- 13
- United Kingdom
As a noob can I say that it is reassuring seeing sanity for the most part in this thread. My default position when I go online is to expect Trump supporting abuse to overwhelm rational dialogue by about three or four to one. And car culture...I don't really know what to expect. I don't spend much time racing in sims; I I'm more focused on drifting, and the douche/non-douche ratio there is depressingly lopsided. I actually came here looking for something completely different and clicked on this thread expecting the absolute worst. But it's a pleasant surprise.
I don't live in the US by the way - I'm from the UK. And we're completely bewildered by the slow suicide of American democracy over the last decade or so. Me personally? I would like America to remain a deeply flawed but overall beneficent superpower, because the idea of any of the other competing countries taking its place is terrifying, and should scare the hell out of anyone who thinks about it for even a few seconds. So I am rooting for you guys, and for Biden, as lacklustre a candidate as he is. We had a similar politician called Gordon Brown in Britain; he was to Blair as Biden was to Obama. The comparison isn't precise, but the thing they have in common is that they both seemed impressive and steely/charismatic...right until they took office and had to read from autocues and interact with the press and ordinary people. Brown turned from a determined, focused-looking, authoritative figure into a strange, socially awkward nothing. And Biden turned from a smiling, joking, charismatic, likeable guy into a man who looks like he is actively suppressing all his social instincts every time he opens his mouth.
His weakness on the campaign trail should be irrelevant for two reasons; firstly his achievements in office seem, from my distant vantage point, to be mostly impressive, and secondly he's running against a villain from Mad Max. I think, given the margin of victory last time, that Trump is unlikely to turn that around for this election. I think the polls are misleading and the 'shy voter' theory that meant pollsters undercounted Trump voters in 2016 has actually reversed this time around, and people are more likely to be embarrassed about voting for Biden. Whereas Trump voters are much more emboldened - they slather their front lawns in his horrible merch, stick pictures of his mugshot on their. car windows, yell about his policies in the middle of Target, etc.
So IMO a lot of the panic will turn out to have been unwarranted. Still, doesn't make things any less precarious and existentially dangerous, so I keep my fingers crossed for you, as do a lot of Europeans(most Europeans). America might be ****ed up and flawed and contradictory and hypocritical, but it's also idealistic and capable of greatness. I'll stick with an America as 'leader of the free world' rather than China or Russia, ta very much.
I don't live in the US by the way - I'm from the UK. And we're completely bewildered by the slow suicide of American democracy over the last decade or so. Me personally? I would like America to remain a deeply flawed but overall beneficent superpower, because the idea of any of the other competing countries taking its place is terrifying, and should scare the hell out of anyone who thinks about it for even a few seconds. So I am rooting for you guys, and for Biden, as lacklustre a candidate as he is. We had a similar politician called Gordon Brown in Britain; he was to Blair as Biden was to Obama. The comparison isn't precise, but the thing they have in common is that they both seemed impressive and steely/charismatic...right until they took office and had to read from autocues and interact with the press and ordinary people. Brown turned from a determined, focused-looking, authoritative figure into a strange, socially awkward nothing. And Biden turned from a smiling, joking, charismatic, likeable guy into a man who looks like he is actively suppressing all his social instincts every time he opens his mouth.
His weakness on the campaign trail should be irrelevant for two reasons; firstly his achievements in office seem, from my distant vantage point, to be mostly impressive, and secondly he's running against a villain from Mad Max. I think, given the margin of victory last time, that Trump is unlikely to turn that around for this election. I think the polls are misleading and the 'shy voter' theory that meant pollsters undercounted Trump voters in 2016 has actually reversed this time around, and people are more likely to be embarrassed about voting for Biden. Whereas Trump voters are much more emboldened - they slather their front lawns in his horrible merch, stick pictures of his mugshot on their. car windows, yell about his policies in the middle of Target, etc.
So IMO a lot of the panic will turn out to have been unwarranted. Still, doesn't make things any less precarious and existentially dangerous, so I keep my fingers crossed for you, as do a lot of Europeans(most Europeans). America might be ****ed up and flawed and contradictory and hypocritical, but it's also idealistic and capable of greatness. I'll stick with an America as 'leader of the free world' rather than China or Russia, ta very much.
