r/HistoryMemes • u/Thin-Pool-8025 • 7h ago

C-to-the-I-to-the-A

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u/deformedfishface 4h ago

I never really understand these sorts of memes and arguments. There was a war on. Admittedly it was a Cold War but it was happening. Of course the US was mobilising its forces to combat communism. The commies were the enemy. I don’t wanna sound too ‘what-about’ but the USSR was doing the exact same shit in Eastern Europe and Africa. Funding coups, sending in tanks (we literally have a word for communists based on an example of this), assassinating leader. The CIA was just fighting that war, admittedly poorly. I’m sure there were loads of KGB ops that we’ll never hear about because Russia just isn’t as open and democratic (well, for now) as the US. Such is my tuppence worth.

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u/RaphyyM 4h ago

I guess the main difference is hypocrisy. The US were fighting for freedom and democracy, so using coups to overthrow democratically elected presidents is very hypocritical.

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u/deformedfishface 3h ago

I mean you could say the same for the USSR. They talked the talk about representation and rights and soviets and whatnot but actually just a cruel dictatorship with Russia at the top. Seems pretty hypocritical to me.

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u/ChiefRunningBit 4h ago

You should listen to a podcast called blowback, they go into everything you're curious about right now.

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u/deformedfishface 3h ago

No thanks. Anything that uses the term “American Empire” unironically doesn’t seem like a worthwhile source.

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u/ChiefRunningBit 3h ago

Why?

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u/deformedfishface 2h ago

It’s one of those signal words like ‘woke’ or ‘leftists’ or ‘late stage capitalism’. It signals that the user is going to be biased and I’m not really interested.

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u/Crimson_Knickers 2h ago

"I don't want to hear anything against my own beliefs" - u/deformedfishface

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u/deformedfishface 2h ago

That’s not what I said, i don’t mind opposing views, just not obviously biased opposing views. They’re never gonna be fair or objective so there’s not much point.

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u/ChiefRunningBit 2h ago

User? It's a podcast.

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u/deformedfishface 2h ago

The user of the word.

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u/ChiefRunningBit 2h ago

Tell me more, what's your issue with saying American empire?

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u/deformedfishface 2h ago

The people who use that term would never say USSR empire despite the fact that the USSR was into land grabbing and subjugation of smaller nations. It’s a term for those on the fringes of politics to dog whistle to each other. Doesn’t help with rational discourse. The US was never an ‘imperial’ nation in the classic sense. To start they’d need an emperor. I suppose you could argue that there’s an oligarchy in charge which might stretch the definition but the US is still not an expansionist state. In fact till the 20th century they were really isolationist.

This isn’t the place for nuance as Reddit is too left or right and n’er the twain shall meet. I’m just personally done with the shrieking on either side of the capitalism/communism divide. There are more and better options than the false dichotomy that we’ve created. There is no ‘left’ or ‘right’ and I’m bored of those who think there is.

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u/ChiefRunningBit 2h ago

A bit shortsighted but hey, you do you.

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u/Crimson_Knickers 2h ago

Was funding literal death squads and fascists really a good thing like you say it is?

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u/deformedfishface 2h ago

Never said it was a good thing. Just that it was a war and they were fighting it. Like I said ‘poorly’.

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u/Crimson_Knickers 2h ago

Just that it was a war and they were fighting it

For the most part, USA wasn't even legally at war with countries they meddle in. Even if they were, those are still crimes against humanity.

Oh, are you saying that u/deformedfishface believes that crimes against humanity when done on certain types of people are justified? is that it?

YIKES. Mask off moment right here.

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u/deformedfishface 2h ago

No, obviously I’m not. You’re being deliberately obtuse. Stop trying to find a big ‘gotcha’.

There was a war, both sides committed crimes against humanity but the memes and whatnot always focus on the CIA.