Religion and Ethics Forum

General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Rhiannon on November 04, 2017, 08:14:12 AM

Title: When America was great
Post by: Rhiannon on November 04, 2017, 08:14:12 AM
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-41826022

Top piece of writing.
Title: Re: When America was great
Post by: floo on November 04, 2017, 08:24:58 AM
America was great in its own mind, not so much in the minds of other countries I suspect. Obama did a good job as President, imo. However, now that dangerous idiot, Trump, holds the office of president that country is being made to look ridiculous.   
Title: Re: When America was great
Post by: Rhiannon on November 04, 2017, 08:36:15 AM
Obama is personally a charming man who I believe to be basically good. But his presidency allowed Trump’s ascendency. Some of that is unfortunately down to his race, but he left the country more divided than before and with a vacuum that was perfect for Trump to fill.
Title: Re: When America was great
Post by: floo on November 04, 2017, 08:45:57 AM
Obama is personally a charming man who I believe to be basically good. But his presidency allowed Trump’s ascendency. Some of that is unfortunately down to his race, but he left the country more divided than before and with a vacuum that was perfect for Trump to fill.

It doesn't say anything good about America if Obama's skin colour dogged his presidency due to racism, which is still rife in that country.
Title: Re: When America was great
Post by: Walter on November 04, 2017, 09:19:17 AM
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-41826022

Top piece of writing.
that piece of writing is nothing more than a perfect example of prolixity.
I was rolling my eyes after the first paragraph .
Title: Re: When America was great
Post by: Sriram on November 04, 2017, 09:29:17 AM
Obama is personally a charming man who I believe to be basically good. But his presidency allowed Trump’s ascendency. Some of that is unfortunately down to his race, but he left the country more divided than before and with a vacuum that was perfect for Trump to fill.



Actually that is a good point. As long as we have an ideal it seems good. Once it is reached....other opposing tendencies always surface.

(If) a black or a Muslim becomes British PM, you might find the extreme Right suddenly becoming more powerful.
Title: Re: When America was great
Post by: Aruntraveller on November 04, 2017, 09:31:35 AM


Actually that is a good point. As long as we have an ideal it seems good. Once it is reached....other opposing tendencies always surface.

(If) a black or a Muslim becomes British PM, you might find the extreme Right suddenly becoming more powerful.

The pendulum argument in all its simplistic glory. I can now go about my Saturday morning business with a spring in my step and a song in my heart.
Title: Re: When America was great
Post by: Nearly Sane on November 04, 2017, 11:18:45 AM


'America was thus clearly top nation, and History came to a .'
Title: Re: When America was great
Post by: jeremyp on November 04, 2017, 06:36:33 PM
Obama is personally a charming man who I believe to be basically good. But his presidency allowed Trump’s ascendency. Some of that is unfortunately down to his race, but he left the country more divided than before and with a vacuum that was perfect for Trump to fill.
I disagree, I think it was the way that the Republicans tried to deal with his presidency that got us where we are. You can't blame Obama for the colour of his skin but you can blame his opponents for the way they reacted to it.
Title: Re: When America was great
Post by: Rhiannon on November 04, 2017, 10:57:04 PM
I disagree, I think it was the way that the Republicans tried to deal with his presidency that got us where we are. You can't blame Obama for the colour of his skin but you can blame his opponents for the way they reacted to it.

I agree very much with this. However I think that the writer of the article has a point in that it could be argued that Obama looked to shoring up his obvious areas of support rather than reaching out to those that didn’t fit that mould but that were also struggling. It created a vacuum that Trump filled far better than Clinton. Arguably you could see a similarity in the UK with the disaffected working class supporting Brexit.
Title: Re: When America was great
Post by: Harrowby Hall on November 05, 2017, 08:44:48 AM

'America was thus clearly top nation, and History came to a .'

Donald Trump's objective is to make America grate again.
Title: Re: When America was great
Post by: Shaker on November 05, 2017, 08:55:07 AM
Donald Trump's objective is to make America grate again.
It's the only thing he's succeeding at.
Title: Re: When America was great
Post by: floo on November 05, 2017, 09:04:00 AM
It's the only thing he's succeeding at.

Too right!
Title: Re: When America was great
Post by: Rhiannon on November 05, 2017, 12:29:42 PM
It's the only thing he's succeeding at.

He's very successful at gaining support - and keeping it.