On this day in 2001, the United States of America were attacked. As an elder millennial, I grew into adulthood seeing what came next. And it never stopped.
I essentially watched U.S. imperialism and unfettered capitalism take over and grow into full on fascism. Turning governments into surveillance startes and use the excuse of terrorism to punish freedom of speech and democracy, and make our lives more difficult every year since then. When they say millenials didn't become more conservative as they got older, this is why. And the thing is, this has been going on since way further back than Bush jr.
I know this is going to be an unpopular opinion but what happened on 9/11/2001, they had it coming. And this feeling is felt even deeper after the way they have been treating Canada for the past 10 years. After we've been there for them and literally opened our homes to them when planes were redirected and grounded.
They've elected the same clown twice and set the world on fire to benefit a handful of their, and the world's, richest billionaires. They're threatening the sovereignty of several peaceful nations that have been their allies since nearly the birth of their nation.
I have no more sympathy for the United States. I wouldn't care one bit if another 9/11 happened. They deserve to be smacked and put in their place along with Israel.
6 Comments
nocklobster@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 21h
I hate the Yankees too, but this is a ridiculous conclusion.
You can condemn U.S. imperialism, Bush-era wars, mass surveillance, corporate power, Israel’s abuses, Trump, and American foreign policy toward Canada without pretending that 9/11 was somehow justified.
The people who died on 9/11 weren’t “the United States.” They were civilians. Office workers, firefighters, paramedics, flight attendants, passengers, and people who happened to be in the wrong place that morning. Plenty of them had absolutely nothing to do with U.S. foreign policy, and some were children. Saying they “had it coming” because of the actions of their government is literally the same collective-punishment logic you’re condemning when governments use terrorism as an excuse to punish populations.
And blaming ordinary Americans for electing politicians you despise doesn’t make much sense either. The U.S. is 300+ million people with wildly different political beliefs. There are Americans who opposed Bush, opposed the Iraq War, opposed Trump, support unions, oppose billionaires, oppose Israeli government policy, and have spent decades fighting the exact things you’re criticizing.
You don’t have to feel sympathy for the American government. You don’t have to like America. Hell, you don’t even have to like the Yankees.
But “I oppose American imperialism” is a political position.
“I wouldn’t care if thousands of innocent Americans were murdered because I think their country deserves it” is just collective punishment dressed up as anti-imperialism.
If your opposition to fascism requires cheering when innocent people are killed, you’ve managed to adopt the same moral principle you’re supposedly fighting against.
ZombieCyborgFromOuterSpace@piefed.ca · 0 pts · 18h
You're right about innocent people suffering the consequences. But at the same time, the people of the U.S. have made their choices again and again, enabling the people that led to this event. This is the consequences of their choices.
They elected leaders that destroyed democracies and put entire nations under ruthless dictators, started wars and conflicts, armed rebels and terrorists all to benefit their businesses and gain control over resources.
So these people are partly to blame.
DireTech@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 15h
You’re still ignoring that almost half the population was against those things and apparently ok with them being collateral damage.
tangeli@piefed.social · 6 pts · 18h
I don't think you really mean this, though I can understand the feeling that it still would not be undeserved.
I would care because such violence perpetuates the cycles of violence and the United States would almost certainly react, again, with extreme violence that would cause further generations of hatred, worldwide.
I doubt there is any way to stop the violence of the United States, but I'm certain attacks like 9/11 will not do it. I expect the United States will remain violent until it declines into impotence, which won't happen in my lifetime. Further attacks will come, but they will not make the world a better place.
ZombieCyborgFromOuterSpace@piefed.ca · 3 pts · 18h
I agree with you there. I don't wish them another such event. Like you said, it only feeds into the cycle of violence.
karlhungus@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 20h
One thing i try to remember when thinking about this is: groups are an amalgam of various belief's. So even asshats who voted for trump probably have some alignment with my values. People who didn't vote for Kamila because of her Gaza weakness I can understand some reasons for that (even if the outcome was worse in every way). Similarly some regular people who were just living their lives died in 9/11. There's probably some sympathy or empathy you can have with their fates, and families.
I do feel like usa tends to exaggerate their grievance. They've been fuelling and fighting proxy wars for the last 50 years, overthrowing governments, killing people for years. By the numbers the ~3k people killed on 911, seems relatively dwarfed. In the same way "american exceptionalism" feels like they lack a sense of history, and reality.
So i try to feel some sympathy because they are not all awful, just like all us canadians aren't super nice great people (some of us are also assholes!). Same with isreal, they aren't all committing genocide. All that doesn't mean I think what's happening is fine.