USA Trilogy (III): the USA today and the Americanization of the world
You may also find interesting my text The history of American Imperialism the text The USA as a global governor
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Note: this text is a review. The referred information is based on various sources.
''You're either with us or against us!'' (The US President George W. Bush after the 9/11 attacks)
Introduction
Americanization is the predominance of the American subculture through the media, the internet, and cinema. It also is the manipulation of the global economy. Most countries are under the American sphere of influence. On the other hand, Globalization means that the world is like a worldwide ''village'' where although people live in different countries, they are inhabitants of the same planet and share more things than those that divide them.
Most people worldwide, especially the young generation, consider the American culture good when, in fact, the US has always been manipulative of other countries! An example that shows the extended Americanization of our planet is that youngsters worldwide upload videos related to American themes, such as Halloween. I guess it would soon be ''trendy'' worldwide to upload videos for the US Independence Day (4th of July) and Thanksgiving Day!
Ironically, the US has recently launched a global trade war! That means it violates even capitalism, despite being the hub of it! That means Americanization is still for the US's benefit, for example, by selling their products! Meanwhile, many people worldwide naively believe that Americans act for the use of the world! Undoubtedly, Americans always minded their own interests.
For all US presidents, the motto has always been ''America comes First,'' emphasizing isolationism. Recently the US began a global trade war. It has already conquered it commercially! Notwithstanding, it is still unbelievable that people worldwide, especially the young, are fond of the US (sub)culture even though the US always minded its interests, i.e., to conquer the world, as most countries are under the US sphere of influence.
I) The Americanization of the world!
The aggression against China and Russia
A significant issue is that the USA has placed missiles targeting Russia near its borders with European countries members of NATO. When in 1962 Russia tried to do the same in Cuba, the USA threatened with nuclear war! The USA wishes to sell its oil shale gas (a costly energy method) to Europe, undermining its relationship with Russia, which offers cheap natural gas. The Russian reserves are vast, especially concerning its new share in Iran's Caspian gas field.
Unbelievably, the USA's obsession with Russia and China is so pronounced that it has prevented Europe from cooperating with China for the 5G technology! It has also used neighboring countries to China, including Japan and Taiwan, against Chinese interests.
Capitalism as a global financial system
Capitalism is a political and economic system that characterizes the contemporary world. The hub of capitalism is in New York. During the last decades, capitalism has turned wild, and today it is uncontrolled, without any rules. Undoubtedly, capitalism is to the benefit of private financial Trusts, not of the governments. It is recently not even to the advantage of the private sector, as international production has moved to China and India!
International credit rating agencies manipulate the global economy!
Unbelievably, governments' credit rating worldwide is assessed by three international credit rating agencies, Moody's, Standard& Poor’s (S&P), and Fitch, all American! The World Trade Organization (WTO) also plays a significant role in the global economy. At the same time, the international monetary fund (IMF) controls the developing countries' economies that ask for financial aid. Both the IMF and the WTO manipulate the global economy.
This aid is offered as unbearable austerity measures combined with loans accumulated to the preexisting loans creating a vicious circle of a death spiral! The IMF's austerity measures have been proven counterproductive when they fulfill the needs of the creditors rather than of the bankrupt state in which investments should be sought! The question is if the IMF intends to help or destroy the countries that seek help. It should be mentioned that the IMF is headquartered in the US! Some even say that behind the IMF is the US! Thus, financial aid to countries with weak economies is a way of manipulating them!
American financial Trusts and speculators rule the World!
American financial Trusts and speculators manipulate the world's economy. People stupidly believe that capitalism is a system for the benefit of the whole when, in fact, it is only for the rich and the multinational Trusts, most of them American. In this system, poor people become more miserable, and wealthy people become more affluent, while the financial gap between these two groups increases! In most western countries, at least one-third of the citizens are under the limit of poverty, and unemployment rates and the percentage of homeless people gradually increase. Also, as in the US, the public provisions of services such as free access to education and the health system tend to be privatized.
The global trade war that the US launched in 2018!
In most Western countries, many industries and manufactories have moved to developing countries, such as the Balkans, China, India, and Africa, where taxation is low and labor is cheap. Disappointingly, most Western countries produce almost nothing else but services. In the US, production decreased compared to agricultural products, such as cornfields and car factories, which blossomed in the middle of the last century. On the other hand, the Chinese economy is flourishing.
The discrepancy in global production recently forced the US to start a global trade war! It is unbelievable, but the US lately acted with protectionism. Therefore, in 2018 the US imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum from China, Mexico, Turkey, and Canada, while it threatened to impose duties on European goods. The biggest surprise in the list of these countries is Canada, which was considered part of US culture, while now the US regards it as a commercial rival! The US administration also imposed duties on various goods imported from China. These tariffs were a strategy of national protectionism from the side of the US. However, protectionism is a characteristic of communism; as mentioned above, it is incompatible with capitalism!
The US moved to these sanctions because of the American economy's high national debt, with China being the primary creditor. Some say the US Fed Bank prints money to compensate for the increased debt. The US government is less wealthy than we think. During the Donald Trump administration, the President disagreed with an appropriations bill to fund the federal government's operations for the 2019 fiscal year. This caused a federal government shutdown from December 22, 2018, until January 25, 2019, a total of 35 days!
The outlook for the US economy is not favorable. Various lobbies (including the Israeli), the arms industry, and the oil companies force the US to make unpopular, even desperate moves, including wars. Since the 9/11 attacks, the US military campaigns have been launched with the excuse of a ''war on terror''! They originate from the US's need to control global resources, especially oil pipelines and gas, and impede the Russian, Chinese, Iranian, and European influence.
Recently, the US has tried to sell its shale gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe. The route of these pipelines was the cause of the Syrian civil war that devastated Syria. It was also the cause of the US military attack against Iraq and Afghanistan (the latter also has ''reserves'' of opium).
In 2019 the US trade war continued with further tariffs on goods and metals in Europe and China. The former strived to convince the US that its multinational companies needed to comply with the European laws against monopoly, and the latter experienced considerable losses from the US tariffs.
