• cygnus@lemmy.ca
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      5 days ago

      He really does think the EU is a country. I’m not sure my opinion of Americans will ever recover from them having voted in this absolute moron.

      • PugJesus@lemmy.world
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        5 days ago

        America was killed, by Americans, in a democratic election. And so many are still fondling the corpse, writhing with carrion bugs, and pretending it’s still alive.

      • D_C@lemm.ee
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        5 days ago

        Twice. They did it twice.

        You can almost (but not quite) forgive the first time. You could -maybe- write it off as an experiment, or that they were giving the ‘real politicians’ a scare to get them back in line. However that’s a lot of ‘almost’ and ‘maybe’.

        But the second time, that’s fucking unforgivable.

        • Soggy@lemmy.world
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          4 days ago

          I didn’t vote for him, but I expected his first term to be appoiting halfway competent people to run everything so he could fuck around and take the credit. I doubt I was alone.

              • merc@sh.itjust.works
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                3 days ago

                He is incredibly lazy, but he’s also incredibly vain and thin-skinned. Halfway competent people don’t suck up to him enough, so he was never going to be interested in appointing them. It was always obvious he was going to prefer incompetent but fawning.

      • LupusBlackfur@lemmy.world
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        5 days ago

        Oh…

        I can guaran-fucking-tee you my opinion of so-called “Americans” will never recover…

        I’m more concerned if the country is ever able to recover.

        FUCK!! IT’S ONLY BEEN A COUPLE MONTHS!!

        Much worse is yet to be realized.

        And, yes, I’m a suitably embarrassed US’ian.

        🙄 🤦‍♀️

        • Anarch157a@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          4 days ago

          As a resident of a Continental Country that is not the US, we’ve pretty much always seen Europe as a single, monolithic thing. It’s hard for us to grasp how something like France, which is just slightly bigger than Minas Gerais, 4th largest state of Brazil, is a completely separate thing from the rest.

          • merc@sh.itjust.works
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            3 days ago

            Honestly, that just seems like ignorance. It’s like you don’t know that France likes wine and Germany drinks beer. Or that the two were on opposite sides of two world wars.

            • Anarch157a@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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              3 days ago

              It’s like you don’t know that Rio Grande do Sul and São Paulo were on opposite sides of the Farrapos war or Rio Grande do Sul likes wine and São Paulo drinks more beer.

              Regional cultural differences and history don’t come into question when it comes to how one country perceives others in the side of the world, so please, refrain from those simplistic ad-hominem arguments.

              • merc@sh.itjust.works
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                3 days ago

                the Farrapos war

                Ah yes, the famous Ragamuffin War in which 3000 people were killed. Seems similar to World War I, in which over 15 million people died, or World War II in which over 70 million people died. In one case Brazil put down a rebellion in their territory. In the other case, nearly the entire world was at war across multiple continents. Yep, sounds pretty similar to me.

                Rio Grande do Sul likes wine and São Paulo drinks more beer.

                Do you mean that Rio Grande do Sul drinks slightly more wine but still prefers beer?

                Please stop pretending that slight regional differences in Brazil compare to centuries of conflict between two of the historical superpowers of Europe.

        • WideEyedStupid@lemmy.world
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          5 days ago

          I was going to say this. Trump thinks the EU already is what I wish it will become.

          Maybe his efforts will push us further into that direction though?

          • samus12345@lemm.ee
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            4 days ago

            One of the good things to come from this is an end to the hegemony of the US. Now I have to hope the rest of the world will choose to be better as a result of it.

              • samus12345@lemm.ee
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                3 days ago

                While I’m sure it will at least partially fill the vacuum left by the US, it won’t have the “soft power” the US did over the entire Western world.

                • Kanda@reddthat.com
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                  3 days ago

                  If the US keeps trying this trade war trick, and they’ll end up realising that China is where stuff is made.

                  I’m Norwegian and they seem to have a bunch of soft power here by saying “if you do that, we won’t buy your salmon anymore.” Time’ll show, I guess.

            • WideEyedStupid@lemmy.world
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              4 days ago

              Hmm, I would hope, but I doubt US power and influence will disappear that easily. It’ll probably just be more negative.

      • Resonosity@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        4 days ago

        ~32% of Americans voted for Trump. ~31% for Kamala, and the remaining ~37% voted third party or not at all.

        Republicans are taking these actions, not Americans. And Democrats should have captured more of the 67% instead of going after the ~32%.

        That being said, Americans are dumbbbb

        Edit: 37% didn’t vote, not 67%. Thanks Lemming

        • merc@sh.itjust.works
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          3 days ago

          Oh, fuck that. Stop making excuses.

          Yes, the US electoral system is all kinds of fucked up, but Trump won, and the Republicans won a majority in the house and the senate. And since then, even though he’s dismantling the federal government the level of protesting in the US is minimal.

          Look at the protests in Serbia or in Turkey, or even in Israel. The protests in the US aren’t happening because enough Americans either support Trump or are OK with what he’s doing. This isn’t some merely Republican thing. This is Germany in the 1930s, one group driving the process and the vast majority either supporting or just going along.

          • Resonosity@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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            3 days ago

            The protests in Turkey are something I wish Americans would demonstrate. I agree.

