Thread: Voting McCain?

Originally Posted by Oneironaut

Like I said: I know you're smarter than that, UM. I've debated with you far too many times to let you slide on this, because I know that, under a different context, you would be (and have been) much more understanding. Maybe it's the personal nature of the subject or something, but you've certainly regressed on this one.

You have been in far too many discussions in ED where members (including myself) have used the term "We" when referring to American Foreign Policy, even when We (the debaters) disagree with said issue. It happens far too often for me to just sit here and believe that you're being completely unbiased when, before, you have never batted an eye at it. Yet, here, where the semantics are the hinge of the entire argument, you are displaying selective amnesia.

You have never seen me say "we" when it comes to things I am highly against. I always distance myself when it comes to things like stealing land from Inidians, slavery, the Tuskegee experiment, and manifest destiny. I avoid use of that word intentionally to illustrate that not all Americans are responsible for it. I do way "we" when it comes to the good things our country has done because it is stuff I support.

You are putting way too much into this small part of the big subject. I don't have a problem with Wright for saying "we". I just used that fact to help illustrate that he does blame America on the whole (which is now 300,000 people) and not just in part for 9/11 due to the Japan bombings and other stuff that had nothing to do with 9/11. Do you see my point on that?

Originally Posted by Oneironaut

In essence, you are calling me anti-American, because I have used the labels "We" and "The U.S." (analogous to "America") in my "The U.S. Does Not Torture" thread, and countless others. Are you saying that since my stance in that one thread (for example) was that the U.S. does torture, that I am giving myself responsibility for the same government "interrogation" that I was speaking out against?

No, I have not called you anti-American, I have not hinted that you are anti-American, I have not said anything you could deduce to conclude that I think you are anti-American, and I have never thought of you as anti-American. I was using the word "we" to help help show that Wright hates the United States, not because of use of the word "we" alone. It is his connection between two entirely groups of Americans involved in two very unconnected acts of war and his other comments that form the big picture I am talking about. Most Americans say "we" when talking about anything involving the government or people in the context of being American. I am an exception. I am talking about a big picture, not just one piece of it. It is what Wright said beyond "we" that has me saying this stuff.

Wright basically said America did this, so America got that completely unconnected (through anything other than some weird superstitious nonsense) punishment. When you think about that and his, "God damn America!" comment, you get a picture of how much that guy likes his country.

God damn the South! God damn the South because we have spoken out against necessary interrogation methods and that is why we saw so many of our people murdered in gang turf wars last year! (I'm just kidding. I don't really hate the South.)

P.S.- Thanks for the compliments.