Putin takes a shit on the concept of 'American Exceptionalism', makes Congressman nauseated
81 replies, posted
[quote](CNN) -- If Vladimir Putin wanted to get America's attention, he's done a pretty good job.
The Russian president's opinion piece arguing against military intervention in Syria, published on The New York Times' website late Wednesday, set off a flurry of reactions -- some outraged, some impressed, and some just plain bemused.
[B]Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez said the piece made him almost want to throw up, and House Speaker John Boehner said he was "insulted."[/B]
Putin said he wrote the article "to speak directly to the American people and their political leaders."
But he appeared to have raised some hackles with the last paragraph in which he disputed the idea of American exceptionalism.
It was a reference to President Barack Obama's address on Tuesday night, in which he said that while America can't be a global cop, it ought to act when in certain situations.
"That's what makes us exceptional," Obama said. "With humility, but with resolve, let us never lose sight of that essential truth."
Putin's answer to that?
[B]"It is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional, whatever the motivation," he wrote.[/B]
He concluded with the line, "We are all different, but when we ask for the Lord's blessings, we must not forget that God created us equal."
The White House shrugged off the fuss around Putin's jabs at Obama, describing them as "irrelevant."
Obama himself ignored a question about it on Thursday.
His aides sought to push the spotlight back on fast-moving diplomatic efforts to turn Syria's chemical weapons over to international control, a prospect led by Russia.
The important thing is that Putin is "fully invested in Syria's (chemical weapons) disarmament," a White House official said.[/quote]
[url]http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/12/politics/putin-syria-editorial-reaction/index.html?hpt=hp_t1[/url]
Senator Menendez is my senator, whom also voted for intervention in Syria at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
From the top topic preview I was really hoping Putin literally took a shit on something.
Cause I could actually believe he would at this point.
American Exceptionalism is only equal to how Byzantine and Weird our government works.
But to be honest, all nations have something that make them unique and different and we should learn to use those positive aspects to lift up everyone as a whole.
And I'll watch this thread as everyone shits on the US when every country in the world isn't any different.
[quote]
"That's what makes us exceptional," Obama said. "With humility, but with resolve, let us never lose sight of that essential truth."[/quote]
Doesn't sound very humble.
America is #1 at everything, including freedom is a widely held belief by a lot, unfortunately. I'm supposed to be joining the air force soon and all this Syria talk has me uneasy
The piece was well written but it is full of lies.
Everything he writes is stained by the fact he is giving weapons hand over fist to Assad.
Muh Exceptionalism
[highlight](User was banned for this post ("Meme reply" - MaxOfS2D))[/highlight]
[QUOTE=acds;42166502]Doesn't sound very humble.[/QUOTE]
In my experience, all government PR (particularly american) is just throwing positive words around, despite contradictions.
It's a cool piece he wrote but neither the U.S. nor Russia have any benevolent intentions in mind in regards to Syria. It's all a power play.
[QUOTE=businessPawn;42166675]Muh Exceptionalism
Source of the joke if you don't get it.
[IMG]http://static.fjcdn.com/pictures/Muh+Freedoms+Muthafucka_6669f8_4165699.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE]
When in doubt, assume facepunch is aware of any given meme. You're more likely to see one here that you don't know than to post one that most people don't know.
- snip -
[QUOTE=person11;42166648]The piece was well written but it is full of lies.
Everything he writes is stained by the fact he is giving weapons hand over fist to Assad.[/QUOTE]
Well everything the US says is stained by the fact that we are giving weapons hand over fist to the FSA.
Why are we bombing Syria again?
I love how the more America helps, the worse off a country becomes
Let's see....
Vietnam, Korea, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Great Britain, Canada, Mexico, Russia, Japan....
am I forgetting anything?
[QUOTE=Hawkshadow;42167610]Why are we bombing Syria again?
I love how the more America helps, the worse off a country becomes
Let's see....
Vietnam, Korea, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Great Britain, Canada, Mexico, Russia, Japan....
am I forgetting anything?[/QUOTE]
We're bombing them because they're an ally of Russia and Iran, and an enemy of our allies Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Also, Canada is worse off due to what help?
[QUOTE=SaltyWaters;42167523]Well everything the US says is stained by the fact that we are giving weapons hand over fist to the FSA.[/QUOTE]
We're not claiming otherwise. Kind of hard to take wannabe zingers from Putin seriously when his statements are full of hypocrisy, as the article points out. His words are contradicted by his own foreign policy. Telling us we shouldn't get involved when he's doing the same is just laughable.
[QUOTE=Hawkshadow;42167610]Why are we bombing Syria again?
I love how the more America helps, the worse off a country becomes
Let's see....
Vietnam, Korea, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Great Britain, Canada, Mexico, Russia, Japan....
am I forgetting anything?[/QUOTE]
Really, Korea? South Korea would have been conquered, no doubt, if the US (it was technically the UN but you know what I mean) didn't intervene. North Korean standards of living would have applied to all of Korea if the US didn't get involved. You can certainly criticize US involvement in other things but you can hardly say Korea is worse off then it would under the Kims.
[QUOTE=Hawkshadow;42167610]Why are we bombing Syria again?
I love how the more America helps, the worse off a country becomes
Let's see....