Controlling the global oil price and rendering the dollar an international currency!
In the early 1970s, the US disconnected the banks' reserves with gold as a value. That means that banknotes and coins no longer have value as they are unrelated to precious metal value! In other words, banknotes are simply paper! It is said that during the last decades, although this tactic increases inflation, US central banks such as the Fed central bank (and the ECB in Europe) print money to cover the US government's needs! However, today money is not a paper banknote or a coin, but it may be a click on a computer with which an investor can transfer vast amounts!
Many say that ''money makes the world go round.'' In fact, oil & natural gas do! Contemporary society is highly dependent on oil & natural gas as carbon-based forms of energy. Prices of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) are mandatorily measured in dollars and manipulated by the US. If not, the US can impose its interests using force, such as in Iraq in 2003!
The US has achieved the dollar to be used as the predominant currency worldwide. It keeps it cheaper than the Euro and competitive with most other currencies as a value, even if it does not represent actual gold reserves related to banknotes & coins!
The ''War on Terror'' as an excuse for the worldwide exploitation of oil and natural gas reserves & pipelines!
After WW2, the USA sought to control oil reserves by manipulating the international oil price. It has imposed on the planet (and the OPEC countries) to buy and sell oil only in dollars! It is said that the US Federal Reserve Bank prints money (increasing the government's inflation), so there are plenty of dollars, or petrodollars, to make deals! However, China owns a considerable proportion of US foreign debt, so it is up to China to shake the US economy whenever it wishes! Recently, the US launched a trade war against the rest of the world, causing further isolation!
The need to control the passage of oil and natural gas pipelines led the US to create or intervene in conflicts in the Middle East. In 1991, the Gulf War came against Iraq, an oil-producing country, and its occupation in 2003 with the excuse of nuclear weapons of mass destruction (WMD) that were never found! This was preceded by the war in Afghanistan in 2001 (this country has additional ''reserves'' of opium) with the excuse of ''War on terror,'' after the 9/11 attack in New York.
The so-called ‘Arab Spring’ in 2010 was another event manipulated by the US and its allies, with the aid of non-governmental organizations and groups, and using social media to cause the uprising of the local population, especially fanatic groups. Some say that Western funds and arms supported the jihadist insurgents militarily. The ‘Arab Spring’ uprising in North Africa and the Arabic Peninsula led Libya, Egypt, and Tunisia to chaos. Unbelievably, the West supported the jihadist rebels in Libya with the aid of Turley, NATO's ally! According to the German newspaper Die Welt, in the civil war that followed, Turkey paid the jihadist mercenaries who fought in Libya nearly $2,000 per month! Eventually, the jihadist insurgents, mostly mercenaries paid by Turkey (and perhaps by Qatar, as some say), defeated the opponent tribes and created a provisional government under the Western sphere of influence!
It is not a coincidence that Libya and Egypt have rich natural resources such as oil and/or natural gas. Egypt also has the Suez Canal's strategic area, a passage for international trade. Yemen has Aden's port, which is strategic for international trade. With its troops in Yemen, Saudi Arabia moved to atrocities with the excuse of war on terror.
Along with the Middle East, the US destabilized Ukraine. The civil war in Ukraine started after its willingness to change the sphere of influence, embrace the West, become a member of NATO, and establish relationships with the European Union. But the Russian interests were too great to leave this country to the nails of the West. So, what followed was the destabilization of Ukraine by the USA, which offered military advice to Ukraine! The tension between Russia and Ukraine escalated to a civil war between the Ukrainian far-right fighters and the pro-Russian insurgents. Eventually, in 2014, during Ukraine's civil war, Russia annexed Crimea, unwilling to lose its exit to the Black Sea! Similar events occurred in 2008 in Georgia when it tried to be a member of NATO and occupy Ossetia with the aid of the West. Similarly, Russia invaded Georgia and annexed South Ossetia ruining the plans of the US!
The annexation of Crimea made the US impose suction against Russia, including an embargo from the European Union (EU) countries highly dependent on Russian natural gas. The US also forced the Saudis to increase oil production, intending to harm the Russian economy. However, the only thing they achieved was to reduce Saudi's reserves.
The need to control the passage of oil and natural gas pipelines was the cause of the Syrian civil war in 2011. The civil war in Syria started when the dictator refused to allow pipelines that fulfilled American interests. Then civil war broke out as jihadists, most of them mercenaries, came to fight from various places of the world and tried to impose Islamic law in Syria. However, the interference of Russia in 2017 that aided Syria as its ally against terrorism complicated things.
Eventually, Russia ruined the US's plans to exploit the Middle East exclusively. It intervened in the civil war and defeated the jihadist guerillas that used the local population as a shield. In the autumn of 2019, the US forces abandoned Syria leaving it under Russian influence! It was a historic retreat. Turkey was accused of oil smuggling with the terrorists. It was also charged, along with Qatar and Saudi Arabia, with supplying arms to the jihadists and/or supporting them financially!
However, these accusations are difficult to prove. Turkey used jihadist mercenaries when it invaded the Syrian borders in the autumn of 2019 and interfered in the Libyan civil war the same year! As in the Iraq invasion, the US used the Kurds of the region to fight the rebels in Syria, infuriating Turkey (as the Kurds wanted an independent territory that would comprise part of Turkey) that allied with Russia! Currently, Turkey sways between Russian and US influence!
However, these accusations are difficult to prove. Turkey used jihadist mercenaries when it invaded the Syrian borders in the autumn of 2019 and interfered in the Libyan civil war the same year! As in the Iraq invasion, the US used the Kurds of the region to fight the rebels in Syria, infuriating Turkey (as the Kurds wanted an independent territory that would comprise part of Turkey) that allied with Russia! Currently, Turkey sways between Russian and US influence!
