Dr. Bob: Empires and Bullies

Empire or Bully?

It occurs to me that it is a mistake to refer to the US as an empire. Maybe it was for a little while, but, surprisingly, it has not really been an empire since the end of WWII, which is exactly when most historians (who admit it) believe that it became an empire.

But an empire controls its empire. US control has been spotty at best. Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Libya — did the US actually “win” any of these wars? Oh, they did enormous damage and killed millions of people while destroying the environment and spreading misery and poverty everywhere. But did any of those nations really yield to the US?

Even among so-called puppets, does the US really control them? Oh, the US economically exploits them, and conducts regular interference including death squads, coups, color “revolutions”, attacks on currencies, etc.

But these are the actions of a bully. Not an empire. An empire, done right, looks out for the welfare of all of its citizens. An empire is not continually at war, often with itself.

This doesn’t mean empire is good. Empire is and must be based on genocide. Otherwise, national and ethnic groups will demand sovereignty. But genocide can be by assimilation, which has been the US goal, one never very well implemented. Yes, American culture is everywhere, but individual groups do maintain their own cultures and even interpret American culture in their own way.

Am I wrong?

So I think the US is best described not as an “empire” (most humans love the idea of empire, so that’s not helpful), but as a bully.

No one likes a bully. No one respects a bully.

My reply….

When I received this message, I replied somewhat pedantically about the meaning of “empire”-- and how all “empires” are by definition “bullies”.

Of course, I missed the point, which Dr. Bob makes very well-- and summed up in the last line:

I think the US is best described not as an “empire” (most humans love the idea of empire, so that’s not helpful), but as a bully.

As he said, people somehow love the notion of “empire”-- the Roman Empire, the British Empire.

Certainly, the US did, which is why it tried to take over from the British at the end of WWII—and considered the USSR as an “empire”, which it was not, not at least in the terms that the US construed the term. Hitler did, as well — and guess what happened there!

surprisingly, it (the US) has not really been an empire since the end of WWII, which is exactly when most historians (who admit it) believe that it became an empire.

Think about it. And ask yourself if Dr. Bob isn’t right, it contrarian. I was wrong, at least, in part— maybe more.

Rising civilizations can achieve many things; failing civilizations cause destruction and death.

Words, words, words….

What really matters is not semantics— but the behavior of “these” United States expressed as global bullying: it has led to untold misery.

But why is it that we do not talk more about that? Why is it that we accept it?

Like bullying in schools and the workplace, we don’t like to think about the misery it causes or why it exists or why people permit it. We certainly don’t take steps to do anything about it.

Yes, once again, I was wrong and Dr. Bob was right.

And once again,I have to thank Dr. Bob,

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Evolution….?

Sea wolves are native to Vancouver Island where my father was raised.

Wolves are not the only animals adapting. This video goes into a whole range of other animals adapting too. Even pigs!

I hope you find it interesting.

If they can adapt, maybe we can also.