(Queue the whataboutism, or deflection, or whichever fallacy of the day)
(Queue the whataboutism, or deflection, or whichever fallacy of the day)
What I’ve observed is the US is very upfront and unapologetic about it. While countries like Canada and those in the EU are much more discrete.
Take Omar Khadr for example. Canada was more than happy to help the US with that “terrorist”, no questions asked. While at the same time “tsk tsk-ing” about how the US is handling the situation.
The hypocrisy is something else.
Sorry if that's too depressed, but it's my genuine impression :( for context, I left the States to do my grad studies elsewhere, having been seriously depressed by my inability to effect any meaningful change (volunteering to teach low-income children only does so much good in a system that keeps them low income; peaceful protest is ignored; organizing philanthropy has benefits but ignores root issues; I ran into institutional barriers at every step). I'm in Canada now, and while I'm still fighting against the same injustices and remain supremely disappointed in the national and world state of affairs, I feel much less hopeless here, and that I have been able to do more (although not nearly enough) good without being stymied in a system that quashes discourse by default
That is a good point. Canada and Europe have the same problems mostly, not as bad (sometimes not nearly as bad), but hide it much more carefully. And there is a lot of misplaced pride in being "better than the US" for things where that is the lowest bar.
Rather than a smooth talker politician who lies to you with a smile on their face, Trump drops the pretense. He’s an asshole and doesn’t try and hide it.