I don’t think it’s hard for outsiders to understand. I think it’s harder for Americans to understand. Those of us on the outside can see it easily and obviously. And it’s not subtle.
In the movie U-571, it depicts the Americans capturing the first enigma machine, thus helping to lead to an end to WW2. The reality is, the Royal Navy had them before the US even entered the war.
As a Canadian, I know that we were heavily involved with freeing the Iranian hostages, but if you watch the movie Argo, you would think the United States did everything. Jimmy Carter, President at the time of the event, decried the movie saying that Canada did 90% of the op.
The Great Escape portrays the escape from Stalag Luft III as an American affair, when it was a Commonwealth operation, and not a single American escaped.
Black Hawk Down. If you watched the movie, you would think the rescue was done by US forces, completely disregarding the fact it was largely Pakistani and Malaysian forces that rescued the American service people.
That’s not even getting into the non-war movies where the US is represented as the ultimate moral authority in all things.
How about the “World Series”, where with the exception of one team, every one is in the United States.
Co-opting the term “American”. The Americas includes more than just the USA. Mexicans, Argentinians, Canadians, Hondurans, Columbians, etc. are all “American”.
Even the implication that no one outside the United States would understand how bad the propaganda there is, is American exceptionalism.
I have spent almost my whole life outside the USA myself, and though I saw these things in American movies etc., I wasn’t really aware of how little Americans know about what’s going on in the world, and how tilted all the information they consume is, in school and in the general culture, until I spent some time living in the USA. You make a good point though, and I wasn’t the most perceptive.
Soo many of us are total fucking idiots. I’ve known people who were proud to have never, ever left their home county (no r, smaller than the state). Education has been extremely watered down and NEVER included anything that wasn’t in someway tied to or implied to involve the u.s. The teeeensy bit of world history is glossed over quickly with dry dates and facts to memorize until that class is finally over.
Higher education for the rich is for socializing and pretending you learned things other than that.
For a lot of the poor, higher education isn’t even possible, many of those poor folk that are rural even scoff at the idea it’s needed or think it’s the devil’s knowledge or some shit. A local, near my current area, said “I don’t believe in science”. …Like, at all??? I was part of a group that split off right then, wasn’t able to question about it. …But, like at all gravity, chemical reactions… nothing?
People are both proud of being and, think you called them something else, now hella angry, ignorant.
Now, they are more worried about being in good christian, republican (white) private schools than funding public education (California, by law, will not allow any textbook that Texas approves for their schools, in use for their public schools. That’s how useless the bible belt education has become). I have now met more than a few children who don’t “see the point in learning to read”. Various ages. And I dont have kids or close young family around. It fucking kills me to hear that shit.
Movies, tv, YouTube, anything mindless is way more approved for discussion in mixed random social gatherings than anything historical, higher arts related, scientific, god forbid global not involving the u.s.! Instantly labeled libruhl, demoncrat, fanatical left… ugh.
Anyway, yeah, it’s hard to get a world/outside view for so many over here, to the point that I think most have nooo idea a view other than a us-ian one even exists. I wish exchange programs were more of a thing and more available to ‘lower class’ folks. Just getting out of the fucking bubble of constant, subconscious propaganda, from everything one encounters, might really help a number of folk.
Sorry, I love learning, reading, cultures, etc., it has hurt my soul all my life to feel this country smothering learning and curiosity! Even seeking it, it has been hard to come by, especially pre-internet. Thanks for coming to my Ted talk.
Eta: I am not sure how I came across, so I want to mention, yes! We should be smart enough to see a lot of this shit, but not only are we too dumb, we are proud of being dumb for some fucking reason. I hope I didn’t seem argumentative, I’ve got a love of learning and it’s irritating to have been raised and educated over here. Glad y’all see it, cause in general, we really don’t.
I don’t think it’s hard for outsiders to understand. I think it’s harder for Americans to understand. Those of us on the outside can see it easily and obviously. And it’s not subtle.
In the movie U-571, it depicts the Americans capturing the first enigma machine, thus helping to lead to an end to WW2. The reality is, the Royal Navy had them before the US even entered the war.
As a Canadian, I know that we were heavily involved with freeing the Iranian hostages, but if you watch the movie Argo, you would think the United States did everything. Jimmy Carter, President at the time of the event, decried the movie saying that Canada did 90% of the op.
The Great Escape portrays the escape from Stalag Luft III as an American affair, when it was a Commonwealth operation, and not a single American escaped.
Black Hawk Down. If you watched the movie, you would think the rescue was done by US forces, completely disregarding the fact it was largely Pakistani and Malaysian forces that rescued the American service people.
That’s not even getting into the non-war movies where the US is represented as the ultimate moral authority in all things.
How about the “World Series”, where with the exception of one team, every one is in the United States.
Co-opting the term “American”. The Americas includes more than just the USA. Mexicans, Argentinians, Canadians, Hondurans, Columbians, etc. are all “American”.
Even the implication that no one outside the United States would understand how bad the propaganda there is, is American exceptionalism.
I have spent almost my whole life outside the USA myself, and though I saw these things in American movies etc., I wasn’t really aware of how little Americans know about what’s going on in the world, and how tilted all the information they consume is, in school and in the general culture, until I spent some time living in the USA. You make a good point though, and I wasn’t the most perceptive.
Soo many of us are total fucking idiots. I’ve known people who were proud to have never, ever left their home county (no r, smaller than the state). Education has been extremely watered down and NEVER included anything that wasn’t in someway tied to or implied to involve the u.s. The teeeensy bit of world history is glossed over quickly with dry dates and facts to memorize until that class is finally over.
Higher education for the rich is for socializing and pretending you learned things other than that.
For a lot of the poor, higher education isn’t even possible, many of those poor folk that are rural even scoff at the idea it’s needed or think it’s the devil’s knowledge or some shit. A local, near my current area, said “I don’t believe in science”. …Like, at all??? I was part of a group that split off right then, wasn’t able to question about it. …But, like at all gravity, chemical reactions… nothing?
People are both proud of being and, think you called them something else, now hella angry, ignorant.
Now, they are more worried about being in good christian, republican (white) private schools than funding public education (California, by law, will not allow any textbook that Texas approves for their schools, in use for their public schools. That’s how useless the bible belt education has become). I have now met more than a few children who don’t “see the point in learning to read”. Various ages. And I dont have kids or close young family around. It fucking kills me to hear that shit.
Movies, tv, YouTube, anything mindless is way more approved for discussion in mixed random social gatherings than anything historical, higher arts related, scientific, god forbid global not involving the u.s.! Instantly labeled libruhl, demoncrat, fanatical left… ugh.
Anyway, yeah, it’s hard to get a world/outside view for so many over here, to the point that I think most have nooo idea a view other than a us-ian one even exists. I wish exchange programs were more of a thing and more available to ‘lower class’ folks. Just getting out of the fucking bubble of constant, subconscious propaganda, from everything one encounters, might really help a number of folk.
Sorry, I love learning, reading, cultures, etc., it has hurt my soul all my life to feel this country smothering learning and curiosity! Even seeking it, it has been hard to come by, especially pre-internet. Thanks for coming to my Ted talk.
Eta: I am not sure how I came across, so I want to mention, yes! We should be smart enough to see a lot of this shit, but not only are we too dumb, we are proud of being dumb for some fucking reason. I hope I didn’t seem argumentative, I’ve got a love of learning and it’s irritating to have been raised and educated over here. Glad y’all see it, cause in general, we really don’t.