this post was submitted on 21 Feb 2025
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[–] Buffalox@lemmy.world 112 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (7 children)

As an EU citizen, we want good relations with USA, It's 100% Trump and Musk who are ruining it.
They are literally insane, and USA needs to remove them. Unless they do, I guess we can't be friends anymore.

[–] NeuronautML@lemmy.ml 1 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago)

Gonna be honest, i haven't agreed with that in 20 years, on account that the US can and will fuck over any ally it has if that has the slightest marginal gain for them. Any time the wind blows a different way, the US will throw all their allies under the bus. They are a greedy nation and poor allies.

They've spied on the EU, they applied tariffs on the EU, they have threatened the EU with invasion after we helped them in their fruitless war in the middle east and had to deal with the migrant crises that resulted from it basically alone ? Now we have to deal with meddling in democratic elections? Never again, i say. We go at it alone, we trade, but that's it.

[–] Skepticpunk@lemmy.world 11 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Removing them isn't enough. Over 77 million people saw his previous term, looked at him now, and said "Yep! I want more of that!" And the media being complicit doesn't help, either.

[–] Buffalox@lemmy.world 2 points 8 hours ago

I absolutely agree, American democracy seriously needs to be reformed, as it is it is at best a dysfunctional democracy. And I think the evidence should be very clear on that now.

[–] PrettyFlyForAFatGuy@feddit.uk 17 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

it's up to whoever comes after trump to mend bridges with europe, it's a waste of diplomatic resources maintaining relations with trumps america

[–] Buffalox@lemmy.world 12 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

Yes, but it can't wait 4 years, because in 4 years Trump may have transformed USA government to a totalitarian regime.

[–] Ilovemyirishtemper@lemmy.world 5 points 15 hours ago

Yeah, a LOT of Americans are treating this as business as usual, and it most certainly is not usual. Just because bad leadership has blown over in the past doesn't mean this is the same thing.

People are not panicking anywhere near the level they should because we need to take care of this NOW. Like now, now. I can't believe it ever got this far to begin with, but you are 100% right in saying that 4 years is far too long, and by then, it will be too late.

[–] thesven@lemm.ee 33 points 1 day ago (4 children)

Half of the voters voted for Trump, so no thanks, I don't want to have good relations with the US. I want to isolate them as much as possible.

[–] EldritchFeminity@lemmy.blahaj.zone 28 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Half of the people who voted*

Trump got about the same number of votes this time as he did in the previous election (marginally less, I believe).

It makes little difference to point out, but it's good to remember that the Dems are a bunch of feckless corporate shills who lost the support of their voters, and about a third to half the country simply doesn't vote.

Trump is a symptom and the end result of deeply systemic and cultural issues here, and as an American, I hope you guys make it hurt. Maybe then we'll wake up to the problems here. I doubt it, but at least the economic collapse here will hopefully spare the rest of the world from a dementia patient with daddy Putin's leash on his collar swinging the biggest military budget in the world around like he's got something to compensate for.

[–] Azal@pawb.social 4 points 9 hours ago
  1. The third of the people who didn't vote had Trump previous to realize what he'd do and still said "Meh, either's fine with me." They're complicit.

And 2. I get so fucking sick and tired of the "Dems are corporate shills" when the left can't be faffed to show up at voting. I don't mean the 4 year presidential votes. I mean the yearly all the way to the local shit. You want to know how we got Trump? Because the ultra-right made it a point to get in bed with the republicans and beat down doors to tell people to vote to secure the supreme court, to secure state positions, to secure fucking school board positions.

I have never met someone who had interest in Republicans who didn't think they paid attention to the news. It may be Fox and Infowars but they paid some attention. If I had a nickle for every individual who was interested in left wing ideals but told me "I don't know. I don't like politics" I'd have enough to afford a plane ticket out of this fucking country.

[–] Buffalox@lemmy.world 10 points 22 hours ago (2 children)

You are right, the problem is very much a widespread attitude in USA.
They need to modernize their democracy, and they need to modernize their interpretation and regulation of what free speech is.
The 2 main reasons USA is as fucked up as it is now, is that the 2 party system undermines democracy, and way too much misinformation is allowed.
You can't build democracy on lies.

I really really hope Americans will wake up soon, and realize this.

[–] idiomaddict@lemmy.world 7 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

I’m an American immigrant in Germany, and I’ve come to realize that most Americans are very naive about government. The US has been very successful in the short time it’s been around as a country, and I don’t think most Americans really realize that it won’t always be like that. At the same time, the education system has been gradually but thoroughly gutted.

