son of witless

But at least in America we pretend that our leadership is not impotent. Or did I mean not omnipotent ?

In the West the fear of a leader becoming a dictator is a long tradition. The longer any person stays in power, the greater the danger. Generally Western Leaders do not stay in power for life. In China and Russia there isn't a history of much else.

We were fortunate in America to have George Washington as our first President. He set the precedent of 8 years in office, and only FDR exceeded that.

Canuckus Deploracus Loc: North of the wall

Most of the world is used to a different system...

If democracy were so great, it wouldn't need to be forced on people

Tiptop789 Loc: State of Denial

Like in Russia & China, two prime examples of countries ruled by dictators?

son of witless

I guess you're right. The Allies and Russia pretty much flattened Germany in 1945 to force it on the West Germans. The East Germans had it forced on them when the Soviet Union went Kaput. We dropped two atom bombs on Japan to force it on them.

Canuckus Deploracus Loc: North of the wall

Nonsense... Those wars weren't about democracy...

son of witless

Actually they were. During the war America and it's allies were ruthless in prosecuting the war. After the war the United States established democracy in Japan and West Germany. I doubt in the history of warfare no other country was as generous to it's former foes as the US of A was to Japan and West Germany. Democracies were established and supported.

In contrast to how Russia and China have treated enemies they have taken over.

Canuckus Deploracus Loc: North of the wall

You need to study more history...

Start with Alexander the great and see how he treated vanquished foes...

You would have to provide me with an example of an enemy the PRC has taken over

son of witless

Oh my, you are the second person on OPP today to challenge me to a history lesson. I cannot believe my good fortune. If there is one subject that I have an overbearing conceit about, it is my knowledge of history. A few times I have been forced to eat my words, so it is possible. And you are fortunate because, while I have a good working knowledge of Alexander the Great and his battles, I have never overly concerned myself with his treatment of those he defeated. I mean, I do know that he was largely kind, by the standards of his day in the treatment of Persian Royalty.

The however, is whether he was always so tolerant, when he defeated someone ? Well now, it truly was not so hard to find an example of his wanton cruelty to a foe he defeated. In this example, in Alexander's defense, it was a vassal city that betrayed him. He was quite similar to Ghengis Khan who while he could spare a foe who honorably fought him, never tolerated a foe who surrendered and then later rebelled against him. You don't tug on Superman's Cape, You don't spit into the wind, you don't pull the mask of the old Lone Ranger, and you don't rebel against Ghengis or Alex.

The Greek city of Thebes rebelled against Alexander.

https://alexander-the-great.org/alexanders-campaign/battle-of-thebes.php#:~:text=Aftermath%20Alexander%20punished%20the%20Thebans%20severely%20for%20their,not%20k**led%20in%20the%20fighting%20sold%20into%20s***ery.

" Alexander punished the Thebans severely for their r*******n. Wishing to send a message to the other Greek states, he had the 30,000 Thebans not k**led in the fighting sold into s***ery. The city itself was burnt to the ground. "

Now what was that other thing you challenged me on ? Oh yea, " You would have to provide me with an example of an enemy the PRC has taken over "

Seriously ? The Alexander the Great thing was a trifle taxing, but finding examples of C*******t China mistreating people they have gained control over, is hardly even worth my time. Why not give me something difficult like calculating Pi by hand ? Well actually I can c***t and just put it into my cheap Chinese calculator so that is a bad example. But as far as China's record in the modern era, I submit :

https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/08/31/tibet-china-repression-xinjiang-sinicization/

" Chen Quanguo, then a rising star in the CCP, arrived in Tibet as the new party secretary in 2011 and rapidly t***sformed Tibet into one of the most pervasive police states in the world, a model that would soon be adopted in Xinjiang against the Muslim Uighurs. "

Please say you have more history lessons for moi. I enjoy being humiliated.

Canuckus Deploracus Loc: North of the wall

Firstly, I think you meant Babylonian royalty....Not Persian...

And your example had nothing to do with a vanquished for...It was an internal r*******n..

Secondly, your Chinese examples are all internal affairs...Have you no examples of the CCP invading a sovereign nation???

Tiptop789 Loc: State of Denial

I wanted to ask which system of government is better? I've never lived anywhere but the US so I will ask you, since you've lived many places. You like China better than Canada? How about N Korea, want to try that country? Brazil may not be quite so bad but lots of corruption? I would like to try some of the corrie on norther Europe. Don't you think people want to live free and pursue their own dreams living life the way they want?

Canuckus Deploracus Loc: North of the wall

I wasn't impressed with Brazil when I was there...Too much poverty that was casually accepted...It made me physically ill..

"Free" is a fascinating word... In America or Canada you can lose your home for failure to pay yearly property taxes...Whereas in much if Europe and Asia that concept is absurd....

Governments are the express will of the people... Just because they're different doesn't make them evil...

Imagine what North Korea could accomplish without all those sanctions

Tiptop789 Loc: State of Denial

Imagine what N Korea could accomplish without Kim? South Korea seems quite prosperous? Are you able to say which country hey you liked best? Taxes are a pain but a necessary cost for society. How are things funded in northern Europe? Perhaps payroll taxes? I've heard the same about Brazil, poverty & especially crime. When govt persecute & murder their citizens for orderly protest, political dissent, and keep all their money for themselves or friends,
if say they were evil. Some dictators have amassed personal fortunes in the billions while their citizens live in poverty. Thanks for your reply.

son of witless

" Firstly, I think you meant Babylonian royalty....Not Persian... "

Dost thou dare to correct me ? Really ???????

Babylon was no longer an Empire or even independent by Alexander's time. Not that there couldn't have been some leftover " Babylonian royalty..." , but Alexander conquered the Persian Empire which was the successor nation to Babylon and Assyria. Alexander married into the Persian Royalty as a political act to rule over Persia.

" And your example had nothing to do with a vanquished for...It was an internal r*******n.."

I beg to differ. Thebes was a conquered city. I suppose that made them Macedonians, thus making it morally okay to destroy their city, k**l, and ens***e them when they rebelled.

" Secondly, your Chinese examples are all internal affairs...Have you no examples of the CCP invading a sovereign nation??? "

I would find that remark infinitely amusing if not for the amount of human suffering involved. It seems it is okay to oppress your own citizens, but not citizens of a foreign land that you have conquered. So the Uihgurs since they were already within Chinese borders are okay to destroy ?

Canuckus Deploracus Loc: North of the wall

Alexander didn't conquer Thebes, he inherited it along with the throne... Your example doesn't hold up to my point about how Alexander treated CONQUERED peoples....

You divert time and time again...

That's fine...

My challenge was for you to provide an example of the CCP invading a neighbor... Just admit you can't...

China oppresses some of its people...Just like the US... History will probably skip over it...Just like the US...

Tiptop789 Loc: State of Denial

What people are opposed in the US? Please don't say b****s or Jewish immigrants.