The US's recent decision to transfer its embassy to Jerusalem, recognizing it de facto and de jure as Israel's capital, fueled tension with the Arabic nations. This is unsurprising, as the Israeli lobby has always dictated the USA's foreign policy. However, the Arabic countries are not united but are divided into Shia and Sunni Muslims, whose relationship is often hostile. The US often manipulates this hostility. Another case of tension is between Azerbaijan and Armenia, where Nagorno-Karabakh is still a contentious region, such as the Syrian Gollan height occupied by Israel for its oils.
The above shows that contemporary conflicts are caused by the US's need to retain and expand its spheres of influence and control global energy resources. Unbelievably, the US administration of Donald Trump was accused of ties with Russia that used hackers to help him come to power! But the US president impeded the FBI's probe into this matter and changed several heads of the FBI and the Justice Department, meaning that perhaps he has something to hide! Obviously, there was a cover-up from American justice regarding these ties. The same president was impeached for intending to aid the new Ukrainian president financially!
Oil and natural gas reserves and pipelines remain the leading causes of wars. Unless the US tends to use greener and more renewable forms of energy, conflicts are expected to continue! That means it will be able to violate human rights, such as with the abduction of suspects everywhere on the planet and interrogation with torture, being accountable to nobody! It should be mentioned that along with planet agreements, the US recently withdrew from human rights agreements and surveillance of the UN.
Recently, there has been tension between the US and Iran, a country with vast oil reserves. After Israel's prompts, the US imposed sanctions against Iran, prohibiting Europe from buying cheap Iranian oil. The US promotes pipelines from the Middle East towards Europe with gas and oil under its interest while undermining Russian competitive oil and gas supplies. Recently, the US president claimed that the US has plenty of oil shale reserves. However, this is expensive to produce!
Marketing and populism in politics!
In the past, politicians aimed to improve things rather than using politics as a lucrative job. Contrary, nowadays, politics is marketing. Politicians, especially in the USA, are based on image-makers and use marketing techniques to increase their popularity and influence. Before essential decisions, including war campaigns, they use polls and have citizens' mandates in advance. If public opinion is unconvinced, they decide to change it, such as in Pearl Harbor before WW2 and 9/11 before the ''war on terror''!
Additionally, most leaders flatter their nations, and populism is prevalent worldwide. That means reality is often presented incorrectly to manipulate the masses via the media and the internet!
Commercialization of everything, materialism, and fulfilling the ''American dream.''
Americanization means materialism. Everything is commercialized, as this is the way that capitalism works. Commercialism aims at fulfilling fictitious needs. Therefore, people feel happy buying material goods such as the latest smartphone, smart TVs, or cars, even if that means they will spend a fortune to purchase them! Many may starve to buy something they desire, or the commercials make them wish, for example, the latest iPhone!
In the US, the hub of capitalism, everyone has the ‘American dream’ of owning a home, a car in the garage, and a chicken in every pot or a dog! The American dream started in the early 1930s. However, most worked tediously to achieve it! Accommodation is an issue, as many work overtime, often in two jobs, to afford to pay their mortgage. In 2007, many Americans could not afford to do this and lost their house. This triggered the 2007 mortgage crisis in the US.
The mass media, the TV, the internet, and the cinema industry have been commercialized. Using ads and commercials, the star system brainwashes people, especially the young, about ‘cool’ and ‘trendy’ to watch and buy. Even the internet is commercialized by companies such as Microsoft, Google, and Facebook that monopolize it. Even sites such as YouTube, Flickr, and Adobe have commercialized, as their full premium version is chargeable!
Violence
Americans are addicted to violence. However, multiple massive shootings have not prevented the government from revoking the insane gun law that gives citizens the right to bear guns. That means the ''Far West'' shootout tactic will perpetuate. The U.S., as an independent nation, began as the Wild West of bandits. Today the similarity of this wild era is still pervasive. Violence in American culture is evident everywhere, from kids whose fathers impose to become tough by playing rugby to shoot 'em up computer games (most of them monopolized by US companies) that kids play. Since the early 1990s, the US film industry decided we should have no problem watching excessive and unnecessary violent scenes. So, the US at large is compatible with violence! It is not a coincidence that the most familiar game children play in the US is the Nerf war (with guns that resemble real ones), while many young adults disguise special forces and play airsoft gunfights in the woods. The usual scenario is US troops or SWAT fighting terrorists. American patriotism is prevalent, with the American flag emblem always present at the warriors' shoulders!
American companies monopolize the global market, often using unfair means!
Today, everything in the global market is controlled, monopolized, and manipulated by American enterprises. American companies, including Amazon, Google (that also owns YouTube), and Facebook (that also owns Instagram), exploit the web, from internet browsers, e-shops, and social media to video games! Even the ''Nerf guns'' that most kids play war with worldwide are manufactured by an American company, while American companies monopolize computer games! Notably, Microsoft exclusively monopolizes computer markets with its Windows and Office™. Similarly, Google dominates search engines, while Apple monopolizes iOS devices, especially its costly smartphones.
Importantly, as most Trusts monopolizing the web are American, they take advantage of European trade laws' leniency, especially in tax havens such as Ireland. American companies have often used unfair means, which has led to numerous fines by the European Union for unscrupulous tactics! Recently, the US prohibited all American companies from collaborating with the Chinese technology company Huawei. Consequently, Google excluded Huawei's smartphones from accessing its services, including the Google Play Store (TM).
Additionally, the US exercised political pressure on many countries, including those in Europe, not to collaborate with Huawei to develop the fifth generation of mobile broadband (5G) but instead to assign 5G development to other companies, such as the Finnish company Nokia. The excuse was security concerns. The point here is if we would still be happy if the security threat was from the American side, something that cannot be excluded. For instance, via our cell phones, they know our every move! For example, in 2018, it was revealed that Facebook misused its users' data, which I discuss in my text ''The Real Story of Facebook's Data Misuse'' on https://drjamesmanos.blogspot.com/2019/08/the-facebook-data-misuse-case.html The $5 billion fine from the US authorities for the data breach was an embarrassing joke.
The flexible working conditions!
