I am soon 53, and this never ending hate between so many people over these last few years is the sadest thing to happen in my lifetime. While I have always thought that the EU should streamline more, and I also support talking about issues that need to be solved, what is happening now is something else. I support Trump when he says that Europe must take more care of its own defense, that is fair. What do not support is an environment in which there is so much animosity that one no longer can say anything, however moderate, out of fear of being mowed down in now man’s land.

  • MichaelHenrikWynn@lemmy.caOP
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    6 days ago

    I am not sure I understood your question. You say we have no defense and therefore we should not pay for it? You say there are no rare earth mines, but there is rare earth both in Norway and on Greenland. Greenland has no infrastructure, and would be very expensive. But Alaska also has rare earth, and it i think has infrastructure and is much nearer silicon valley and china? Norway has huge amounts of rare earth? I am not talking about independence in the sense ties are severed, I am talking about having more than ONE BRAND OF CORNFLAKES. There are those who want to limit the number of cornflakes brands, and force us to eat state cornflakes. This is something we must not allow. It is about avoiding monopolies and potential extortion similar to the gas crisis. It is not about boycotting either the us or china.

    • Narri N. (they/them)@lemmy.ml
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      6 days ago

      nah man, I can’t really follow your train of thought on any issue. I’m saying Europe’s defence is nonexistent by being tied to an insufficient industrial base in both EU and US by virtue of NATO. The rare-earth minerals exist in the ground in both areas evidently, but neither have the industrial capacity to acquire or refine them to supply their defence industries in any meaningful amount, as China controls most of the global supply of these. I’d support my country (after a communist revolution, of course) as it tried to distance itself from the US, NATO and EU, as these all serve only to make our lives worse; I’d also support it in an endeavour to close its ties to China, as having a functional military would be needed to defend itself from the genocidal empire that is the US/EU and NATO. As it stands, though, I am opposed to any and all increases in military spending, as it will only serve the ruling class to kill more innocents, and will eventually provide nothing of worth for me, nor will it increase the quality of life any outside the ruling class.

      • MichaelHenrikWynn@lemmy.caOP
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        4 days ago

        Europe, for the most part does not agree with US wars, and this is one of the reasons why it should have a better defense. It is also fair that US tax dollars benefit US citizens, education and health? The Eu can create many things, but is dependent on them using what the y create. The way I see it there is no greater enemy of Eu tech and it business than the Eu itself. And I am not talking about boycotts or tariffs.

        • Narri N. (they/them)@lemmy.ml
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          4 days ago

          The people here might have varying opinions on US forever wars, but the governments seem to be mostly aboard. US wouldn’t use their dollars to benefit their people except the insignificant minority who own the means of production, and the same applies to its European vassals. We agree that EU is in itself what holds us all back, but I’d go as far as to argue also against the capitalist mode of production and neoliberal society which legitimizes and maintains it (base and superstructure). I don’t think there is a hope of fixing issues in our productive forces without addressing the issues within that society, mainly the private ownership of the means of production and the exploitation of the worker.

          • MichaelHenrikWynn@lemmy.caOP
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            4 days ago

            There is no alternative regarding “means of production”, or any other utopian system so far that has actually worked. What the AI revolution will do remains to be seen. Normally what happens in all revolutions, including both the Russian and Chinese revolutions and the internet revolution, is an initial period of idealism. Then gradually you notice old power structures reasserting themselves, often under new names or terms. So the notion of freedom in the sense of a classless society has never existed, and will probably never exist. That does not mean that the world cannot become more fair. But mankind can never be forced to become something it is not. An ideology forced down the throat of all empirical evidence.