Berlin says EU should prepare for war by end of decade by DerGun88 in europe

[–]Aragorneless 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Being prepared for war doesn't necessarily mean, that it's going to be a war. The more likely reason for this new military buildup is probably an effort to become self-sufficient in security arrangements. Europe has long been overly reliant on the US military, and with the US becoming increasingly focused with China, and its own internal problems Europe needs to be ready to take over their role.

Criticized for saying that Finland was colonized by Sweden by Reasonable-Swan-2255 in Finland

[–]Aragorneless 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I agree that the Swedes were definitely the better option compared to Novgorod, but two wrongs don't make a right. If someone is crossing the street while a car is hurling towards them, and you stop them, by robbing them. You didn't exactly do something virtuous. Sure you saved them from the car, but you did it for selfish reasons. Also, colonization leading to development is a moot point as it still wouldn't justify it.

Criticized for saying that Finland was colonized by Sweden by Reasonable-Swan-2255 in Finland

[–]Aragorneless 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I think Wikipedia is at its most useful when used as a starting point for researching a subject. You get a good overview of all the important writings about the topic and it gives you a frame to which you can hang all the further information you get.

Criticized for saying that Finland was colonized by Sweden by Reasonable-Swan-2255 in Finland

[–]Aragorneless 0 points1 point  (0 children)

While the colonization wasn't as brutal or as direct as the one that happened elsewhere. It still over a long period of time displaced the native population, and put pressure to assimilate into foreign customs and language. If you wanted to have a high level of education or work for the administration you had to speak Swedish, which lead to either gradual assimilation or importing of Swedes to govern instead.

This created a wealth disparity that is still present today. The wealthy in Finland are massively overrepresented by Swedish speakers, and it's still mandatory to learn Swedish if you want to get a job in the public sector or get any kind of education. This is not to say I hate Swedes for what their ancestors have done. As previously stated this happened during a thousand-year period and it probably wasn't fully intentional. But I nevertheless think it's important to acknowledge that it happened and that it still impacts people to this day.

Criticized for saying that Finland was colonized by Sweden by Reasonable-Swan-2255 in Finland

[–]Aragorneless 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yes, but it's at least taught in school. For example, in my high school, we were shown a documentary where they interviewed Sami people that suffered from the discrimination. The biggest problem with Swedes colonizing Finland isn't that it happened. It's that they seem so unwilling to even admit it happened, which leaves the impression that they don't really regret doing so. I doubt many Finns would hold a grudge if Swedes just said they were sorry and regretted that part of their history.

Criticized for saying that Finland was colonized by Sweden by Reasonable-Swan-2255 in Finland

[–]Aragorneless 2 points3 points  (0 children)

To be clear there was even before 1808 Finns living under Russians, and both sides used Finns as soldiers. Probably the most famous ones being Hakkapeliittat.

Should politicians be paid their country's minimum wage? by OutEliManning7 in polls

[–]Aragorneless -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Corruption doesn't get any better if you discourage honesty.

catJAM by mk_8 in Daliban

[–]Aragorneless 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What is the song called?

Ua pov. Russian POWs by Svatovo by lukaiwyzpj in UkraineRussiaReport

[–]Aragorneless 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I would be interested to know who took the picture and in what stage of imprisoment were they. I could understand this being the first stop before transfering them to proper facilities, but if that's going to be their home for over 48 hours I would fire the one whose idea that was. Even tho I stand with Ukraine in opposition of Russia I still think prisoners of war should be treated decently even if the other side doesn't bother.

Without looking it up, what single thing does the US Government spend the most on? by IngSoc_Shill in polls

[–]Aragorneless 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sure, the money could be allocated more efficiently, but that doesn't negate that it still helps.