Capitalism is for the benefit of the wealthy and multinational companies. Therefore, working conditions deteriorate as companies aim to make money and ignore humane working conditions. In many countries, the unemployment rate increases while working time is flexible. Additionally, continuous assessment and revalidation encourage rivalry and stress at work. Nowadays, there is a tendency to fire employees easily, whereas wages often are low or unsatisfactory, and employees sometimes work without a contract and/or insurance! A common trend for companies is to use interns as cheap personnel while undermining trade unions, and reducing their power is also a standard feature.
Unfortunately, many people have impressive resumes with postgraduate studies, but most find jobs outside their field! Others have a career where they stay long in low ranks while working conditions in many jobs are unpleasant. It is common for their work to be underpaid. For instance, they may work overtime without being paid for their extra work. They may also work without breaks or flexible hours, meaning that sometimes they may work a few hours weekly while other times may work excessively.
A critical issue to consider is what are the flexible hours mentioned above. Contrary to the past, today, employees may work a few hours weekly or alternate periods of working excessively with a few hours of weekly work. Statistics referring to unemployment are unreliable as people working even one hour weekly are not considered unemployed but working a part-time job! Wages have decreased dramatically in Southeast Europe because of Germany's implemented austerity measures, or their economies were destroyed by communism (referring to the former Eastern Bloc). Unemployment rates increase gradually, and many people strive to find a job despite their resumes.
American English has prevailed at the expense of people's intellect!
Unfortunately, American English has replaced British English in literature as today, everyone uses American English and imitates the American accent. North American English is characterized by simplification, using fewer words than the nearly 500,000 words of the English language. Moreover, it is represented by abbreviations, internet chat, text message language style, urban slang, and colloquial expressions. It is pathetic that through the internet, many stupid abbreviations have been passed to young people worldwide who speak with abbreviations and acronyms such as ''lol,'' ''WTF,'' and ''OMG.''
Unfortunately, Shakespeare's poetic language has been destroyed and replaced worldwide by the American colloquial language causing a linguistic discrepancy. American English may cause confusion. For instance, the word ‘ant’ (insect) is pronounced in UK English: ænt, but in US English, it is pronounced ænt, the same as ‘aunt!’ Another classic example is the word aluminum, pronounced əˈlu·mə·nəm in the US English. However, it is aluminum, pronounced ˌæl.jəˈmɪn.i.əm, in UK English! Also, when a British says, ‘coach trip,’ a person from the US may not think that ‘coach’ refers to a ‘bus,’ but to a ‘teacher’!
Although American English may be perfect for saying and writing nonsense on the internet, as a language, it is poor, affecting people's intellect. Namely, poor communication, as when using US English, means meager intelligence! Notwithstanding, the system is happy with this as people are more apt to be manipulated! Aristotle, the ancient Greek philosopher of logic, used to say that language distinguishes us from animals as it is part of our intelligence and mirrors our cognitive function.
Americanized TV, media, the internet, and American movies of low-quality
American multinational companies like Netflix have already commercialized TV and streaming media that invest in cheap productions. Documentaries are monopolized by four American global networks: the Discovery Channel, the History Channel, National Geographic, and Animal Planet. The History Channel has cheap productions with realistic gory battle scenes played by stunts, making them unsuitable for minors. The word 'cheap' means more affordable production than it should adequately be if filmed by the film industry.
The internet is Americanized. It is annoying that people worldwide try to make US-themed videos, even if their culture is unrelated to the US! Many individuals are keen to look and act like Americans, which is more apparent on the web, especially on social media! For instance, young individuals who are not Americans upload on YouTube or somewhere else a video for Halloween or the 4th of July (Independence Day in the US), something that an American would be expected to upload! But many people worldwide try to show more Americans than genuine Americans! I remember once I read on Facebook an impressive post of a guy who wrote perfectly American English. When I searched his profile, I realized that he was from India! That made me wonder why this man used an Americanized style instead of acting following his culture.
YouTube is Americanized (referring to the content of the videos) and commercialized. It is pathetic that many non-American users feel obligated to make American-related videos. For instance, as mentioned above, they may not be Americans, but still, they may post a video with ''Halloween nerf war'' or about Independence Day! Additionally, all ''action movies'' have the same SWAT scenario or special forces team, always American, infiltrating a base and fighting terrorists (that stereotypically are Islamists). Similarly, computer games are related to the US Army or American warriors who fight villains! There is enormous propaganda from the US film industry that overtones Americans' role in liberating Europe in World War II when, in fact, Russia's part and the role of resistance in the occupied countries were also or even more significant.
Even the news in the movie theaters was manipulated in the US during the Second World War (and later the TV with the Vietnam War). For instance, the director John Ford was hired to show real combat scenes of the US army in theatres during WW2, but he omitted views of dead Americans, as he aimed to show American bravery, real or not! Even the US Marines' famous photo raising the American flag in Iwo Jima was not shot initially after the battle but later. They used a large navy flag because the original was small. So, the photo was staged!
Regarding American movies, most are of low quality and aim only to profit! The viewers that the US movie industry considers as if they were 8-year-old kids make a film successful or a "box office flop." In many American movies, US jingoism and often chauvinism are evident, such as in the dated heroic films of Rambo style or Vietnam 'feats,' as well as the modern SWAT and American commando action movies in which the American ''heroes'' ''eliminate'' the villains, usually and stereotypically Islamic terrorists. Another example is the WW2 movies exaggerating American heroism while omitting the Russians' triumph. Even films with American intelligence handling governments show that nothing is kept secret. The US can effectively manipulate countries like Latin America in the second half of the last century.
It should be noted that the US movie industry has always been censored. Even today, no single film refers to the crimes against humanity from the US or Israel's atrocities against Palestinian civilians, including minors, as the Israeli lobby in the USA, including the movie industry, is powerful. Contrary, many action movies show the 'valiant' Americans saving the world from terrorists who are almost always fanatic Islamists. Thus, they created the stereotype of a fanatic Muslim as a potential villain, something despicable. However, the real story is that the USA destabilized countries and often equipped opposing military groups and guerillas like the Kurds in the recent Syrian civil war.
