Joat42 wrote:cthia wrote:Joat, create a topic in the Politics forum, take this post with you, and I'll drop in. I admit that I don't really wish to discuss American politics with disconnected non Americans. It's why I bowed out of the discussion on guns there. I have my hands full with the idiots in my own country to deal with foreigners on most subjects. But I'll keep my promise and at least make an appearance or three.
Agreed, this discussion belongs in the Politics forum.
But as I said earlier in this thread, sometimes real world politics parallels fictional politics - and in those instances I guess it's okay to compare the two as long as we don't stray into pure real world politics debates.
On a closely related topic, it's quite easy to be myopic concerning your own countries politics. Just look at how the mandarins where able to manipulate the Solarian public and how many people looking in from the outside saw the lies and transgressions for what they where.
We all have blank spots on internal politics because often we lack the overall picture an external viewpoint can give.
You have a point Joat. Some very good insight can come from a neutral source, an outsider. What was it that Honor said to Tremaine? "Out of the mouth of babes." If it is any consolation, there are already many outsiders who are living right here in the country enjoying dual citizenship, who can vote! I have three very close foreign friends who have dual citizenship, and who are very bright. Two of them refuse to participate in American politics. Both are women who feel that they don't have the moral right to influence a political system in which they personally feel they are lacking, even though legally they can vote. They've been in the country for less than a decade.
Oddly enough, I have a very dear friend from childhood who has dual citizenship but lives abroad. He refuses to participate in foreign politics because he doesn't wish to be guilty of what most foreigners are guilty of regarding the US. As a matter of fact, we talked at length less than a week ago. He's seriously thinking about giving up his US citizenship because the tax laws for Americans living abroad is crippling for US businessmen.
But for the most part, I abhor the many Housemans who think they can participate in any serious discussions in any fashion other than a listener from the back seat. There are many names I've heard new Americans given. Boat ride Americans, dime store Americans, lucky Americans, administrative Americans, spousal Americans, common law Americans, illegal Americans, costume Americans, fake Americans, perpetrating Americans, etc., etc., who are Americans on paper or lip service only. Or not.
Add
very informed 
internet American.
At any rate, we already suffer that outside vantage point within.
I hesitate discussing American politics with outsiders. If you check the huge guns thread you'll see my abstinence although I was recruited to the thread very early on, on several occasions. The arrogance of foreigners knocks me for a loop, and I find myself seeing Honor chasing after a crabbing Houseman and repeatedly smacking the GPA out of him. Do shut up! So I practice abstinence whenever I can. But sometimes the many Housemans just, just — gets Honor's goat!
There is a post hanging in the gun thread awaiting my response. But it would take the equivalent of 5 pages to fill in the disconnects before a post will even begin to make sense. Most of the internet garbling from foreigners on American politics makes me go W
E!
