this post was submitted on 07 May 2025
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Personally, I’d say it’s long overdue that Europe reduces its reliance on the US. I am curious if it bothers you though, how much time you seem to spend thinking about America when I can assure you, the bulk of the population in the United States gives almost no thought to Europe at all?
There’s a reason the expression “Americans think 100 years is old, Europeans think 100 miles is far.” exists. The US is approximately 9,833,517 sq km, while Europe is approximately 10,180,000 sq km. Americans are too busy worrying about their own country. Why you even care about them at all is baffling. I would think you’d want them to go back to being isolationist.
We care about America out of necessity. America has pushed its tentacles into Europe for the last 90 years. That reliance was carefully crafted by the US.
Some of us have been arguing against reliance on and acceptance of the "American way" all this time, but the idea of a champion of freedom and democracy leading the world was a comforting lie for many (including Americans themselves) and while it lasted it did bring some form of stability.
And just to be clear; Americans may not think about Europe but they barely think about their own country either. I'm not saying European citizens are as informed as they should be but at least 50% of Americans are just so proudly pigignorant of their own history and government that it's hard for an outsider to understand.
Our government has pushed its tentacles. Most US Americans would rather we mind our own business and focus on improving the climate and our health and well being. There are exceptions and some real crappy US Americans. Just like the AfD or the Nationalists in France or Swiss Peoples Party or Finns or various Freedom Parties of Europe. We are not unique over here, but there are many disenfranchised voters (targeted by republican dubious laws) that were not able to exercise their right to vote and that made it seem like we are all ignorant over here. We are not. There are millions of people protesting and organizing. State news and corporate owned news outlets aren’t letting the world know.
That’s probably the only truly accurate part about America in your whole statement.
Prior to the current neo-imperialist period that began in 1945, the US was largely isolationist and non-interventionist.
Many current Americans don’t want to be a “champion of freedom and democracy” as you put it. Have you ever seen what happens if you kick a leg out from under a chair someone’s sitting on? You can’t just take it away all of a sudden.
The decisions and actions made by all parties since WWII have created these co-dependent environments and now it’s becoming apparent why they weren’t such a good idea.
As for thinking about their country, that’s pure speculation on your part as that “at least 50%” you call “proudly pig ignorant” would be about 160 million people.
I’d wager Americans think about their country every single day but they do so from a most impactful to least perspective. They think about it in terms of their local town or city, then state, then country.
Yes it bothers us. Unfortunately it's fucking inescapable because americans on the internet will constantly assume everyone cares about their shitty country, hollywood movies are almost always US-centric, and unfortunately political shifts in a major world power are relevant for all their allies so it's in the news as well.
I wish it wasn't because outside of anything directly affecting us here and having some friends over there I don't give two shits about murica.