I couldn’t get pass first 30ish pages in the main book (after reading trough the prefaces and skipping here and there reading some other stuff that piqued my interest also). It got me heavily depressed and left me feeling completely powerless and hopeless and it only reinforced the things I noticed and tought about USA myself.
And I just quit…prefering the sanity of ignorance to the madness of reality.
How can anyone hope to have a normal world with THAT…and I live in Eastern Europe…one would say far away from thr main American Influence. Not so far as it felt before. If we tought that the Nazis or the Communists were evil…ohoho boy…this book makes one feel like there is nothing more vile in the world than the United States of America government.
Did you read it? How did it make you feel?
Are you an American? This might be a factor in your POV.
Also, I have been to the U.S. (both coasts) when I was working as a Maritime Electrical Officer the common folk that I met, most of the cops and other authority figures were chill and warm people. People on the streets were reaaaly talkative and open compared to the Eastern European archetype , some did display the stereotypical ignorance about the outside world (was a bit shocked when I met some kids that didn’t know abut “Count Dracula and Transilvania”) but they are open to discovery. I met a black woman just outside of the port gates of L.A. (or was it Long Beach) while I was waiting for my ride to the airport , she was working security…we got to share a few words, told her about Europe and my country Romania. I even gave her a few banknotes and coins from Romania, she was visibly excited…especially seeing plastic money :D.
Authorities while doing their job (for example immigration dept) are a bit strict and rigid, they do not take kindly to jokes…nearly got denied permit to go ashore because I made a stupid joke. But once the job is done…it’s like flipping a switch…
And this brings me to doing business…I have friends that work for American Companies here in Romania. They all describe them as being “cut-throat corporate fake zombies with fake smiles visibly hiding sharp claws and teeth”. And I get it …business is business…especially in the US. But we’re talking about work coleagues here…like…they depend on eachother to do the job …yet …