by Farkel 78 Replies latest jw friends
so, Obama is not a believer in "American exceptionalism"? Interesting. I've always felt that supposition is an insult to the rest of the world.
Dallas Cowboys fans believe in "Dallas Cowboy Exceptionalism". They don't CARE if that is an insult to the rest of the NFL.
Great analysis, Liberty.
j_w
And you wonder why people from other countries hate americans?
I don't, because I have travelled through over half of the states, and experienced much kindness. I see the good. But this attitude of superiority sucks. Surely you can grasp that concept?
:P
btw, my big brother by choice, is a Texan.
He is known here as rabbit, and we talk almost every day.
I lurvs mah Texans!
From his own words and actions Prsident Obama is more communalistic than Ayn Rand was.
This is a strange comparison since Ayn Rand was a very outspoken anti-communist.
If we want to get real picky about the dates philosophies started all communalistic belief systems predate Marx by thousands of years.
Now you've contradicted yourself:
Socialism is based upon the writings and ideas of Karl Marx
Call it picky, but facts matter.
And you wonder why people from other countries hate americans?
No, I don't wonder why. I know that perfectly well - it is an expected reaction from others when a country simply is the best.
Another expected reaction is what Americans think of an American president who DOESN'T think America is the best country.
My Cousin dragged me to the movie theater yesterday. She was "curious" about 2016 since she usually is a Democrat and a voting Liberal.
She tries, I suppose, to keep an open mind and see what there is to be seen on the "other side."
Personally, having spent a week in the hospital, I'd rather have sat in a park and watched birds tweet and butterflies flutter by....but....she was paying...
First off, as a lover of film, I must say the film has impressive visual production values, slick editing, careful lighting, professional sound and one of the most effective musical scores of any so-called Documentaries I've seen. (Unless you count Jacques Cousteau.)
The parts about Obama and his father resonated with me emotionally for some strange reason. I only met my dad twice and briefly.
The interview with Obama's half brother was fascinating as well. What an interesting and intelligent man without a scintilla of self-pity or cynicism.
As such films go, this one has a purpose or "through-line" as they say.
It did not convince my Cousin. She thought it "strange".
But, the film haunted me a bit and lingers afterward.
Barack Obama comes from almost another world quite different from the world of blacks and whites domestically to America.
The colonial impact on the under class is distinctly and sharply at odds with people of color here.
Obama's father was Anti-colonial and he intellectually did everything he could to associate himself with redressing that imbalance.
The thrust of this film, 2016, is that Barack Obama, his son, has taken up that cause by associating himself with radical thought and ideology which strips the "haves" of their advantages and wealth and Robin Hood-like, grafts those advantages onto the Third World.
The conclusion we are supposed to draw is that America bestows more promise of opportunity and self-improvement AS IS. Should this shining city on the hill be dismantled and capitalism abandoned, we'd be like any of those other countries with socialist leanings who falter and fade into obscurity.
So, the 2016 conclusion, is meant to engage the audience on that level. Do we really want America LIKE OTHER COUNTRIES or the way it is?
Love it or Hate it, the film is glossy and absorbing.
Thank you Terry - that was very informative.
Rather strange, as I observe it, that Obama's father would associate America as a target for his anti-colonial affectations. Actually, America has never attempted much in the way of colonialism - certainly nothing to compare with Great Britain, Portugal, France, Spain, or the Soviet Union.
Too bad this movie did not come out 4 years ago, titled 2012 instead of 2016.
My contrast of Ayn Rand to Obama is not strange at all. Yes, she was an ardent anticommunist, that was my point. If I state that Carl Sagan was less superstitious than your average JW or that Chris Hitchens and Richard Dawkins are less theistic than the Pope and Oral Roberts I am showcaseing a contrast by suggesting an extreme continuum of ideas and the people who hold them. Ayn Rand is as far removed on the continuum from President Obama as you can get. Most US politicians fall somewhere in between, and the evidence available suggests that President Obama would be farther along on this communalistic continuum than most Republicans, hence the choice available at the elections this November.
I'm not sure how you define a contradiction. Pointing out that the evolution of various philosophies has a long and complex history before being formalized by their famous modern proponents is hardly a contradiction. Modern socialists and communists use the principles formalized by Karl Marx, hence his pictures at parades in the old Soviet Union and Peoples Republic of China. Ayn Rand's image shows up at Tea Party rallies for the same reason even though she didn't invent the original concepts of capitalism or individual rights.
