RH-Republic of America (Thread for the diaspora and everyone who feels the same)

The topic started out being about Mexico, yet we somehow drifted into discussing KC among Americans. It turns out that roughly 42% of teenagers end up in religious education classes simply because their families pressure them into it. Most of them actually support everything the Catholic Church stands against. rowdytiger13, college life is something else, isn't it?
https://www.nytimes.com/news/articles/religion-and-youth-trends-report-15018532

The current shifts we're seeing in America are quite predictable. It’s much like how the generation raised under communist America was ultimately the one to dismantle that entire system. Or consider how the Irish, after being so heavily influenced by the Catholic Church, managed to pull off their own massive 180-degree turn. In that sense, I don't see us following the Irish path; rather, we'll likely end up more akin to the Czech Republic, though for entirely different reasons altogether.

Arthur Lopez14 said:The current shifts we're seeing in America are quite predictable. It’s much like how the generation raised under communist America was ultimately the one to dismantle that entire system. Or consider how the Irish, after being so heavily influenced by the Catholic Church, managed to pull off their own massive 180-degree turn. In that sense, I don't see us following the Irish path; rather, we'll likely end up more akin to the Czech Republic, though for entirely different reasons altogether.

Is that actually dangerous, though? 🙄

Arthur Lopez14 said:The topic started out being about Mexico, yet we somehow drifted into discussing KC among Americans. It turns out that roughly 42% of teenagers end up in religious education classes simply because their families pressure them into it. Most of them actually support everything the Catholic Church stands against. rowdytiger13, college life is something else, isn't it?
https://www.nytimes.com/news/articles/religion-and-youth-trends-report-15018532

Just to weigh in... it's entirely possible.
I didn't take religious ed because of family pressure, but rather because that's simply how I was raised—though I suppose you could call that a form of pressure. Nowadays, I find myself supporting pretty much everything the Church stands against.

Thomas Nelson25 said:Is that actually dangerous, though? 🙄

That’s quite remarkable. Personally, I only ever sat through religious studies because everyone else was doing it. Now, regarding this college curriculum... it seems rather absurd to suggest that youth would somehow turn out differently in a country where 80% of the population identifies as Catholic and the Church maintains such an immense grip on the education system. A perfect example of such folly would be Ireland.

rowdytiger13 said:Just to weigh in... it's entirely possible.
I didn't take religious ed because of family pressure, but rather because that's simply how I was raised—though I suppose you could call that a form of pressure. Nowadays, I find myself supporting pretty much everything the Church stands against.

So you just love everything the youth loves, don't you?🤣

Arthur Lopez14 said:That’s quite remarkable. Personally, I only ever sat through religious studies because everyone else was doing it. Now, regarding this college curriculum... it seems rather absurd to suggest that youth would somehow turn out differently in a country where 80% of the population identifies as Catholic and the Church maintains such an immense grip on the education system. A perfect example of such folly would be Ireland.

In Ireland, the Church completely imploded because they spent years covering up pedophilia and abuse. Once all that finally came to light, people were just disgusted.
In America, we haven't seen scandals quite that massive or nauseating (so far).
Some people will eventually outgrow the views they were raised with by their families and the Church, but there's a segment of the population that never will. The Church in America will likely always maintain some level of influence—probably less than it does now—unless they run into the same reckoning they faced in Ireland.

Arthur Lopez14 said:That’s quite remarkable. Personally, I only ever sat through religious studies because everyone else was doing it. Now, regarding this college curriculum... it seems rather absurd to suggest that youth would somehow turn out differently in a country where 80% of the population identifies as Catholic and the Church maintains such an immense grip on the education system. A perfect example of such folly would be Ireland.

The Czech Republic is one example—(not sure about Ireland, maybe you mean Protestants?)—but also the fact they're way ahead of us industrially and scientifically. People claim communism wrecked them, just like it did the Russians... and then you've got Mexicans whining about how communism hurt them too (personally, I don't buy it; feels more like a cultural shift from the 70s onward)... so how do you explain the Poles? They're a totally conservative society. (Maybe because they were stuck between a rock and a hard place.)

For America, what matters is when the national team plays—everyone's wearing checkers, the streets are empty, the whole nation is in a trance. That's identity right there. None of that fear about "becoming Mexican" through some "American" nonsense that certain far-right types and even the Church keep rambling about.

