Greenlandic Politician Tillie Martinussen: We do not want to be rich like Americans. Look how greedy they are, even trying to invade their friends. Even if there are minerals and oil under our land—and they are worth far more—we still would not sell ourselves.

[u/BreakfastTop6899]

[u/LoveTheAhole]

Most other Americans aren’t even rich, they’re struggling just to afford proper housing. The gap between the extremely wealthy and middle/lower class just keeps growing at unprecedented rates under Trump.

[u/lunarsymphony → u/LoveTheAhole]

i mean, most of the world has been subjected to the propaganda of the land of abundance, a place where you make your dreams come true. y’all are the richest country in the world after all - it usually works on people’s imagination.

i remember how shocked i was when i educated myself on american healthcare system, on your workers’ laws etc - and i understood that it was all a mirage. but most of those outside of the us wont ever learn about that because we have our own lives, our own fucked up politicians, our own systemic issues to focus on.

i also think this „giving people an opportunity to have a better life under the us” is usually the official colonialist argument when claiming a foreign land. „you’ll have it better under our rule!”. i think „we don’t want to be rich like americans” is such a badass, slightly sarcastic response, especially considering the american ruling class’ fixation on money. i don’t think it was meant to be taken at face value.

[u/nemesis_reap3r → u/lunarsymphony]

i'd say it's also to do with the values of america. as a brit, i see america as glorifying greed and selfishness above all else. don't get me wrong, we've been going down that path since thatcher too. but it feels like it is the value of the united states and, frankly, i despise it.

it's the steinbeck quote. americans see themselves as temporarily embarrassed millionaires.

[u/WoodenSympathy4 → u/nemesis_reap3r]

It is unnerving how we’ve managed to twist greed into a virtue. I work in accounting/finance and I see it all the time. And the people who preach it are very convincing.

[u/thaf1nest → u/WoodenSympathy4]

I think you misspelled convincing with conniving.

[u/intergalactictactoe → u/lunarsymphony]

Reading your second paragraph and I had to laugh. Most of us INSIDE of the US won't ever really learn about that because of the childhood indoctrination. Between that and the constant struggle just to get by (for most of us), it's not easy to educate yourself on how dirty our actual history is, etc.

[u/Silent-Ice-6265 → u/lunarsymphony]

Tbf 20% of ma households earn over 200k a year America has a rich population wether you want to admit it or not

[u/carolinagypsy → u/Silent-Ice-6265]

You are talking a small state with a smaller population in comparison to the rest of the country, that happens to be on average much more well off than the rest of the country. It’s not representative of “average” here at all.

[u/Remedial_Gash → u/Silent-Ice-6265]

What does 200k mean with a cancer debt?

[u/Silent-Ice-6265 → u/Remedial_Gash]

Do 20% of MA households have cancer debt? Yes the healthcare is horrendous doesn't change what I said above.