No, Wren. WE didn't do that. Stop identifying with this evil empire just because you happened to be born within it. Language matters, and every time Americans say "we" and "our" to refer to the machinations and crimes of the "empire loosely centered in Washington DC" as Caitlin so adroitly puts it, we somewhat legitimize it. Speaking clearly about the real culprits, who are in control regardless of whether we vote for Tweedledee or Tweedledum, helps to expose them, a necessary small step toward stopping them.
I suppose I could have easily cluttered up the comment with caveats exempting myself specifically and denouncing the real culprits, but this isn't an essay and brevity does not confuse people reading what I have to say. It was more of a reference to a place (America) and less of a reference to who specifically called the shots.
Any sentence can be expanded with details if you choose to go down that route.
It was a reference to The United States of America, not "America". America can mean Canada, Mexico, Central America and all of South America. So get it clear. Language matters.
I think you may have missed the point, which is not to exempt yourself specifically, but to underline that the policies carried out by the oligarchs in DC are NOT the will of the people--we do not get to vote on policy, we are rarely consulted.,the Price-Gilens study showed public opinion has essentially zero influence on policy. If the endless crimes and atrocities inflicted on the world by THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES are attributed to the people of the United States, then I guess China really is "our" enemy. I don't know how it will be possible to take down this destructive, criminally insane oligarchy but I think a necessary start is to properly identify it. It isn't "the United States," not if you mean either the land or the people of the US.
No, Wren. WE didn't do that. Stop identifying with this evil empire just because you happened to be born within it. Language matters, and every time Americans say "we" and "our" to refer to the machinations and crimes of the "empire loosely centered in Washington DC" as Caitlin so adroitly puts it, we somewhat legitimize it. Speaking clearly about the real culprits, who are in control regardless of whether we vote for Tweedledee or Tweedledum, helps to expose them, a necessary small step toward stopping them.
I suppose I could have easily cluttered up the comment with caveats exempting myself specifically and denouncing the real culprits, but this isn't an essay and brevity does not confuse people reading what I have to say. It was more of a reference to a place (America) and less of a reference to who specifically called the shots.
Any sentence can be expanded with details if you choose to go down that route.
I chose to write it this way.
It was a reference to The United States of America, not "America". America can mean Canada, Mexico, Central America and all of South America. So get it clear. Language matters.
I think you may have missed the point, which is not to exempt yourself specifically, but to underline that the policies carried out by the oligarchs in DC are NOT the will of the people--we do not get to vote on policy, we are rarely consulted.,the Price-Gilens study showed public opinion has essentially zero influence on policy. If the endless crimes and atrocities inflicted on the world by THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES are attributed to the people of the United States, then I guess China really is "our" enemy. I don't know how it will be possible to take down this destructive, criminally insane oligarchy but I think a necessary start is to properly identify it. It isn't "the United States," not if you mean either the land or the people of the US.
Hear, hear. I tell people this all the time.