this post was submitted on 31 Mar 2025
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Asklemmy

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[โ€“] [email protected] 60 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (11 children)

Imagine reading some fiction book, like fantasy or something like that.

You see a state that was created by genocide, which was continued until there was barely anyone left to kill, which state then became world hegemon, took control over nearly entire planet economy and proceeded to find new targets for genocide, ecocide, invasion, looting and murdering every political opponent.

You would think it's caricaturally evil, worse than Mordor.

And here you ask "they are now definitely a rogue state"? Now?

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[โ€“] [email protected] 17 points 2 days ago (1 children)
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[โ€“] [email protected] 8 points 2 days ago

We're successfully distracted by the more immediate personal problems they've created for us

[โ€“] [email protected] 7 points 2 days ago (1 children)

No "average" person is aware because they are too busy trying to just survive. Nobody wants to chance losing what they've worked so hard for. The only people who watch the news are seniors and disabled people, and they're being misled if they just watch TV news.

People who call themselves Republicans are happy with what's going on. People who call themselves Democrat are not happy but think they need to work within the system to solve the issues and wait until the next election. Libertarians have sided with the Republicans. Socialism is still a taboo way of thinking for the most part here.

Then you have disabled people (like me) who are watching what is happening in horror and have sky high anxiety wondering if they're next to be disappeared or homeless. I can stand for maybe 30 minutes at most, holding a sign maybe 15 minutes at most. So I'm doing what I can and that is trying to live as if things are "normal" to continue on my mental health recovery and sobriety journey at the same time being horrified and terrified of what's to come. It's a weird duality that I don't like. I told my therapist the other day that I have hope for the future for my recovery but I have lost all hope in what is going on politically and in the news.

A lot of this I also blame on false American beliefs fed to us in school that we were safe from all of this nonsense because of our constitution. The American Dream and all that B.S. They sugar-coat our history as a country in schools -- at least they did when I went to school in the 80's/90's, I don't know about now. It's as if America only has a rosy history, even the Civil War is glorified in false narratives.

It's easy to see how we got to this point as a country. The question is, how do we get ourselves out of it?

[โ€“] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago

Whatever the answer is, it's going to take years if not decades. I wish I had the answers. I wish I had the power to make things right. I wish I could stop the suffering. All I can do is do what I can. For now, that's surviving. For now, all I can do is continue to be kind to people and educate them when I can. Help them when I have the ability to.

My fellow disabled person, I see you. A murmur can become a tidal wave with time. We must stick together. We cannot lose hope. We must go on.

[โ€“] [email protected] 20 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Half are aware, the other half is happy about how things are going. Apparently we have hundreds of millions of racist dumbfucks here.

[โ€“] [email protected] 17 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (2 children)

There are plenty of racists who aren't fascist. There are plenty or countries with racism problems that aren't fascist. There are plenty of dumbfucks who aren't fascist. There are plenty of illiterate countries that aren't fascist. "Stupidity" (im being careful here - i dont think illiteracy = stupid) and racism predates fascism.

Youve reached the limit of the liberal ideological framework and have resorted to explaining fascism as some sort of cultural pathology. This is what happens when your idealist politics prioritizes individual psychology and moralistic explanations over historical and economic analysis.

It's frustrating seeing liberals watch the fascist devolution in real-time, and just throw up their hands saying "well i guess americans are just stupid! QED!". It conveniently absolves them for their complicity in facilitating fascism, and it spits in the face of victims of US policy, both foreign and abroad.

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[โ€“] [email protected] 16 points 2 days ago

It's been a rogue state for decades, they call it 'American Exceptionalism', and the 'patriotic Americans' are happy about it.

[โ€“] [email protected] 155 points 3 days ago (13 children)

I see a lot of people starting gardens or looking to getting chickens to be as self sufficient as they can. Many are holding off on large purchases to save in case "something happens". People around me who were never interested in firearms and in fact were generally opposed to them are starting to arm themselves at a rapid pace.

[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

Interesting, but not surprising that this doesn't really answer the question. The question was about whether Americans were aware of how the US was perceived outside its borders.

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[โ€“] [email protected] 16 points 2 days ago

Between the media surpression and the fact a lot of people don't follow the news, or give a shit, i'd say no.

