[Bas]

I post this with the question, when will America realize it's not a seperate part of this world but an integral part of this world?

Europe believes integration EU style is the way of the future but America engages in old fashioned (european style) power politics, so who is really the representation of the old world?

America:what time is love?

[Caffeine]

I post this with the question, when will America realize it's not a seperate part of this world but an integral part of this world?

Europe believes integration EU style is the way of the future but America engages in old fashioned (european style) power politics, so who is really the representation of the old world?

America:what time is love?

Bas, could you clarify the question a little? I'm guessing that your question relates to "globalism" -- am I correct?

[Bas]

Europe is very much about diplomacy these days and America pretty much singlehandedly likes to go at things. My question being that, hasn't America become the "old world" while the "old world" has moved on to something that brings more perspective to all of humanity. In short we have a "european dream" here.

[Cloud9]

I hope you are right. Europe has slipped the bonds of the dictatorships of the monarchs.

I fear that you have exchanged one form of slavery for another. You now are under the dictatorship of the majority. That majority is changing. It may very well take you in directions you do not wish to go.

Your democracies flourished under the umbrella of NATO. As our economy here in America continues to implode, we may very well withdraw from our far flung obligations. We may no longer be able to be the world’s policeman. You may very well find yourself on your own. Without America, the old Europe may reemerge.

If the past century and the century before that are any example, you guys are in for interesting times. Good luck.

[Caffeine]

Europe is very much about diplomacy these days and America pretty much singlehandedly likes to go at things. My question being that, hasn't America become the "old world" while the "old world" has moved on to something that brings more perspective to all of humanity. In short we have a "european dream" here.

OK, concerning globalism:

I like the hypothetical idea of, for example, "everybody getting together to stop trashing the planet." That would be great. The problem is, I most definitely do not trust the elites who have been making noises about a global society.

At least in theory, as an American citizen, I have rights that my government ought not to take away from me. (You may have read in a history course about the benefits of Roman citizenship in ancient times.) For example, the First Amendment affirms the right of American citizens to free speech. I am well aware that those rights have very much eroded in practice, but at least I live in a country where that document exists.

When I hear words like "globalism," I think "global slavery." Basically, a scenario where a tiny <1% elite exercise totalitarian control over everyone else, where the plebes have no rights and live in rank poverty, eating GMO food and dying once they reach an age where they reduce the profit margins of some corporation rather than increasing said profit margins. A world where the smallest form of self-sufficiency is forbidden by law, and everything must be purchased from one of your corporate overlords. That's what I perceive "globalism" to be right now.

When I was younger, I used to look up to Europe more. At the time, many European countries seemed a lot more forward-thinking when it came to things like women in high office or other important jobs, for example. They seemed to have a decent healthcare system. They had working public transit systems. (Why does the US still not have a decent public transit system? This link anyone?)

My opinion has changed in recent years. The UK, for example, is now a gunless society where you get in trouble if you try to defend yourself from would-be thieves or rapists. It is also extremely crime-ridden compared to the past. They've also (from what I can tell by reading about it, at least) become an Orwellian society where you're constantly monitored wherever you go. A fact which doesn't seem to have actually reduced their crime rate. Not only that, it's also besieged with pointless regulations (though the US is heading the same way). For example, the whole "you have to get a license to play music for your horses" thing: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... cence.html. And how can one explain the "No horse goes unmicrochipped!" thing? WTF?

What I've noticed from the "elites" lately is that many of them seem to want to dramatically reduce the resource consumption of the peasants, while not reducing, for example, their own carbon footprints. Private jets for all! -- if you're one of the elite. "Globalism" does not seem to me to come with "rights" attached.

If I had actual rights under some theoretical "all of humanity" system, I wouldn't mind the concept so much. Right now "Globalism" sounds a lot like "Global Slavery," and I wouldn't want that. I don't trust globalists to have either my own best interests in mind, or even the best interests of all humans in mind.

More general commentary:
Most Americans are very much insulated/indirectly prevented from learning very much, or being very interested in, nations other than the US or <name of country the US is invading this week>. When I was younger, it was kind of hard, for example, to get good foreign language education at an age when one's developing brain can make maximum use of it. It's also kind of hard (looking at TV/radio, not Internet) to get a lot of news about other countries (that the US is not invading). I've noticed the BBC does a fair number of stories that you just wouldn't hear about in the US, because they involve third world countries (that the US is not invading). The USA also has a short history compared to many Eurasian cultures, and many Americans don't know all that much about world history. Ask a typical American about France, and they can tell you that the French surrendered to the Germans in WWII, but they don't really know much else about France!

Studying more world history, especially social history ("you mean people have different cultural values and like it?") would probably be a good thing, as well as more multilingualism. Learning about other cultures teaches you a lot about the implicit values of one's own culture.

Also bear in mind the distinction between "Joe and Jane Average American" and "the American government." I'm not aware of a major political party that wants to stop invading third-world countries halfway across the world, for example.

[efarmer]

Love, Love is the time when I play tennis with the neighbor. It stays
Love, Love until we get tired and opt for a beer. We may upgrade
someday from badminton raquets and a nerf ball but it would put
the Love,Love in peril ...

[Kaki8]

Europe is very much about diplomacy these days and America pretty much singlehandedly likes to go at things. My question being that, hasn't America become the "old world" while the "old world" has moved on to something that brings more perspective to all of humanity. In short we have a "european dream" here.

Europe has learned from some of its mistakes... (North)America is just drunk with Oil.