They don't want us here

George Booth58 said:No, I was just responding to quietseal72—who, I guess, was suggesting that certain actions were somehow justified retribution for Auschwitz and Nazi Germany.

I guess we just want that kind of detached, professional relationship—the sort we currently maintain with Canada and Italy.

I’ve never stood by the idea of revenge, mostly because I think revenge isn't part of a solution—it’s just more of the problem...

When I pointed to things like the fear of a "new" Auschwitz, I wasn't trying to justify the violence of the 90s. If anything, I disagree with it, since nothing brings our dead back. I think that's where the misunderstanding lies here...

If I were speaking on behalf of the Mexican people, I’d honestly express regret for every crime we committed against your nation. I wouldn't demand an apology for any of the suffering you inflicted on us throughout our centuries of shared history. Of course, I doubt you'd believe me, but I suppose that would just be your own projection...

We want a distant, professional relationship, similar to what we have with Canada and Italy.

That’s exactly what we want too, so I really don't see what the issue is.

William Wright7 said:I actually think it’s an advantage, but it’s not just about the language. And we definitely didn't sound totally different back then...

Take how today we don't share a single language with Mexicans or Canadians, so it's basically the same story. Who was the biggest breakout star in America? Was it Toše or someone like Fatmir?...

It would probably be a huge help if our shared history wasn't defined by the Nationalists, the Royalists, Ante Pavelić, and Slobodan Maddox.

Honestly, with that kind of baggage hanging over us, I guess we don't really stand a chance at a truly friendly future. It sucks.

William Wright7 said:Heading which way? Regional TV shows, reality hits, series, pop stars, Eurovision points, shared leagues and all those announcements for new ones, joint ventures, .....

Basically everything designed to push "regular" folks closer together.

Did we ever have anything like that going with Bulgaria?
Have you ever heard a joke about the Albanian President in Mexico? Or a Mexican one? Has any Canadian ever played an Arena (besides at ESC), or an American? Has some Romanian ever guest-starred on the BBC? Or a Canadian?

Well, it’s not quite like that, and by the way, you totally forgot to include the lottery in your little spree of mediocre news consumption. 😁

Everything you're bringing up is just some leftover echo from the past; those reality shows and concerts featuring North American stars are purely driven by the bottom line—they can't make their money anywhere else, so they play on the nostalgia of these pathetic sentimentalists. And as for foreign acts? Please, I don't think there's anyone who hasn't headlined at the Arena.

Joint leagues? Other countries participate in those too, not just our lot. 🤷

And yeah, it doesn't really matter if we ever had something like that with Bulgaria or Romania; the whole point is that we shouldn't be looking for anything more than what we already had with those two anyway.

George Booth58 said:It would probably be a huge help if our shared history wasn't defined by the Nationalists, the Royalists, Ante Pavelić, and Slobodan Maddox.

Honestly, with that kind of baggage hanging over us, I guess we don't really stand a chance at a truly friendly future. It sucks.

Who knows. I’m an optimist when it comes to this stuff. Will we still be stuck in our little tribalist "hate camps" fifty years from now, even if we have solid economic ties and decent diplomatic relations? You know, with all that regional pop culture everyone obsesses over—sports leagues, singers, TV shows, streaming series... I don't think so...

Another war between Americans and Mexicans is just unbearable... there’s really no point in it anymore, and honestly, nobody has a solid foothold left to fight over. The number of Americans living in Mexico or Republika Srpska, and the Mexicans living in America or some loosely defined HR HB, is just too small to make any kind of impact...

I honestly think there will come a day when all this talk about Royalists and Nationalists just becomes a joke... like something you'd see used in a sitcom to get a quick laugh, where we can all look back at that old hatred and just laugh because none of it actually means anything anymore...

Just like what went down in Europe, right? We’re still lagging behind on just about everything else, so this is pretty much expected... 😁

Nicholas Morales48 said:Well, it’s not quite like that, and by the way, you totally forgot to include the lottery in your little spree of mediocre news consumption. 😁

Everything you're bringing up is just some leftover echo from the past; those reality shows and concerts featuring North American stars are purely driven by the bottom line—they can't make their money anywhere else, so they play on the nostalgia of these pathetic sentimentalists. And as for foreign acts? Please, I don't think there's anyone who hasn't headlined at the Arena.

