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Why do Americans think that they are literally actors in a movie?

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1qe2i5k/comment/nzupjx6

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[-] Crucible@hexbear.net 41 points 2 weeks ago

The deconversion of yankees from the US civic religion will be the greatest therapy project in human history

[-] spectre@hexbear.net 21 points 2 weeks ago

new atheist attitudes and r/atheism insufferability but for believing in the existence of the "United States of America" as an actual nation.

[-] Kuori@hexbear.net 19 points 2 weeks ago

the therapist: how-compelling

[-] InexplicableLunchFiend@hexbear.net 11 points 2 weeks ago

Even after America collapses there's gonna be offshoot cult remnants to deal with for decades if not centuries. The civic religion is in so deep that nothing will root it out except generations of repression.

[-] AssortedBiscuits@hexbear.net 6 points 2 weeks ago

One momentary lapse of repression and you'll have a neo-civic revivalist movement.

[-] DragonBallZinn@hexbear.net 32 points 2 weeks ago

“We’d lose our exceptionality”

you mean the magical binding force that cursed the land so high speed rail and universal healthcare are two impossibilities? Yeah, by all means let’s get normal!

[-] ZeroHora@lemmy.ml 32 points 2 weeks ago

The dollar became dominant not because it was imposed, but because it was trusted. Our alliances functioned not because we were feared, but because we were predictable.

In the future war against the US I'm the one who'll put down this moron.

[-] SwagliacciTheBadClown@hexbear.net 12 points 2 weeks ago

The dollar became dominant not because it was imposed, but because it was trusted

doubt

[-] WokePalpatine@hexbear.net 11 points 2 weeks ago
[-] juniper@hexbear.net 30 points 2 weeks ago

Edit 2: REGISTER TO VOTE

i-cant

[-] SexUnderSocialism@hexbear.net 30 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

In America, they are so propagandized that the average citizen doesn't even realize that their own detachment from reality is part of the reason their empire is crumbling. yeonmi-park

[-] Lussy@hexbear.net 14 points 2 weeks ago

My enemy is the American people not its ruling class

[-] 9to5@hexbear.net 8 points 2 weeks ago

My enemy are the American children and elderly

[-] Collatz_problem@hexbear.net 7 points 2 weeks ago

Critical support for the American ruling class in its ongoing destruction of America.

[-] PaulSmackage@hexbear.net 28 points 2 weeks ago

Another end of history true believer, God these people are stupid.

[-] StarkWolf@hexbear.net 28 points 2 weeks ago

the architecture of trust built after World War II, paid for by millions of dead

Why yes, the US did force 'trust' in American dominance by leaving millions of people dead in the wake of the Cold War following WWII, what an astute observation.

[-] quarrk@hexbear.net 10 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Not to mention multiple atrocities by the US which added to those millions, including use of the atomic bomb on a city full of civilians, twice, primarily for Cold War posturing against the Soviets and to steal credit for defeating Japan. Not to mention re-establishing colonial rule over the Philippines which would be instrumental in the Korean and Vietnam wars.

[-] StarkWolf@hexbear.net 7 points 2 weeks ago

US atrocities all the way down is apparently "understanding restraint with power" thonk

Restraint is when you drop an atomic bomb, see the catastrophic effects of it, and deciding "Hey, let's do that again!" The amount of restraint not to do it a third time must have been truly monumental.

GOD BLESS AMERICA 07

[-] Collatz_problem@hexbear.net 6 points 2 weeks ago

The amount of restraint not to do it a third time must have been truly monumental.

The reason was that America didn't have a third functional nuclear device at the time.

[-] CyborgMarx@hexbear.net 28 points 2 weeks ago

There's delusional fantasy, and then there's whatever the fuck this nonsense is, historical illiteracy doesn't even begin to cover it

Of course the irony is the empire is dying because dipshits like this drank the propaganda Kool-Aid that was only meant for the middle classes of countries the US wanted to dominate, they weren't supposed to lose themselves in the kayfabe, they were meant to push it to naive hippies and then calibrate US propaganda to justify atrocities like the Iraq War

But they can't calibrate shit because they found a newly constructed religion in the state department of all things

[-] Evilsandwichman@hexbear.net 24 points 2 weeks ago

will no longer be exceptional

That's not what American exceptionalism is; it's really frustrating that people who most likely only speak English keep misunderstanding what people mean by exceptionalism. It doesn't mean 'amazing' or 'the best', even though ironically even school teachers seem to make that mistake when they say a kid is exceptional; it means the rules apply to everyone EXCEPT the exceptional.

If they DID understand what exceptional is and was using it that way, then they can jump down the pit; every country on the planet should be beholden to the same principles; all the worst atrocities of the last 100 years is because former colonial powers (America especially) think principles are for the global South; Western countries get to do whatever we want because somehow we intrinsically embody those principles and don't need to actually apply them.

THEY commit war crimes, we just engage in war

THEY have corruption, our system is simply inefficient (at worst)

THEY are warmongering, we're just liberating the masses

THEY refuse to enrich their people with their country's wealth, we have privatized resources (because we believe in freedom!)

The ICC and ICJ are for Africa and Russia, they're not supposed to investigate us

I do notice he even says 'guarantor of relative stability'; yes, the West gets relative stability, the global South gets death and theft.

