in America, but nowhere else?

Question

you complain about freedom of speech rights, but you have plenty of it. no one will arrest you for saying "I hate America." but in the EU you can go to prison for verbally denying the Turkish genocide against Armenians. or denying the holocaust. it doesn't matter if you're right or not, what matters is they deny the people the right to say it.
you complain about America's history being built on genocide and slavery, etc. but you only blame "Americans" on it and never consider that *western europeans* were the source of these controversies. and what country is without its faults in history? you make it look like America is alone in its imperfection. and then you wonder why conservatives think you hate America? instead of constructive criticism, you intentionally offend it whenever you think someone has an ounce of patriotism?

Kelly B, your answer was completely off topic. this shows your lack of comprehension, and judging by your questions and answers, you seem to have an unhealthy obsession with bush and the war. if you don't have the emotional strength to cope with the situation, professional help is advisable.

"maxmom" - actually groups can be broadly generalized, which is partly the reason why they are in groups. ex. liberals are pro-choice. thats a generalization with a pretty strong base.

Answer 1

Okay, now you're going to have to prove that no liberal sees problems anywhere else in the world.

Good luck with that.

We happen to care more about America than the rest of the world, which is more than I can say for our "President."

Answer 2

I don't hate America. Yes I do see problems in other countries. I put blame where it should be placed. I care about fixing MY country first not other countries. I also think America should help build solutions not create more problems in the world. I never said this country was built on genocide. Slavery was one of the most shameful things in American history and it is terrible that it went on for so long. There is still slavery in the U.S. today believe it or not. Western Europe had nothing to do with Slavery in America. I never said America was an imperfection. I see it as an ever changing place that does have many problems but also many positive aspects. I do not know where you get these ideas from because I have never said anything like that the things you are suggesting liberals say.

Answer 3

So you've come up with a horrible way in which the EU represses people, have you? I'm sorry, but denying the Turkish genocide or the holocaust are not freedoms that are worth much. I am not sure why you bring them up. Is it to show that America has quantitatively greater freedoms? This is obviously false. Holland, for example, has many more freedoms than the US. Laws regarding drug use, pornography, prostitution, drinking, etc. are far more liberal there. If you were to count freedom against freedom, Holland, along with some other countries, would almost certainly come out ahead of America.

Or maybe you mean the QUALITY of freedoms? In this case the freedom to smoke weed counts for less than freedom of speech; freedom for teens to get drunk counts less than freedom of religion, and so on. But if this is what you are arguing, again it is not obivous that America comes out ahead. Sure there is freedom to deny genocides in America. But then there is no subsidized medical care. Nobody can seriously pretend that being free to deny the Turkish genocide is qualitatively equal with being provided with health care. Health care is qualitatively more important than being free to deny the Turkish genocide because health care is a basic necessity. If the basic grounds of life (food, health care, shelter, etc.) are not met, then there cannot even begin talk about freedom. A hungry person is not free; neither is a sick person.

Are you claiming that America's history is not rife with genocide and slavery? Nobody should deny that the Europeans did not do the same thing. What the Spanish did in south America, for example, was horrible. I fail to see any reason you bring this up. Yes people who blame america while ignoring europe's dark history are not being consistent. Let's just say that both the US and Europe owe their dominant positions in the world to the horrible crimes that their citizens were willing to commit. Does that satisy you? Somehow I do not think so. I imagine you won't be happy until America's crimes are just not brought up at all. We need, however, to keep them in mind, lest we begin to seriously think that we owe our dominance to mere "morals" and "hard work." Once we start to believe that, then it follows that other peoples deserve their positions. If we believe that the current state of the world was arrived at morally, and we ignore the great atrocities of history, we risk justifying oppression. If we believe that we somehow "deserve" to be on top, then we will believe that others "deserve" to be on the bottom.

For a practical example, look at the number of children who die everyday around the world. Unicef estimates that tens of thousands of children die easily preventable deaths everyday. If rich americans and europeans (in other words nearly any american or european) were to give a mere fraction of their income, they could save many lives. But not only are we not open to this idea, we will greatly defend our "right" to spend money on needless luxuries while children literally starve to death. The fact that we are here, enjoying our luxuries, and they are there, dying, is mere accident, and not anything either group deserves. If we forget that our history is dark, we can easily be fooled into thinking that we desrve our position. If we do that, we can more easily sling around self-justifying terms like "rights" to defend our position on top.

P.S. - I am not a liberal :P

Dude: Like, for example, Saudi Arabia, which is supported by the US?