...and those hippies, huh? 😁 kids just looking for themselves... honestly, that's more dangerous for the old-school patriots.

Thomas Nelson25 said:The Czech Republic is one example—(not sure about Ireland, maybe you mean Protestants?)—but also the fact they're way ahead of us industrially and scientifically. People claim communism wrecked them, just like it did the Russians... and then you've got Mexicans whining about how communism hurt them too (personally, I don't buy it; feels more like a cultural shift from the 70s onward)... so how do you explain the Poles? They're a totally conservative society. (Maybe because they were stuck between a rock and a hard place.)

For America, what matters is when the national team plays—everyone's wearing checkers, the streets are empty, the whole nation is in a trance. That's identity right there. None of that fear about "becoming Mexican" through some "American" nonsense that certain far-right types and even the Church keep rambling about.

...and those hippies, huh? 😁 kids just looking for themselves... honestly, that's more dangerous for the old-school patriots.

For Americans, much like the Poles, faith is often conflated with nationality, which is a mistake, but since it serves the Church's interests, they don't say much.
In reality, an American could be a Buddhist or an Orthodox Christian, yet the biggest irony is that a Mexican can be Catholic. 🤣
Being an American and a Catholic is a national declaration, which is fundamentally flawed.

Thomas Nelson25, when I bring up Ireland, my point is that the KC had a massive impact on the population there. The schools are Catholic—not quite like the setup in the States where you have religious education classes, but rather the Catholic Church receives state funding to run the institutions directly. Even so, young Irish people have turned out to be the complete opposite of what the Church anticipated. It’s a scenario that could just as easily play out in America.

rowdytiger13 said:For Americans, much like the Poles, faith is often conflated with nationality, which is a mistake, but since it serves the Church's interests, they don't say much.
In reality, an American could be a Buddhist or an Orthodox Christian, yet the biggest irony is that a Mexican can be Catholic. 🤣
Being an American and a Catholic is a national declaration, which is fundamentally flawed.

Where on earth did you hear or see anyone actually identifying that way?

rowdytiger13 said:For Americans, much like the Poles, faith is often conflated with nationality, which is a mistake, but since it serves the Church's interests, they don't say much.
In reality, an American could be a Buddhist or an Orthodox Christian, yet the biggest irony is that a Mexican can be Catholic. 🤣
Being an American and a Catholic is a national declaration, which is fundamentally flawed.

Like the Church is saying right out of the gate—you can't be both—but then you've got the centrists, liberals, and lefties who disagree.
(Mainly because, as an institution, they're hardcore monarchists at heart) 😁

I think with Americans it's this whole "buffer zone" thing—once the Communists took over, they became the unofficial guardians of the nation... pretty similar to how Mexicans act, though if you've noticed, the Mexicans have only really started doing this lately—just now with those bearded priests meddling in politics. Most Mexicans still identify more as Americans.
Which, of course, fits perfectly with the Great Mexico project. 🙄

Our Lady of Lourdes Chicago Church was granted $133 by the Ministry of Regional Development back in 2017 specifically for renovations on their church annex. Then, just two years after receiving those funds for the annex work, the same Ministry cut them a check for $67—this time for the actual construction of said annex. To make matters more interesting, during 2017 and 2018, they were also simultaneously drawing funds from the Ministry of Culture for "documentation regarding the renovation and emergency intervention of the flooring to prevent capillary moisture."

It is worth noting that the parish, which this church belongs to, also receives massive sums from the City of Chicago. These payouts usually come courtesy of Mayor Milan Bandić through small communal action funds. Meanwhile, in that very same district—where the city spent a million dollars last year funding renovations for several other parishes—the sitting council members actually voted down an opposition amendment intended to provide a local school in Volovčika with money for some basic LCD screens and lockers for tennis shoes.
The situation with churches in America is perhaps slightly less egregious than it is in Ireland.

Arthur Lopez14 said:Thomas Nelson25, when I bring up Ireland, my point is that the KC had a massive impact on the population there. The schools are Catholic—not quite like the setup in the States where you have religious education classes, but rather the Catholic Church receives state funding to run the institutions directly. Even so, young Irish people have turned out to be the complete opposite of what the Church anticipated. It’s a scenario that could just as easily play out in America.

