An Inquiry into Western Politics: American Politics vs. European Politics

[Deleted]

I dunno, it's kinda the opposite, at least the way I see it: European countries tend to comprise the rest of the top 10 military spenders minus Japan and China each year, but the militaries of Europe aren't shown to be doing a thing up until a year or two ago when France started flexing its sea muscles again. What benefit are European countries getting from their military expenditures? At least with the US, you know you're getting World Police stature even if it costs too much.

The French and British Militaries are constantly active, did you really think they do nothing at all except sit at home?

[Noomz]

First off, I know this much: THEY ARE TWO TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THINGS. Like very different and on complete separate ends of the political spectrum in how they're related to each other. What I want to know is this: what is considered right-wing in Europe compared to our right-wing here in the U.S. and what is considered left-wing in Europe compared to our left-wing here in the U.S.? I'm really curious to hear a whole lot of different answers.


P.S. If you come from a country that is outside of Western politics (i.e. Chinese politics, Middle Eastern politics, etc.) please feel free to share to!

I fucking love how Americans come on and compare the US to an entire freaking continent. It happens all the damned time. European politics are diverse and wildly different because Europe is a fucking continent with 50 countries and cannot be blanketcompared to the US.
I'm so sick of this bloody ignorance.

Chinese politics, by the way? They're a totalitarian communist country. What do you think that means when it comes to politics? Most Middle-eastern countries don't have a political system to talk about let alone democracy. Holy freaking crap man...

[obdigore]

I fucking love how Americans come on and compare the US to an entire freaking continent. European politics are diverse and wildly different because Europe is a fucking continent with 50 countries and cannot be blanketcompared to the US.
I'm so sick of this bloody ignorance.

Chinese politics, by the way? They're a totalitarian communist country. What do you think that means when it comes to politics? Most Middle-eastern countries don't have a political system to talk about let alone democracy. Holy freaking crap man...

And yet, There are factions within the Chinese Communist Party based on how, what, and where they want to govern. I would actually suggest (tongue in cheek) that there is as much difference in the factions of the Communist Party as there is between the GOP and the Dems.

[oxymoronic]

I fucking love how Americans come on and compare the US to an entire freaking continent. European politics are diverse and wildly different because Europe is a fucking continent with 50 countries and cannot be blanketcompared to the US.
I'm so sick of this bloody ignorance.

wow i feel the same way except i dont see why euros combine all their resources and try to claim #1 on so many charts as if the EU was a real group like the united states of america is. its fucking sad and pathetic. but hey, usa #1 economy right now, where you at EUROPE? oh in the shitter, thats right. we'll help dont worry, again

[Deleted]

wow i feel the same way except i dont see why euros combine all their resources and try to claim #1 on so many charts as if the EU was a real group like the united states of america is. its fucking sad and pathetic. but hey, usa #1 economy right now, where you at EUROPE? oh in the shitter, thats right. we'll help dont worry, again

Why doesn't the USA combine with Mexico and Canada to become a true United States of America?

[Arkthensis]

wow i feel the same way except i dont see why euros combine all their resources and try to claim #1 on so many charts as if the EU was a real group like the united states of america is. its fucking sad and pathetic. but hey, usa #1 economy right now, where you at EUROPE? oh in the shitter, thats right. we'll help dont worry, again

[Nadiru]

Why doesn't the USA combine with Mexico and Canada to become a true United States of America?

NAFTA already does that except the US doesn't have to absorb administrative costs.

[Deleted]

Canada doesn't want us and we don't want Mexico.

Exactly the same with Europe, a united Europe benefits the poor ones but screws the wealthy ones.

[obdigore]

Exactly the same with Europe, a united Europe benefits the poor ones but screws the wealthy ones.

I don't believe Canada is wealthier than the US, per capita. I believe it is more related to the US politics and, well, what the heat does to peoples brains as you go south. Go further south into Mexico and their politics are even more messed up.

That is my theory.

[Reeve]

I don't want to crush your hopes and dreams, but Europe is de-facto the alliance between France and Germany, with 20ish other states orbiting around them.

The laws, economy decisions, foreign politics etc.. are all decided by these two countries in a smaller table, and then ratified by the others.



Berlusconi, while being a level 80 pedophile, was quite an able diplomat, with Putin and Gheddafi often at his table. I am quite sure if europe would have been involved with the Lybian revolt, the rebels would have been the target, not Gheddafi.