[-] Ram_The_Manparts@hexbear.net 21 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

As if Murica was ever exceptional lmfaooo

"We don't have propaganda in the US" type shit michael-laugh

[-] Elysia@hexbear.net 18 points 2 weeks ago

sicko-wistful If Donald Trump actually singlehandedly made the US irrelevant and created a utopian future where no one ever has to give a shit about Americans anymore that would genuinely warrant some kind of global peace prize lol

[-] Evilsandwichman@hexbear.net 13 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

I've said this before but it makes my brain spin every time I think of what history books far down the line will have to say about the world.

"Why did Chile's government change? A country on a whole other continent, America"

"How did Libya, the most successful African country, suddenly collapse in a matter of months? A country on a whole other continent, America"

"How did Iraq get reduced to a pre-industrial level? A country on a whole other continent, America"

"How did Vietnam in a short span of time see the murder of millions and briefly see a split in their country? A country on a whole other continent, America"

"How did a North and South Korea continue in such a fashion (remaining split) with one severely crippled nearly to death? A country on a whole other continent, America"

"Why did Venezuela die economically and then consequently saw the deaths of untold tens of thousands of its people? A country on a whole other continent, America"

"What led to the Ukraine war? A country on a whole other continent, America"

"Why did apartheid era South Africa continue on apartheid for so long? A country on a whole other continent, America"

"How did Israel continue unchanged for so long? A country on a whole other continent, America"

Countries on nearly every continent (realistically every continent, but I'm not well read enough on operation GLADIO or how that one time we changed Australia's PM) all having their nation's path completely changed on the whim of this one country. If Trump can cause America to fail harder than we already do to the extent we can become irrelevant then yeah, give him the peace prize.

[-] The_Filthy_Commie@lemmygrad.ml 6 points 2 weeks ago

''Donald Trump's ''The Art of Irrelevance'' published posthumously, is a masterpiece rivaling ''The Art of War'' by Sun Tzu. In it, we see the development of a new perspective of what ''Pax Americana'' meant. We used to believe, like all empires before us, that we had to submit the world to our will, hence achieving ''peace through strength'', which was our dogma during our declining years. But Donald Trump taught us that the US would be at peace if the US retreated to its shores, closed all bases abroad, and became a normal country. It was such a novel idea to this beleaguered country of main characters. It was so that ''Pax Americana'' ceased to be a symbol of endless wars, and became a symbol for world peace. All we had to do was leave the world alone.''

[-] Robert_Kennedy_Jr@hexbear.net 17 points 2 weeks ago
[-] corgiwithalaptop@hexbear.net 14 points 2 weeks ago

Monologuing like theyre Mr Marvel revealing something that Mr Batmen needed to hear before taking on the final fight with Dr Joker

[-] ElChapoDeChapo@hexbear.net 9 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

doomer The local anti ICE protest I went to last week had a literal cosplayer dressed as captain america

[-] Damarcusart@hexbear.net 6 points 2 weeks ago

Americans always think they are a member of the Revengers.

[-] WokePalpatine@hexbear.net 7 points 2 weeks ago

I was relistening to the Chapo Avatar reviews and they kept calling them the Adventures or something out of derision too.

[-] segfault11@hexbear.net 14 points 2 weeks ago

i fear not the country that has implemented 1000 tariffs, but the country that has implemented 1 tariff 1000 times

[-] darkmode@hexbear.net 13 points 2 weeks ago

Why do Americans think that they are literally actors in a movie?

because in bad country the only aspiration of its aimless subjects is entertainer

When American kids are polled on what they want to be when they grow up, the top answer is now Streamer/Youtuber

[-] Damarcusart@hexbear.net 4 points 2 weeks ago

I think it is less tragic than it sounds (or maybe more), it's probably because streamers are the only people they see who seem to have any joy in what they are doing.

[-] AssortedBiscuits@hexbear.net 7 points 2 weeks ago

(It's) ~~N~~not to strengthen the republic, ~~not~~ to protect Americans, (and) ~~not~~ to preserve the order built on sacrifice and restraint, (but) ~~It was done~~ to protect a racist murderous pedophile and his racist murderous pedophile friends.

[-] Sanctus@anarchist.nexus 4 points 2 weeks ago

We're gonna get edged for fucken eternity, or at least until us Americans eat their own foot one too many times (currently in process now). None of these fuckwits will ever realize resources are a pie, someone's wealth is not an independant high score. Every something someone has means no one else can also have that thing. This includes money. They'll never be able to look up. They'd rather hate foreigners and minorities and be miserable.

[-] Sabir_Hajjar@hexbear.net 2 points 2 weeks ago

All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages. At first, the infant, Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms. Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel And shining morning face, creeping like snail Unwillingly to school. And then the lover, Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier, Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard, Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel, Seeking the bubble reputation Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice, In fair round belly with good capon lined, With eyes severe and beard of formal cut, Full of wise saws and modern instances; And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts Into the lean and slippered pantaloon, With spectacles on nose and pouch on side; His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide For his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice, Turning again toward childish treble, pipes And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all, That ends this strange eventful history, Is second childishness and mere oblivion, Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything

[-] HexReplyBot@hexbear.net 2 points 2 weeks ago

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this post was submitted on 16 Jan 2026
69 points (98.6% liked)

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