African Miners Shot By Chinese Overseers.

[D.Turtle]

As I said, it's not OK, it's not acceptable - but this shit can and does happen. And potentially it can happen anywhere.

This clears it up to a certain extent, as I interpreted what you wrote as more in the direction of: "Nothing new here. Happens all the time. Move along."

The thing is, yes it happens. But it usually is a big fucking deal when it happens (to borrow a phrase). And western countries are usually held to the same standard (or a higher one), so it is not a case of singling out China (or rather Chinese businessmen) while ignoring western countries doing the same. See for example the thread about the protests in Germany against Stuttgart 21 as an example.

Now the current protests in France on the other hand ... But then the French do like protesting. Though a thought just occurs to me - do we have any posters from France on the board? I can't recall any, which seems quite an interesting omission when looking at the various nationalities represented on this board.

[Thanas]

No other country has ever done something this great. But America did it. No other country has done it and no other country will ever do it again. What America has achieved is something never before seen in history.

Actually, I'd argue that Rome achieved this, albeit with the ancient world and with an earlier variant. But that variant did not have the durability of The American Dream; which segues into your point:

The USA got nothing on Rome. When the USA has been a hegomon for over 800 years and has achieved a cultural dominance that people still try to emulate over 1000 years after it has fallen, then we can start talking.

I don't know about those places that are quite old and have lots of histories/traditions/cultures/etc. But when you think about it, the way America has basically ruled the world is, well, the clothes we wear are based on American fashions. The shit we watch on TV are all American shit. The gizmos we buy. The trends and whatevers of society are dictated by America. What's good, what's bad, what's hot and not, what's in and out. The way we talk, the language taught in our schools. Shit, maybe even the way we think.

Rome never did anything nearly like this. We watch America, we wear America, we speak America, we eat America, we think America. Its influence is everywhere. Its influence is everything. Everything is America!

Fun fact - the Romans did this even better than America does. So far, you do not have scores of British people trying to be US citizens, do you?

People who bitch about the cultural dominance of the US really should take a look back and realize the USA dominance is nothing special compared to history. Heck, the Romans, Spanish and British probably were all more influential than the USA in their own time.

[Big Orange]

France, for better or worse, is more prone to systematic riots and strikes; that sort of thing was mostly beaten out of Britain's working class around the 1980s and now the working class are brooding on benefits, with the middle-class being meek and compliant, with real grinding, regime destroying poverty not really existing after the 1940s. Though little more than 18 months ago a dopey bystander got pushed over by a heavy handed police officer during a London protest (dying of his injuries later). Wait until the public spending cuts sink in, the armed forces get alienated, and the UK sinks into a double dip recession.

[Norseman]

People who bitch about the cultural dominance of the US really should take a look back and realize the USA dominance is nothing special compared to history. Heck, the Romans, Spanish and British probably were all more influential than the USA in their own time.

Try the French on for size, now they had some serious cultural hegemony going. Didn't help them much in terms of foreign policy though, as everyone kept ganging up on them. In fact the German upper classes in 1870 and 1914 seem to have been quite fond of French culture.

[Thanas]

People who bitch about the cultural dominance of the US really should take a look back and realize the USA dominance is nothing special compared to history. Heck, the Romans, Spanish and British probably were all more influential than the USA in their own time.

Try the French on for size, now they had some serious cultural hegemony going. Didn't help them much in terms of foreign policy though, as everyone kept ganging up on them. In fact the German upper classes in 1870 and 1914 seem to have been quite fond of French culture.

True, the French also belong in that group of cultural hegemony, though I left them out because they were not actually the hegomon during that time.