Comments by "Posthumanist" (@thornelderfin) on "How the EU is Taking on Tech Giants" video.

@sciencefliestothemoon2305 Yes, Germany is contributing the most, but Germany is also selling all their products to all of EU tax free. Do not underestimate how much profit this brings Germany. (that's why they are doing it, they are not a charity, they want very large markets for export) ... but it's a win-win for all sides
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@Smile Guy You vote both for your own government and for EU parliament. You can vote for your country to leave the EU or through parliament representation to transform EU. Yet none of that has happened (unless you are in the UK), so obviously majority of people in your country supports staying in the EU and more-or-less the current heading. That is demoracy - the majority have voted for something that you don't like and now you have to accept it (or don't, your choice, but you have to live with it anyway). That's democracy. If you don't like something - vote against it.
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@Smile Guy I understand your experience in the US and EU, and your opinion on their future, however I am not so pessimistic about the inevitable demise of the US within our lifetimes. I have lived between Europe, Africa and Asia, and I can tell you there are very serious problems everywhere, not just EU and USA. China is NOT going to be the next dominant superpower. China has fatal flaws in their very core system that prevent them growing larger than they are now and being able to manage it. I assume I don't even have to mention the absolute derelict of an empire that is Russia. ... And on the contrary to the wedge that you see between France and USA - those are just petty things that disappear the moment things get serious. Exactly as it happened when Russia invaded Ukraine - instantly all of EU (almost) got polarized and more unified then I've seen in my life. Also alliance between EU and USA got instantly stronger, because of the external threat and necessity for allies. Even internal problems between for example Poland and EU Comission got sorted in a matter of 3 months. In peace time we all fight each other politically and economically, but when situation gets serious, we stick together as a strong alliance. (and don't forget Japan, Korea and Taiwan - those are also very good allies with similar values that we have ... and of course CA, AU, NZ)
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@MegaDixen So if you personally don't need it (travel, erasmus, GDPR) then f**k everyone else who needs/wants it, right? It's like old people in my country would close all borders from both sides, because they don't want any immigrants and don't want to travel anywhere anyway. They don't care that most other people want it.
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@bellezayverdad I think by "neutered" he means that France is no longer an empire / superpower, or something on that level. Nobody likes countries who think they are special and have some right to have more influence than any other country. If you don't see yourself totally equal even to the smallest of countries then nobody will like you.
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@Smile Guy You said: "First point if the notion of voluntary membership. I Didn't vote to join, does that mean I'm exempt" -- By this logic, you did not even vote for most of the laws of your country, yet you are not exempt at all. Every single person in your country under age of 18 didn't vote for any of the laws and treaties that apply to them (and they can go to jail for). That's how the whole world works. You didn't even get a vote in which country you will be born, to which parents, to what race, nothing. So you were born into EU, like everything else you have been born into. You can leave (personally), or you can vote for your country to leave the EU (EU is not Russia, EU let's anyone leave who wants to - like UK did, and nobody sanctioned them or attacked them, no ruined diplomatic relationships).
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@Smile Guy If you hate America (USA) from the depts of your guts as it seems... ok, there are reasons for that. But what other alliances are available to us (in Europe)? I was born into Russian occupation and grew up in it, during cold war. I can guarantee you that Russia and China are much worse than the USA (high bar, but they managed to surpass it). And if you want super strong Europe without alliances, then that is a dream (and first we would have to completely unify into United States of Europe, and I have a feeling that's the last thing you want). We need allies. And those are USA, Canada, Australia, NZ, Japan, