I wanted to ask this question to Americans, do you think it is ok for people who don't have a stake in USA future to discuss USA events and politics?
I personally think it should be encouraged, but I had met a very small minority of people who think it's not ok.
What do you think?
americans who try to tell you you're "not allowed" to talk about america are stupid.
there are a lot of them. tell them to fuck off and eat shit
No American. Why not? Everyone is discussing everything. Such is life. Discuss whatever you want.
Sure. America has its slimy tendrils in everyone else's business, so it's only fair that you have a say.
Swede here, I don't require permission to discuss foreign politics or events, nor do I need to grant permission to the relevant foreign person wanting to discuss Swedish politics.
American here, what’s exciting in Swedish politics these days? I’d like some reprieve from the dumpster fire that is America for a minute.
Woah woah woah, hold on a minute. The topic of discussion is Swedes and Nazis, and you feel it necessary to make sure we all know you're not a Swede?! That's the part you want to clarify?
America influences the world quite a bit. Feels fair for the world to have an opinion on it.
Am I allowed to talk about Russia and Ukraine? Israel and Palestine? Great Britain and Ireland? Australia and some birds?
If something is happening it’s fair game to talk about. We may not be able to fix / change anything, but we can express our opinions on the subject.
They are majestic but they don’t strike fear into the heart of Australians quite like an Emu does.
I feel like as long as your country has one of our military bases in it, and the chances are unfortunately pretty high that you do, you've got about as much right to criticize the U.S. as anyone else. The U.S. falling to fascism would have global repercussions, so don't let anyone ever tell you that you don't have skin in the game too.
Not only that. We have your nuklear weapons as well.
I recently learned that one of the US nuclear weapon depots was at the german airforce airbase my father was stationed on and we lived nearby when I was a kid.
It wasn't public knowledge and I'm glad I only learned about it 20 years later. But even if they are not there exactly anymore, they are somewhere in Germany at an undisclosed location and that does makes us a target.
Canadian here, if you take away complaining about Americans, we'd have nothing else to talk about
"Canada geese" is their name. It doesn't get changed into an adjective form like you would do with nationalities (Canada/Canadian).
Although in this case they're probably Canadian. So they're Canadian Canada geese.
Some Canadian are pretty specials too, talking about first amendment and second one, having Trump flag and sticker on their truck, etc.
But yeah, weather, and Trudeau
I'm French and I'm never mad when I hear outside opinions on the shitshow currently happening in my country. Second Thought made a good video on the subject, I don't think you should be bound to only discussing the politics of where you are a citizen.
Ok tbf, the only thing the french hate more than everyone else is other french people.
After Kraut's vid on the rise of Prussia I'm not entirely sure the great rivalry wasn't mostly just because the French caught wind that Bismarck had a bureaucratic staff of refugee French on the payroll.
Do you think it is ok for people who don't have a stake in USA future to discuss USA events and politics?
To a degree. But we have enough uneducated opinions coming from inside the house that I'm hesitant to invite any more in. I follow UK and EU politics on a superficial level, but I don't inject my opinion into it because I don't have a horse in that race.
This is the difference, I think. So many non-American people don’t understand the particular way our political things are screwy, and when they make blanket pronouncements about it, it’s sort of a different conversation than when an American does.
Several times I’ve discovered the person I’m arguing with isn’t an idiot or a right-wing nutjob, they just don’t know the peculiarities of American politics, because they’re not American. Like how unlimited money is allowed to pour into campaigns and are essentially bribes. Or the revolving-door lobbying that happens. Stuff like that.
Idiots and right-wing nutjobs abound here so it’s always a little disconcerting to have to say, “Oh. Oh, sorry, I thought you were a voter and that’s why I cared so much that you had all the information. No, if you’re not American, we can just agree [whatever the thing is] is [stupid] and leave it at that”
This puts it nicely and succinctly. It's important to remember that the USA has single states larger than some European countries. It's enormous.
For as much diversity as there is in wherever you are from... just compare the sizes and think a little.
Trying to take pieces of information, even when from reputable news sources, and apply it to the entirety of this massive place with a wildly diverse population like it's some sort of insider information that magically applies to all or even most is foolish.
If American's didn't want people to talk about American politics perhaps they should stay out of everyone else's politics?
I'm a citizen of the United States.
I give you the pass.
Edit: in fact, talk more - specifically to other U.S. citizens about it. Exposure to other countries ways of doing things can only be a good thing, and if they tell you to fuck off - whatever, that's their right.
As an American, almost none of us would care. Except xenophobes, maybe. Even nationalists would love to to have their nation be the focus of everyone else.
I question why anyone would have a monopole or exclusive right to a topic of conversation :)
But I actually disagree due to another fundamental point: USA politics are in fact involving and impacting the rest of the world. The USA leads NATO and has previously threatened to drop it, as well as the WHO, they get involved (sometimes violently) in foreign affairs (afghanistan). They are a huge economic market to which many foreign companies try to sell or get funding. They are the biggest stock exchange (still today I guess).
The influence of the USA exceeds its borders since quite a while now. It is only normal for people to feel involved, despite not being from the USA. Same with Russia, same with China.
Our shit can often affect a lot of the rest of the world, so it makes sense for our business to be relevant to people outside the US.
I (US citizen living abroad) still have to file income tax every year. I cannot contribute to the tax-advantaged retirement plans (iDECO and NISA) in Japan because the IRS considers basically anything they have to offer as a PFIC. I can't put money into my old US retirement accounts for other legal reasons (and the yen is shit against the dollar right now). You'd better believe if I have to deal with all that bullshit, I'm going to both talk about events and vote.
Edit: to head it off, I'm an only child and need to be there for my parents in case anything happens without any visa paperwork or restrictive periods of stay so renouncing is not currently an option.
