NationStates Jolt Archive

I have a hypothetical situation I want to put out there. So many of non-Americans think the US is a rampaging bully. I will throw this one out there and see what people think. The US capacity for troop strength is approx 15-20 million. If you were to add women in there you could probably get it up to 30 million. Considering that we could arm them correctly and build up the Airforce and naval forces accordingly. In essence our war stance at the end of WWII in todays numbers. Take away any world bodies like the pesky UN. Dont give any regards to trade partners. We could assume we would do like Japan in WWII and take our resources we needed. Give GW the green light to do whatever he wants. What do you think the US would do?

I have a hypothetical situation I want to put out there. So many of non-Americans think the US is a rampaging bully. I will throw this one out there and see what people think. The US capacity for troop strength is approx 15-20 million. If you were to add women in there you could probably get it up to 30 million. Considering that we could arm them correctly and build up the Airforce and naval forces accordingly. In essence our war stance at the end of WWII in todays numbers. Take away any world bodies like the pesky UN. Dont give any regards to trade partners. We could assume we would do like Japan in WWII and take our resources we needed. Give GW the green light to do whatever he wants. What do you think the US would do?

Revolt. That sort of thing ain't our bag, baby. :)

We could get far, far more soldiers/sailors/etc. than 30 million..

Anyway, we'd probably do nothing. Becoming slightly more of a superpower won't change us into a monster. We can already use military force in a number of ways we currently aren't.. Plus, militaries are expensive.

Edit: According to the CIA, we've got 73,597,731 possible males of fighting age, in a pinch. No women included.

Get invaded by China.

Revolt. That sort of thing ain't our bag, baby. :)
word. i would set random fires.

Well... if history is anything to go by, the last thing the USA would want to do is start conquering other countries.

They could certainly do it but if my memory serves me correctly I think every expansionist empire has collapsed once they stopped expanding.

What do I think the USA would actually do? Be far more aggressive to countries that posed military threats but other than that it would be largely the same. Besides, I think it is far easier to "invade and dominate" foreign countries economically and socially than it is to do so via military force.

We don't have to do anything. Our entertainment industry is americanizing the world for us already.

We could get far, far more soldiers/sailors/etc. than 30 million..

Anyway, we'd probably do nothing. Becoming slightly more of a superpower won't change us into a monster. We can already use military force in a number of ways we currently aren't.. Plus, militaries are expensive.

Edit: According to the CIA, we've got 73,597,731 possible males of fighting age, in a pinch. No women included.

Actually, the 30 million is a pretty good figure. When you start pulling out more than 10% of your population, you start to hit your economy's working force pretty hard, so we wouldn't be able to make enough supplies for the troops.

Well... if history is anything to go by, the last thing the USA would want to do is start conquering other countries.

They could certainly do it but if my memory serves me correctly I think every expansionist empire has collapsed once they stopped expanding.

What do I think the USA would actually do? Be far more aggressive to countries that posed military threats but other than that it would be largely the same. Besides, I think it is far easier to "invade and dominate" foreign countries economically and socially than it is to do so via military force.

Right, so we'd be fine until we run out of planet.....

We don't have to do anything. Our entertainment industry is americanizing the world for us already.


Yeah, But do you really want liberal Americans dominating the world?

Get invaded by China.

China would have to get through the most powerful navy ever assembled first. Which unless they are invisible wouldnt happen. Plus China would get crushed by the shear numbers of citizens with guns. ;)

Yeah, But do you really want liberal Americans dominating the world?

No, we want Hollywood to sissify the world with their limp-wristed liberal ideology, so when the time comes, we can just mop them up without effort. :)

China would have to get through the most powerful navy ever assembled first. Which unless they are invisible wouldnt happen. Plus China would get crushed by the shear numbers of citizens with guns. ;)

Yeah, but China's nukes can almost reach L.A., so if they fired first, that means I might miss out on the fun of napalming their peasants into teryaki. ;)

No, we want Hollywood to sissify the world with their limp-wristed liberal ideology, so when the time comes, we can just mop them up without effort. :)


Oh, thats the plan. Damn those Republicans are more evil than I thought!

Yeah, But do you really want liberal Americans dominating the world?

Not particularly, but I enjoy watching it.

I recently spent a few weeks in the UK. What struck me as funny was the way the white underclass (so called CHAVS) have whole heartedly adopted a hip-hop gansta rap ethos. For example they all wear burberry, and other tacky designer wear, listen to rap and wear lots of 'bling'. (Yes they actually do call it bling).

This new underclass however has been totally accepted as part of british culture - though a slightly frowned upon one. Indeed, there was even a TV show about being Chav and proud of it. Not only did the chattering classes seem terribly impressed with their own 'acceptance' of this phenonmenon - and therefore their own liberal mindedness - they also seemed blithely unaware that is was a wholesale copy of 'gansta' from the states. Further, they even put it down to evolution of british working class attitudes and attributed it to Thatcher. (I mean, really). I though to myself, this is cultural imperialism if ever I saw it, an entire segment of the populace has adopted the mores and customs of the equivalent group in the US, and no-one has even noticed or cares to speak out against it.

Really, the chattering classes over there that rail against the republicans should be thanking george bush. At least he is helping them preserve the british identity by giving them something to be anti-american about.

Now, if only we can get them to buy back episodes of thirty something, we can do the same to their middle class.

Not particularly, but I enjoy watching it.

I recently spent a few weeks in the UK. What struck me as funny was the way the white underclass (so called CHAVS) have whole heartedly adopted a hip-hop gansta rap ethos. For example they all wear burberry, and other tacky designer wear, listen to rap and wear lots of 'bling'. (Yes they actually do call it bling).

This new underclass however has been totally accepted as part of british culture - though a slightly frowned upon one. Indeed, there was even a TV show about being Chav and proud of it. Not only did the chattering classes seem terribly impressed with their own 'acceptance' of this phenonmenon - and therefore their own liberal mindedness - they also seemed blithely unaware that is was a wholesale copy of 'gansta' from the states. Further, they even put it down to evolution of british working class attitudes and attributed it to Thatcher. (I mean, really). I though to myself, this is cultural imperialism if ever I saw it, an entire segment of the populace has adopted the mores and customs of the equivalent group in the US, and no-one has even noticed or cares to speak out against it.

Really, the chattering classes over there that rail against the republicans should be thanking george bush. At least he is helping them preserve the british identity by giving them something to be anti-american about.

Now, if only we can get them to buy back episodes of thirty something, we can do the same to their middle class.


Those wacky brits. What can you do?

word. i would set random fires.

ill bring the arshmallows ^_^

ill bring the arshmallows ^_^
do. i might end up setting you on fire, tho, so watch yourself.

I have a hypothetical situation I want to put out there. So many of non-Americans think the US is a rampaging bully. I will throw this one out there and see what people think. The US capacity for troop strength is approx 15-20 million. If you were to add women in there you could probably get it up to 30 million. Considering that we could arm them correctly and build up the Airforce and naval forces accordingly. In essence our war stance at the end of WWII in todays numbers. Take away any world bodies like the pesky UN. Dont give any regards to trade partners. We could assume we would do like Japan in WWII and take our resources we needed. Give GW the green light to do whatever he wants. What do you think the US would do?

That sounds stupid.

Get invaded by China.
Yeah, right. Like China has the ability to deploy their forces overseas. They have virtually no ability to project force outside their region.

That sounds stupid.

Its hypothetical, and no you didnt need to respond.