Poll: Manifest Destiny

[bad rider]

Forcing a country to be democratic is a bit ironic isnt it?

 

[The Wooster]

If by fish you mean 'explosions' yes, you're spot on.

 

[Rolling Thunder]

1. I'm not saying they'll complain, more along the lines that they've proven you wrong several times, by successfully imposing their will on other countries with minimal casualties.
2. Prove it.
3. Don't insult the Queen if your going to use the Union Jack. Your just asking to be flamed. But the BNP and Simon Cowel are shitness.

4. You do realise that Starship troopers was actually a satire? People do not serve their country, countries serve their people. If I have to work for the state, why do I pay taxes?

 

[Ace of Spades]

This makes me think of Bandit Keith of Yu-Gi-Oh abridged... In America!

 

[Milford Cubicle]

1. I'm not saying they'll complain, more along the lines that they've proven you wrong several times, by successfully imposing their will on other countries with minimal casualties.
2. Prove it.
3. Don't insult the Queen if your going to use the Union Jack. Your just asking to be flamed. But the BNP and Simon Cowel are shitness.

4. You do realise that Starship troopers was actually a satire? People do not serve their country, countries serve their people. If I have to work for the state, why do I pay taxes?

1. Just because they've done it several times, it still doesn't make it right. If a rapist rapes several times, it still doesn't mean he has the right to rape people. Things don't become more right the more they're done.

2. Prove what? Prove that some people don't understand politics and shouldn't be asked to decide who runs the country?

3. I'm not quite sure what you mean here. Who's using the Union Jack? I don't own a boat.

4. What the hell has Starship Troopers got to do with the price of bread?! I never mentioned Starship Troopers. I haven't even seen Starship Troopers.

 

[Anton P. Nym]

Having fought a couple of wars on the issue, I'm pretty sure that the Canadian stance on this is, "no, Manifest Destiny bad, no treat."

-- Steve

 

[Cpt. Red]

"Democracy is the worst form of government except for all those others that have been tried." -Winston Churchill

 

[jim_doki]

I just don't know why they're shooting at us. All we want to do is bring them democracy and white bread. Transplant the American dream. Freedom. Achievement. Hyperacidity. Affluence. Flatulence. Technology. Tension. The inalienable right to an early coronary sitting at your desk while plotting to stab your boss in the back.

this is pretty much how i feel

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

This makes me think of Bandit Keith of Yu-Gi-Oh abridged... In America!

Screw the rules, we have oil!

 

[Phantom2595]

Well, I'm Canadian, so Manifest Destiny is a VERY bad thing. I don't need no American gun laws.

 

[cleverlymadeup]

actually manifest destiny was a big failure, it was what caused the war of 1812 and we all know how that turned out

it's a stupid idea and rather ironic in how it's contradictory to what it's trying to accomplish

 

[L.B. Jeffries]

You should let them develop their own form of government that bests suits their country. It might be the same as The United States, or it might be completely different, It doesn't matter as long as they come to that notion themselves. What works for one people might not work for another, and if they create the idea themselves they feel better following it as they were not forced to accept it.

This. One of the reasons Afghanistan and Iraq are turning into cluster-f***s is that culturally they revolve around tribal and religious law. In order for democracy to function a certain number of things have to be accepted culturally and that's not always the case. Whatever system of government promotes the well being and happiness of the general populace is the best, not some arbitrary dedication to one particular system.

 

[orifice]

3. Britain also has the BNP, Simon Cowell and the Royal Family. All of those things are shit.

He insulted the Queen.
Treason! Off with his head! (no, seriously!)

 

[Amund]

So....manifest destiny. It's the belief that it is our (American's) god given right to spread the American system of government out to the world. However, I disagree with that.

I believe that a nation's government will eventually progress into something near democracy. With manifest destiny you force democracy on the nation. So what it boils down to is you learning how to fish vs. someone giving you a fish. What do you think? Sorry if this isn't very clear. Its pretty late over here.

(Note: I know lots of you on the Escapist aren't American. Is this an accepted belief in your countries also?)

You don't seem to understand what Manifest Destiny is. Manifest Destiny is the belief that the world belongs to white Christians, and no one else. Every other thing placed on earth, whether they're human or not, are put on the earth to serve them. They used this belief to justify their acts of genocide and slavery when they took over America and enslaved the Africans.

 

[Rolling Thunder]

@Orifice: Seconded. BURN HIM! BURN HIM! SEND KILT-WEARING HIGHLANDERS AFTER HIM! TURN HIS PETS INTO GROUND MINCE AND SEND THEM TO STARVING ORPHANS!!!

@Guy with awful avatar that resembles a union jack with turd on it (Milford Cubicle)

No, prove god dosen't exist. Please.

Oh, and prove that some people can't handle government. Personally, I think that's just your middle-class bullshit, trying to scrape a little superiority over the working classes by crying 'THEY HAVE NOT THE ABILITY TO GOVERN THEMSELVES!' at the top of your lungs. If we got rid of the tabloid media and actually educated them, then they'd be fine.

Oh, and comparing the British Empire to rape is a rather pathetic argument. It's a blatant attempt to use senseless rhetoric as opposed to actually, y'know, discussing. And I'd say we have the right- Where slavery still exists, we will intervene. When our ships are pirated and our wealth stolen, we will intervene. When our interests are threatened, we will intervene.

Don't you get is? International law is a joke. Rights and so on are a joke. The only regulation on one country is a more powerful country. And since we have America on our side....

 

[Arsen]

If a country can handle freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of etc...then they are able to form a democracy themselves. On the other hand, few territories and cultural beliefs outside of America and Europe can sustain this mentality.

The religion overall, is the deciding factor as to how the majority will see things.

 

[Nimbus]

The only country that has the right to impose anything on another country is one where it is a perfect utopian society with no problems whatsoever. America is not that country.

 

[Bertinan]

Well, aren't all of you perfect examples of why democracy is so great? I mean, if you lived in, say, China, and said something like, say, "Oh, the Chinese government sucks," then they would throw you in jail. But because the American system of democracy is based on the idea of rule of the majority while still protecting the minority. The system, of course, is not perfect. Nothing really is. But it's still FAR better than anything else in this world.

And I find it laughable that anyone in Europe could possibly think to criticize the US for anything we've ever done, considering the history of suffering most countries in Europe have visited on the world.