Quote (bogie160 @ 17 Sep 2021 19:22)

The United States has an excellent HDI on par with the other Anglosphere nations. Considering the United States has personally financed global security over the past 75 years, and simultaneously had to clean up the mess left by both the colonial powers and the genocidal German occupation, that's pretty impressive.

Quote (Black XistenZ @ Sep 17 2021 12:26pm)

... and the country is still dragged down in terms of wealth and equality by the heritage of slavery - something Europe doesn't have to struggle with since they rather enslaved the global south in their own countries instead of bringing the slaves to Europe.

Quote (Black XistenZ @ 17 Sep 2021 12:47)

Strawman. Unlike you, we're all aware of the distinction between 'social democracy', i.e. a capitalist order with a more active state and girthy social safety net, and 'socialism', i.e. public ownership of the means of production.
Your attempts to slander us by intentionally conflating us with uneducated rednecks who reflexively shout "socialism!!!!11" at anything to the left of Rand Paul are disingenuous and pathetic.



Per capita, the oil wealth of the U.S. doesn't hold a candle to Norway. (76 barrel per capita in the U.S. vs 2132 in Norway.)
https://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/stats/Energy/Oil/Reserves-per-capita

Quote (fender @ Sep 16 2021 05:12pm)

way to miss my point (conveniently left out of your quote): the most unapologetically capitalist country in the world leads the west in terms of poverty and shitty working conditions.

also dishonestly ignored in that silly little mental gymnastics performance of yours: according to (american) right wingers, "socialism / communism" is when the state does something (except of course handouts to the rich that invented and perpetuated the propaganda you fell victim to), so all the countries with the highest living standards, the happiest and healthiest people in the world, they all live in "socialist" hellholes...

https://i.imgur.com/fvYM70n.jpg

Quote (Kuggergug @ 17 Sep 2021 21:38)

Norway is super close to Russia but they don't need to spend lots of money on defense because they know the US will give them FREE military protection. That allows Norway to plow money into social programs. Then people turn around and says America sucks. Norway is not a utopia. They are freeloading and living in their parents' basement.

Quote (Black XistenZ @ Sep 17 2021 09:58pm)

While it's true that Norway and Russia share a land border, this border lies far up in the arctic north in an unpopulated and inaccessible region. 95% of the Norwegian population live at least 1000km away from Russia.

Quote (fender @ Sep 17 2021 06:09pm)

you're kidding me, right? pard right wingers are EXACTLY the kind of "uneducated rednecks" you're talking about, uncritically regurgitating those propagandist takes on what constitutes "socialism", and what consequences it has - and although you really should know better since you're not american, you happily sympathise and even participate in it. talk about disingenuous, lol...

it's also very telling that you constantly not just dodge the point i highlighted several times, but repeatedly even edit it out of the quote you make:

fact is: the most unapologetically capitalist country in the world leads the west in terms of poverty and shitty working conditions. and that's a direct consequence of socialism for the rich, and rugged individualism for the poor - a system designed and perpetuated (through fearmongering, disinformation, propaganda...) by the wealthy individuals whose boots you love to lick so eagerly...