I hope this is relevant for this community, because I don’t know where else to post this. I’m honestly scared to post it anywhere else.
I live in Eastern Europe. I’m a university student, and recently, we got an American exchange student. They’re a very outspoken liberal.
A few days ago, we took them out with a few mates out for beers (they’re under 21, so they didn’t drink, even though you can here if you’re at least 18) to break the ice and make them feel comfortable. We got talking and because I’ve never been to the US, I asked them what I thought was an innocuous question. For some context, I’ve been a communist for a very long time, and joined the communist party the day I turned 18.
I basically asked them: Why would I vote for Harris? How would that improve the situation in the US and abroad? I’m not too familiar with her, but her politics don’t seem too appealing, especially her support for Israel and her incarceration background.
That made them launch into a screaming rant about how I’m a conservative for doubting her abilities and deserve to be jailed for wanting to infringe on the rights of women. There were a few more insults targeted at me for asking that question, I didn’t really understand them. The entire time, I was not even saying anything, I was honestly too shocked to react, but they just kept screaming until they got up and stormed out in a rage after calling me a Trump supporter, misogynist, and a fascist. My mates were equally confused. We tried to figure it out, but everyone is equally stumped.
I’ve been thinking about that entire situation for a couple days, and I’m so confused about their reaction. They even refuse to speak to me now.
What have I done wrong? Can someone please explain? ☹️ I really don’t understand what happened. We have liberals here of course, but even the worst ones never behave like this.
Ya, that’s just how Americans are, this coming from an American. All the looting of other nations goes to your head. She has probably never been asked that hard of a question before. To be honest she is probably just super alienated from reality.
You’re probably right, it did occur to me that you have to be from a certain socioeconomic background to be able to study here.
I have one related question, which also stems from me not knowing much about the anglosphere: I’ve read a few responses, and some people are assuming this person was a woman. I didn’t specify their gender on purpose in the OP, but they were a man. Why did people assume they were a woman?
I basically asked them: Why would I vote for Harris? How would that improve the situation in the US and abroad? I’m not too familiar with her, but her politics don’t seem too appealing, especially her support for Palestine and her incarceration background.
I think they misread this as applying to the lib rather than to Kamala.
In the US there are no real politics. Average people have near zero power to affect any change in their country. So the concept of engaging in politics has shifted to solely a cultural identity.
Now even though they cannot effect their material conditions positively in this system, the people still driven to adopt these cultural identities still get something that matters to them out of their participation. One group gets to punish those they hate/satisfy their anger and hatred of libs (this is the republicans the more opening fascist party). The other group - the liberals - who tend to be more affluent, college educated, etc. vote for the democratic party to feel morally superior/assuage guilt for being affluent/college educated in the most unequal nation on earth.
Interrogating an American liberal on their positions regarding politics is to them an assualt on the foundation of their superior moral character - which is soley defined by “voting blue no matter who.” To call into question the lesser evil of the democratic party is to say that they are not a good person.
In short, the US is not okay. We are never sending our best. Death to America of course
You haven’t done anything wrong. American hardcore liberals are genuinely the worst kind of person, perhaps even worse than the typical fascists due to their hysterical, performative, deranged faux-progressive fascism and holier-than-thou attitude, all of which combines to create a monstrosity that is incapable of relating to other human beings in a decent manner the second they are met with anything but subservient agreement.
If it helps, their antics will probably ensure that they get a place by the wall regardless of what comes next, whether it be socialism or barbarism, if they keep it up.
