Sympathy for the average American

[old man emu]

As the 4th July 2026 approaches, I feel sorry for the average American. That will be the day they celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which they hold as being the date of the creation of their nation. Actually, independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain  was gained on 3rd September, 1783 with the signing of the Treaty of Paris, whereby the British monarchy acknowledged the independence of the Thirteen Colonies, leading to the establishment of the United States as an independent and sovereign nation. Be that as it may, sometime in 2026 the American people get to celebrate the creation of their nation.

 

From 1775 to 1781 battles were fought by the residents of the Thirteen Colonies to gain independence from Great Britain. From 1783 those residents and millions of migrants who arrived as free persons or slaves built a nation that by the 20th Century became the most powerful amongst nations, held in awe by all others. That was until the begining of 2025 when a freely elected government set about destroying it through avarice which led to the engaging in all sorts of activities considered to be corrupt and/or authoritarian.  As a result of those activities, the shining light that was American Democracy has been dulled. 

 

I well remember how in 1976 the American people celebrated the 200th anniversary of their Nation's founding. It was a time of great happiness. I am so sad that in 2026, the American people cannot celebrate this further milestone with the same degree of happiness, all due the the actions of a narcissist who never possessed the abilities required of the leader of a Nation. One can only hope that by the 275th anniversary, the American nation has recovered from its present situation.

[Grumpy Old Nasho]

If you asked traditional Americans what they thought, you'd probably get a different response. They would most likely tell you that they must suffer a little pain until the United States has been put back into order again. A lot of damage has been done, not by President Trump, but by previous administrations, and now Trump is righting the ship. He's fixed the southern border. He's preferencing local corporations over foreign parasitical companies. He's keeping Chinese influence in the US in check, and he's not afraid to use the military when needed to keep a lid on the proliferation of nuclear weapons ... and miscreant terrorist organizations

 

He's doing all the things that we should help him do, but can't because we're weaker, and we're governed by altruistic "international" Fabian socialists.

 

 

 

 

Edited 5 hours ago by Grumpy Old Nasho

[old man emu]

11 minutes ago, Grumpy Old Nasho said:

If you asked traditional Americans what they thought,

GON, the rest of your post makes me think that the traditional Americans who might reply to that question seem are zealous MAGA members. I'm sure that if you posed the same question to any other American the response would be quite different.

 

Fabian socialist: 

Fabian socialists believe in achieving socialist goals—such as social justice, economic equality, and universal public services—through gradual, democratic reform rather than revolutionary upheaval. The movement emphases that systemic change is best accomplished through incremental legislative and institutional policies. 

[octave]

7 minutes ago, Grumpy Old Nasho said:

he's not afraid to use the military when needed to keep a lid on the proliferation of nuclear weapons

And how is that looking so far? As I understand it, the memorandum of understanding which lasts for 60 days, does not include handing over nuclear materials.  It does seemingly involve unfreezing billions dollars of assets for the Iranians.

I also understand that the Iranians have not ruled out charging tolls for ships using the Strait of Hormuz.

Then there is regime change. This has not occurred, but several leaders have been killed, and it is believed their replacements are even harder line.

 

The US has squandered its arsenal of weapons such as the Tomahawk Missile, which will take years to replenish. 

 

 https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/us-indefinitely-suspends-tomahawk-japan#:~:text=The United States has indefinitely,day U.S. assault on Iran.

 

"The United States has indefinitely suspended the delivery of Japan’s first 400 RGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles, due to serious shortages of the missiles in the U.S. Navy that have resulted from the 39 day U.S. assault on Iran. "

 

 It would be a great time for China to take Taiwan.

 

But I guess if Americans are feeling down because of increasing healthcare costs, high petrol prices, etc. I am sure they are massively cheered up by the bulldozing of the East Wing to build that big, Beautiful Ballroom to be used by the ultra-rich. MMmmmm you've got to love all that gold leaf.  I bet they they cant wait for the Arch De Trump or to get their first $250 bill with the dear leader's face on.   

I am sure they are so proud of the immense intelligence of the leader.  So smart that he aces tests that are used to detect dementia.  But of course, the doctor administering the test has never seen such a perfect score.

 

[willedoo]

ome, you only need to feel sorry for the approximate half of them that voted Democrat. For the rest that voted Republican, some might have some regrets but the majority are glad to be rid of Democrat government. I've had some personal experience with it as I have friends who are American, and my stepfather's two sons by his first marriage live in the U.S. and are married to Americans. Their views all vary a bit. A mate who was out here last year just before he passed away had been a Republican voter until he lost the right to vote, so he didn't vote in the Trump election. He broadly supported the Republicans and was fairly neutral on Trump. On the other hand, his older brother is a Republican and absolutely hates Trump but will still vote Republican over Democrat.

