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Funk Bush!!!!! or Rant of an Exhausted American
Dubya has yet again ruined my fucking day, and this time it had nothing to do with the news. I can't wait until he is gone, gone, gone. BTW...start campaigning against Jeb Bush now. *shiver*
I have a question to ask, though. Why is it that some people assume that, just because I am American that I have something to do with George W. Bush's behavior, or that I am somehow responsible for the Iraq war?
I didn't vote for him. I protested him during both elections...repeatedly. I organized anti-Bush campaigns. I wrote letters to the newspaper, to my U.S. Representatives in support of impeachment. I affixed "No W" stickers any and everywhere within reach. I marched in protest of the war in Iraq. I mean honestly, I did what I could.
Yet again, though, I have come face to face with abuse during travel. I am really, extremely tired of having to fend off these belligerent jerks who want to blame me for everything that has occurred in Iraq, and in the economy, and foreign policy, and insulting Canada during 9/11, and everything else that I am powerless to change. Why do these people assume that I call the shots given only the simple fact that I speak with an American accent?
With all of this criticism, I honestly want to know what people expect the 50% of Americans who DID NOT vote for Bush, or DO NOT support the war in Iraq to do about him? He will be gone soon enough, but the question stands. What could we have done differently?
I have a question to ask, though. Why is it that some people assume that, just because I am American that I have something to do with George W. Bush's behavior, or that I am somehow responsible for the Iraq war?
I didn't vote for him. I protested him during both elections...repeatedly. I organized anti-Bush campaigns. I wrote letters to the newspaper, to my U.S. Representatives in support of impeachment. I affixed "No W" stickers any and everywhere within reach. I marched in protest of the war in Iraq. I mean honestly, I did what I could.
Yet again, though, I have come face to face with abuse during travel. I am really, extremely tired of having to fend off these belligerent jerks who want to blame me for everything that has occurred in Iraq, and in the economy, and foreign policy, and insulting Canada during 9/11, and everything else that I am powerless to change. Why do these people assume that I call the shots given only the simple fact that I speak with an American accent?
With all of this criticism, I honestly want to know what people expect the 50% of Americans who DID NOT vote for Bush, or DO NOT support the war in Iraq to do about him? He will be gone soon enough, but the question stands. What could we have done differently?
Tags: Anti-Americanism, Bush, Foreign, Iraq, Policy
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Tedster on -
Unfortunately, Americans are aflicted by this, only to other foreigners. This is why I simply think that anything that promotes nationalism, including patriotism is a very negative way of selling a cause.
The experience that you had should remind us that people, or at least people somewhere left side of the isle, from other countries can be as bad as we are.
By the way, it was more than 50% of the people that didn't vote for GW Bush, it was more like 85%. Keep in mind that only 40 million people voted for Bush in the '04 Election.
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Permalink Reply by Skylar on -
By the way, it was more than 50% of the people that didn't vote for GW Bush, it was more like 85%. Keep in mind that only 40 million people voted for Bush in the '04 Election.
That's an excellent point. :)
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Permalink Reply by Lorry Fach-Pedersen on -
I haven't had that experience at all, otherwise I'd probably have asked them exactly that.
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Permalink Reply by Skylar on
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You're lucky. It is always some person sitting in a hotel lounge or on plane or a train, etc. (drunk?) I don't ask, because I don't want to talk to random angry people.
That's why I asked here instead. :)
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Permalink Reply by Kevin on -
It's because people are presumptuous idiots. American does not equal Bush supporter. He is indeed a horrible president and an idiot, but that doesn't mean we all voted for him. In fact, the majority didn't, and this is why the electoral college needs to be removed.
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Permalink Reply by Skylar on
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I agree with you. It's time for the electoral college to go away.
The US at one time did NOT have an electoral college, and as a result the majority of the country was cut off from information about the candidates. It's a totally different world now though. There is more access to information, certainly.
It seems that states like California and Texas would have an even larger advantage without the electoral college. That would be particularly in cases where say, the governor of Texas or California decided to run for president.
Still, geographical location is not an issue so much now.
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Permalink Reply by Bob of QF on -
There could be a compromise, if people recognized that the college was (ought to be) basically symbolic.
If they permitted each of the votes in the college to be fractionalized, and required that a correct proportion of the state's vote went to the votes turned in, we could keep the formality of the college, and have a true popular vote as well.
Pundits of this, decry that low-population states loose some of their voice under this system.
My reply is "so?"
A man or woman voting in Montana has much, much more weight than a man or woman voting in New York or Ohio-- for there are fewer Montanians representing each electrial vote than in New York or Ohio.
It somewhat degrades the idea of "one person, one vote" doesn't it?
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Permalink Reply by IsThatLatin on -
I've had a few, we'll say 'enthusiastic' debates during my travels. At the end of them I was always able to explain that, hey, I didn't do it. In fact, I've been appalled by the whole thing from the get-go and have done what I can. This isn't always easy when there's drinking involved, but by and large, in the end, they've gotten it.
What I have found interesting in my travels is that most folks seem truly surprised (enough to mention it) at meeting an American that's not crapping-her-pants-Patriotic. I've been told a number of times that I've been 'refreshing' compared to other Americans they've met. That's all nice and makes me happy that I'm not being perceived as an a$$hole, but on the other hand, what the hell are my fellow Americans doing abroad to make people react this way?? Yeesh!
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