Ask Lemmy

When I moved abroad for a half year.

Almost any stats.

Learning about how the settlers tricked the natives into “buying” land

When I moved out of my parents house and stopped watching fox news.

I figured out pretty quickly that there were really big differences between Fox,NBC and CNN, at that point I saw CNN as being approximately truthful.

A couple years later one of the guys that worked with had CNN lies bumper stickers. I thought BS, but realized I really should see what it was about.

I looked into that. And found that he wasn't wrong but it was way more complicated than that.

I realized that even the news channels with the most journalistic integrity still have numbers to make. If I'm not riled up they consider me under-consuming. And there were still agendas here and there.

That narcissistic fake patriotism never resonated with me. Don't get me wrong, I love my country and the people in it but I wouldn't tolerate a person that was "me first" because it's obnoxious. I think the reason people latch onto it is to feel better about themselves. It's like racism. People like to imagine others beneath them. It takes no effort at all on their part

When I gave the books Manufacturing Consent and Consequences of Capitalism a fair chance, and learned about the brutal reality of our foreign policy that goes completely ignored in our history books

Also finding the channel Knowing Better on YouTube and learning much more about the history of Slavery and Native Americans

Realizing that being trans isn't a disorder or a"problem" and that being myself is important regardless of the stigma.

It's been downhill for Amerikkka sense then. More I learn about this country the more i absolutely hate it.

When I started playing PubG. All those people shouting 'China #1' can't possibly be wrong.

I grew up as a military brat and was thoroughly disillusioned about the US military before I was a teenager. On the UK RAF bases, i believe they tone down the jingoistic americanism a bit to not disturb the locals.

Everything else is just learning actual US history, and interacting with veterans; we're pretty fucked up for a country that hasn't even hit 300 years of age yet.

To answer your question: in college, gradually.

We can't just say we're "the best country in the world", we have to live it. We have to, each of us, take responsibility to make it so. Instead, I see far too many people taking what others in the country might have done (We went to the moon first!) to stand as credit for their own personal pride. Not saying you can't be grateful for what's been accomplished, but there's many who just ride on it and don't really contribute anything meaningful of their own.

Iraq. Or maybe it was just meeting other folks from other places and realizing I’m more of a person than an American because while they may do things a bit differently over everywhere else they’re still just people over there. I grew to love my country in a “well it’s my home and I think we can make it better” way.

Though it may have been around my teenage years when the climate started collapsing and some dumbass motherfucker in congress brought a snowball to work to argue that climate change isn’t real. And not too long after the alt right started organizing and by the gods I learned some damn shame in my country over that bullshit.

Growing up in western Washington does it to you automatically. No one I know has ever felt that way.

probably after 9/11, but i already had questions as a kid connected to the cold war.

I think since at least middle school. I was already aware of some of the lies and "half truths" that they were teaching us. I don't remember most of what they taught us but I remember telling some of my classmates about it and they acted like I was weird.

I'm not sure it ever wasn't propaganda (they never provided any metrics) to me, but I think I started to care during the Bush II administration as an adolescent/teenager. I still remember thinking how f***ed up it was that Gore had the popular vote while still losing the election. --I guess that made me unsurprised when it happened again. I didn't realize how bizarre our 'Pledge of Allegiance' habits were until I was in my twenties, though.

My friend from Ukraine could not understand why and how someone would pay to be driven to the hospital in an ambulance.

Wait.. what?? Isn't america the best country in the world?