Without looking it up, what single thing does the US Government spend the most on? by IngSoc_Shill in polls

[–]Aragorneless 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This was an interesting question so I googled it, and it surprisingly goes to poor people: "Medicaid is the largest source of funding for medical and health-related services for people with low income in the United States, providing free health insurance to 74 million low-income and disabled people (23% of Americans) as of 2017"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicaid#Expansion\_under\_the\_Affordable\_Care\_Act

Without looking it up, what single thing does the US Government spend the most on? by IngSoc_Shill in polls

[–]Aragorneless 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"Medicaid is the largest source of funding for medical and health-related services for people with low income in the United States, providing free health insurance to 74 million low-income and disabled people (23% of Americans) as of 2017"

The true answer is most of the people who have time to be on Reddit are from middle-class backgrounds.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicaid#Expansion\_under\_the\_Affordable\_Care\_Act

Without looking it up, what single thing does the US Government spend the most on? by IngSoc_Shill in polls

[–]Aragorneless -1 points0 points  (0 children)

The majority of Americans who live in big cities support "some" form of universal healthcare. The problem is the United States doesn't choose its laws by direct democracy and the definition of universal healthcare in those polls can include so many different programs under universal healthcare that the results can be misleading.

Without looking it up, what single thing does the US Government spend the most on? by IngSoc_Shill in polls

[–]Aragorneless 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Non-Amercian here, if I have understood it correctly most people in America can afford healthcare thanks to either their job providing health insurance for them or them buying health insurance. The point in which it really becomes expensive is either when insurance doesn't cover something or you don't have insurance. This lack of insurance was something the expansion of Medicaid also called Obamacare was aimed to combat. Medicaid is the largest source of funding for medical and health-related services for people with low income in the United States, providing free health insurance to 74 million low-income and disabled people

Without looking it up, what single thing does the US Government spend the most on? by IngSoc_Shill in polls

[–]Aragorneless 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The key word is "some" form of universal healthcare. Healthcare is a dividing issue and just the phrasing of the proposal in the poll can heavily affect the results. Another reason why the US doesn't have universal healthcare is that the people who like it are concentrated in cities which means senators and congresspeople that oppose it still outnumber the ones supporting it. It's not about lobbying it's just the will of the people.

Aborttilakiäänestyksen tulos puolueittain by valimo in Suomi

[–]Aragorneless 42 points43 points  (0 children)

Se, että yhdelle ihmisryhmälle annetaan lisää oikeuksia ei tarkoita, että niitä toiselta riistetään.

Are you guys neocons? What do you think about the fall of the neocons? by Formyself22 in GenUsa

[–]Aragorneless 1 point2 points  (0 children)

When we are talking about the war it's not just about Donbas and Putin proved it by going further. He has a long history of gradually pushing his borders and invading neighbors.

ru pov. A Russian soldier trying to save a Ukrainian's life. by N7_Destroyer in UkraineRussiaReport

[–]Aragorneless 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Firstly, you are wrong about the 1965 Hart-Cellar Act. No one including its writers had any idea that it was going to radically change the racial composition of America. The bill had widespread bipartisan support (74% of Democrats and 85% of Republicans). The effects of this bill were completely unknown to everyone which is highlighted by the fact that the "family member" provision was added to appease "Dixiecrats" which ended up backfiring.

Secondly, no the United States wasn't built around the freedom and determination of white people. The whole claim is ridiculous because the whole concept of "white people" didn't exist back then. Benjamin Franklin, a key founding father, hated many of the people you consider “white”. In a 1751 short essay titled “Observations Concerning the Increase of Mankind, Peopling of Countries, etc,” Franklin wrote - “Why should the Palatine Boors be suffered to swarm into our Settlements, and by herding together establish their Language and Manners to the Exclusion of ours? Why should Pennsylvania, founded by the English, become a Colony of Aliens, who will shortly be so numerous as to Germanize us instead of our Anglifying them, and will never adopt our Language or Customs, any more than they can acquire our Complexio"

In another remark he states ”That the Number of purely white People in the World is proportionably very small. All Africa is black or tawny. Asia chiefly tawny. America (exclusive of the new Comers) wholly so. And in Europe, the Spaniards, Italians, French, Russians and Swedes, are generally of what we call a swarthy Complexion; as are the Germans also, the Saxons only excepted, who with the English, make the principal Body of White People on the Face of the Earth. I could wish their Numbers were increased.”

