[Shaddox]

I hope I am not being too inflammatory by saying this but it's ... quite amusing how sheltered Americans are in thinking that a little political tension is a danger to their own country.

Bosnia was about to be destroyed and more recently, attempted to be divided by neighbors and they're still fine.

Look at anywhere that's not Americas or Western Europe.

[watwut]

Contrapoint: it is actually good for Americans to worry about whether democracy will be destroyed in their country. Complacency and ignoring issues with "there are other countries that got it worst" may sounds smart or "worldwide-inclusive", but does not help neither Bosnians nor Americans. Possibly the most politically apathetic nation is Russia .. and where it got them. Political apathy is what you get in autocracies and dictatorships - and what simultaneously empowers them.

It is debatable whether Bosnia is fine or will be fine. It is in danger of new rounds of violence. For that matter, even if Ukraine wins, which I hope, it wont be fine. Wars do actually damage places where it all happens and price is paid for many years after.

[myth_drannon]

Well look at Israel, it had so many wars(some it almost lost). I would argue it made it stronger, more cohesive. I hope the same happens to Ukraine, despite the price it is paying.

[danamit]

Israel is a nuclear power supported by the West, there is no almost losing.

[watwut]

They have own hard liners with genocidal rhetoric's and pretty violent practice. No, all the threats and violence did not made Israel better. It made them increasingly violent place.

[greenonions]

As an American, I tend to think we have a sort of permanent linguistic hyperinflation. Everything here is always bigger, huger. Sometimes it's true and sometimes it's not.

Part of the strength of the nation, however, is that everything is a big deal, all the time. This causes things to (eventually) get dealt with.

[orangepurple]

In the USA things appear to be big or are getting bigger but really they are not.

Residential structures are made from ever lower quality materials that are thinner than ever and with shorter lifespan (accelerated aging, necessitating sooner replacement).

Foods are being stuffed with ever larger quantities of fillers such as corn, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, and air to make the package look big even though there is nearly nothing nutritious inside.

It's a mirage.

[shadowofneptune]

I have never known anyone who lived in Bosnia in the 1980s, but I can imagine that the arguments over Yugoslavia's makeup might have felt like 'a little political tension' back then.

It's true that the US has a lot going for it. No enemies to its north or south, still the largest economy, high levels of education, etc. At the same time, standards of living have seen a large drop over the last two years. This appears to be intensifying the arguments over social issues, and increasing incitement to violence. What I see when I look at places that are not the Americas or Western Europe is that the peace and wealth people take for granted can be lost so easily.

[300bps]

quite amusing how sheltered Americans are in thinking that a little political tension is a danger to their own country

As an American, allow me to be even more inflammatory. Americans think that everything is falling apart because we've collectively never had a real problem in our life.

The amazing thing is as an American, I can ignore TV, all sources of news, fights on Facebook, etc. I've done it for years. Nothing bad happens. In fact the only effect is that I am blissfully unaware of all the minutia that are leading people to believe everything is falling apart.

[hotpotamus]

America has a history of political tensions posing a danger to it. For a few years it maybe wasn't one country and quite a significant percentage of the population died sorting that out.

[bombcar]

Americans seem to think that we're the only ones who ever had a Civil War and that it is a Really Big Deal, ignoring that there are civil conflicts occurring right now, and with higher body counts, too.

[hotpotamus]

Yeah, way to gatekeep civil wars America.

[NoGravitas]

While that's true, I think it's worth noting that a civil war in the country with the largest nuclear arsenal in the world would be Very Bad.

[confidantlake]

I get your point, but a lot of Bosnians died in that conflict. I have travelled there, and have talked with a lot of Bosnians. A lot of them are still pretty shook about the past. A lady I talked to had a sniper shoot each stair below her as she walked up a flight of stairs to mess with her. Stuff like that sticks with you.

Most people are still alive and life goes on but it is not a road you want to go down if you can avoid it.