            I think the reality is that Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, they’re highly individualistic after decades of materialistic conditioning, and younger generations are captured by social media instead of voicing their woes in the streets.

            But there is an appetite for action. Look at Bernie’s rallies. People want change, and polls reflect how people have little to no faith in the Democrats.

            There needs to be an organizing principle if any political action should be effective. I’m finding the group 50501 to be that, and I try to share their plans on social media and with my friends & family. The next protest I plan on going to is on April 5th.

            But you’re right. Americans are distracted with their toys and treats. Make no mistake though. If Trump’s decisions continue to tank the economy, and toys and treats become too expensive, even for the middle and lower class, I believe there will be more action.

      • daddy32@lemmy.world
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        4 days ago

        Well, I as (a well educated) European was quite surprised by the fact USA is a state… So… We’re even?

        • bobs_monkey@lemm.ee
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          5 days ago

          It’s an economic zone made up of smaller countries, and functionality structured in a completely different way the US is regarding the fed vs the states. That fact the US president is referring to a continent as a country is unbelievably embarrassing.

    • 4am@lemm.ee
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      5 days ago

      What the fuck do tariffs do other than make shit more expensive for US residents?

      • Encrypt-Keeper@lemmy.world
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        4 days ago

        America is the largest consumer state on planet earth. A huge amount of foreign economies rely heavily on export to the United States and tariffs can do a LOT of damage. Trump knows these tariffs are a huge bargaining chip, but it’s the type of chip you can only use to this degree once. And he’s cashing it in for… his own political clout. The natural response to this that we’re already seeing the beginning of, is countries restructuring their industry to be less reliant on the U.S. which will ultimately do far more damage to the U.S. than the U.S. can do to other countries. And once they’ve all done that, there won’t be a good reason to ramp that trade up again.

        As an American this is going to suck a lot for us, but right now everything Trump is doing sucks for us. The shame of it is that no matter how bad it gets, I can’t realistically be mad at Canada, Mexico, or all of Europe over it. What other option have they been given?

        • samus12345@lemm.ee
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          4 days ago

          I can’t realistically be mad at Canada, Mexico, or all of Europe over it.

          If anything, they haven’t condemned our fascist government enough. I think they’re still largely in shock. Hopefully they’ll get in the groove of the new world order without the US sooner rather than later.

          • cygnus@lemmy.ca
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            4 days ago

            If anything, they haven’t condemned our fascist government enough. I think they’re still largely in shock.

            There’s no sense in pointless bluster. Much is happening behind the scenes.

      • P00ptart@lemmy.world
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        5 days ago

        He thinks our economy is strong enough to stand on its own and that’s absolutely ridiculous.

      • masinko@lemmy.world
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        4 days ago

        From the same supporters who will shoot themselves in the foot to own the libs, this is at a much larger level.

        Also, a classic facist move. Get everyone to turn on you, then propagate “the world is out to get us”, and once you instill that mentality on the people, it’s easier for people to believe we’re the victims, and we’re fighting for our liberation.

      • merc@sh.itjust.works
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        3 days ago

        Theoretically, they encourage Americans to buy American-made alternatives to tariffed goods. In some case that will work, but the tariffs need to be targeted for that to happen. For example, putting a tariff on fishing rods might make people buy locally-made fishing rods rather than imported ones (this is an example of a retaliatory tariff Canada placed on the US btw).

        This doesn’t work when the tariffs are on things that aren’t made locally. If you put a tariff on things that aren’t made locally you just make things more expensive. If the government is sane and stable, businesses might invest in a factory to produce something that isn’t made locally to take advantage of the tariffs, but that kind of thing takes time. And if you think the government might change its tariff plans before you can finish your factory, it’s not worth the investment.

    • ceenote@lemmy.world
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      5 days ago

      “Don’t make me hit you harder.”

      Abusive relationships are the only kind Trump knows how to have.

      • orbitz@lemmy.ca
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        5 days ago

        He’s a socially stunted bully (wait is that repeating myself?, not sure up to a certain age anyways) so yes, I think one of most satisfying wishes to make these days would be to give Trump self awareness and empathy.

        Quick edit, like in the 90s Bedazzled movie with Hurley and Fraser where he asks to be sensitive.

        • samus12345@lemm.ee
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          4 days ago

          one of most satisfying wishes to make these days would be to give Trump self awareness and empathy.

          I see that playing out like in the comic when the Joker was temporarily made sane. He was hysterical about the monstrous things he’d done and begged to be killed. Trump’s entire being is malice and cruelty. Without it, he would no longer exist.

    • chonglibloodsport@lemmy.world
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      5 days ago

      With friends like these…

      Like seriously, you can’t make this stuff up, folks! The schoolyard bully who beats you up after class and continues to insist that he’s your best friend! Not only that, he tells all the teachers that actually he’s the victim and you’re the bully!

      How many of you out there knew someone like that? Made you count down the days until you were outta there for good so you’d never have to see his face again! I wish we (Canadians) could get the hell out of this toxic high school we’ve suddenly found ourselves in…

    • Snowstorm@lemmy.ca
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      5 days ago

      He is showing us what he is afraid of. Canada is risking 30% gdp in a trade war but how much of this 30% can be gained back with increased trade? For example selling aluminum to European.