It should be noted that the US movie industry has always been censored. Even today, no single film refers to the crimes against humanity from the US or Israel's atrocities against Palestinian civilians, including minors, as the Israeli lobby in the USA, including the movie industry, is powerful. Contrary, many action movies show the 'valiant' Americans saving the world from terrorists who are almost always fanatic Islamists. Thus, they created the stereotype of a fanatic Muslim as a potential villain, something despicable. However, the real story is that the USA destabilized countries and often equipped opposing military groups and guerillas like the Kurds in the recent Syrian civil war.
Concerning the film industry monopolized by the USA, people worldwide encourage this. If American movies were less viewed, the US film industry would make better quality movies rather than pursue action movies with green scenes and animation effects. Ironically, movies will be animated shortly with no real actors, not even human models for computer graphics!
Some movie theaters play international films that are considerable and with plenty of profound messages. Although it may sound unbelievable, many Iranian films are remarkable, often conveying a tint of melancholy because of the oppression by the authoritarian Islamic regime. Productions from Europe, Latin America, and Asia (Bollywood excluded) are often considerable, as they do not focus on profits at the expense of quality as the US movie industry! I recommend watching international productions rather than exclusively American action movies that use excessive computer graphics but have no message to give other than the violence of shoot 'em up, which even kids get addicted to.
The attention-seeking behavior and the commercialization of the internet!
Nowadays, the American trend of attention-seeking is ubiquitous and shows that our society is hugely egocentric, while many people have superiority or inferiority syndrome. Both are the sides of the same coin. Attention-seeking behavior is characteristic on YouTube in which the stupid homemade videos replaced the older ''America's funniest videos'' and ''Jackass'' TV shows. Today everyone can make his own YouTube movie with a low budget or even use a smartphone! Some celebrities, such as Justin Bieber, started on YouTube.
Many people, especially the young, wish to attract attention on the Americanized internet. For this purpose, they are obsessed with posting, blogging, or vlogging something noticeable on their social media. Many individuals post videos of doing stupid things, such as silly pranks (like the ''Jackass'' TV show) or ''stunts'' (risky front flips and backflips or parkour). At the same time, others make violent home movies such as ''action movies'' of battles with special forces (always American) or videos with airsoft war or Nerf war, if kids! Some even make homemade horror films that, in some cases, show that their creators are twisted!
Today American companies have entirely commercialized the Internet! Even sites such as YouTube, Flickr, and Adobe have commercialized, as their full premium version is chargeable! The latest trend on YouTube and MSN is to charge for watching movies on demand. Another example is that someone cannot view most movies, except teasers and theatrical trailers, as this is forbidden by the movie industry. Of course, the rights to the films are reserved. Although, as a writer, I agree with this, others debate this practice and ask for more freedom to post something on the internet, for example, a movie excerpt.
Videos are a way to make a profit, and often many people use advertisements in their video and their profiles, and they earn money from this. Lately, on YouTube, there is an option to donate money to a user, and this trend is increasing on social media, meaning that the internet has commercialized. Additionally, some people send home videos with sexual context to adult-oriented sites (I think they are paid for this) that are keen to post them (they often charge the viewers to watch them). Even YouTube has recently commercialized by charging for the premium version without ads! But on the internet, someone may use an ad-blocker.
Computer games and consoles are also commercialized. Appealing to the youth, they are a profitable business for their creators. Similarly, they belong to a few companies, all Americans. Even Minecraft (TM), although it started as Swedish, was eventually bought by Microsoft. The most famous worldwide video game, ''fortnight battle royal,'' belongs to the American company Epic Games! Additionally, all computer games that appeal to kids are violent, and the theme is always USA-related, such as an American squad of special forces fighting terrorists!
II) The USA
a) How is the USA today?
Contrary to the movies' stereotypical (white) American profile, the real American differs from this. The prevalence of obese and overweight people in the US is high, as Americans are addicted to junk food, which predisposes them to coronary heart disease! Contrary to the American film industry, where most actors are Caucasians, the US population is an amalgam of races. It is a blend of unassimilated communities of disparate ethnic backgrounds ''ghettoized'' in separate communities!
However, the typical American is a jingoist (sometimes reaching even the spectrum of nationalism), supporting the far-right policies of the US government, raising the American flag in their yard, and supporting US militarism and imperialism throughout the world!
But are the Americans happy? It is questionable, as many, if not most, Americans have their shrink as a family doctor seeking help for psychological issues, usually related to broken families. Although stereotypically presented in American movies, the ideal united American family represents the minority of the population! The psychological profile of many Americans is often morbid. Some Americans are unstable. Time-to-time, there are cases of psychopath shooters going on a rampage and killing innocent people, even at schools!
I am unsure that the US is ideal for someone to live in, as crime rates are high. The real USA is characterized by the violence of gangs. Law enforcement officers often use excessive force. Gangs control and loot the neighborhoods. The authentic US is not the glamour of LA (where many of the inhabitants are gang members) but the gangs praying the ghettoes and brawls that erupt everywhere.
As in the Wild West, Americans cannot live without their guns, and despite massive killings by insane individuals, even at schools, these events changed nothing regarding gun laws. So currently, it is legal for US citizens to bear guns! The gun lobby seems powerful enough to prevent this; some say it even sponsors political parties! In most US cities, someone may be killed in a crossfire between feuding rival gangs! Black people are still treated unacceptably by the police, as videos from officers' cameras show their brutality. They often show unexcused assassinations of black people that, also unacceptably, are usually handled leniently by the jury when they stand trial.
The US remains imperialistic, as it always has been. Since 9/10, with the excuse of the ''War on Terror,'' it intervenes whenever and wherever it wishes, usually not minding for a UN resolution in advance! The average American supports jingoism. It did, for instance, by voting for the far-right administration of the populist president Donald Trump.
Financially, it is said that the US Federal Reserve Bank prints money, which is wrong as it increases inflation. Additionally, China holds most of America's credit and can quickly move the US to default! This is why the US has launched the recent trade war against many countries, including China, Europe, and even Canada!
