How do you self-indentify in terms of ideology?

Then you are a good American. Europeans, in my opinion, tend to a true believer syndrome. Thinking for oneself is an American trait, in my opinion.

Foofie wrote:

Then you are a good American. Europeans, in my opinion, tend to a true believer syndrome. Thinking for oneself is an American trait, in my opinion.

You keep telling yourself that. How many Americans thought Saddam Hussein was behind 9/11 in the lead up to the Iraq war, despite there being no evidence whatsoever.

That's not thinking for yourself, that's allowing yourself to believe what you're told.

That being the case, it appears to me that Germany still has a tendency to the "true believer" syndrome that Eric Hoffer wrote about in his book by the same title. Once party members believe they are supposed to accept the party platform, then over-zealousness can be effected, with all the accoutrements of parades, and snappy uniforms, in my opinion.

I prefer the American way of thinking, that gave us individualism, or perhaps, it originated in Hyde Park with the Brits. Notice the Brits let anyone speak in Hyde Park, but no one takes anyone too seriously.

Then you are a good American. Europeans, in my opinion, tend to a true believer syndrome. Thinking for oneself is an American trait, in my opinion.

You keep telling yourself that. How many Americans thought Saddam Hussein was behind 9/11
in the lead up to the Iraq war, despite there being no evidence whatsoever.

That's not thinking for yourself, that's allowing yourself to believe what you're told.

Did you think like that when he attacked Iran?

Oh he did that before Kuwait, that was when he was visited by people like Donald Rumsfeld,
and granted freedom of the city of Detroit.

He was the same person then, but treated completely differently by our respective governments.

Foofie wrote:

That being the case, it appears to me that Germany still has a tendency to the "true believer" syndrome that Eric Hoffer wrote about in his book by the same title. Once party members believe they are supposed to accept the party platform, then over-zealousness can be effected, with all the accoutrements of parades, and snappy uniforms, in my opinion.

So you think that this can happen only in Germany, and it never would happen in other countries.
Because the party members there do with their party's programs ... what do they, do you think as opposed what is done here, in your opinion?

You are extremely ignorant of everything outside your own back yard, so you'd be better off concerning yourself with that.

Get your arse down Broadway and tell us about it.

I dont think so Foofie. About 25% of the U S of A population only believe what they see on their favorite, radio, tv, station and paper no matter how radical it is. I talk to people around here about political beliefs and they spout the radical crap verbatim from their favorite sites. If I try to correct them they attack like most do on this site. If I ask them if they checked this stuff out on their computers themselves I am told it isent necessary because their news sources are reliable. I printed some stuff that contradicted their beliefs from reliable middle of the road sites and they wouldent even condescend to read it.

I don't know about that, he'd used chemical weapons on his own people prior to the invasion of Kuwait, and there was very little in condemnation from the west.

The fact remains he had absolutely nothing to do with 9/11, and was no more of a threat after 9/11 than he was before.

In my opinion, which can only be based on the U.S., Americans do not march lock-step, so to speak, with those in power. So, like in the UK, for example, there is a loyal opposition, but not called that in the U.S.

My point is that your explanation of a political party getting all its members to accept a party platform raises the question of whether that reflects a national characteristic of "obedience"?

...But I don't think that any party in any other country (with the exclusion of the USA, according to your testimony) works different.

(The SPD is Germany's oldest existent political party, established in 1863. It's done since those days - parhaps really we should have had a "fete of 150 years obedience"?)