Great Silent Majority 2

[Creepy-Snaps]

I'm not going to go back through the threads and highlight every single thing you said that came across as holier-than-thou or jackassy. The general point I would make is that you now have said you wish to apply a nonpersonal, sporting inquiry to what for many people is personal and nonsporting. Therefore, I tell you that you tread into a territory where you might also, to some theoretical readers, look less than wonderful.

I agree with Golden, you come across as a jackass ananke. If she doesn't feel like highlighting everything, I'll make the effort:

1) Titling the thread "Great Silent Majority"... implying Americans are ignorant of what is going on or don't care... which is far from the truth. It's very insulting, especially after how many tea parties have been organized the past couple years to protest big government... and our midterm elections this past week won over 60 seats for Republicans, greatly protesting the Democrats' control... the largest number of seats won in midterm elections in over 70 years.

2) "It was the US/rich elite stealing your money. All of your system is built to serve the rich." ... very offensive saying our money is being 'stolen', even if you feel this is true, can't you word things a little nicer? Also implying that you understand our government better than we do is very offensive, without listing any reasons why, extensive study, etc. Your general implication that we are ignorant and don't understand what is going on.

3) "You have been slave traded without even realizing it." Also very offensive... if you don't realize by this point how 'jackass' you can come across, I'd be worried...

4) "It's cute that you thought you could buy anything for next to nothing." Seriously this is getting old. CUTE? You don't think Americans realized they made a mistake? You don't think Americans feel remorseful/sorrowful/mad that many of them had to declare bankruptcy, move out from their homes, struggling still with unemployment to find work? I don't think any American appreciates YOU acting all high and might, calling our mistakes "cute" from your armchair philosophy. Obviously hindsight is 20/20.

5) "You are already sold, and your elite has taken the profit and can't be touched anymore. And your government was your slave ship." Again, belittling the average American.

6) "Ironic that you think you are the smartest and strongest and best." Implying that we are dumb, weak, and the worst.

7) "It must suck so much to see the real picture." Again you're acting all jackassy and high and mighty, like obviously you are enlightened to see the truth. Please come back down to reality, ok? You're not the only one who understands what's going on.

8) "No wonder most of you are in denial." General assumption again of Americans, and personally insulting.

^^^ THAT'S JUST FROM ONE POST. Need I cite all your posts where I think you can be a jackass?

I'm quite sorry ananke. I try to respond in your posts as politely and professionally as possible, but when I saw Golden's post, and your arguing that you literally don't understand how you can come across... worries me.

And don't give ME that crap about how I don't really know you, I only know the image you project on the internet, jada jada jada. It takes someone really rude to write in the way you do all the time... much less argue that you don't come across as a jackass? Yeah, you're the perfect angel on the forums. Please insult Americans more, your highness.

[Words]

I agree with Golden, you come across as a jackass ananke. If she doesn't feel like highlighting everything, I'll make the effort:

1) Titling the thread "Great Silent Majority"... implying Americans are ignorant of what is going on or don't care... which is far from the truth. It's very insulting, especially after how many tea parties have been organized the past couple years to protest big government... and our midterm elections this past week won over 60 seats for Republicans, greatly protesting the Democrats' control... the largest number of seats won in midterm elections in over 70 years.

2) "It was the US/rich elite stealing your money. All of your system is built to serve the rich." ... very offensive saying our money is being 'stolen', even if you feel this is true, can't you word things a little nicer? Also implying that you understand our government better than we do is very offensive, without listing any reasons why, extensive study, etc. Your general implication that we are ignorant and don't understand what is going on.

3) "You have been slave traded without even realizing it." Also very offensive... if you don't realize by this point how 'jackass' you can come across, I'd be worried...

4) "It's cute that you thought you could buy anything for next to nothing." Seriously this is getting old. CUTE? You don't think Americans realized they made a mistake? You don't think Americans feel remorseful/sorrowful/mad that many of them had to declare bankruptcy, move out from their homes, struggling still with unemployment to find work? I don't think any American appreciates YOU acting all high and might, calling our mistakes "cute" from your armchair philosophy. Obviously hindsight is 20/20.