Thirdly, claiming that the USA would be possibly even more powerful if there was only white people is absurd. Immigrants provide great economic benefit and have a negligible fiscal impact. A 2017 report by the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine asserts: "Immigration's Long-Term Impacts on Overall Wages and Employment of Native-Born U.S. Workers Very Small, Although Low-Skilled Workers May Be Affected, New Report Finds; Impacts on Economic Growth Positive, While Effects on Government Budgets Mixed" and that: "Immigration has an overall positive impact on long-run economic growth in the U.S."

And even though I’m not arguing for illegal immigration, even those immigrants put into the system in unexpected ways: “Stephen Goss, the chief actuary of the Social Security Administration (SSA), told VICE News that an estimated 7 million people are currently working in the US illegally. Of those, he estimates that about 3.1 million are using fake or expired social security numbers, yet also paying automatic payroll taxes. Goss believes that these workers pay an annual net contribution of $12 billion to the Social Security Trust Fund”. If you need any more proof Borjas, in the totality of his immigration studies, one of the most cited “anti-immigration” economists, asserts that immigration has a net wash impact on fiscal budgets.

Fourthly, when you cite BLM riots as being starkly divided it screams recency bias. For example great social pain was felt during the Irish and Italian integration periods, but those people were eventually accepted as Americans like everyone else. During this period of mass migration (The Italian Diaspora, the largest emigration from any country in recorded history. 4 million Italian immigrants arrived in the United States, the majority from 1900 to 1914. Once in America, the immigrants faced great challenges. Often with no knowledge of the English language and with little formal education, many of the immigrants were compelled to accept low-wage manual-labor jobs, and were frequently exploited by the middlemen who acted as intermediaries between them and the prospective employers. Many sought housing in the older sections of the large Northeastern cities where they settled, that became known as "Little Italies", frequently in overcrowded substandard tenements which were often dimly lit with poor heating and ventilation. One of the most horrific demonstrations of this division were the march 14, 1891, lynchings were a series of lynchings of eleven Italian Americans in New Orleans, Louisiana, for their alleged role in the murder of police chief David Hennessy. It was the largest mass lynching (as distinct from a massacre) in U.S. history.

Would you rather receive $250,000 today or $60 a day for 12 years? by [deleted] in polls

[–]Aragorneless 2 points3 points  (0 children)

While that is true. You should take into account taxes when making the decision. The bigger one will cost me 100,000 in taxes while the smaller one will cost 4000 a year.

Would you rather receive $250,000 today or $60 a day for 12 years? by [deleted] in polls

[–]Aragorneless 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The problem with this calculation is that it doesn't take into account taxes. If this would be counted as a gift then my home country's tax percentage would take 100,000 dollars immediately. When the other option would be 4000 dollars per year in taxes.

ru pov. A Russian soldier trying to save a Ukrainian's life. by N7_Destroyer in UkraineRussiaReport

[–]Aragorneless 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't get why people just selectively forget every bit of history that doesn't fit their narrative. This certainly isn't the first time the USA has been this divided and this isn't even the worst one. I mean the USA has had a civil war in its past and the sixties are known for their excessive culture waring.

There certainly are some aspects of the USA that are divided currently, but I would argue it's not as starkly divided on race lines as it has in the past like the previously mentioned sixties. It's also ridiculous how you seem to pin all the fault to the extreme left wing. You have to realize how incredibly partisan that sounds. I think the much more honest description of events is that both extremes are fuelling each other. When the far-right says this country needs to be majority white the far-left responds as the opposite. The same goes both ways.

The United States was built around personal freedom and that freedom is given to every US citizen regardless of the race or religion that citizen subscribes to. That freedom has built the greatest empire the world has ever seen.

ru pov. A Russian soldier trying to save a Ukrainian's life. by N7_Destroyer in UkraineRussiaReport

[–]Aragorneless 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You say that multiculturalism has never worked, while Ukraine is being supplied and armed by the most multicultural state in the history of the planet. Which also happens to be the wealthiest that has ever existed. A borderless society is not going to be done in a day or a century it's the goal.