Vietnam, Korea, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Great Britain, Canada, Mexico, Russia, Japan....
am I forgetting anything?[/QUOTE]
How is Britain worse off?
the problem with iraq and afghanistan hasn't been military one for a long time. you can't kill every fighter and disperse every cell, you wont ever come even close. the violence is only the diarrhea icing on the shitty cake.
the true problem is with how the economical rebuilding is being handled by retards and profiteers based on practices that dont work.
[QUOTE=_Kent_;42167671]How is Britain worse off?[/QUOTE]
after ww2 faschists by large became disillusioned by faschism because of the atrocities. wise rebuilding policies (lease loans between allies during wartime, marshall aid) and cooperation initiatives like the beginnings of eu (ECSC and EEC) also mended the lust for revenge and made european countries dependent on eachother. the situation in the middle-east is different.
[QUOTE=Smooth Jazz;42167669]Really, Korea? South Korea would have been conquered, no doubt, if the US (it was technically the UN but you know what I mean) didn't intervene. North Korean standards of living would have applied to all of Korea if the US didn't get involved. You can certainly criticize US involvement in other things but you can hardly say Korea is worse off then it would under the Kims.[/QUOTE]
Maybe he means Korea as a whole, which is understandable since half the nation is under a the most brutal dictatorship the world has ever seen.
American Exceptionalism is for stories where reality-warping girls hang out with ex-Pinkerton agents in flying racist Disneyland, and other similar fiction pieces. One should never feel pride regarding their own nation or any nation for that matter; they should always focus on their fuck-ups, feel shame for all the wrong that their country's done to the world, and make sure that they clean up the messes they make.
I sure as hell don't feel proud of the UK with their Conservative nonsense and whatnot.
[QUOTE=ironman17;42167805]American Exceptionalism is for stories where reality-warping girls hang out with ex-Pinkerton agents in flying racist Disneyland, and other similar fiction pieces. One should never feel pride regarding their own nation or any nation for that matter; they should always focus on their fuck-ups, feel shame for all the wrong that their country's done to the world, and make sure that they clean up the messes they make.
I sure as hell don't feel proud of the UK with their Conservative nonsense and whatnot.[/QUOTE]
That sounds awfully pessimistic. I would much prefer to be a bit proud of my country's achievements while acknowledging that we're not perfect nor have a perfect past. All nations on this earth have contributed something to humanity's progress, it would be overly stoic not to smile at those successes.
Putin rags on american exceptionalism with basically a jesus quote, and americans are mad? If anything would get through to them, wouldn't it be that?
[QUOTE=Hawkshadow;42167610]
am I forgetting anything?[/QUOTE]
A coherent post?
[QUOTE=HumanAbyss;42167845]Putin rags on american exceptionalism with basically a jesus quote, and americans are mad? If anything would get through to them, wouldn't it be that?[/QUOTE]
Not from a damn communist ruskie
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;42167841]That sounds awfully pessimistic. I would much prefer to be a bit proud of my country's achievements while acknowledging that we're not perfect nor have a perfect past. All nations on this earth have contributed something to humanity's progress, it would be overly stoic not to smile at those successes.[/QUOTE]
I'd rather not though, since if we take too much pride we get lazy and stop striving towards something better. By all rights we Brits honestly should, considering how much we moan about the weather. We should always look back and think about how we can do things better, so that we can make things better and more efficient until we reach the point where doing so equates to picking a single eyebrow hair out of a swimming pool's worth of soup.
You can't feel pride if you've done terrible things in past ages, since someone'll always bring it up and use it to knock you off your high horse. Expect the worst and keep your hopes low; if you expect things to turn out shite you won't be disappointed when the world inevitably flows down the shitter.
[QUOTE=ironman17;42167897]I'd rather not though, since if we take too much pride we get lazy and stop striving towards something better. By all rights we Brits honestly should, considering how much we moan about the weather. We should always look back and think about how we can do things better, so that we can make things better and more efficient until we reach the point where doing so equates to picking a single eyebrow hair out of a swimming pool's worth of soup.
You can't feel pride if you've done terrible things in past ages, since someone'll always bring it up and use it to knock you off your high horse. Expect the worst and keep your hopes low; if you expect things to turn out shite you won't be disappointed when the world inevitably flows down the shitter.[/QUOTE]
Do you blame yourself and your current government and present day people for your harsh imperialism of the 1800s? I don't see why you should. Sure, take note that those bad things happened, but I don't see why you would punish yourself for it like that.
people are obsessed with gay pack mentality and rather dwell in that instead of bettering themselves
edit: people are meant to live and cooperate in small groups but somehow people still get obsessed with flags and songs and wars and shit
[QUOTE=breakyourfac;42166510]America is #1 at everything, including freedom is a widely held belief by a lot, unfortunately. I'm supposed to be joining the air force soon and all this Syria talk has me uneasy[/QUOTE]
Syria can't be anymore dangerous than your city though.
[QUOTE=HumanAbyss;42167845]Putin rags on american exceptionalism with basically a jesus quote, and americans are mad? If anything would get through to them, wouldn't it be that?[/QUOTE]
You actually don't realize how very little most Americans give a flying fuck about Religion.
We don't have time for it.
[QUOTE=HumanAbyss;42167845]Putin rags on american exceptionalism with basically a jesus quote, and americans are mad? If anything would get through to them, wouldn't it be that?[/QUOTE]
The Evangelical part of America is only a very vocal minority.
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.