to discuss their views on politics and religious views with others?
Obviously, I'm not referring to all Americans, but every time I go anywhere there are Americans who proclaim their love for Trump or Jesus. I'm generally non political nor religious, but still they have this impulse. It's almost to the point they bully their opinions on others.
I have no idea, I'd prefer everyone keep that stuff to themselves.
However, I wonder if this is also common in other places. Do Europeans or Asians bang on and on about their political or spiritual views..? I really don't know.
Australian’s have become very Americanised but in the past we were more private.
In the 1980’s they tried doing a Phil Donohue style show here and not many audience members asked questions!
Americans also seemed to always have lots of guidance counsellors and other support type staff around them. Not something that Australia had, at least back then.
It’s changed now and politics is a common topic and Australians have lost a lot of their carefree nature.
Certain thin things should just remain private.
Too many people feel the need to announce stuff and cause a dust up.
Yeah back in the day politics, religion and money weren’t considered acceptable topics for general discussion. Now it’s standard.
It’s like stores that advertise their political stances. If all I want is a coffee does it matter that the store is LGBTIQ or whatever friendly?
Or do I have to find the politically neutral store?
🙄
shareI live in the most Americanized province in Canada. There are a lot of people who feel the need to tell us who they support, on all sides (we used to have multiple political parties here, but that changed in the last election). I feel that places with a multiple party system tend to be a little less vocal about it, but that could just be my imagination.
I also think that the internet has caused extremism in a lot of places. Studies have shown that when you put like minded people together for discussions they tend to get more extreme as they are in an echo chamber. It's a lot easier to find echo chambers online and never expose yourself to other viewpoints.
I agree that the internet fuels a lot of this kookiness.
My wife and I hardly discuss this stuff at home, we just go to work, stop at the voting location and get done with it. We don't know who voted for who half the time and I certainly don't ask her because I really do not care. The American Democrats AND Republicans are all puppet masters and fibbers.
A viable third party would be very welcome here. But whatever, political stuff is super boring, they all lie and misbehave constantly.
I AGREE WITH ALL OF THAT....WHICH IS WHY I CANNOT STOP DROPPING INTO SAID ECHO CHAMBERS AND KOWALSQUIRTING
share“It's a lot easier to find echo chambers online and never expose yourself to other viewpoints”
This combined with selecting to only watch certain news channels and listening to only one sided radio talk shows can encapsulate a person in just such an echo chamber. I have friends at work who live and breathe one side or the other, and are never exposed to anything else. It’s really sad.
Are you talking about in the real world or the interwebs?
Plus, for Captain America's sidekick, you don't sound American to me.
I'm in New York, USA, and I must say the political and religious stuff sometimes pops up at work or various group settings. It's annoying to be honest. I have opinions but keep them mostly to myself. My wife and I ARE voters and most of the time we have no idea who the other voted for, no kidding. It's just barely discussed in our home. She does her thing and I do mine.
I'm not being nosey and it's not my business but if you live outside of The States does your country go bonkers over religion and politics as well? It seems like two distinctly American battlegrounds and it's all a big crazy mess.
I don't think people in the real world care what anyone thinks.
In Canada we don't go around saying I voted for this or that and when I've been in the US no one volunteered who they voted for.
I think its all a ploy to keep people divided and not focus on the real problem.
Both the real world and internet.
I have had experience in real life where someone -out if the blue- started these conversations. One person became very agitated (put nicely) when I wouldn't engage in a conversation with him about Trump. As for the internet, check the politics board on here.
That board is just for shits and giggles by chatbots to create traffic.
politics is big business in the usa. much less so than in canada. contributions are limited here and we don't have superpacs and all that crazy nonsense. you also have congressional elections every two years which means politicians are constantly fundraising. elections every two years is way too soon. america needs a new constitutional convention, your current one is outdated.
religion- i honestly don't know any religious people and never talk to anyone about it. america is just more religious. i noticed this years ago when driving to florida and seeing all the revival meetings and such. religion like politics is big business in america not so in canada.
I tend to agree.
I usually just watch the network news for scores and weather but have to sit through ten minutes of baloney about political races and what Governor was up to whatever shenanigans this week.
They are ALL up to shenanigans, it's really not news.
I have a pro Trump guy and a pro Biden guy at work and they are not at all shy about sharing their horseshit nearly every day.
If only the work coffee room had a fireman's pole I'd disappear in an instant lol:)
america needs a new constitutional convention, your current one is outdated.
canada did an update in 1982. the usa needs one but it won't happen.
shareYeah. Well, they've made it very difficult for themselves to amend it, let alone give it the overhaul it probably needs.
I've said it before on here: we tend to think of the USA as a young country. I think that's how it thinks of itself too. And that's true in many ways. But in terms of having a continuous constitution (which is one way we define the existence of a nation), it's one of the oldest on Earth. Just about everywhere has a much more modern constitution. They need to get themselves one. But they won't... until they've crashed that one into a wall.
The political party stuff needs to be gotten rid of.
It's foolish, we should be all on the same team, despite a few disagreements.
I don't know, but these days it seems to be somewhat dangerous to discuss politics. You're putting yourself out there to be slapped by the opposing "team." Religion is sometimes the same way. To me, religion is deeply personal.
One thing I'd really like to see is a limit on how long an election campaign can be. In today's world with instant communication, I see no need whatsoever for the next election campaign to start immediately after the prior one. Limit it to 60 days prior to an election. Just think of all the money that could be saved.
I'm also tired of "news" stories that are more speculation than actual news. Don't even get me started on all the ridiculous polls a year or more before an election. They mean nothing.
In Canada an election campaign is only a month or so; two tops.
You're right about mentioning it being dangerous discussing politics. There are those who can't handle a civil conversation - both sides of the equation - and resort to insults and threats. I feel sorry for the discord down in the States.
I do wish I could relocate to Canada. Folks there seem sane when compared many Americans. Sheesh. One of my favorite sayings these days is, "everyone wants their 15 minutes of outrage." 🤦🏻♀️ Civility has left many Americans.
shareAs much as I love my province, Alberta is not a place you would want to relocate to right now. It's like we're trying to be the 51st state.
shareAt 4:10 mark
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoBTsMJ4jNk
top tip - you can set the link to go to the point you want , like this :
https://youtu.be/YoBTsMJ4jNk?t=243
top film too!
because us American's are fucking stupid, is all it is.
it's those damned CHEMTRAILS all air traffic drops on us in the atmosphere at 35,000 feet, scientifically designed to make us all dumber, yet strangely not affecting any of the government or ruling class living here, and never drifting into canada nor mexico. Nor ever mixing with the air and floating into other contries... just us, America, that's all chemicals sprayed into the air at 35,000 feet do is affect americans.