The Soapbox

Joined: 01/05/2009 Posts: 1470
Likes: 1887

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Well, I disagree. First, america does not become a hyperpower without the

Power vacuum of the post war economy and manufacturing sector.

1) Our manufacturing was unaffected, the world’s was crippled.

2) American gdp was 50% of the world’s economy at that time.

If we had succumbed to authoritarianism at that time, as we easily could have, neither of those above would have changed. Add in the inherent geologic and geographic advantages? The form of government and its tolerance for dissent probably doesn’t matter that much.

Neither china, the Incas, the maya, or the Aztecs sat in the proverbial cat bird seat for global hegemony after world war 2, based on their place in the globe, time, and circumstance. I’m not sure why you’re ignoring the time and circumstance and only focusing on the fact that America has favorable geography

(In response to this post by hoolstoptheheels)

Posted: 01/31/2024 at 11:50AM

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My 8 yo asked me how did America become so strong. I give him my thoughts. -- JohnHoo2 01/31/2024 10:34AM

Thanks for all the comments. I answered him on 3 main points. -- JohnHoo2 01/31/2024 3:37PM

Good conversation in this thread ** -- WaxHoo 01/31/2024 12:13PM

Constitutional framework of democratic/republican ideals. -- Chuck Taylor 01/31/2024 11:52AM

The potential to improve your status in life was less dependent on the -- Tuckahokie 01/31/2024 11:42AM

Layers of different reasons of course and any discussion is dependant on -- fishhoo 01/31/2024 11:17AM

We ate lots of spinach -- WahooMatt05 01/31/2024 10:54AM

Three things… -- Los Angeles Hoo 01/31/2024 10:54AM

Multi-layered answer, I think. You start with the prerequisites. The -- hoolstoptheheels 01/31/2024 10:48AM

Lots of structural advantages like oceans between us and Europe/Asia as -- CharlestonSC 01/31/2024 10:47AM

Lots of warm water ports, abundant natural resources, vast arable farmland, -- KaHOOnah 01/31/2024 10:43AM

Those warm water ports long predated the arrival of Europeans. And had -- hoolstoptheheels 01/31/2024 10:52AM

I think an authoritarian or totalitarian state easily could have evolved -- KaHOOnah 01/31/2024 11:06AM

No, actually, it couldn’t. If it could have “easily”, it would have. But -- hoolstoptheheels 01/31/2024 11:30AM

Well, I disagree. First, america does not become a hyperpower without the -- KaHOOnah 01/31/2024 11:50AM

Ok, I disagree back. The USA was already the most powerful country on -- hoolstoptheheels 01/31/2024 12:02PM

Wadr, and there’s plenty due, you’re missing the point. -- KaHOOnah 01/31/2024 12:46PM

Actually, a further data point to refute your view that totalitarianism -- hoolstoptheheels 01/31/2024 1:39PM

Russia also has dreadful shipping logistics available to them. -- SchmHoo 01/31/2024 4:28PM

I might buy that with Russia, but I buy it less with China. -- hoolstoptheheels 01/31/2024 4:32PM

I can say it because I believe it to be true. The only countries you -- hoolstoptheheels 01/31/2024 1:32PM

Well that’s semantics and the US was ostensibly an empire at the time -- KaHOOnah 01/31/2024 1:59PM

We definitely disagree. Germany needed to bring raw materials in from -- hoolstoptheheels 01/31/2024 2:25PM

If those data are true it is surprising. Any reason there’s no UK? Omitting -- KaHOOnah 01/31/2024 2:38PM

Probably because countries like NZ and Australia were part of the UK. -- hoolstoptheheels 01/31/2024 2:54PM

Europeans came with millennia of domesticatable beasts of burden. -- KaHOOnah 01/31/2024 11:00AM

Native Americans didn’t even use the wheel, although they understood the -- SixerHoo 01/31/2024 11:11AM

I’m admittedly influenced by guns germs and Steel, having read it at uva ** -- KaHOOnah 01/31/2024 11:01AM

I’m a believer in Guns Germs and Steel’s theories. It’s very telling -- hoolstoptheheels 01/31/2024 11:24AM

I started reading that and it came off, to me anyway, as a preordained -- 81_Hokie 01/31/2024 11:21AM

Correction: domestication cropped up in China more or less concurrently -- hoolstoptheheels 01/31/2024 11:47AM

Imo you should have finished the book. It would have challenged your view. -- hoolstoptheheels 01/31/2024 11:39AM

The term race is fraught with PC issues, so let's just say populations. -- 81_Hokie 01/31/2024 2:39PM

If that were remotely true, how is it that Italian Americans, German -- hoolstoptheheels 01/31/2024 2:59PM

Pretty insulting to bring up a term like eugenics. Why do YOU think -- 81_Hokie 01/31/2024 3:05PM

Sorry you find it insulting, but your statement is the foundation of -- hoolstoptheheels 01/31/2024 3:40PM

This is going nowhere. I am very careful to not make value judgements of -- 81_Hokie 01/31/2024 3:55PM

You may be careful not to attach value judgements to these genetic -- hoolstoptheheels 01/31/2024 4:13PM

And yet, you still didn't answer my question. Populations that have -- 81_Hokie 01/31/2024 4:20PM

Yeah, far as I know, pretty much. I am not aware of a single subset of -- hoolstoptheheels 01/31/2024 4:27PM

I don’t think genetics is the right word, and tradition -- 111Balz 01/31/2024 4:11PM

It’s what makes us the “melting pot”. It’s not “eventually” in this -- hoolstoptheheels 01/31/2024 4:19PM

I thought he was talking more about cultural, values, and choices more than -- 111Balz 01/31/2024 4:37PM

I think that distinction is dead on arrival. I don’t see how you separate -- hoolstoptheheels 01/31/2024 4:44PM

Great book! ** -- SixerHoo 01/31/2024 11:09AM

AmeriKKKa was never that grate. ** -- ResistHoo 01/31/2024 10:35AM