Anyone could be an able diplomat with as much access to hookers and blow as Berlusconi had.

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I fucking love how Americans come on and compare the US to an entire freaking continent. It happens all the damned time. European politics are diverse and wildly different because Europe is a fucking continent with 50 countries and cannot be blanketcompared to the US.
I'm so sick of this bloody ignorance.

Chinese politics, by the way? They're a totalitarian communist country. What do you think that means when it comes to politics? Most Middle-eastern countries don't have a political system to talk about let alone democracy. Holy freaking crap man...

A continent that likes to be considered like a single political group when they want to and like completely separate and unrelated nation-states when they don't want to. You can't honestly pretend that Americans are the only ones here that compare the US to the "entire freaking continent." Europeans do it just as often.

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What makes them communist? They seem authoritarian right capitalist to me, pretty much exactly like what republicans would dream about...

Yeah, single party authoritarian state capitalism.

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wow i feel the same way except i dont see why euros combine all their resources and try to claim #1 on so many charts as if the EU was a real group like the united states of america is. its fucking sad and pathetic. but hey, usa #1 economy right now, where you at EUROPE? oh in the shitter, thats right. we'll help dont worry, again

The chest pounding is really helpful and doesn't at all validate his opinions about the ignorance of Americans.

[Deleted]

Berlusconi, while being a level 80 pedophile, was quite an able diplomat, with Putin and Gheddafi often at his table. I am quite sure if europe would have been involved with the Lybian revolt, the rebels would have been the target, not Gheddafi.

Anyone could be an able diplomat with as much access to hookers and blow as Berlusconi had.

Don't blame the player blame the game.

[Noomz]

Anyone could be an able diplomat with as much access to hookers and blow as Berlusconi had.

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A continent that likes to be considered like a single political group when they want to and like completely separate and unrelated nation-states when they don't want to. You can't honestly pretend that Americans are the only ones here that compare the US to the "entire freaking continent." Europeans do it just as often.

Perhaps I've not been paying attention, but I've never seen that kind of behavior. Absolutely not in a political sense. I can't recall seeing it. But that might be my error.
You can discuss European Union politics if that's the point here, but that's an entire different entity to the actual politics of the individual countries that varies a lot.

Nor does it mean that it's any less annoying that Americans do it, in a much worse sense than what you describe you seen Europeans do.

[Maltah]

I'm Australian, but as far as I can tell in Europe "right wing" means you're a neo-Nazi.

That about sums it up for the US too.

[mrcoolguyry]

So I took this test on The Political Compass after seeing a link for it a few pages earlier. Answering the questions truthfully my Economic Left/Right is -4.50 and my Social Libertarian/Authoritarian is is -3.54 where on the next chart on the page it says I would be pretty damn close to the political views of the Dalai Lama. So it seems I'm a little center-leftist, but thankfully not more extreme I guess.

[MerinPally]

So I took this test on The Political Compass after seeing a link for it a few pages earlier. Answering the questions truthfully my Economic Left/Right is -4.50 and my Social Libertarian/Authoritarian is is -3.54 where on the next chart on the page it says I would be pretty damn close to the political views of the Dalai Lama. So it seems I'm a little center-leftist, but thankfully not more extreme I guess.

That means you've passed the test.

You're now welcome in Europe. Basically anything from slightly to the right (maybe a quarter of the way across) and everything left from there is pretty welcome.

[Deleted]

Weird that you never hear about those in the news. Good to see the amount of arrests is higher than the amount of attacks.


When looking at American politics I get the feeling that it isn't about the parties ideologie, but about each individual ideologie, in Europe its more about party ideologies. And UKIP's and FN's ideologies are outright xenophobic and idiotic in nature, with American politics I get the feeling that at least some Republicans are halfway decend.

It's just not comparable. Our extreme right is not corporate friendly, some right wing parties around Europe really are based on national socialism.
Which is completely different from republican party, which is (correct me if I'm wrong) heavily based on corporativism.
We don't really have that kind of policies in extreme right wing parties in here.

[Piglord]

Why lay all the blame with the politicians though? To me it appears more that they usually end up with their hands tied and once you join the ride you've to ride along. Private power and banks hold the entire political process by the balls, wether it's by pumping money into the pockets of politicians or because of ancient deals and arrangements that have been made that future generations or new politicians can't overturn anymore.

Because at the end of the day it's still a choice. That's like me getting mad at fire for being hot, because I burned my hand cooking breakfast yesterday.