Answer 4

You’re talking pure rubbish there. I bet you have never been out of the USA. You’re making generalisation about Europeans Each European country has there own laws.
So which country in Europe has this law about verbally denying the Turkish genocide against Armenians or denying the holocaust? So here are the 25 countries of the EU. So you tell me which one? Since your expert on European matters, plus EU laws of these 25 countries
25
France
Germany
Austria
Belgium
Luxembourg
Italy
Netherlands
Denmark
Sweden
Finland
Portugal
Spain
Estonia
Latvia
Lithuania
Czech Republic
Slovakia
Slovenia
Poland
Hungary
Malta
Greece
Cyprus
United Kingdom
Republic of Ireland

Answer 5

Maybe because the liberals in America are pointing out problems in America because they live in America and want to improve America. This is called patriotism. If you love your country, you will work to improve it by fixing its problems. Conservatives see this as a destructive threat.

I live in California. You won't see me protesting in the streets of Sacramento for political reform in Russia.

Get it?

"in the EU you can go to prison for verbally denying the Turkish genocide against Armenians"

No that is not true. That is only true in France. That same law applies to denial of the holocaust in WWII.

Do you think for a second that If I went to New York City and started yelling "the holocaust is a sham and never happened" that I would NOT get arrested? Yeah, I know freedom of speech, blah blah... But the reality is that I would be arrested for that.

Answer 6

There ARE problems all over the World, but America shouldn't be a part of the problems, we should be part of the solutions, America shouldn't turn it's back on those problems, it should seek solutions to those problems. And American and Americans should not ignore our problems here at home either, we should want our country to be even greater than it already is! America should set the standard for the World! We should all want America to be the country that every other country aspires to be, a country of hope, freedom, equality and human rights!

Answer 7

I don't care about the EU! I don't live there!

While there are parts of history we are not particularly fond of, including the genocide of American Indians for Their land, and stealing land from Mexico, we can't change that! We are not stupid. We know we can't change it, however for those who live in never-never land, to pretend they never existed is an issue as we keep making the same mistakes over and over. It would seem that some of you might learn SOMETHING from history rather than to say to hell with it. You have to put things in context which you are not capable of!

Some of us are part of that history, like Vietnam and the race riots in Alabama! We are part of being extended in Korea because of the Cuban crises.

I don’t belong to other countries so I don't care about their issues. I care about ours, like the war in Iraq that has gotten 4032 brought home in body bags in a country that had NOTHING to do with 9/11, and are killing them as well! I get concerned when most of our economy is debt driven by corporate welfare, that we as Americans can't even take care of our own wounded, and 1/2 of American families who pay taxes, earn $25,000 a year or less!

And while you are at it, I think you should think about all the complainers in your group that hate blacks, hate quotas, hate Mexican, hate illegals and hate helping anyone who isn't just like you. You even hate women on welfare (which does not exist) but want to FORCE THEM to have unwanted children that you could care less about!

I don't think you are patriotic when you defend a liar in the white house who is getting kids killed for Exxon! If you are a patriot, pick up a weapon and go join them. I did my time!

I don't think you are patriotic when you allow children in our country to go to bed hungry, I don't think you are patriotic when you screw Americans by hiring illegals and then complain about illegals!

I think you have far more skeletons in your closet than we do, so start worrying about yourself and what you DON'T stand for!

And you think you are patriotic. You don't have a clue what it means!

And we had to drag the conservatives into the 20th century kicking and screaming!

Answer 8

What a load of crap...

Do you know how MANY TIMES I have seen where someone talks about how they are against the war, but have been told they aren't patriotic by the conservatives????

The Dixie Chicks were OSTRACIZED by a lot of people in this country for their statement. They even received DEATH THREATS??!!?!

Some people see problems in this country because we need to be a LEADER BY EXAMPLE. You don't throw away the Constitution when it doesn't FIT WHAT YOU WANT TO DO (bush and torture). You don't go into another country wanting Democracy by forcing it on someone, or placing someone in leadership. You don't condemn someone or another country when you DO IT YOURSELF.

Instead of constructive criticism, do YOU intentionally offend someone having an ounce of patriotism when they want to protect THE VALUED SOLDIERS WHO ARE GIVING THEIR LIVES FOR US???

Answer 9

Well, in Germany you can say that you hate Germany and nothing will happen either and to deny the holocaust would just be a sign of stupidity...........The difference is , if you criticize the government, nobody will call you unpatriotic a terrorist and a traitor. We just don't have to agree with a stupid puppet, we are allowed to think on our own ;-)

Answer 10

I think George Bush causing the deaths of thousands of Americans and approximately 650,000+ Iraqis shows how much he 'cares' about the people of the world!

I think when the President's mother, Barbara Bush, goes to the Super Dome and says the refugees there have it better than they did in their homes in Louisiana shows how much the Bush family 'cares' about the people of the United States.

I think when George Bush plots and plans a union with Mexico and Canada behind the backs of Americans and silences the media from telling us about it shows how much he 'cares' about the people of the United States.

There's much more shall I continue?

Answer 11

If it wasn't for a democrat trying to make everyone perfect - by having millions upon millions of documents secularly describing how everyone is different... We wouldn't have much gray area to screw with now would we?