Yes, American violence IS connected to its foreign policy.

[Bonobo]

When a country sees boogeymen everywhere and uses violence out of fear and loathing, is it any surprise that it creates monsters that do the same?

[midnight]

1. I agree....

[joshcryer]

2. Haha, so you're saying when we go to war we become less violent?

Because the statistics would suggest that.



What a wholly simplistic view made up out of nowhere to win a straw man argument in another thread.

[Bonobo]

3. Spurious.

You say I am being simplistic when YOU post a graph that could be interpreted in hundreds of ways and you claim it represents the fact that violence goes down when we are at war?

Ha ha ha.

[joshcryer]

4. No, I am saying there is no connection between foreign policy and American violence.

This is distinct from using logic to extrapolate your simplistic world view to the actual facts of American violence.

Fact: American violence is down.

Your conjecture: American violence is connected to American foreign policy.

Fact: American foreign policy was at one point waging 3 wars and 1 drone war in several states at the apex of the lowest violence in decades.

Logical conclusion (if we believe your faulty world view): American violence goes down when we go to war.

[Bonobo]

5. Yes, I see what you think and I disagree.

I also do not think your attempt to over simplify the issue supports your -absolutely silly claim that our culture at large is not affected by the militarism modeled by our foreign policy.

It is simply, on the face of it, absurd to think the two are unconnected and I am done saying it to you.

Go and study a little history or anthropology or something and then come back and tell me how different aspects of culture are unrelated to each other.

[joshcryer]

6. The MIC requires American culture to be disconnected.

As the MIC is already as unpopular as it is right now.

This isn't WWII when we were sending around "War Heroes" to sell bonds to pay for the war.

This is 2012 where the MIC has to do back room deals that the American population are ignorant of, who on the whole are against.

It's rather simple to test your conjecture and the facts say that it is false.

[Bonobo]

7. No, Josh, as I explained, it is NOT simple.

A graph showing a decline in violence simply is NOT a catch all to deny what I am saying.

There are MANY types of violence and there are MANY reasons that could explain CERTAIN KINDS of decline in violence.

The idea that US foreign policy does not reflect and is not reflected in the other aspects of US society and culture is laughable and any social scientist would say you are naive.

[joshcryer]

9. Then explain why with warmongering violence has gone down.

What variables would you say were not only neutralizing to the violence attributed to warmongering but also negate it all together!? With 3 wars and a drone war in several states running simultaneously!?

Let's see the data!

Oh, and it'll have to also reflect the rise in poverty, too, so not only will your magical variable have to negate the MIC, but it'd have to negate the rise in poverty:



I don't think you're in touch with American culture, myself.

[Bonobo]

10. I have made my opinion known and stand behind it. nt

[malaise]

8. I've been saying this for decades

Just watch the school bully - he has learned well.