5) "You are already sold, and your elite has taken the profit and can't be touched anymore. And your government was your slave ship." Again, belittling the average American.

6) "Ironic that you think you are the smartest and strongest and best." Implying that we are dumb, weak, and the worst.

7) "It must suck so much to see the real picture." Again you're acting all jackassy and high and mighty, like obviously you are enlightened to see the truth. Please come back down to reality, ok? You're not the only one who understands what's going on.

8) "No wonder most of you are in denial." General assumption again of Americans, and personally insulting.

^^^ THAT'S JUST FROM ONE POST. Need I cite all your posts where I think you can be a jackass?

I'm quite sorry ananke. I try to respond in your posts as politely and professionally as possible, but when I saw Golden's post, and your arguing that you literally don't understand how you can come across... worries me.

And don't give ME that crap about how I don't really know you, I only know the image you project on the internet, jada jada jada. It takes someone really rude to write in the way you do all the time... much less argue that you don't come across as a jackass? Yeah, you're the perfect angel on the forums. Please insult Americans more, your highness.

You seem to like going around insulting people and at the same time calling them out for their 'behaviour'

[golden]

I think that Mountain Dew is simply sympathetic to me, and I greatly appreciate that. I also think that for anyone who is newer to this forum and doesn't know anything much about ananke personally, or hasn't read many past posts by her, it's potentially difficult to understand her point of view. This is a trap I've fallen into, for it's certainly easy to project when you are presented with a blank screen, yes?

It's easy to grasp where I'm coming from, because I generally put personal things first and am quite open about them. It's hard to grasp where she's coming from, because her communication, at least in this thread, puts the personal last.

Yet Ananke is correct when she says she's on my side. She's a friend, and it's okay.

[Words]

I'm not contributing to the debate so I wonder why i'm posting..... I suppose it seems to me she's being a little challenging in her opening title in order to get a response, but she's not just calling people 'jerks', she's actually putting effort into constructing valid points.

I haven't posted as i've nothing to say on the subject - I think lots of the Western world is in a huge decline, just the way it is, and I can't see anyone being collective enough to do something. I'm not even sure I want a 'collective force' doing something. BTW i'm not American.

[Creepy-Snaps]

Yeah.... attack the messenger and not the message. What a fool.... Do you even see that I state the truth?

As for Golden, I have great respect for her personal story, but it only highlights the truth of what I say. I can't shut up only because she has pain. That would be to respect people to death. She deserves better. If you haven't understood it yet, I'm on her side, even if I use harsh words. I just want the truth.

The rest of what you say is stupid. If I were anti-American, I'd laugh at your misfortune instead of showing you what's going on.

You seem to like going around insulting people and at the same time calling them out for their 'behaviour'

Yup, go figure. I'm the bad guy. Even though ananke uses very colorfully insulting language in her original post, trying to get a response. Kind of elementary to say this, but "she started it". Words knows what I'm talking about:

I suppose it seems to me she's being a little challenging in her opening title in order to get a response, but she's not just calling people 'jerks', she's actually putting effort into constructing valid points.

And I have made valid points as well. Why haven't those been responded to? 1) I said the housing crisis occurred before the dollar's crash, remember? 2) I also explained it's not horrible for a country to be in debt, like ananke portrayed it to be. 3) I also argued against Americans being apathetic/unaware of what's really going on. I guess somehow my colorfully insulting language offends people more than ananke's. It's ok for ananke to call people slaves, but it's not ok for me to agree she's a jackass? I'd rather be called a jackass than slave, but yeah ok, I'm the one who's being insulting. /sarcasm I just agreed with what was already stated, and gave ananke the response she was looking for when she felt the need to insult Americans in her first post.

Btw ananke, your argument of "I state the truth", 'therefore I'm entitled to say whatever I want however I want' is not only immature but illogical, because I can just say the same thing in return. I'm only concerned for the truth. I state the truth, you are wrong. Therefore I'm entitled to use colorful language such as 'jackass' and you are in the wrong to use language such as 'slave'. See what I did there?

The rest of what you say is stupid.

