sj_zero on Nostr: My understanding is that Zelensky did what my ex-girlfriend tried to get me to do ...
My understanding is that Zelensky did what my ex-girlfriend tried to get me to do once -- I'd worked out a deal for a used truck, it was time to go pick up the truck, and she goes "Well you should demand this this and this" it's like... no, we're just going to sign the paper, the deal is made. Walking in and trying to change the terms of the deal after it's already made isn't in line with masculine honor.
A counter-point to this is that it is pragmatic to push back hard during what was supposed to be the celebratory press conference given that the nation's future is on the line. Honor is a someone deontological thing. You may do something dishonorable because it is the practical necessity, but it doesn't make it honorable, and it's equally pragmatic to recognize that if you act dishonorably you may face consequences.
The state department worked out the deal, they were at the white house for what was supposed to be a photo op, and instead Zelensky started posturing for the media. This was not honorable conduct, so Trump and Vance tore a strip off of him.
The EU is apparently pissed off with the US, but the EU is pathetic. They pretend to be pacifists, but in reality they just try to bully the US into fighting their wars for them so they can look down their nose at the US while sitting on their high horse. The EU at this point is basically a US dependent that doesn't act like it but comes running to daddy every time they get in a tough spot. The most terrifying idea for the entire continent is that the United States will stop being the big bad bully they attack it for being, because it'll mean they have to protect themselves.
Ironically, the Europeans brought this upon themselves in part by their constant lobbying to make America more European. If the US remained the practical people they were prior to the world wars, the might have been able to maintain a global Empire. Pretending they're the same sort of failed society as Europe only dragged the US into failure themselves (and now they need to pull themselves out of it) -- If the US had stayed the practical people they were prior to the end of World War 2, then they could have been strong indefinitely.
A counter-point to this is that it is pragmatic to push back hard during what was supposed to be the celebratory press conference given that the nation's future is on the line. Honor is a someone deontological thing. You may do something dishonorable because it is the practical necessity, but it doesn't make it honorable, and it's equally pragmatic to recognize that if you act dishonorably you may face consequences.
The state department worked out the deal, they were at the white house for what was supposed to be a photo op, and instead Zelensky started posturing for the media. This was not honorable conduct, so Trump and Vance tore a strip off of him.
The EU is apparently pissed off with the US, but the EU is pathetic. They pretend to be pacifists, but in reality they just try to bully the US into fighting their wars for them so they can look down their nose at the US while sitting on their high horse. The EU at this point is basically a US dependent that doesn't act like it but comes running to daddy every time they get in a tough spot. The most terrifying idea for the entire continent is that the United States will stop being the big bad bully they attack it for being, because it'll mean they have to protect themselves.
Ironically, the Europeans brought this upon themselves in part by their constant lobbying to make America more European. If the US remained the practical people they were prior to the world wars, the might have been able to maintain a global Empire. Pretending they're the same sort of failed society as Europe only dragged the US into failure themselves (and now they need to pull themselves out of it) -- If the US had stayed the practical people they were prior to the end of World War 2, then they could have been strong indefinitely.