[โ€“] [email protected] 20 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Lots and lots of people, actually. Many identify with the tough-talkin' images being projected, believing it's just what the world needs and that the magic sorting hat will assign them to the privileged class when the dust settles.

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[โ€“] [email protected] 17 points 2 days ago

Now? USA has been supporting a genocidal nuclear regime in palestine for decades. They've been threatening and attacking every state in the region. Total rogue.

[โ€“] [email protected] 53 points 2 days ago (6 children)

Most of us are either completely deluded or utterly crushed by the collapse of our entire system of government. We know this is corrupt, and we want to organize to bring it to an end. But we have so many checks and balances that even if we all marched today with pitchforks and torches it wouldn't effect any real change without burning down every police station, city hall, state house, and the federal buildings. All while hoping the military doesn't show up and now us down with their weaponry. All the whole knowing that there has been a sharp rise in the popularity of police using violence and death as a deterrent.

In short, we know, and we can't see any way out of this mess. It wasn't supposed to be possible, and looking back we all saw it coming. But we were just dismissed as alarmists every time we spoke up and we are surrounded by morons who think this is the best thing that has ever happened to this national.

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[โ€“] [email protected] 57 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Roughly half of the population has absolutely no clue what's going on. Kids, old people, non-news-readers/viewers, etc.

A third of the population is vaguely aware that some shit is going down based on vibes but can't identify the problem.

Half the remaining sixth can identify the problem as political but misattribute the cause. Leaving just a 12th of the population actually aware of our situation.

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[โ€“] [email protected] 18 points 2 days ago (4 children)

Those of us who pay attention know.

However, the media ecosystem is INCREDIBLY conservative and pumps out the rah-rah jingoism whenever it can. Those of who just stick to the mainstream echochambers think the US is a bastion of freedom and peace.

[โ€“] [email protected] 24 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (3 children)

How I pointed something out to a family member this morning.

When Israel attacks housing units in a country it is in a "ceasefire" with, the media says they are "threatening the ceasefire." If someone fires back. The media will say Israel is being attacked and the ceasefire was broken by the other party.

While that should seem wrong to many, it flies under the radar for many.

[โ€“] [email protected] 13 points 2 days ago

Great example! These little turns of phrases and wordplay that reveal the incredible right-wing bias of our media are all over the place if you learn how to look for them.

Another great example you see all the time is "office involved shooting" whenever someone is shot by police. It's always something like "John Smith died after an officer involved shooting" or "a gun was discharged in an officer involved shooting that resulted in the death of Jane Smith." Where it should be "Officer Joe Blow murdered John and Jane Smith."

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[โ€“] [email protected] 20 points 2 days ago

Are people in the us aware... No!

[โ€“] [email protected] 67 points 3 days ago (18 children)

It largely depends on the location. For example, in the PNW, especially Western Washington and Oregon, people are very aware of that fact. Many around here are arming, protesting, and becoming more and more self sufficient.

For their part, the Washington State government has sued the Trump administration multiple times, and for now, has blocked some of the executive orders in federal court. Of course, that depends on Trump following court orders, which as we know, he's more than willing to ignore.

Meanwhile in states like Utah (where some of my family lives), they still have their heads in the sand, and don't seem to be bothered. Not to generalize, because some people there are aware, but they're outnumbered by the ignorant public there. Many people there who are aware are either trapped due to financial reasons or are actively trying to leave for blue states.

I have seen that some GOP voters are starting to feel the financial burn, but most of them still try to blame it on Biden.

[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago (7 children)

This doesn't seem to be actually answering the question. The question was about how the US was perceived by other countries, not how Americans perceive their own government.

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[โ€“] [email protected] 51 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

The fascists own all the media organizations. The population has been taught systematically since birth to have unyielding blind faith in the institutions of the state and capital. Many won't understand that anything unusual is happening until they're hungry and cold, burying empty caskets for their drafted children sent to die in fascist wars of conquest.

[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

This is the closest anybody in the thread has actually come to answering the question. The full answer is that Americans almost never consult non-American news sources, so of course they're not aware of how they're perceived in the rest of the world.

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