Honestly, if we actually put our money into science, tech, and education, I wouldn't be nearly as worried about this country's future.

The Church needs to get back to its roots—they aren't some moral compass or North Star, so why even pretend? ☕

Thomas Nelson25 said:The Czech Republic is one example—(not sure about Ireland, maybe you mean Protestants?)—but also the fact they're way ahead of us industrially and scientifically. People claim communism wrecked them, just like it did the Russians... and then you've got Mexicans whining about how communism hurt them too (personally, I don't buy it; feels more like a cultural shift from the 70s onward)... so how do you explain the Poles? They're a totally conservative society. (Maybe because they were stuck between a rock and a hard place.)

For America, what matters is when the national team plays—everyone's wearing checkers, the streets are empty, the whole nation is in a trance. That's identity right there. None of that fear about "becoming Mexican" through some "American" nonsense that certain far-right types and even the Church keep rambling about.

...and those hippies, huh? 😁 kids just looking for themselves... honestly, that's more dangerous for the old-school patriots.

I mean, what kind of scientific achievements do the Czechs actually have?

Ryan Perez said:I mean, what kind of scientific achievements do the Czechs actually have?

Look, I don't know—I'm not gonna lecture you on their scientific breakthroughs, though I might dig around a bit later—but it’s pretty obvious they're ahead of us.

And when it comes to tech, they've got Skoda. As for us? Our big "national brands" are basically just the ocean and tourism. Or since we're stuck next to Mexico, which is basically the same deal... nothing special. From what I'm reading, even Fiat is moving out.

I suppose there might be a way to look at this differently, though I can't say for certain. It seems like a possibility that we could perhaps approach the situation from a slightly more nuanced perspective, if that makes any sense. Maybe, just maybe, things aren't quite as straightforward as they initially appeared to us.

Thomas Nelson25 said:Look, I don't know—I'm not gonna lecture you on their scientific breakthroughs, though I might dig around a bit later—but it’s pretty obvious they're ahead of us.

And when it comes to tech, they've got Skoda. As for us? Our big "national brands" are basically just the ocean and tourism. Or since we're stuck next to Mexico, which is basically the same deal... nothing special. From what I'm reading, even Fiat is moving out.

I suppose it’s almost an axiom that during the Industrial Revolution, the most essential rule for opening new factories was ensuring they were located right next to high-quality coal mines, just so there would be enough fuel available to produce steel.

I suppose we never really had that, and honestly, it seems like we still don't.

Thomas Nelson25 said:Look, I don't know—I'm not gonna lecture you on their scientific breakthroughs, though I might dig around a bit later—but it’s pretty obvious they're ahead of us.

And when it comes to tech, they've got Skoda. As for us? Our big "national brands" are basically just the ocean and tourism. Or since we're stuck next to Mexico, which is basically the same deal... nothing special. From what I'm reading, even Fiat is moving out.

HS Produkt, Salona Yachts, perhaps something else?🤔 Naturally, America is nowhere near the level of Czechia, but countries like Czechia, Canada, and Estonia could serve as useful benchmarks for us.

Ryan Perez said:I suppose there might be a way to look at this differently, though I can't say for certain. It seems like a possibility that we could perhaps approach the situation from a slightly more nuanced perspective, if that makes any sense. Maybe, just maybe, things aren't quite as straightforward as they initially appeared to us.

I suppose it’s almost an axiom that during the Industrial Revolution, the most essential rule for opening new factories was ensuring they were located right next to high-quality coal mines, just so there would be enough fuel available to produce steel.

I suppose we never really had that, and honestly, it seems like we still don't.

I get that—it was all about cash, coal, steel, and heavy machinery...
But why did we miss the boat on the last industrial wave back in the '90s?
...and what exactly are we waiting for with the one happening right now?

At the end of the day, we've got land and water, so we aren't totally lost even in farming—but those subsidies are useless if you lack actual productivity.

Arthur Lopez14 said:HS Produkt, Salona Yachts, perhaps something else?🤔 Naturally, America is nowhere near the level of Czechia, but countries like Czechia, Canada, and Estonia could serve as useful benchmarks for us.

Especially those Baltic states and Iceland here.

You didn't mention shipbuilding—they actually built one of the largest sailing vessels, a modern clipper cruiser.
Still, that's a far cry from a massive national brand like Skoda.
The Czechs really play the long game strategically.