As is typical for the US, 1/3 are deeply aware, 1/3 are in full “patriotic” support, and 1/3 are too distracted by the latest TikTok dance to notice.
In a burning house with three people, one is fighting the fire, one is pouring gasoline on everything and one is on the couch watching TV.
Let’s add a 4th person in there, someone who thinks they’re helping by doing nothing but yelling that the fire isn’t allowed to burn things
More like yelling at the one fighting the fire because they’re getting water everywhere
I wish 1/3 of the USA were trying to put the fire out… The majority of this third are just watching in horror how the fire consumes their house
They are really earnestly and as hard as they can trying to put the raging fire out with a cheap children’s water pistol that isn’t working very well.
And Lemmy is disproportionately representative of the 1/3 who are aware.
If you look at the comments on a random public social media post, you’ll find the delusional third or half.
It basically boils down to where they’re getting their information, or rather, whether it’s information or “information”. A large swath of the population is so propagandized by right wing rag “media” that they are functionally incapable of rational thought.
I don’t think that applies here. 1/3 in each group is fair for domestic matters. But, OP is asking about perceptions of the US by people in other countries.
In that case, even the 1/3 that is opposed to what’s happening will contain a lot of people with no idea how the rest of the world sees the US. For example, of the 1/3 of Americans who deeply oppose what’s happening, what fraction do you think actually read Le Monde or Deutsche Welle, or are even aware that they have an English-language service?
And, the 1/3 that is fully supportive of what’s happening will contain a lot of people who think that this is improving how the rest of the world sees the US. Sure, some will be aware and will still be defiant in the face of how the rest of the world is reacting. But, others will be watching Fox News or Newsmax and will hear propaganda that convinces them that the rest of the world admires and respects the US more than ever for taking a decisive stand against the deep state.
So, as with anything involving something happening outside the US, I’d guess more than 50% of Americans have no idea what the rest of the world is thinking.
I see a lot of people starting gardens or looking to getting chickens to be as self sufficient as they can. Many are holding off on large purchases to save in case “something happens”. People around me who were never interested in firearms and in fact were generally opposed to them are starting to arm themselves at a rapid pace.
Good luck with the gardens. I’ve never really been a fan of US gun laws, but now it all seems strangely sensible.
This is the literal, specific scenario 2A was intended to counter. We’ll have to see over the next few years if it works as intended.
I’m not sure thats right. I think the 2A was written in order to enable the US to be able to organize militias to defend itself against foreign invasion as, at the time, the idea of the colonies supporting a standing army was impossible.
The US don’t have a few years it will probably not exist at the end of the years if nothing is done
I bought several fire arms recently and asked the local gun shops in a very generic sense about how sales were. All three claimed traditional winter slow sales and reported no uptick in sales. Also the local pawn shop guy has a ton of guns, there aren’t any ammo shortages, all the paper work is sailed through no delays, the conceal and carry course I was required to take to carry a pistol was no where near full and the instructor said things are slow (but his class did kind of suck it was just the soonest one near me); that’s been my experience the last three months.
I’ve always been interested in firearms, but not interested enough to convince my wife we should own any, well, she’s convinced now! and I never had to say anything, so I agree with your comment.
It largely depends on the location. For example, in the PNW, especially Western Washington and Oregon, people are very aware of that fact. Many around here are arming, protesting, and becoming more and more self sufficient.
For their part, the Washington State government has sued the Trump administration multiple times, and for now, has blocked some of the executive orders in federal court. Of course, that depends on Trump following court orders, which as we know, he’s more than willing to ignore.
Meanwhile in states like Utah (where some of my family lives), they still have their heads in the sand, and don’t seem to be bothered. Not to generalize, because some people there are aware, but they’re outnumbered by the ignorant public there. Many people there who are aware are either trapped due to financial reasons or are actively trying to leave for blue states.
I have seen that some GOP voters are starting to feel the financial burn, but most of them still try to blame it on Biden.
Of course, that depends on Trump following court orders, which as we know, he’s more than willing to ignore.
I think that’s been one of the biggest surprises to this European spectator - that justice can be ignored if you’re powerful enough in America.
We had glimpses of it with the first end-of-term pardons. Then Biden did the same for his son, and Trump released all those who committed treason in his name on his first day of his second term. All those people were fund guilt after due process, but someone can unilaterally say “let them free” and they’re out. I totally understand the lawyer quitting his career when Trump was “pardoned” for his own crimes after being elected. Biggest case of his career, years invested in training and work and he played a blinder - only for it to be turned to nothing.