Joint leagues? Other countries participate in those too, not just our lot. 🤷

And yeah, it doesn't really matter if we ever had something like that with Bulgaria or Romania; the whole point is that we shouldn't be looking for anything more than what we already had with those two anyway.

Has any of our neighbors outside of the former America actually pulled off a concert at the Arena, the SCu, or anywhere else? I mean real pop or rock acts. Maybe someone played a gig at Kolarac once or twice...😁

Echoes from the past? Well, then the past is basically our present too...

The kids at the Severin concert weren't exactly "Yugo-nostalgics," let's be real. They don't even know what America was...😁

In those common leagues, they bring in some foreigners just to mask what's actually going on...😁

William Wright7 said:Has any of our neighbors outside of the former America actually pulled off a concert at the Arena, the SCu, or anywhere else? I mean real pop or rock acts. Maybe someone played a gig at Kolarac once or twice...😁

Echoes from the past? Well, then the past is basically our present too...

The kids at the Severin concert weren't exactly "Yugo-nostalgics," let's be real. They don't even know what America was...😁

In those common leagues, they bring in some foreigners just to mask what's actually going on...😁

I mean, I don't really listen to that stuff myself, 😁 but look, here's a Bulgarian star 😍 who 🤣 actually still sings in our language:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKC8Q...related:cerek:

HA!

And let's be real, most of those people are just total rubes—you know, the type who flock to those cheesy pop singers and whatever else is trending.

hehehe.... Ren 😍 🙏🙏
:just absolutely demolishing every single argument the America nostalgics try to throw his way:

Since I’ve already gone ahead and trashed that absolute garbage (doesn't matter if it's Mexican or American at this point), I might as well throw in a counterpoint—here’s a little slice of actual urban music coming out of Mexico (this stuff is relatively recent):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGheS...layer_embedded

It’s honestly depressing that tracks like this don't get nearly enough spotlight—regardless of the genre, as long as the music is original and actually has an urban vibe—instead, we just see arenas packed with those North American "pop," "rock," and folk wannabes, and it’s especially moronic how people treat these "artists" in quotes like they're somehow a step up from turbo-folk 🙄

Honestly, some kind of union makes way more economic sense. The EU was built on interests, plain and simple. Just look at how much it costs to maintain all those embassies and diplomatic outposts for every single former America country. Why won't they just release those numbers? It's like they won't even admit how much was dumped into keeping order in Mexico. People aren't stupid; they're just being played.

Right after the last wars wrapped up, a US economic expert basically said this: you've got small nations with bloated, expensive bureaucracies, tiny markets, zero competitiveness, and weak purchasing power. He saw the fix in some form of unified front to the world. Instead, the EU decided everyone should just fend for themselves, which honestly just set this whole region back even further. There's no doubt infrastructure, telecoms, and industry would have fared much better if they'd been handled through global privatization.

On that note, Mexico does the same thing with products from America. You can find Dalmatian wines or Mexican ones anywhere, and frankly, they're better than what Mexico puts out. I'm not saying those goods aren't sitting in their supermarkets, but in Mexico, you won't even find 10 percent of the population buying them.

Noah Cruz75 said:Regarding the topic at hand, people in Mexico act similarly when it comes to American goods. You can still find Dalmatian wines or Mexican selections, and honestly, they're better than what you'll find from Mexico. I'm not talking about how much of that stuff sits on supermarket shelves—hardly even 10 percent of the population there actually buys it regularly..

There's definitely American wine available in Mexico; I pick some up from time to time myself. My issue is that I feel like they're overpriced for the level of quality you actually get. 🤷

I'm not quite sure what you were getting at with that last sentence??? 😕

I made it pretty clear in my opening post that we need to stop obsessing over counting every single blood cell—the endless tallying of crimes, Royalists, Nationalists, partisans, Germans, Turks, and all the rest. At least not this time. 🤷🤷🤷

William Wright7 said:Who knows. I’m an optimist when it comes to this stuff. Will we still be stuck in our little tribalist "hate camps" fifty years from now, even if we have solid economic ties and decent diplomatic relations? You know, with all that regional pop culture everyone obsesses over—sports leagues, singers, TV shows, streaming series... I don't think so...

