PabloMack, I don't know where to start with telling you how naïve some of the things are you are saying.
Fincial crisis 2008 not because of bankers, but because of do-gooders?
USA doing good work in Afghanistan?
People in Vietnam have even less say in government and they are communist?
And last bot not least, denying that USA isn't imperialistic. That's just killing me
Ever heard of "Confessions of an economic hitman"?
If you have seen/read it I dare you to say this again with the same conviction
I think the media in USA is doing a terrific job in that regard when I read your comment.
In case of "the grass is greener", that is absolutely not true, not even remotely.
Actually, many would mistake(?) this for US arrogance or ignorance.
Some things make sense though! like career politicians who screw up democracy.
What still counts/matters in the end is that they have become career politicians because of corporate interests.
The closest and best example for me are our latest ministers of finances here in The Netherlands.
They facilitated the creation of the Euro, the financial crisis and didn't protect the people from the bankers never ceasing hunger for money and power. Look how they have been rewarded: all with high positions in banks now. Pure coïncidence! Pure coïncidence! I can hear so many people here in The Netherlands and beyond saying that, but they should know better if they have carefully followed their course of action when they were active governers.
In regard to USA and Afghanistan we're told the exact same here, be no mistake about that.
Karzai is being bribed systematically by the CIA, that was in the news a couple of days ago here.
Without bribing Karzai there's no access to all the heads of the Taliban tribes.
It's for a reason they call Karzai the "mayor of Afghanistan" instead of the president.
The Taliban are still in control/power and the USA is bombing the Taliban and a lot of innocent inhabitants with drones.
They do this because the CIA can't get to the tribes. Nobody can, history tells that.
The drones are extremely upsetting both Taliban as well as the ordinary people there, because it's so cowardly and causing so much grief.
In the end this all doesn't matter that much, because what is happening is:
Both USA and Europe are made to believe that NATO is in Afghanistan for a justified reason, as it was in Iraq twice or Vietnam, but no one really explains the true reason.
USA media makes the news shiny to keep the foundation.
Europe media makes the news less shiny to make us believe we would do any better. Which we wouldn't.
The USA vs Europe discussion is great, keeps us busy and allows as not to think too much about stuff that matters.
In conclusion this keeps us all pre-occupied and busy with arguments here, but in the end the true intention of all of this is to not have us understand fully what's happening in the world, how and why.
We need to be born, live to work until death in order to consume corporate goods.
The less we know the better it is. That's all they want from us, these corporate governments.
By the way, this may seem like bittered and depressed, but despite that when you realise and see through these mechanisms it doesn't mean you can't live a happy life
In many occassions it makes life much easier! For example:
All these people who argue about local politics. I can't be bothered by it anymore. It costs too much energy, for what? To prevent my parking-permit becoming 2% more expensive? To make sure my insurance covers removal of a molar by a dentist? Yeah great, these things really make my mortgage lower, my energy bill and gas cheaper. Or ultimately make me not work for corporate governments, but for my own personal freedom and desires? NO. I safe myself that otherwise wasted energy
edit: Thanks Richard for saving me from explaining the Vietnam and the obvious financial crisis stuff.