[facthunter]

America is NOT  Australia. Trump works on dividing the Country. It's a constant state of war. It's now More about the "Monied" ruling the Place than good government of the Place. Trump doesn't give a stuff about other Countries unless HE wants their resources & runs them OR any existing agreements. Competitors are regarded as enemies and a threat. Not A Source of good value. Nev

[rgmwa]

GON, have you been following Trump's performance recently?  The average American, traditional or otherwise, wants him gone because he's making such a mess of everything. He's sinking the ship, not righting it. He was a failure as a businessman and he's proving to be a failure as a president. He's lost his war in Iran and is struggling to get out of it. He's just celebrated 250 years of American democracy by staging a cage fight at the White House. In a way, it seems quite appropriate given the way he's managed to fracture the country. The only thing he's really good at is lying and getting rich through corruption, although to be fair, the average American doesn't  much like the Democrats either.

 

[Jerry_Atrick]

As there is a thread about Chump already, how about we make this about the "average American". 

 

Firstly, what is the "average American"? Or do  we mean the stereotypical middle class American - and even this is hard to define as their preferences and attitudes can vary differently between states. 

 

But how does this correlate to their rise in economic and political power? And concentration of that economic and political power. Don't forget, the US economy was originally built on some of the most oppressive largesse compared to its peers - slavery, suppression of workers rights, etc. Even today, not a rise since 2009 of the minimum wage.. very little leave entitlements, virtually no redundancy rights, etc. at least compared to its peers. 

 

And let's not forget, the leader in a democracy, of which it still was in 2025 when Chump was elected, is the result of a majority of votes or seats or states or whatever, in accordance with the electoral laws and systems. In this case, in 2025, Chump was able to attract the popular majority of voters as well as states. 

 

Yep, I feel sorry for the Democrat voters, and for America not having what it considered a better option. But ultimately, they knew what he was going to do, knew he would do it and some cited that is why they voted for him.  

 

As a result, I don't feel so sorry for the Americans.. they made theiur bed (if not all of them - but that is how it works). In fact, I could argue the current administration doesn't break with their historical past, particularly with respect to avarice. 

 

I do feel sorry for the rest of the world (or at least the US allies) that bought into the US, had no say, and now have to deal with the fallout. 

 

 

Edited 3 hours ago by Jerry_Atrick

[octave]

I guess we might get a feel for how the average American (voter) feels in November.

[willedoo]

1 hour ago, octave said:

I guess we might get a feel for how the average American (voter) feels in November.

octave, I'm not sure what average means when applied to voting. I'm not good at mathematics, so hopefully someone can explain it to me. Most elections, even what they term landslide elections, have very little in vote percentage between the winners and losers. If the Democrats have a 52% vs 48% win, does that mean that 52% are average voters and 48% are not average voters.

[facthunter]

IF it's close, it's by a thin Margin so a Winner takes All is Opportunism. THAT is AMERICA. No One ever notices who comes second there no Matter how meritorious the Performance may have been. You wouldn't allow your daughter to marry someone who doesn't vote the way your Family does.. We are STARTING to go that way here. Money and Power calls the shots.. He who pays the Fiddler CALLS the Tune. That's NOT Democracy. Demos = The People..   Equal Voting with ONE value, unhindered,fair and secret. Nev

[willedoo]

 I'm not joking, just asking a serious question. What is average if voting can flip either way on small margins? Does a 52/48 win represent what the average voter thinks, or would a figure of 70/30 better represent what the average voter thinks.

[octave]

 

 

9 minutes ago, willedoo said:

octave, I'm not sure what average means when applied to voting. I'm not good at mathematics, so hopefully someone can explain it to me. Most elections, even what they term landslide elections, have very little in vote percentage between the winners and losers. If the Democrats have a 52% vs 48% win, does that mean that 52% are average voters and 48% are not average voters.

To clarify, the word average was quoted in the thread title "Sympathy for the AVERAGE American."   This is why I included the word average, not as a mathematical statement.

  Some have suggested that Americans (average or otherwise) are not worried about Trump, so my point is that come the midterms, we will know what they do think or at least what those who vote think.

[nomadpete]

I laughed at the suggestion that an average can be decided my a simple 52%.

 

Totally agree the pass mark for legislation should be higher than 51%. Wouldn't work for the initial election but it would encourage realistic debate instead of party bullying.

 

Anyway, back to sympathy. Is it morally acceptable to only have sympathy for some Americans, based on their (unknown) voting?

[facthunter]

Who said you were Joking?  If you read what I said I was agreeing with you totally. Nev

[old man emu]

3 hours ago, willedoo said:

ome, you only need to feel sorry for the approximate half of them that voted Democrat.

No. I feel sorry for all Americans whose ability to celebrate an milestone in their country's history has been diminished by the effects of Trump's policies. I reckon that the ability for celebration belongs to every one of them.