Text 14898, 137 rader
Skriven 2008-05-07 10:01:10 av Jeff Smith (1:14/5)
  Kommentar till text 14871 av Michiel van der Vlist (2:280/5555)
Ärende: Perceptions
===================
Hello Michiel.

07 May 08 13:25, you wrote to me:

 MV> Hello Jeff,

 MV> On Wednesday April 30 2008 21:52, you wrote to me:

 JS>>>>     He is fixated on America trying to impose it's laws on
 JS>>>> others.

 MV>>> You *ARE* trying to impose your laws and morals on others. Of
 MV>>> course you don't see it that way, but that is nevertheless what
 MV>>> is happening.

 JS>>      As YOU have often pointed out to others. That is your
 JS>> opinion. An opinion that you are free to choose to have. That
 JS>> doesn't mean however that others necessaraly agreee with you or
 JS>> your perception.

 MV> of course you do not agree with me. That does not mean I am alone in
 MV> my opinion, nor that I am wrong in my perception.

     No, it doesn't mean that you are alone in holding that opinion. But
it also doesn't speak to the popularity of that opinion either. Or that
you and your opinion speak for the silent masses. Opinion's are like a certain
part of the human anatomy. Everyone has one and they usually are associated
with the same substance. <g>


 JS>>      Are you not trying to impose your perception of reality onto
 JS>> others? Or are you simply expressing your own personal opinion?

 MV> I am not trying to impose my reality onto others, I am *telling* you
 MV> how the attitude of the US comes across on this side of the Atlantic.

     And are you speaking for just Michiel now or are you trying to represent
some greater voice? How often have you tried to state how the rest of the
world sees the US and not simply how Michiel sees the US?

 MV> Merely brushing it off as my personal opinion is not going to make it
 MV> go away.

     And it shouldn't. But I was only stating what it actually was instead
of what you seemed to want it to be. Our opinion's are simply that our
opinions. We form opinions based on what we see and hear in the papers and
on the news and to too few times on what we actually experience. Our opinions
are based on the information and facts that are provided us. I am sure that
if I believed all of what I see in the news here I would have a much more
negative opinion of the world than I do.

 MV>  I read papers and watch television. European papers and
 MV> European televison and I can see that I am not alone. What I see is
 MV> growing irritation- over and resentment against the US. The general
 MV> perception here is that the US *is* trying to impose its laws and
 MV> moral values onto others and the reason they got away with it for so
 MV> long is right of might.

     I am not disputing what you are saying and what you are seeing on the news
and reading in the papers there. I don't see the trying to impose
it's moral's or laws on others countries to the degree that you are seeing
reported. I do see the US pushing for democratic governments in other
countries. I guess the logic is that democracies offer more freedoms for the
people of the country and also that the country is less likely to be a future
threat to the US or other countries.

     Let me ask then. Of all the countries that have publically stated that
their goal is to spread their cultural, morel, and religious way of life
to the entire world. Why do you single out the US? It speaks to people's
perception of why they see you as being fixated on the US being the bad
guy.


 MV> The problem with right of might is that it has a strong tendency to
 MV> backfire.

     Blind use of power is synonymous with misuse of power in my mind.
Having power isn't a bad thing. It's more of a matter of it's intelligent
use that makes having the power effective. But unfortunately when wisdom
and power have been joined. Only rarely has it been successful and then only
for a brief time.

 MV> Might isn't forever, some day it will wean and the might of
 MV> the US *is* weaning right now.

     Nothing is forever Michiel. Someday our ancestors might be back to
beating rocks with sticks and sleeping in caves.

 MV> Not that any sane country will attack the US, but the combination of
 MV> growing resentment and weaning power will translate into reduced
 MV> support.

     That is a condition that affects all countries that express any
political, financial, or military leverage.

 MV> Perception is what forms opinions and in democracies opinions are the
 MV> decisive factor in what people vote for.

     The problem here is that for too long now the politicians put on the
"face" necessary to get the people to vote for them. In the current pending
political dilemma in the US. It is sadly once again the choice of the lesser
evil.

 MV>  And with growing resentment
 MV> people will vote for governments that are less inclined to play vassal
 MV> to the US. Aznar's party lost en election because of his unconditional
 MV> support for the US. Something similar is happening now to the Labour
 MV> party in the UK.

 MV> The US is no longer in a position to go it alone. She needs support
 MV> from other countries. To get that support she needs to be perceived as
 MV> friendly and cooperative.

     To who? Regardless of who the US becomes more friendly and cooperative
with there are enough others out there that will not like it and will react
accordingly.

 MV> In which she is failing...

 MV> You can brush it off as my personal opinion that can be ignored.

     I don't brush off or ignore your opinion Michiel. I just don't hold
your opinion with as much esteem as you seem to.

 MV>  Or you can start thinking about why the US is doing so bad in the
 MV> eyes of so many people that ones were fans....


 MV> Cheers, Michiel

 MV> --- GoldED+/W32-MINGW 1.1.5-b20070503
 MV>  * Origin: http://www.vlist.org (2:280/5555)

Jeff

--- GoldED+/W32-MINGW 1.1.5-b20070503
 * Origin: Twin_Cities_Metronet - region14.us (1:14/5)