ET IS NOT GOING TO SAVE YOU!!!

        Many religious beliefs have in them an idea of a savior. A being that will come down to save the day. Clean up the streets, and smite the wicked. Even the so called new age has their own version with various ET's coming to rescue humanity. It's a wonderful thought and takes us back to the sheltered days of childhood. Where mom or dad would always be there to swoop in and save the day.  Grow up people, no one is coming to save us!  If someone does show up with the promise of salvation we would be in a Buddha on the side of the road situation.
        Lets look a little closer at the idea that ET will save us from ourselves.  This sounds nice.  I mean what could be so wrong with some friendly ET coming with tech so far in advance of ours, it takes care of our problems like they are silly, and trivial.  On the surface it sounds great, a more depth will reveal the falsehood.  If lets start with, any ET group that would be willing to work with individual nation states is likely not a group with humanities best interests in mind.  Any ET group that would be advanced enough to make the interstellar, or inter-dimensional trip here would have solved the same problems we are currently facing, or managed to avoid them all together. Either way we already have everything we need to solve our problems, all we are lacking is the will to do so.  If you want to know why intervention is always a bad idea look no farther earth history.  Even when one nation intervenes in another nation it invariably goes awry.  An easy way to look at it is from the perspective of a child living in their parents home.  If ET showed up and fixed the planet, and implemented system to solve our social issues, it would no longer be our society it would be theirs.  If there is a galactic federation of some kind we would create a cancer inside it if they interacted with us now.  Our dealings even among friends are filled with deceit, and mistrust.  Why would you as an outsider want to become embroiled in our petty global politics?  If you do are you someone we really want involved?

Jack
aka
PanseyBard

America, Portrait of a Failed Nation

         As an American I feel it's not just my right, but my responsibility to point out just how massive, and all encompassing our failure is.   Many still cry out that we are the best nation in the world, all while the statistics, and experience is otherwise.  Some my rail against what they see as me being anti-america. They would be correct, I am against the America I see out my window, on my TV screen, and in cyber space. I have trouble understanding how your not as disappointed as I am.  If there is a way for a nation to fail that America has not already failed in I'd be shocked.
        If we had problems in just one area you might be able to say it was the exception, but on the whole America is solid.  Our economy is touted as being the #1 in the world based on gdp. All well and good if we lived in fantasy land, but where I live when your top export to one of your biggest trade partners is trash. Your in trouble. You did read that right, America's biggest export to China is returning the packaging for all the goodies they make us.  We act like it's Christmas everyday, and as long as we send the wrapping and boxes back Santa will refill them.
      The ACA or Obamacare as it's widely know is a 10k+ page monstrosity.  Seemingly designed to force people that don't use a system to pay for those that do.  This debacle at health care reform is just another example of political theater designed to confuse, and bewilder.  Mean while back in reality the rest of the world divests itself of the dollar.
       So no economy, no health care, how about education?  Well no again we are failing. According to the latest data America isn't even in the top 10.  We don't even make the playoffs.  No wonder the hi-tech jobs are leaving, we increasingly are unable to fill them.  You can find a more detailed account of just how badly we are failing in this regard here.
       There was for years the expectation in America that children would be better off then their parents.  This is no longer the case, and unless fundamental changes are made we won't even recognize the country we wake up in. I have come to the painful realization that the country I was taught about was only a story.

Jack
aka
PanseyBard

Is America the Evil Empire?

With all the hype about American exceptional-ism being tossed around I couldn't help myself but entertain a few thoughts on the matter.

              Is  American the defender of freedom, and virtue?

 Highly unlikely, the wars for profit, oil, and currency interests would pretty much rule that out.  America has been driven by self interest from the founding fathers on.

But if America isn't the worlds defender of all that is good, then are they the evil empire?

This again isn't very likely. Think of the Star Wars movies episodes 1-3.
While so many people see it as a war between light, and dark. Taking place between the republic, and the separatists.  As well as being reflected in the journey of Anakin from "light" to "dark".  Once you look a bit closer you notice that Palpatine was controlling both sides, as well as pushing Anakin down a path to becoming Vader.  What we are left with is a very powerful psychopath working to solidify his own grip on power.  Seeing things simply as "good" versus "evil" actually plays into the hands of Palpatine.

So how does this relate to the concept of American exceptional-ism?

The Jedi thought of themselves as exceptional, guardians of the republic.  This served them well right up till they became an institution of the republic.
Ensuring they would no long act exceptionally, and would then on enforce a set of rules.

America was exceptional, at the end of WWII our infrastructure was intact. Manufacturing was booming, and we held the lions share of the worlds gold.
The Dollar then became exceptional when it was made the worlds reserve currency. This made the Dollar, and America the exception globally. This incredible boon, and responsibility for sure made America the exception globally.
How long can you really oppose a nation that can effectively lock your nation out of global trade. You have to also ask, how has America used it's position of power, and privilege?  It's used it in every way possible. I feel plunder, rape, and pillage could easily be applied. Of course right next door to those are bastions of wonder and beauty.  I read an article where it was referred to as the pax-Americana by the Chinese state media. While obviously biased, it's not an unfair characterization.  My real question isn't is exceptional-ism dangerous, of course it is. Any time someone or thing sets itself outside the rules everyone else follows the likely hood of abuse is very high.  My question is this. Are we following this script a little closer then we care to admit?  There is a scene where Padme poses a question that boils down to asking if they are fighting for the right side.  This is a very interesting question, and not one with an easy answer. At the time it is posed there is no side that has the interests of the people. The Emperor controls both sides of the conflict.  Like that conflict the sides we are presented with here are not what they seem to be.

Obvious solution?

Choose a new game.

Jack
aka
PanseyBard