In the US, the proper word for most Americans is jingoism rather than patriotism. Many Americans are nationalists, organized even in paramilitary squads. It is not a coincidence that the person responsible for the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 was a far-right extremist belonging to a paramilitary group! In case of an emergency, they still have a National Guard that is trained, armed citizens in the US! But in real situations, many argue that this non-professional military group may act abusively and uncontrollably. It is said that in Hurricane Katrine in 2005, they could shoot dead those people who looted the area.
The National Guard in the US may act abusively. On May 4, 1970, four unarmed college students were killed by the Ohio National Guard at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, during a mass protest against Cambodia's bombing by US military forces! Militia in the USA is often uncontrollable. Unbelievably, on May 1, 2020, armed militia invaded the Michigan statehouse, protesting against the coronavirus lockdown! Many US media avoided referring to them as militia but instead used the term ''armed protesters!'' You may read about this at https://apnews.com/c04cc1df0c958053489bd24bb7fce93f and https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/armed-militia-members-other-protesters-demand-freedom-michigan-gov-whitmer-n1207096 and https://www.chicagotribune.com/nation-world/ct-nw-michigan-militia-coronavirus-protests-20200502-l4tmmr74oze7tmo3dwwkfy2vpy-story.html
A similar event happened in November 2020 during the presidential elections when armed supporters of the president gathered outside the Election Department in Phoenix and at the Oregon State Capitol to claim the election was rigged! You may read about this at https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8928515/Trump-supporters-wield-ARs-wave-MAGA-flags-protests-Presidents-claim-election-stolen.html and https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2020/nov/07/armed-trump-supporters-gather-outside-vote-count-centre-in-arizona-video and https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/the-americas/armed-trump-supporters-face-off-with-counter-protesters-at-oregon-rally-1.1107852
A couple of months later, protesters claiming again with no solid evidence that the elections of the outgoing president Donald Trump were rigged, stormed the capitol and occupied it for a while! Although allegedly unarmed, a woman was shot dead by the police inside the capitol. Among the protesters were white supremacists! Unbelievably, some protesters were armed! You may read about this at https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55575260 and https://www.france24.com/en/americas/20210107-in-pictures-shocking-scenes-trump-supporters-storm-us-capitol and https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/06/electoral-college-certification-halted-amid-massive-pro-trump-demonstration-455495 and https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/06/politics/us-capitol-lockdown/index.html
There was (and I guess there is still) censorship on anti-Americanism or anti-military themes. Military hysteria has always been prevalent in the US, especially in the US film industry. This military hysteria, mingled with jingoism, is prevailing everywhere. You may commonly watch American kids playing army with ‘Nerf guns.’ You may also watch teenagers uploading action videos pretending the US army is ‘eliminating’ terrorists and other enemies. Youngsters may also play airsoft or paintball war games and violent computer games (most of them created by US companies) in which they get addicted to violence and jingoism and in which the American soldiers or commandos are fighting the ''villains''!
Morally, it is unbelievable that today we consider snipers and special forces heroes! On the contrary, in the medieval past, in which chivalry was apparent, they were considered cowards who hid and sneaky killed, such as archers. Young individuals playing violent computer games, later in adulthood, will be keen to defend the US interests in real life when needed. They know, for example, that a 'headshot' is more effective in killing somebody! The unfair military interventions by the US caused atrocities worldwide, such as in the Middle East. Their only incentive was to manipulate the oil and natural gas and their pipelines of the region!
Recently the US withdrew from the Human Rights Council of the United Nations, meaning that it does not give a damn about human rights! An example is the illegal (without extradition) abduction of suspects worldwide as well as the appalling situation in the US Guantanamo prison in Cuba and the world surveillance spy system ''Echelon.'' Regarding human rights, Amnesty International has accused the US president of hateful politics and of failing to protect individuals and communities most at risk of gun violence!
b) Is there democracy in the USA?
It can be debated! The US election system is weird as it is indirect. The voters do not vote for the president but for electors of the Electoral College who decide who will be the president. There are super-electors whose vote counts more! In the US, there are additional mid-term elections for the Senate and the House of Representatives. The US president has enormous powers to decide everything, making him (like) a dictator. For instance, in 2018, the president was uncomfortable with the probe into the alleged ties with Russia that manipulated the last presidential elections' results. So, after a series of firing the attorney generals and the FBI chiefs, he was responsible for a cover-up!
As mentioned above, American citizens are held accountable for their votes. That means the American people are the ones who have the responsibility for the US policy by electing irresponsible people on critical posts! Thus, on the mid-term elections of 6 November 2018, they rewarded the chauvinism, racism, and misogynism of US President Donald Trump by casting their vote to the Republicans, allowing them to keep the Senate!
c) Is the US a well-organized country?
The US is less well-organized than many suppose. As mentioned above, during the Donald Trump administration, the President did not agree on an appropriations bill to fund the federal government's operations for the 2019 fiscal year. This caused a federal government shutdown from December 22, 2018, until January 25, 2019, a total of 35 days!
Another example that shows the US could be more well-organized is when wildfires burn California's forests for weeks every summer. There are no precautionary measures such as defensible spaces, surveillance by patrolling volunteers, outdoor fire hoses, etc. It is unbelievable that even the fire alert system seems defective, as drivers shoot videos in which they drive their cars (often with their kids inside) among flames! The authorities also seemed disorganized in major disasters, including Hurricane Katrine in 2005. Even isolated events may show that the US is not as organized as we think, such as a recent road traffic accident with a school bus in which the bus camera showed that the schoolchildren were not wearing their seatbelts.
