Use of Violence is an American Thing

[RobertEarl]

That's why we have a military budget larger than all of the next 5 countries put together.

The US launches a drone attack on people in foreign lands who merely threaten us, and lets not forget about the last president who invaded Iraq because of a perceived threat. And had 90% of the public supporting that invasion.

It's an American idea infused in our society that violence is a solution to our problems. So if you are aghast at what is happening on the streets of Baltimore, maybe you just don't get what it means to be a modern American?

[clarice]

1. That's a pretty broad brush you're painting with. nt

[RobertEarl]

2. Is it inaccurate?

We spend a fortune on this idea of using violence to get our way in the world.

[cherokeeprogressive]

23. It is unless you can prove violence came to exist only after the American Revolution.

[11 Bravo]

24. The ancient Carthaginians might have taken issue with your assessment.

[Lancero]

35. All brushes have their uses - Even the broad one.

[The2ndWheel]

3. Every border on the planet was made by violence

Obviously it's not just an American thing. That's ridiculous. Violence, might makes right, is progress. America wouldn't exist without it. The UN, whatever it's worth, wouldn't exist without it. Europe wouldn't exist without it. The list goes on.

If you win, you get to make the rules, and then justify and rationalize what you did in order to win. Morality is subjective, dependent on context. We're no different than any other form of life on the planet, just maybe more successful, because we have an ability to increase the violence when needed. We think we're different, but again, that's subjective, justified by us, and rationalized by us, the winners.

[RobertEarl]

6. You get it

That is what made America number 1. We excel in violence. So why would a modern American be so aghast at the use of violence on the streets of the US? It's what makes us great, as you so profoundly expressed.

[The2ndWheel]

9. Because it's all subjective

We see the use of violence differently, depending on who's doing the violence.

Plus people aren't used to seeing it. We think it happened in the past, so why should it happen again. Even though there is no objective time, and it's just based on the amount of times we've twirled around the sun, which doesn't make any difference to what happens when.

We're all just trying to make sense of the world, what should or shouldn't happen, but there are billions of us all doing what we do.

[bemildred]

4. "Violence is as American as Cherry Pie." -- H. Rap Brown nt

[Fred Sanders]

5. Use it or lose it - is the thing the MIC and military-industrial media have convinced or bribed politicians to parrot.

[cali]

7. Not that I disagree with everything in your op,

but use of violence is a human thing. It's the glorification and reliance on violence that is so heavily interwoven into our culture that is, if not unique, so pronounced.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

8. How peaceful the world would be if only the US would go away.

[RobertEarl]

10. Would it?

I think if the mindset of using violence as the correct course were to go away, the world would be a better place.

There was that one famous guy who suggested as much, Jesus, I can't remember his name right now, tho. <grin>

[virgogal]

36. I would leave the U.S. if I felt the way that you do. I'll just stay and fight--I like it here.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

37. I was mocking the OP. Hence, the :silly: smiley.

[Glassunion]

11. Hell yeah!

If there's one thing we truly excel at... It's f%#ing shit up.

[djean111]

12. Ever see the violence after a football game in the UK?

[leftynyc]

13. And your excuse for

all the violence that occurred before we were even a country? It's religion that is the scourge of humanity.

[RobertEarl]

14. I disagree

Religion, since you brought it up, is mostly founded on brotherly love. It is asswipe humans who corrupt the idea. Blaming religion is like blaming clouds for your being flooded.

I do not make any excuses for violence. I just make sure violence is not in my works. It isn't easy to do, but damn it does make it easy to love my brothers and sisters.

[leftynyc]

15. So what was the cause

of all the violence before the US was a country? And I completely disagree about religion. As long as there are those religions that are so sure their's is the only way forward, violence will be committed in the name of religion - always has been, always will be.

[RobertEarl]

17. How about Cain and Able?

There was no religion then, but there was violence.

Religion has been corrupted, but so has the air and water. It is hate that causes violence. Nothing more than that.

