Like I get the US wont be clued in on most non-US topics but that in itself is a huge problem and a product of the culture of America. America is brought up on the notion that America is the best country, the most important country, that Americans are the centre of the world.
Bc of the way they colonised countries (such as Japan and the middle east), this is true to an extent bc their cultural imperialism affects many countries - to the point that most UK highstreets are full of American, not English (or EU), stores, and cultural erosion takes place on an international scale. America is the nation keeping all others in poverty through neo-colonialism, forcing down the price of cocoa, bananas, and keeping the WTO headquarters in the USA controlled by USA companies is a huge controlling scheme. Americans do not think of other countries bc its in their culture etc. You might not see it if youre American, but, America only cares about America.
And so this ebbs over into SJ.
So I can understand why from a cultural standpoint you wouldnt think to. But the SJ community is supposed to be one of love/acceptance/learning about issues, but this doesnt happen because Americans are so fucking insular.
So tbh I don’t think it’s an excuse to say “but i never learned about it!” bc you should go out and learn about it, that’s the thing about sj, you should be going out and educating yourself on issues, more than just the ones that affect you. so saying “I never thought about it” is in itself a form of erasure/oppression bc you never think to.
like, also, the USA has one of the best countries worldwide in terms of wealth, etc. Only one state goes against that consensus, that being Mississippi. But when the rest of your god damn nation’s definition of “poor” is equivalent to “middle class” in the uk (meaning that what passes for a middle income over here passes as poor, meaning your median income is higher) and you straight-up ignore that and talk about poverty in the USA being the worst ever ever ever, you are erasing experiences. especially considering your poverty index is the highest, meaning it’s the lowest in terms of poverty, seconded only to Sweden. Whereas the UK has one of the highest gaps between rich and poor, no economic growth, and huge north-south disparity.
in the uk if youre working class your home will be bought out from beneath you. if youre working class you are painted as the reason why the UK is in a bad financial situation, not tax-dodging businesses, not offshore accounts, not bankers taking 7million bonuses per month. If youre working class and live in the UK your dole will be cut.
so shut up america. for once. and stop excusing your ignorance.
i’ll add sources later but this was a topic i learned a lot about in global politics so just trust me on this one ok
