This again shows that China is the true world leader. Whether in helping other countries develop economically in a balanced manner or leading the world by developing innovative science, technology and industry. china leads in everything except in violence, exploitation and bluster.
Native American genocide, slavery and its aftermath, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Vietnam, Cambodia, 800 military bases outside the US, 60% of worldwide arms trade, $20 trillion world reserves bonus due to SWIFT, Iraq, Afghanistan … not to mention most Latin American countries … by far the largest number of prisoners (ratio and total), by far the largest number of murders, … and on and on … that is not perception … tell me are you one-sided when it comes to the Nazis? Not being one-sided is sometimes as evil as being the dark side.
I lived 22 years in the states, 17 of which were in NYC. I lived a few years in Manhattan (studio), then I bought a house in Bayridge, Brooklyn and had kids there. I taught at a university (engineering) in Brooklyn and had many friends both young and old.
It’s you who hasn’t seen the world and don’t know what the rest of the world knows about your ‘exceptional’ country. Your metaphor is not :). As Eastwood says, you are a legend in your own mind. Snap out of it.
While a total uprising can and does happen, it is very rare. It is the gradual boiling of the frog effect. The rate of raising the temperature may be high for many but as long as it doesn't exceeds the critical sensitivity of most, then the oppressor is safe.
Of course, the police and military can and do quell large sequences of relatively large uprisings even in Europe such as that of the gilets jaune in France.
That is so ridiculous it reminds me of religion. In order to avoid a neighboring 'bully', Finland and Sweden have to ally themselves with the biggest imperial bully of them all! What do you think NATO is? It's the US and European countries are serfs in it. If you're going to bite the bullet, why not try to get along with Russia?
Why is it always that countries can't get along with their neighbors but think the nastiest countries far away are the bees-knees.