@TootUncommon@mstdn.party The myth is that US can do no wrong and our history is a beacon of righteousness in a world of brutality and suffering.
Pretty much nowhere in the US in the last few decades, I think. I was in elementary school in the 80s, I think my history classes made some wars like the Mexican–American war or Philippines look like we were the good guys, but they sure taught about slavery; not at all the experience you'd think after reading this thread.
There were textbooks used in some places like 50 years ago that try to make slavery look like a benevolent thing.
Eric, you wrote, "ook like we were the good guys,"
We are definitely the good guys. Not just us, also UK, France and others (the UK and France being the other two good guys in terms of nations that have nuclear arsenals).
You don't have to be perfect to be among the good guys.
@neutrino78x I think you might be talking about something else. If it helps clarify, I'll note that there were no nuclear weapons during the Mexican–American war.
If it's what you're saying, I'll agree that our foreign policy was somewhat better since we got nukes than it was before – we usually at least *pretend* we're doing things for good reasons since then.
"f it's what you're saying, I'll agree that our foreign policy was somewhat better since we got nukes than it was before"
Nope, we were among the good guys from Day 1.
Britain has committed atrocities as well, and Canada.
Canada did pretty much the same things to Native Americans and black people. Do you condemn them? I suspect you do not.
Like I said, because bad things happened in the past doesn't mean we are not one of the good guys. We very much are.
Just ask all those Afghans who were hanging onto that military jet for dear life as it took off from the Kabul airport. There's shades of grey but there's also good and bad.
We are overall good.
@neutrino78x Do I condemn Canada? What? No? But I recognize that like US, they have a significant dark part of their history. And they, like the US, have a *much* better human rights record recently than they did 200 years ago.
"But I recognize that like US, they have a significant dark part of their history. "
Nobody feels otherwise. But I don't hate my country as a result. I know we are overall the good guys, just like Canada, UK, France, Germany, Italy, etc.
I'm not going to apologize for my patriotism, sorry.
@ech @TootUncommon I know where your coming from. We were taught a similar thing in the 80s in australia. We lauded famous Australians like Ned Kelly (who was a bush ranger who robbed banks and killed police) and somehow we won WW1 with only a little bit of assistance from our allies. We were trying to build a national myth that wasn't British. That's where Crocodile Dundee came from amongst other Aussie legends.