Danish troops in Iraq to stay on

[Lancer]

Assumption!

I don't believe I was lied to.

[VetLegion]

Originally posted by BlackCat

Suppression of free speech - nope

What about that hippie marijuana loving commune in Kopenhagen (Croatian spelling, sorry can't be bothered to look up the original) you were going to close down?

Fascists!

[BlackCat]

Originally posted by VetLegion


Why? I mean, yeah, the question is strange, but at the very least the US is poised to be spat on simply by being the world's top dog. Couple that with the hillbilly image of George Bush and latent anticapitalism that dominates much of Europe and other propaganda we are being fed -- and you have a case. What in hell are Danish lefties and youth doing? How can youth be pro-American??

Did Americans do something special for Denmark in her history? I can't think of anything...

Don't misunderstand me, there are certainly a left wing in Denmark and they certainly are 100 % predictable when it comes to be anti-american - but they are just so predicatble that all they have to say are "put in the usual banalities here" (of course they say a lot more, but essentially it is what they say).

I don't think the youth are pro-american, the are just not anti-american, but of course, as usual there are more youths that are aa's.

I think that your problem in understanding us, is that when we apparently isn't anti-american, then we MUST be pro, and that doesn't need to be the case.

I'm not quite sure why you think that we are anticapitalists. There were a period back in the 70'ies where it was a must in certain "intellectual" circles, but we also has a tendency not to take such circles too seriously.

I don't think that very many people here takes the hillbilly image of GB serious - well, of course, the extreme left does, but that are expected by them, so they do it. There was a thread some months ago about the danish election, and IIRC there was some very funny drawings of our politicians including our current prime minister. He is ususally drawn as a unshaven caveman with a club in his hand, but noone think that that is how he really is (ok, the extreme leftists does, of course, but that is their job).

About the spitting on the top dog, well, it is a couple of centuries ago since we were that, so maybe we just don't have to stiffen our egoes doing that

[ahasverus]

Well that looks somewhat grim now. The police says they going for the US approach on Christiania with a null-tolerance policy because a man got shot there last thursday. The reason the man got shot was probably something drug/gang-related. And the reason some kind of drug war maybe has begun, is that before the police closed down the openly selling drugvendors, Christiania dominated the drugmarket in Copenhagen, but now when their monopole is broken there is lot of people trying to take the market. But because everybody still comes to Christiania to buy and it can be done, people wants control of Christiania. And now the police they aren't even going to let people sitting outthere smoking a j go as they have done so far.

[BlackCat]

Originally posted by VetLegion


What about that hippie marijuana loving commune in Kopenhagen (Croatian spelling, sorry can't be bothered to look up the original) you were going to close down?

Fascists!

The latest news about that piece of heaven is that a couple of days ago one was killed and several was wounded because some drug dealers started firing maschine pistols and other guns. Nice place.

[ahasverus]

Sorry for that little stray away from the subject.
Blackcat has more or less explained the way Danes feels 'bout the Americans, so no need to go any further down that road

[BlackCat]

@ahasverus : that war started several years before the closing down of pusher street.

[Winston]

Hmm, it's difficult to figure out whether to be worried or amused by the fact that to some people, it's highly irregular if you're not rabidly anti-American and storm out to make it known at every opportunity you get.

No, it's mostly amusing, I think. Bordering on being ridiculous.

Maybe you should try to wipe the scales from your eyes and realise that what is sometimes perceived to be widely held notions of anti-Americanism is often a product of certain politicians working extremely hard to nurture such sentiments in the context of specific political matters. Political matters where painting such a picture will help them achive something, or so they think.

In my experience, ordinary people aren't against America as such, quite the opposite. And most of them have a fairly good sense of separating the domestic politics agenda from how they view other countries.

[VetLegion]

I'm not quite sure why you think that we are anticapitalists. There were a period back in the 70'ies where it was a must in certain "intellectual" circles, but we also has a tendency not to take such circles too seriously.

I know Danes and Denmark are capitalist. Still European capitalism is heavily regulated with regards to enviroment, workers' rights... taxes are high and so on. American is more wild and careless. Compared to USA, all Europe is commie

[ahasverus]

No there was a war between rockers in the 80s but nothing in the 90s. The immigrantgangs could just controlled a little bit in nørrebro etc. ,but untill pusherstreet was closed Christiania dominated the market to much for anyone to challenge. That and the fact that a lot of retired rockers still retained power in Christiania. And nobody messed with rockers even ex-ones. But now when the most of them got arrested following the closing of pusherstreet, there is nobody strong enough to challenge the immigrantgangs, who have also gained strength over the years almost to the point where rockers are afraid of them

[VetLegion]

Originally posted by Winston
In my experience, ordinary people aren't against America as such, quite the opposite. And most of them have a fairly good sense of separating the domestic politics agenda from how they view other countries.

There is a big leap from not being anti America[*] and supporting intervention.

By far (really far) most people in most countries are not interventionists. The ordinary folk don't want to send "our boys" to harm's way to get killed. Even if they are professionals and have volunteered.

So it's political manipulation either way.

[*] I think even most fanatical anti Americans in poor countries like, say, Iran would accept the chance of better life American citizenship would bring them. The point I'm trying to make is that there are different levels of love and hate for a country.

[BlackCat]

If Winston doesn't mind a little threadjacking, I'll keep it here (starting a new thread about danish drugwar wouldn't be a big hit .

After what I have heard/read, then the police has registred a growing in armouring of gangs for at least tree years, especially the immigrantgangs, so this started well before the closing of PS, and it was that I referred to, not the 80's and 90's rockerwars.

[ahasverus]

well thats a point but Germany started arming itself even prior to Hitlers takeover ,and we still consider ww2 starting in '39 and not sometime in the 20s.

So the build-up might have begun before but hey they run around shooting eachother and will probably soon if not already begin taking territories from HA and Bandidos and that still requires a lot of arms IMHO. So the weapons are probably not solely for shooting down tourists, hippies and small time dealers

[BlackCat]

Originally posted by VetLegion


There is a big leap from not being anti America[*] and supporting intervention.

By far (really far) most people in most countries are not interventionists. The ordinary folk don't want to send "our boys" to harm's way to get killed. Even if they are professionals and have volunteered.

So it's political manipulation either way.

[*] I think even most fanatical anti Americans in poor countries like, say, Iran would accept the chance of better life American citizenship would bring them. The point I'm trying to make is that there are different levels of love and hate for a country.

You are rigth about ordinary people isn't glad for losses, but to say that that makes them in total opposition of not doing anything is a very long leap. At least I have only heard that from very few people/politicians here.

Denmark has a long tradition of sending soldiers to hotspots, usually under UN, and not without losses, but that has never started some "call our boys back immediately" demands from the public.

I think that the common opinion here are that if there is a understandable reason and if it helps other people, then common danes think that it is worth fighting for.

You might call it politcal manipulation, and most danish left wing would agree with you, but they are a small minority.

[VetLegion]

Hmm. OK.