Another example of recklessness in the US is that police officers may fight crime unprotected, as often a single officer drives a cruiser. Videos often show officers who do not wear protective bulletproof vests. Regarding the US police's excessive force, especially against black people, it is so common that it is obvious! For instance, in Minneapolis, on May 25, 2020, a police officer choked a black man with his knee to death! You may watch the shocking video on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaGmz4DPlJw&bpctr=1590888005 and
A couple of months later, a video shows that in the above murder, the paramedics delayed confirming the cardiac arrest and defibrillating the victim immediately. A police officer started CPR inside the ambulance while the paramedics neglected to immediately begin the ALS (or at least the BLS) protocol. You may watch the shocking video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhwxGzYU2ts&t=1453s and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjKjaCvXdf4&bpctr=1598737360 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPEJwoXsKy4
On July 17, 2014, a similar event happened with a black man in New York who died when a police officer ''restricted'' him with a chokehold. Similarly, although the black man was in cardiac arrest, the raw video does not show any immediate on-scene resuscitation, such as CPR and, if shockable rhythm, defibrillation by the paramedics. Ironically, the police officers prioritized passing handcuffs to the man who was already in cardiac arrest rather than performing chest compressions before the ambulance arrived! You may watch the complete raw footage at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24PAhUhnACo and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0j-7L094d0
The above videos show police brutality in the USA and that the healthcare system is not as perfect as we think, as the paramedics failed even on the basics! It is also unacceptable that police officers in the USA often use plastic handcuffs with which the suspect is more prone to injuries.
Another matter of discussion is the low access of Americans to the health system because of its privatization. It should be mentioned that before Obamacare changed, inpatients who were uninsured and could not afford to pay were dumped from the hospitals! But, contrary to widespread belief, Medicare is a private-public partnership. In any case, it does not offer a free healthcare system.
d) Does the US fight Islamic terrorism? The US objective for its military campaigns
It is doubtful that the US will fight terrorism. Since the 19th century, the US has interfered numerous times, destabilizing many countries by backing anti-regime forces attempting to overthrow governments not friendly to the US. For instance, the US destabilized Latin America in the second half of the last century. The same was true for the 'Arab Spring' that was not 'spontaneous,' as the mob was stirred by social media, lawyer teams, etc.
Their interference in the Middle East always controlled oil and natural gas reserves as a motive. For example, the US intervened in the war in Iraq and Afghanistan and these countries' occupation. It should be noted that the latter also has opium 'reserves.' The US also aimed to control the oil and natural gas pipeline passage, the strategic (for international trade) regions of the Gulf of Aden (the civil war there is not a coincidence), and the Strait of Hormuz. The US also overturned Gaddafi and Mubarak, the dictators of Libya and Egypt, respectively. Libya's oil and gas reserves and controlling the strategic Suez Canal in Egypt are vital.
All the American interventions are described in my text 'The History of American Imperialism' at https://drjamesmanos.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-history-of-american-imperialism.html
On November 2, 2019, shortly after the US troops withdrew from Syria, the Russian Secretary of State accused the US of backing the Islamic State leader. When he was no longer useful, they assassinated him! It is said that all the jihadist rebels in Syria were mercenaries from Europe and other places. Some say that Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar financially supported the Islamic State in Syria. Some also add Kuwait. However, it is difficult to find solid evidence for this theory. Regarding this issue, you may read the article https://www.thedailybeast.com/americas-allies-are-funding-isis and https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29004253
I will not be surprised if, in the future, it is revealed that the US assisted the Islamic State as well. In the past, Russia accused Turkey of oil smuggling with Syrian jihadists. Lately, the interest is focused on Libya, which was already destabilized by the ‘Arab Spring’ followed by Gaddafi's assassination by the jihadist rebels while currently in a civil war with the jihadists (most of them mercenaries paid by Turkey) supported by the West! At the same time, during Turkey's attack against Kurdish targets on the Turkish-Syrian border in the autumn of 2019, Turkey deployed jihadist mercenaries! Turkey also sent Syrian jihadist mercenaries to fight in Libya's civil war the same year! It is said that the above countries nourished the jihadists to destabilize Syria after the refusal of the Syrian president to allow the passage of pipelines from Qatar to Europe.
I will not be surprised if, in the future, it is revealed that the US assisted the Islamic State as well. In the past, Russia accused Turkey of oil smuggling with Syrian jihadists. Lately, the interest is focused on Libya, which was already destabilized by the ‘Arab Spring’ followed by Gaddafi's assassination by the jihadist rebels while currently in a civil war with the jihadists (most of them mercenaries paid by Turkey) supported by the West! At the same time, during Turkey's attack against Kurdish targets on the Turkish-Syrian border in the autumn of 2019, Turkey deployed jihadist mercenaries! Turkey also sent Syrian jihadist mercenaries to fight in Libya's civil war the same year! It is said that the above countries nourished the jihadists to destabilize Syria after the refusal of the Syrian president to allow the passage of pipelines from Qatar to Europe.
The US launched airstrikes against Syria and invaded the country without any UN resolutions, something they had done many times. As always, they acted in the name of the 'War on Terror' that began after 9/11. Notwithstanding, this campaign against terror is only for the US's benefit, while it has caused many problems, such as the recent chaotic migration surge towards Europe.
The USA backed the Islamic forces on several occasions, such as during the Arab Spring. For instance, it supported the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and the jihadists in Libya. The latter was executed mercilessly, and the US ambassador was left there, like a sheep being led to the slaughter.
The USA backed the Islamic forces on several occasions, such as during the Arab Spring. For instance, it supported the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and the jihadists in Libya. The latter was executed mercilessly, and the US ambassador was left there, like a sheep being led to the slaughter.
Importantly, it was revealed that American and Saudi arms were possessed by the ISIS jihadists in Syria. Their excuse was that they seized them from the Syrian rebels who were granted by the US. Ironically, the US-built military bases and launched air raids in Syria against terrorists whenever wished, without any United Nations (UN) Security Council resolution and not invited by the Syrian government.
e) Eventually, who rules the US?
The USA is ruled by lobbies such as the arms and oil industries and various political lobbies, including the Jewish and financial Trusts. These lobbies control the foreign office agenda regarding military attacks at regions of special interests (oil, natural gas reserves, and pipelines) and tariffs on goods and metals (for instance, on China and Europe). The US presidents have invariably been puppets of political and economic lobbies. When they were not, the system got rid of them (such as in the case of JFK).
