Oh, you're not alone. People think the choice is between national interests or Europe.
You won't agree with me on this, but in reality the choice is arguably between European interests or Chinese/foreign interests. Instead of choosing strength in unity, we're choosing to be divided and conquered.
Just look at the result of prioritizing national rather than European interests for defense. Not enough industrial capacity to support Ukraine, redundancies, limits on benefits of scale, taxpayer money disproportionately funding jobs in the US defense industry rather here in Europe, and Europe being to weak to scare off Russia from interference or perhaps even worse.
Just look at the greatest Eurosceptic parties. Inevitably they have ties to Russia or are pro-Russian.
Just look at alleged interference in the brexit referendum. The Kremlin had a good laugh about that one.
I don't expect to change your mind on this, and don't worry yours is the popular opinion. A European state won't happen. But I hope you understand why plenty of people are exasperated by this. Continued division will accelerate our decline, and rather than being able to defend our geostrategic interests, we will continue to be pushed around by superpowers. And it won't be inevitable. It will be a choice that we made.
People who are on 'team' Palestine, often unquestioningly parrot Russian (and Chinese) disinformation, because they're under the mistaken impression that their enemy's enemy is their friend. Russia has been a longstanding supporter of the Palestinian cause and an ally of Syrian and Iran, dating back to Soviet times. The Arab world often ignores how Russia and China treats Muslims, because it's politically inconvenient.
Some Muslim lives are clearly worth more than others. Take China. The UN is on record as saying what happened to the Uyghurs may amount to crimes against humanity. An estimated 16000 mosques have been demolished. A million Muslims in camps. Forced sterilisation. Medical experiments. Systemic rape. But you're very unlikely to see large scale protests to oppose that.
The left and Arab world doesn't care that much, in part because they've bought the Russian/Chinese line hook, line and sinker. Partly because west bad, so China/Russia good. Once you realise how selective the outrage is, it's also hard not to be cynical about the motives of some of those protesting.
Do they actually care? Are they protesting because they're angry that people are suffering? Or are they protesting because it's politically convenient and fashionable?
Obviously, what's happening in Gaza should be condemned. But it'd be nice if people came to the conclusion that war crimes are always bad, even when the guys doing it are on 'your team' and not look the other way.
This, Grozny, Xinjiang. Meanwhile, you have useful idiots all over social media, spouting Russian and Chinese propaganda with regards to the Palestinian conflict.
While assassinations aren't exactly rare in Russia, I do find it slightly funny when people immediately suspect foul play when old men in stressful jobs die in Russia. Especially in a country renowned for the prevalence of alcoholism.
I mean, the average male life expectancy is under 65 in Russia. This guy didn't even die particularly prematurely by Russian standards. And it's not as if he looks like the picture of health in the picture attached to the article.
Given their videos were so highly ranked, the prevalence of coercion in the industry, and the fact that it's often impossible to tell if someone's been threatened behind the scenes, it's highly likely that most people reading this who have watched porn online have also watched plenty of videos of actual rapes.
This is a simple fact, but one which a lot of people would rather deny, rather than admit their part in perpetuating it, while wondering why watching porn makes them sad. Partly, I suspect, because deep down they know the truth of it.
For those who don't get this, 'Laïcité' is what the French call the secularism which is part of their constitution.
Plenty are as serious about it, as many in the US are about free speech or the right to own a gun.
Obviously this is also in part a more recent phenomenon. France has a large Muslim population and laïcité is arguably interpreted more strictly by those who wish to combat the influence of Islam on French mainstream culture.
In Europe you basically have to be handicapped to not learn to drive manual. Most people get the manual driving license because it allows you to drive both, whereas the automatic one doesn't.
Manual transmission was and often still is cheaper, often cheaper to repair, often more reliable, often uses less fuel, and in cheap and less powerful cars the combination is often better. Because there are so many manual cars here, including at rental places, it's a no brainer to learn to drive manual.
This being said, that's changing. Also, less and less young people are getting a driving license due to affordability and cars no longer being the status symbol they once were.
It is already legal to have a sexual relationship with multiple partners at the same time. Bigamy should be legalised. That it isn't, is a result of entrenched bigotry and religious prudery.
If you're using God as a proper noun, capitalise it. Not capitalising it is potentially confusing. Eg. There are numerous gods. Zeus is a god and God is a god.
It is likely too late to avert climate apocalypse. Don't have kids and you've done far more than most to prevent climate change. (This doesn't mean we shouldn't try to prevent it.)
A lot of society's ills are attributable to arseholes not getting punched in the face enough. This includes the fact that we can't make it legal to punch arseholes in the face, because arseholes would abuse that right to punch people who don't deserve it in the face.
America has become so fat, that most Americans have a skewed perception of what it means to be obese.
Most sports are stupid. Michael Phelps can swim 6 mph. Fish can swim 10x faster than that. Fuck that. I want to watch a tiger chase Trump through a maze.
The already high male suicide rate is severely underestimated. A lot of male risk taking behaviour, including car/bike related accidents, is suicidal in nature.
In practice identity based politics is often used to divide and conquer and distract people from their true interests. Class consciousness is more important. You have more in common with your colleagues, than you do with Beyonce or Joe Rogan, just because they happen to have the same skin colour and/or genitals as you.
Oh, you're not alone. People think the choice is between national interests or Europe.
You won't agree with me on this, but in reality the choice is arguably between European interests or Chinese/foreign interests. Instead of choosing strength in unity, we're choosing to be divided and conquered.
Just look at the result of prioritizing national rather than European interests for defense. Not enough industrial capacity to support Ukraine, redundancies, limits on benefits of scale, taxpayer money disproportionately funding jobs in the US defense industry rather here in Europe, and Europe being to weak to scare off Russia from interference or perhaps even worse.
Just look at the greatest Eurosceptic parties. Inevitably they have ties to Russia or are pro-Russian.
Just look at alleged interference in the brexit referendum. The Kremlin had a good laugh about that one.
I don't expect to change your mind on this, and don't worry yours is the popular opinion. A European state won't happen. But I hope you understand why plenty of people are exasperated by this. Continued division will accelerate our decline, and rather than being able to defend our geostrategic interests, we will continue to be pushed around by superpowers. And it won't be inevitable. It will be a choice that we made.