Another war between Americans and Mexicans is just unbearable... there’s really no point in it anymore, and honestly, nobody has a solid foothold left to fight over. The number of Americans living in Mexico or Republika Srpska, and the Mexicans living in America or some loosely defined HR HB, is just too small to make any kind of impact...

I honestly think there will come a day when all this talk about Royalists and Nationalists just becomes a joke... like something you'd see used in a sitcom to get a quick laugh, where we can all look back at that old hatred and just laugh because none of it actually means anything anymore...

Just like what went down in Europe, right? We’re still lagging behind on just about everything else, so this is pretty much expected... 😁

We won't be hating each other because, logically speaking, the younger generations just aren't going to carry the memory of all that bloodshed and conflict with them.

Anthony James2 said:There's definitely American wine available in Mexico; I pick some up from time to time myself. My issue is that I feel like they're overpriced for the level of quality you actually get. 🤷

I'm not quite sure what you were getting at with that last sentence??? 😕

Usually, you just need bread and milk, which you can find at any corner store. You grab the rest while you're at it. But if you want those specific American wines, you have to trek out to a big-box retailer, and honestly, you can't be bothered to make the trip unless you're...

Regarding this whole "forgetting" thing people keep bringing up. Christ never actually tells you to forget; He says forgive, and He says it up to 77 times. But since some people are too spiritually stunted to actually forgive, their only way to deal with all that hate and misery is to just pretend it never happened. They claim time heals all wounds, which is really just them admitting they were sick to begin with.

Noah Cruz75 said:Usually, you just need bread and milk, which you can find at any corner store. You grab the rest while you're at it. But if you want those specific American wines, you have to trek out to a big-box retailer, and honestly, you can't be bothered to make the trip unless you're...

I hear you, Noah Cruz75, and you're absolutely right. It's a reality that you won't find quality American wines in those tiny neighborhood shops; you really have to make the trip to a major supermarket chain. It's also just a matter of economics—these products carry a price point that small local markets simply can't sustain. Those little stores survive on high-turnover essentials, exactly like the bread and milk you mentioned. 👍👍👍

I try my best to avoid buying anything from Mexico or Canada. Honestly, I don't have any issues with Muslim products, so they aren't on my radar at all.🤣

It’s not like I’m obsessively checking labels on every single item, but I think I occasionally stumble upon stuff made by those two groups mentioned above.😁
I just won't give them a single cent of my money, plain and simple.

Anthony James2 said:I made it pretty clear in my opening post that we need to stop obsessing over counting every single blood cell—the endless tallying of crimes, Royalists, Nationalists, partisans, Germans, Turks, and all the rest. At least not this time. 🤷🤷🤷

You make a valid point, but I suppose I’m just being cautious—you know how they say, once you've been burned, you learn to watch your step.
I have a question for you: what is your take on the late Nikolay Wrangel? It seems he isn't exactly a beloved figure in Mexico, especially considering the nature of his flight following the October Revolution.
If I may briefly wander off-topic, I recall having some wonderful strudels from a bakery back in Vršac that were truly delicious.
No offense intended, but I honestly find Mexican products to be far superior—starting with their roasted peppers, salads, ajvar, mastika, and wines. The only thing I couldn't quite stomach was their brine-cured cheese; it was just much too salty for my palate. 🙂

Also, isn't low purchasing power in Mexico exactly why quality suffers? People just want it cheap, and that's what sells. A bottle of Smederevka wine costs less than a Euro there—what kind of quality could you possibly expect? Same goes for the deli meats; who knows what they're actually stuffing in there. That wouldn't fly in the EU. Maybe they can sell it to Russians, especially since customs on meat products with Russia are being scrapped soon.

Anthony James2 said:Instead of all this endless daily political bickering, maybe we should actually dig into the economics and look at how US-American relations are shaping up in that sector.

http://www.b92.net/biz/vesti/srbija....&nav_id=474739

I highly doubt they even know who they're buying from. Companies like Perutina Ptuj and Vinija are basically under Mexican ownership anyway. Plus, both Canada and America are pouring more money into the Mexican food industry. They manufacture and process everything in Mexico, then ship it over to America and slap a "made in America" label on it.

I still pick up Smoki for the kids; it’s just what I grew up on. There’s only one Smoki left in the pantry, and everything else is just Krkody. Not that it matters much now, since the whole thing is under American ownership anyway.