Regarding politicians, the former Secretary of State and geopolitical consultant Henry Kissinger can be blamed for being responsible for the US's disastrous imperialistic policy after the second half of the 20th century. Ever since, the US has destabilized many countries globally, such as Latin America. US imperialism ruined the naive stereotype of considering the US as a democratic nation that respects the sovereignty of other countries. Kissinger later participated numerous times in the Bilderberg (secret) meetings with geopolitical and economic subjects held annually in various places.
The role of Israel
The Israeli lobby in the US has always been dominant and had a considerable influence. At the same time, it seems to be behind all US interventions in the Middle East during the last decades. For instance, some connect the civil war in Syria with Israel's need to eliminate the fanatic Islamic militant group ‘Hezbollah’ supported by the Syrian government and Iran. This Islamic group was the excuse for Israel’s attack in Lebanon in 2006 after two Israeli soldiers' abduction. But, as always, it was not held accountable by international law. Atrocities followed Israel's attack. Specifically, Israel launched airstrikes against Palestine, killing 3476 people (some were burned alive with white phosphorus shells). Other examples of atrocities were in 2000 when a father with his child was killed on camera (although Israel claimed that they were caught in the crossfire) or in 2018 when Israeli snipers in Gaza killed twenty-seven unarmed Palestinian civilians (including children) and during this were laughing and cheering as if they were hunters aiming at rabbits. Isn't this a crime against humanity?
f) Is the US undefeatable?
Definitely not! For instance, the US lost the Vietnam War and withdrew its troops. The losses were 58,318 American soldiers! In 2011, it also departed from Iraq after leading it to devastation! The US lost 4,424 American soldiers in the Iraq War! In October 2019, the US troops withdrew from Syria after years of civil war. The Syrian dictator asked for the military aid of Russia and eventually defeated the rebels (most of them mercenaries) of the Islamic State! Namely, in Syria, the US passed the relay baton to Russia! Unbelievably, the US administration of Donald Trump was accused of ties with Russia that used hackers to help him come to power! However, there was no solid proof of this. But even the accusation that Russia could manipulate the US elections means a lot.
On 30 May 2021, the ''DarkSide,'' a group of hackers believed to be Russians using ransomware, launched a cyber-attack on JBS, an American company. The attack was described as the worst cyber-attack on U.S. critical infrastructure! The hackers demanded eleven million to give control of the company. Their action led to a voluntary shutdown of the Colonial Pipeline between Texas and New York, supplying nearly 50 percent of fuel to the East Coast of the USA! The company paid the hackers a $ 5 million ransom, but the US agencies seized $2.26 million. Consequently, the hackers managed to keep $2.74 million. They will give it to the poor, as the hackers claimed they were contemporary Robin Hoods.
Contrary to US action movies with commandos, the US ''elite'' special forces play a secondary role. The latest ''trend'' is to bombard the target area with fighter jets and/or military helicopters and then give the special forces a chance to find and kill the target person. That happened in 2019 in Syria with the assassination of the Islamic State leader by the US forces. His death was not heroic, as he committed suicide. Nevertheless, the US president praised the dog that found him!
Contrary to the American snipper ''hero'' who effectively (but sneaky) kills the Islamic terrorists, things are different from the movies in real life. For instance, the Iraqi snipper, so-called ''juba'' from Bagdad some years ago, claimed they killed 37 American soldiers, while others claim that the death toll rose to six hundred! This sniper posted videos on the internet showing his assassinations. However, all these videos have been removed from the web. His rifle was Russian. The AK-47 assault rifle that many kids know from violent computer games is not American, but the Russian Kalashnikov!
The US has feared the potential coalition between Russia and China, superpowers. If the European Union joins this coalition, the US will no longer be a global monarch. The US disagrees with the potential of creating a European army, as it will lose the chance to manipulate the European governments and force them, as NATO members, to join the insane wars. Their only motive is to exploit the natural resources of the Middle East, oil, natural gas, and pipeline routes toward Europe!
The US has caused many problems in Europe. For example, it prohibits the European countries from buying cheap oil from Iran that suffers from the US sanctions because of its tensions with Iran. The US also undermines the passage of Russian oil and natural gas pipelines to Europe, promoting the pipelines of American interest. The US plans to sell Europe its own expensive shale gas and LNG (liquified natural gas), which will be less costly by manipulating the oil price estimated in dollars!
Russia is a significant threat to the US. Already, it has secret weapons, including intercontinental ballistic missiles, such as the Sarmat (that NATO calls ''Satan'') heavy ICBM, and the Bulava intercontinental ballistic missiles carried by Russian nuclear submarines. Russia also has its stealth fifth-generation warplanes, such as the Su-F35 and Su-F57 fighter jets, and the air defense system S500 that can defeat any enemy stealth warplane. The S500 includes many smaller missiles. Recently, Russia and China announced their latest hypersonic intercontinental ballistic missiles are undetectable by the US air defense!
Similarly, the intercontinental missiles can release several smaller missiles to overcome the US's antimissile iron dome. Of course, the US has many secret weapons and aircraft that people often misconceive as ‘UFOs’! But Russia has similar secret technology. It is said that it can even create artificial earthquakes! But it is not only Russia that can threaten US technology. For instance, in 2018, 26 US diplomats in Havana, Cuba, suffered from mysterious health symptoms. Perhaps they were ''bombarded'' with an ultrasonic or a subsonic sound! In any case, the Russian and the Chinese military are a significant threat to the USA.
Epilogue
Oil and natural gas reserves and pipelines remain the leading causes of wars. Unless the US tends to use greener and more renewable forms of energy, conflicts are expected to continue! It should be mentioned that along with planet agreements, the US recently withdrew from human rights agreements and surveillance of the UN. That means it will violate human rights, such as the abduction of suspects everywhere and interrogation with torture, being accountable to nobody!
President George W. Bush, after the 9/11 attacks, said, ''You're either with us or against us!'' But we should oppose American imperialism, for instance, the forthcoming Russian and Chinese. By not opposing their interventions, we agree with them and entitle them to continue exploiting the planet.
Reference: the history of American imperialism
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