So we’ve learned that if you’re rich in the US (because rich == powerful there like nowhere else in the world) then you are untouchable by justice. For a country that was literally born from a civil war, that’s a pretty huge failing of its constitution.
The only reason I know this is because I’m only interested in one particular firearm and I want to move to WA, but how are you planning to defend yourself with HB1240 in place?
I get that in peace time, 10 bullets per mag and no assault weapons is a generally good policy. But what happens MAGA decides to try to take WA by force?
In the part I haven’t looked up, does WA have a state militia that is not the national guard?
Not to encourage this as I am not a lawyer, but mags purchased before the bill was enacted are grandfathered in, meaning that you can still own them, you just can’t buy them. So, if you own any already, you’re likely fine as far as I can tell. I know that some people just go to Idaho to buy them and then they bring them back. Definitely illegal, but mags aren’t tracked in any shape or form so they do it.
The semi automatic rifles themselves, as long as they were registered before the bill passed, were also grandfathered in. I’m not sure if out of state purchases count in that or not, though.
I don’t believe there’s any sort of official “militia”, but the SRA is very active in the region and may qualify as one.
Just get something fairly common and a 10rd compliant mag.
Much of hb1240 also only applies to sales and imports, but doesn’t ban ownership, so you can still have an ar-15 for example if you buy before you move.
There’s plenty of higher capacity shit in the rest of the US, if it comes to a point where you need them, they’ll make their way in. Just reach hook up with your local branch of the SRA when you move there.
WA does have a state guard, but it’s like 50 people iirc.
I looked into it. If I buy one before I move, as soon as I bring the rifle into WA, it counts as importing.
What’s the SRA like? I’m not a socialist and am hesitant to be affiliated due to the path the NRA charter
This doesn’t seem to be actually answering the question. The question was about how the US was perceived by other countries, not how Americans perceive their own government.
Are people in the US
Yes, go on…
aware that they are now definitely a rogue state
The question isn’t your awareness of what the government is doing. It’s your awareness of how the US is perceived by the rest of the world. A rogue state is “a nation that is considered very dangerous to other nations”. To answer that question, you have to reference other nations views on the US.
Imagine reading some fiction book, like fantasy or something like that.
You see a state that was created by genocide, which was continued until there was barely anyone left to kill, which state then became world hegemon, took control over nearly entire planet economy and proceeded to find new targets for genocide, ecocide, invasion, looting and murdering every political opponent.
You would think it’s caricaturally evil, worse than Mordor.
And here you ask “they are now definitely a rogue state”? Now?
True. But what I mean above all is that the US is now more unpredictable in terms of foreign policy than ever before.
Yeah. The usa has always been relatively evil… But also fairly predictable .
Also worth noting that pretty much every country ever has been evil, with a few notable exceptions —of which none of the eu are included in
It sure does look more unpredictable, but is it really? They continue basically everything except trying to wrap up Ukraine and fuck up and loot Europe, but marxists were saying this will happen years ago already (and regardless of which government will be at helm), so it is by no means unpredictable. The one thing that changed is the presentation, it is more honest but more erratic, though it is again what anyone could simply predict looking at previous Trump term and process of building his staff in preparation to the last elections.
Fuck off with this fucking shit. I am here because Germany went fucking nuts and bombed my homeland. I never owned fucking slaves. I wasn’t even considered white until a few decades ago. I am so sick of this shit from you people not understanding that so many Americans are here because fascism forced us here too.
I am here because Germany went fucking nuts and bombed my homeland.
No, you’re there because the people already there decided to let your family in.
Them being in a position to let you in js a crucial factor. And the reason their society got to control that is because of what they had done to other people beforehand.
No one is asking you to feel guilt and no one is blaming you. But facts are facts.
You still benefit from white privilege. If it weren’t for your pale skin, you most likely would’ve been deported or murdered before you even tried. Your privilege in USA is still based on your skin tone. Now you’re supporting fascism here with you white victimhood story. Everybody in USA has some sad tale. Fuck off with your bullshit, yt.
Roughly half of the population has absolutely no clue what’s going on. Kids, old people, non-news-readers/viewers, etc.
A third of the population is vaguely aware that some shit is going down based on vibes but can’t identify the problem.
Half the remaining sixth can identify the problem as political but misattribute the cause. Leaving just a 12th of the population actually aware of our situation.
They are unreachable. This is the most heavily propagandized country on the planet and most don’t have the education to understand our political situation. Try and explain why corporate campaign financing is a bad idea and half of us start whinging about freedom of speech.
