HunterOfSkulls wrote:
Pug wrote:
Oh great, so no one is out there saying "America save us" yet "the US gives less to charity per capita than most western countries"?
Make up you mind - is it "give us more money" or "we're okay, so don't help us"?
Actually it looks a lot more like a refutation of the previously made statement about the US giving more to charity and aid of other countries than anyone else. Simply put, Cam was calling bullshit on it, not saying "give us more money" or "we're okay, so don't help us" but "quit trying to lord it over everyone, you aren't the only people who help or the people who help the most". As I said before you spewed a bunch of non-sequiturs at me, sometimes the US seems to only do good for gain. People notice it. It bugs them. It bugs them more when the US then turns around and says "Look at all the good we do! LOOK DAMN YOU!!!" every time someone engages in legitimate criticism of US policy.
My first post was a general statement on the topic, not directed at you...looks like you misinterpreted it.
And I perfectly understand where Cam is coming from. I believe specifically he isn't weighing the entire amount of "help" because he doesn't agree with the breath of the aid, nor all of the aid in its form. But either you have faith of what is being done is in US interest, or you don't. It is possible (note: doesn't say "probable") that some of the things that are happening have to be judged years or generations from now. Take Vietnam for instance.
I'm not delusional, all aid any country provides ALWAYS has strings attached. Otherwise there would be no aid at all (or negative aid in the form of supporting the other side).
The reason why people are saying "look at all we do" is because I believe people still have faith - otherwise it would be ohh shit we suck balls. Plus people have the right to provide criticism of US policy, just like people have the right to defend it anyway they wish. But the fact remains that occassionaly you see some posts like "should we help the US people overthrow the government"? etc etc etc. How legitimate is that?
So from time to time, an overtly negative topic comes off different than it's supposed to be. A possible interpretation of the "well bullshit, the US doesn't give the same charity per capita", is "let's take you assholes down a notch" or "you do not see the negative side, because your patriotism blinds you".
The truth of the matter is, that the US is going to do whatever it wants until its forced to do something else. Of course, if the US really didn't care about its image, we wouldn't bother sending any aid at all, close all global communications and pretty much be dead air to the world. And the result of which would be drastic for both the US and abroad.
And to be honest, 1) we are going to do things which we feel are in our interest, 2) keeping the world happy is important to us, 3) we give a shit about what's being said, 4) things aren't perfect, but they are pretty damn good, 5) there's always going to be something...
Anyone who believe that it's utopia (and no one does) is delusional. But there's an awful lot of negative debates here...it's tough to throw something out there and get a "what nation are you from again? and why do we care?", yet the post is there...so we do care...
I challenge you to think of ANY foreign aid from ANY country that doesn't have strings attached.
I also challenge you to think of a nation with a foreign policy that ISN'T using this policy for the benefit of its citizens.