Right back at you. My response before was actually polite, but I'm fed up with your blatant insults. I find your whole realization of the 'truth' that Americans are being used quite naive. You are naive. Like you actually figured out something profound, something that wasn't already known. Why do you think Americans are protesting government so much lately? Just think about it, please.

[golden]

Mountain Dew, I don't want you to think I've abandoned you after you bothered to agree with me.

And I have made valid points as well. Why haven't those been responded to? 1) I said the housing crisis occurred before the dollar's crash, remember? 2) I also explained it's not horrible for a country to be in debt, like ananke portrayed it to be. 3) I also argued against Americans being apathetic/unaware of what's really going on.

It doesn't really seem like a lot of points are being responded to. I don't think that point-by-point debate is the goal of this thread. It's more like provocative data-gathering? Dunno.

I guess somehow my colorfully insulting language offends people more than ananke's. It's ok for ananke to call people slaves, but it's not ok for me to agree she's a jackass? I'd rather be called a jackass than slave, but yeah ok, I'm the one who's being insulting. /sarcasm I just agreed with what was already stated, and gave ananke the response she was looking for when she felt the need to insult Americans in her first post.

I call a lot of my friends "jackass"--it's not a super-serious word in my personal lexicon. (If I call someone a "piece of shit" or a "goddamned motherfucking piece of shit," that's pretty bad.) "Slave" for me is a very serious term but not an insult per se. I have used it occasionally to express the condition I believe myself to be in. And yet it does come across as potentially insulting here, because of the following point:

I find your whole realization of the 'truth' that Americans are being used quite naive.

It's just that having it presented as a new piece of information is condescending, yes. It sets up an argument in which I as an American am framed as ignorant and I must start fighting my way upward to prove I am not a complete moron before I can ever begin to state any ideas about the topic at hand.

Now, all that said, please let me reiterate that I am so OVER it and am cool with ananke. She doesn't mean anything personal here--I'm quite sure of it.

My only final point would be that something was rhetorically off about this thread, because we seem to be seriously sidetracked!

[Creepy-Snaps]

Mountain Dew, I don't want you to think I've abandoned you after you bothered to agree with me.

Yes thank you Golden. I responded though not just because I disagree with HOW ananke expressed her viewpoint, but also WHAT she expressed. It's nothing new that the US government is screwing over the middle class, yet she seems to find it a revelation.

Mountain Dew, I don't want you to think I've abandoned you after you bothered to agree with me.


It's just that having it presented as a new piece of information is condescending, yes. It sets up an argument in which I as an American am framed as ignorant and I must start fighting my way upward to prove I am not a complete moron before I can ever begin to state any ideas about the topic at hand.

Yes, when you start a topic with an already heavily biased viewpoint that your target is ignorant, then your version of the "truth" is already clouded. Americans are not ignorant to the situation of being screwed over by the government which ananke described, and have actively protested a lot of the changes of big government, debt overseas to China, etc.

Ananke doesn't see that though. She thinks the American people agree with what our government is doing, and even the thread title 'Great Silent Majority' is a direct insult to all the Americans who came out last week and voted against the Democrats in-power. Largest turnaround in 70 years, over 60 seats for Republicans and tea-partiers won.

Voting is our only way of exercising true power. I understand the points you made ananke, but it's not like I can snap my fingers and make them better. America's practically a dictatorship, with the only chance the average person has of getting their voice heard is by grouping up with other people and protesting... which is exactly what the American people have done! It's insulting to hear our government is a slave ship from a foreigner, because I know that's the "truth", and that's exactly what the American people have been fighting against and rebelling against for years now! No duh!

Her assumption that the American people don't even know of the problem she describes is insulting. I'm curious to know what biased media she's been exposed to, which doesn't inform her of all the protests/rebellions of the past couple years against American politicians in-power. Tea parties, threats, even gunshots toward politicians, etc.

I could go on and on... but I have not accrued debt over the past 30-40 years. I did not get buried in debt... I did not get in trouble with the housing crisis... I did not ignore the level of debt our country owes the world... and I am not in denial with what's really happening. All those assumptions in her original post of the 'average American' cloud her version of the truth that we are aware what is going on and actively fighting it. I find it personally insulting that she ignores all the actions of Americans rebelling against big government.