GP's Version of United State's History

MrFun · May 8, 2002, 11:55

We never attacked any Amerindian tribes. However, they always attacked us on the offensive --- never in the defensive.

We suppressed rebellions in Phillipines and Cuba in early 20th century because our "little brown brothers" were not capable of ruling themselves.

United States had to force innocent American civilians into relocation camps during World War II, not because of racism, but because it was a necessary security measure.

We never used concentration camps in the Vietnam War --- they were called "village camps" or "relocation camps."

Overall, the United States never did anything destructive, it never did anything wrong, and it never harbored a racist society.

GP's history of the United States --- is um, well --- let's just put it in nicer terms --- "interesting."

SlowwHand · May 8, 2002, 12:04

By comparison to most of the Real World, the U.S. has been pretty damned decent.

Sorry dude.

MikeH · May 8, 2002, 12:05

It's been about the same. Done some good stuff, some bad stuff. The whole slave thing was pretty bad.

Not as bad as England though!

atawa · May 8, 2002, 12:06

All depending on who you call the real world Sloww

SlowwHand · May 8, 2002, 12:09

Leave.

MrFun · May 8, 2002, 12:11

Quote:

Originally posted by SlowwHand
By comparison to most of the Real World, the U.S. has been pretty damned decent.

Sorry dude.

ethnic genocide against Amerindians

slavery based on racism

forced relocation of innocent citizens because of their race during World War II

imposition of American imperialism on Phillipines, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Hawaii

economic colonialism and exploitation of Latin American nations

quasi-legal lynching of blacks until the 1940's

segregation, Jim Crow laws, and racial disfranchisement

violating the treaty that ended Mexican War, in which United States broke its promise to give Mexicans in SW conquered territories their promised citizenship rights

I'm sorry, Slowwhand, what do you mean by your statement??

SlowwHand · May 8, 2002, 12:13

The slave thing was bad, and practiced by the vast FEW.

As far as the Real World, I mean to say the one that doesn't just exist in the ideals of the mind.

What do they do to different people in Africa?
South America?
Mideast?
The, uh, Real World.

chequita guevara · May 8, 2002, 12:13

Leaving, Slowhand, is the cowards way out. Staying and fighting to make America a better place is what a real man (or woman) does.

SlowwHand · May 8, 2002, 12:14

What do I mean by "Leave" ?
Sheeit. No wonder there's a communication breakdown around here all the time.

(Saved your ass with the parenthesis, didn't you Che?

)

loinburger · May 8, 2002, 12:14

I thought you said that you never trolled, MrFun.

atawa · May 8, 2002, 12:17

I agree in most parts of the world the gouverments kick the **** out of their own people BUT:

How many of those regimes received and still receive american military and economical aid?

MrFun · May 8, 2002, 12:18

Quote:

Originally posted by loinburger
I thought you said that you never trolled, MrFun.

Oh, I get into a troll spurt every now and then --- it's not a routine habit like most Apolytoners.

Ok, so in this instance, I lied.

Rex Little · May 8, 2002, 12:23

Where, exactly, did GP say any of the stuff you've attributed to him?

MrFun · May 8, 2002, 12:26

Quote:

Originally posted by Rex Little
Where, exactly, did GP say any of the stuff you've attributed to him?

When people make trolls, they are usually permitted to use straw man arguments.

Anyway, we will wait and see what GP really thinks.

Adam Smith · May 8, 2002, 12:30

Quote:

Originally posted by MrFun

When people make trolls, they are usually permitted to use straw man arguments.

Anyway, we will wait and see what GP really thinks.

Pretty poor form, Mr. Fun

rah · May 8, 2002, 12:30

Yeah, this would have worked much better if you had used REAL QUOTES. As it is, I bet you end up looking more foolish than him.

RAH
1/10

Guynemer · May 8, 2002, 12:36

I wouldn't bet against you, rah. By the way--love the avatar.

MrFun, I may not agree with 95% of what GP says, but he wouldn't make the comments that you've attributed to him. Wiglaf, maybe. Not GP.

Az · May 8, 2002, 12:39

23 /10

gave him some points over the 'rare appearance' and the 'personal attack' clauses

he will learn.

Drake Tungsten · May 8, 2002, 12:43

Do we really need to have people calling others out in the OT? Let's try to keep things from getting personal like this...

Boris Godunov · May 8, 2002, 12:52

Isn't starting a forum just to draw someone into a fight a faux-pas? Seems terribly impolite!

First, Americans do tend to idolize their history too much. We like to make a lot of half-truths and myths about how wonderful everything has been and always will be. We even take the parts we know are awful and gloss over them with excuses (Sloww, as I proved statistically waaaay back in the thread about the South and slavery, it was NOT merely "a few" who owned slaves, it was a great many.)

BUT, I do not think America's problems and, in some cases, crimes are worthy of distinction over any other major superpower that has ever existed. And we certainly do a lot of things better today than the Brits were doing in India or the Dutch in Africa.

Trivia Question:

Which European Colony imported the largest number of slaves to the New World between 1500 and 1870? And which one had the smallest slave imports? Answer may be surprising.

Arrian · May 8, 2002, 13:05

I would bet the "smallest slave imports" was the good 'ole USA, because our predecessors figured out it was easier to breed them here than import them.

As for the most... hmm... probably one of the Spanish possessions.

Un-Fun troll, by the way.

-Arrian

Drake Tungsten · May 8, 2002, 13:16

Brazil had the most slave imports, IIRC.

TCO · May 8, 2002, 13:16

Fun,

This is a great country. You see the flaws in the diamond and miss the sparkle.

You still need to take some historiography...(this is not just an ad hominem)

Thanks for watching my back, Rah, Rex, Boris, Guy, AS, etc. I don't think funboy means anything nasty. He's just playing around...

TCO · May 8, 2002, 13:18

BTW, since my "GP's spiderman thread" thread has dissapeared (suspiciously...I might add), it's only right that I have a history thread at least.

Lefty Scaevola · May 8, 2002, 13:19

Quote:

Originally posted by MikeH
The whole slave thing was pretty bad.
Not as bad as England though!

Slavery and Indian Policy were begun in the future USA under English rule and law.

atawa · May 8, 2002, 13:23

Quote:

Originally posted by Boris Godunov
And we certainly do a lot of things better today than the Brits were doing in India or the Dutch in Africa.

Please enlight me, what exactly did we do in africa?

Drake Tungsten · May 8, 2002, 13:25

I think he meant the Belgians. They were a bunch of right bastards.

Arrian · May 8, 2002, 13:25

Boris, did you mean Belgium (Congo), or something else?

-Arrian

atawa · May 8, 2002, 13:28

Thought so, we only build some settlements in South Africa untill the English kicked us out (as usual)

SuperSneak · May 8, 2002, 13:37

I think the one thing this thread proves is that while most of us slept through history class, Mr. Fun created a rich fantasy history to dwell in.
Sorry...the world just isn't that black and white, normally...birth pains of a great nation and all that.