I hope we can wake up, but I worry we might need to see for ourselves before we can actually learn. I just hope the rest of the world doesn’t indulge us so long that we take everyone else with us.

[–] Buffalox@lemmy.world 3 points 22 hours ago* (last edited 19 hours ago) (1 children)

Absolutely USA as a country has been a huge success, and I think you are right, that people think that proves the model is good.
But there are many other factors that have helped USA become a success. A huge population with a unified language is one, massive agricultural potential is another. Lot's of natural resources, and oil to kick-start industrialization.
It will be hard to elevate public education much without social reforms. AFAIK USA spend more on public education than many European countries, but results are worse, maybe in part because of poverty.
It's way harder for Children that live in poverty to pay attention to school to the same degree that better off children can. That's been a well known fact for many decades, and USA is doing absolutely diddly about it.

[–] idiomaddict@lemmy.world 3 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

I realized that my comment kind of sounds like I’m calling Americans dumb or uneducated generally, but I was thinking specifically about civics, history, and economics classes and I never mentioned that. Those courses are either missing from the curriculum or heavily biased to the point that I think it’s natural for people to have a poor understanding of fascism.

My parents both had masters degrees, and I grew up in a house where “communist” was a slur and “anarchist” was a synonym for chaotic. They weren’t stupid or uneducated, but they had been significantly propagandized. My dad fully thinks that leftists are fascist. Hell, I learned through high school that the US had never lost a war. My history classes never got past 1945, with the exceptions of the moon landing and the fall of the Berlin Wall.

[–] Buffalox@lemmy.world 2 points 8 hours ago

heavily biased to the point that I think it’s natural for people to have a poor understanding of fascism.

There's absolutely a tendency to gloss over things in American teachings in general history included.
So yes I agree, that could very well be part of the problem.

I learned through high school that the US had never lost a war.

Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan.
So I guess your point was easily mostly proven.

[–] jj4211@lemmy.world 2 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

You forgot about apathy. Even with a healthier plurality of political parties, the big thing is the majority of potential voters don't bother. Some because of being lazy, some because it is unreasonably hard for them to get time off of work/contend with suppression.

This administration also highlights that the president matters too much. You can't have even two parties interest honored when a singular man gets his way so much.

[–] Buffalox@lemmy.world 1 points 19 hours ago* (last edited 19 hours ago)

hard for them to get time off of work/contend with suppression.

Part of having a working democracy, is that it's easy to vote. That means it's close to where you live, and that it can be done quickly. That you are automatically registered to vote is a given. Also that people in prisons can vote is a minimum requirement for a functioning democracy.

USA fails on so many counts, creating obstructions instead of facilitating voting, that many Americans don't even know what a good democracy looks and feels like.

There will always be some that are prevented or don't care, but that's not normally a big problem for good democracies.
If the election is non controversial, it's not as important, and if it is controversial, more people participate. Most functioning democracies have about 80% voter participation AFAIK. Here we usually in the high 80's.

[–] arafatknee@lemmy.dbzer0.com 14 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Europeans are still clinging to the delusion that Trump is an aberration.

[–] TheGalacticVoid@lemm.ee 7 points 1 day ago

He kinda is though. There aren't many presidents that run on a platform of gutting literally everything that can be gutted.

[–] alykanas@slrpnk.net 1 points 22 hours ago

I don’t think anyone has understood this, so let’s see :

Trump is continuing longstanding foreign policy.

[–] ramble81@lemm.ee 1 points 23 hours ago

Only 1/3 of eligible voters voted for Trump. That’s what makes it even worse. 1/3 didn’t even fucking vote.

[–] AA5B@lemmy.world 19 points 1 day ago

As an American, yeah that’s the right choice.

It also needs to be said that you probably can’t remain on good terms with the US, given the current regime and their “negotiation tactics”.

We can only hope that in four years you let us earn your trust back

[–] match@pawb.social 10 points 1 day ago (2 children)

as an american we want good government but it's the billionaire oligarchs who are ruining it

[–] Eezyville@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 day ago

And misinformation. That's how they get and hold power. Like what happened here in Ohio with the gerrymandering.

[–] Buffalox@lemmy.world 2 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

Only because the people allow it.
I know nobody can change that alone, but USA need to friggin get some graasroot movements going to get real democracy, and elect politicians that don't prioritize only the 1%.
The 2 party system simply doesn't work.

[–] SabinStargem@lemmings.world 2 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

The 2-party system is political inbreeding, and Trump is a Hapsburg.

[–] Buffalox@lemmy.world 1 points 8 hours ago

Very fitting analogy. 👍