Thread: President of the US of A

Originally Posted by Utopian

Yes, this is a perfect example of nitpicking. If you don't like what Obama has done or said, then declare something substantive. There is plenty from which to choose. Go ahead and pick one, but please don't stoop to such a low level of pulling phrases out of context in order to build your case. That "you didn't build that..." phrase is a perfect example of lame nitpicking to take advantage of a simple mistake in a single sentence. It was painfully obvious in the CONTEXT of the entire statement that he meant to say "you didn't build that alone." You can ascertain that by the CONTEXT, which again, is here...

If you’ve got a business — you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen. The Internet didn’t get invented on its own. Government research created the Internet so that all the companies could make money off the Internet.

The point is, is that when we succeed, we succeed because of our individual initiative, but also because we do things together. There are some things, just like fighting fires, we don’t do on our own. I mean, imagine if everybody had their own fire service. That would be a hard way to organize fighting fires.

So we say to ourselves, ever since the founding of this country, you know what, there are some things we do better together. That’s how we funded the GI Bill. That’s how we created the middle class. That’s how we built the Golden Gate Bridge or the Hoover Dam. That’s how we invented the Internet. That’s how we sent a man to the moon. We rise or fall together as one nation and as one people,

No, that was NOT an "argument against the ownership of private property."


He was making a painfully simple point that we are at least supposed to all be in this together. We ALL benefit from highways, utilities, scientific research, defense, police, firefighters, the internet, regulated banking, social safety nets, and on and on. No one built their business without benefiting from any of the support provided by the rest of society and its government and that was ALL that he meant by those couple of paragraphs.

Bush made a ridiculous number of malaprops. "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." This was one of many many stupid mistakes the man made while speaking, but again, in the context of the speech, we all knew what he meant. No one attacked him for it. It was just another of many stupid mistakes and no one ran with it and said Bush is trying destroy the country and using that phrase out of context to support their claim. That would be absurd.

I read the speech before I posted. Give me some credit...

It's painfully simple to me that the message is, "You didn't build that alone, therefore you don't own it alone, therefore pay up 'cause we all own it together brother- koom-bay-ya" His words sound all warm an fuzzy cause that's how demogogues work. I'm not buying it.

There is my substantive comment as I think it addresses the entire substance of Obama's speech. BTW, your long diatribe above does seem a bit "nitpicky." Just a bit.

and, who is John Galt?

Originally Posted by gugi

Such a load.

No need to be nasty.

Originally Posted by honedright

No need to be nasty.

I see, disparaging ideas (that only some special Americans are capable of comprehending the concept of ingrained human rights) is called out as 'nasty' but disparaging people (for disagreeing with your point of view) gets approval.

What a way to win supporters!

Originally Posted by gugi

I see, disparaging ideas (that only some special Americans are capable of comprehending the concept of ingrained human rights) is called out as 'nasty' but disparaging people (for disagreeing with your point of view) gets approval.

What a way to win supporters!

I was refering to your comment "Such a load."

What a way to misrepresent the issue, well done.

Originally Posted by honedright

I was refering to your comment "Such a load."

Me too.

Well just to comment on free speech, I suggest that the cultural phenomenon of Political Correct speech has gained control of the population limiting thoughts to be expressed by persons through fear of being labeled or shunned as discriminatory or racist etc. I say George Orwell got it right we now engage in New Speak. I believe many folk feel this pressure to walk on egg shells when it comes to what they might say or converse in their daily lives. It doesnt feel right for many that might notice the difference from days gone bye. I think just a little bit that Trump tapped into this sentiment of "why cant I say that and who the he'll are you people anyway."

I'm all for calling spade a spade and, to use the same example, racist things ought to be labeled racist if we want intellectual honesty. Dog whistling them doesn't make them less so.

There is no shortage of 'political correctness' or more broadly ideological intolerance and dogmatic tribalism across the political spectrum, Donald Trump including. In certain ways he is the expression of the exact same thing in an uglier form.

Forming a mob doesn't show strength or result in any real change, holding a mirror does.

Define PC


UK police apologise for Muslim phrase 'Allahu akbar' used in terrorism training exercise - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Another thing that makes America great! Ideological tollerance. Very good. Goes right along with freedom of speech and religion. In America you can have whatever ideology you want, you can express that ideology, you can practice your ideology. As long as your ideology doesn't include breaking American law, it's all good.

Originally Posted by gugi

Forming a mob doesn't show strength or result in any real change, holding a mirror does.

That entirely depends on the size of the Mob. A Mob large enough may be considered a country.