[zappaman]

18. Were Cain and "Able" American?

[leftynyc]

20. Seriously?

Wasn't it G-d himself that got involved with Cain and Able? Just because it wasn't organized doesn't mean there wasn't religion. As long as there's going to be "My G-d's dick is bigger than your G-d's dick", there will be endless violence. And you still haven't answered the same question I asked in both my posts.

[RobertEarl]

22. Answer: Hate

Myself, I prefer love. Jesus said: ""Love thine enemy"". Hateful people can't do that and their hate causes them to do violence. Hate is the cause of violence.

[The2ndWheel]

28. Hate and love are just words that we made up

Then again so is violence.

Hate can be a cause of violence, but so can survival. Or love. Or jealousy. Or just plain indifference. Or just because you enjoy hurting people.

[NuclearDem]

38. The story of Cain and Abel is also fictional.

Animals--including our ancestors--have been killing each other since the dawn of life on this planet.

Various institutions have been set up to justify violence and killing, but violence and killing are animal behaviors.

[hifiguy]

34. Religion in the last two thousand years

has largely been about three things, at east christianity and to a somewhat lesser extent islam:

Conquering and converting the "heathens" at the point of a sword.

Trying to exterminate the "heathens" be they internal dissenters or external other-believers

When these things became more generally frowned upon, bombarding the "heathens" with missionaries, co opting a few locals and exploiting the living bejesus out of the "heathens'" countries and the inhabitants thereof in the joint names of gawd and capitalism.

[The2ndWheel]

21. And the violence before religion?

[HereSince1628]

16. Displays of anger/agression are human nature...

So Yes, it is an American thing because we are a subset of humanity.

This behavior is pretty much one of the things people hope to have protection from when they endorse the creation of government by, for, and of the people

BUT, because it's also human nature to piss-off others through selfishness and other 'ass'-ymetries, violent expressions happen.

The dynamic sometimes place 'us' on the side of the angels and sometimes not.

[libdem4life]

19. Becoming a nation was not peaceful. Conquering to the Pacific ocean was not peaceful.

Getting the first round of Civil Rights for blacks was not peaceful. Becoming a Global Empire has not been peaceful. Since the Civil War there have been 120 "incursions" that have not been peaceful.

Protesting and organizing have led to nothing but a veneer of Racial Equality, so the next wave of the same Civil War will not likely be peaceful.

Maybe some other civilized country can come in and help us with our dishonest elections, human rights violations, killing our own citizens (death penalty)and gross income equality.

Wait, that's what we do with other countries. Someone said the television images looked like Palestine. I thought that myself a number of times.

[RobertEarl]

25. Yeah, Gaza

Round and round we go, where we get off, nobody knows.

Increase the war budget and pay for it with food stamps. Round we go.

I post here on DU to try and make this a more perfect union. We all have that duty. Some work hard at it, others are slackers. Round and round we go.

[upaloopa]

26. It was violence that brought this country

into existence. It was violence that kept the Union together.
It will be violence that brings about the progressive change so many DUers are clamoring for because violence is the only thing that gets the needed attention!
The changes that came about out of the sixties came because there was violence.
I remember this debate from those times.

[ann---]

27. And, it solves nothing

People are going to stop caring about the plight of minorities when the
"bad apples" get all the attention.

Just like some cops are "bad" - the looters and firestarters - and violent
protesters are "bad" too.

[zappaman]

29. So, no one used violence before 1776?

[BainsBane]

30. Right because

The French Revolution, The Russian Revolution, the rebellions of 1848, the Cuban Revolution, the Mexican Revolution, the Chinese Revolution, the Iranian Revolution, the Spanish American wars of independence, foot riots throughout European history, popular rebellions throughout the world, and countless other uses of violence outside the US. Yet none of them really happened. Historians have totally made up shit about a world existing outside the borders of the US. How could any of that possibly matter when it's not on the teevee?

[zappaman]

31. Pretty sure Genghis Khan asked nicely for things.

No violence necessary...

[BainsBane]

33. A totally righteous dude

into peace and all.

[hifiguy]

32. it's not an exclusively American thing but it is, as H. Rap Brown said in the Sixties

"As American as apple pie."