this post was submitted on 24 Jun 2025
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Showerthoughts
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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. The most popular seem to be lighthearted clever little truths, hidden in daily life.
Here are some examples to inspire your own showerthoughts:
- Both “200” and “160” are 2 minutes in microwave math
- When you’re a kid, you don’t realize you’re also watching your mom and dad grow up.
- More dreams have been destroyed by alarm clocks than anything else
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You're not wrong about all the things that have happened, but there are lots of countries around the world over that same timeline who have had a much worse go of things. The US has been the most powerful country in the world, so what happens here has an outsized impact, however this seems like just another facet of "American exceptionalism," that the bad things that the US has done or had happen are somehow more special than all the bad things that have happened everywhere else.
For roughly 75 years.
France was strongly dominant under Napoleon for 15 years and didn't suffer too badly for 15 more years after that.
The period of the British Empire's global dominance, often referred to as the Pax Britannica, ran roughly 300 years.
The Roman Empire was dominant in the West for roughly 500 years, much longer in the eastern reaches.
The primary difference of the period of US dominance is that it has been almost entirely sustained by MAD - mutually assured destruction vs every other entity on the globe.
I think a big factor was world war I. Europe got decimated so the US had a major upper hand.
Then World war II happened and the US was still mostly untouched. We are seeing the fall out of a war that happened in the 30s/40s
Among the empires you just cited, let's consider the wars, atrocities, assassinations, crises, and plagues they perpetuated and endured
Absolutely. And, while there's always atrocities and tragedies around the world, back in "those days" the height of civilization was still brutal and cruel. We, globally, seem to have improved the "bright spots" somewhat as time goes by - even if we still leave the bulk of global human population in poverty and oppression.
My point about the 75 years? There have been shorter flashes in the pan, and much longer ones, we're nothing particularly special - what is special about this era is the power that fossil fuels have endowed modern society with. We've done some good things with those, and a lot of bad too.
So if you notice that we bombed Iran this week, you must find it the most important bombing? I truly don't get how some people's hobby is to shit on the US
Why wouldnt you?
Because the time the world has existed includes times other than this week. And other countries.
Exactly So why wouldnt you? The US is not and has never been a good guy.
*except for when it was in WWI/II among others
Literally a way to get rid of hungry mouths post-Depression, and wars the US didnt even want to be part of until they were attacked. Russia defeated Germany but the US took credit for it.
So... your point is that we are the only country of concern "because we have never been the good guy"?
Strawman. Fail.
I think you misunderstood that guy
My point was NEVER "we are the only country of concern." That was a cheap MAGAt-style straw man argument. That makes him a liar. He's welcome to try again.
except you said "why wouldn't it be" referring to me saying "why would it be". so great job calling me a liar and all, but all that actually happened was you misunderstood then got mad about it
Okay then, to answer your question: because all US policy has been built on slavery and genocide and theocratic authoritarianism for centuries, and has been trying to control the rest of the planet through forced hegemony since 1945 while trying to eliminate all the curbs on aforementioned abuses since 1980 (and arguably 1973, when Biden took office to join in the fascist backlash). Also. The whole world decided that an expansionist Russia and a fascist Germany were a bad thing but the US is desperately trying to reverse this. So yes, the US should be shat upon relentlessly and with extreme prejudice. Re-read Protist's original statement again.
It's just a boring and often irrelevant thing to do. Water is wet also.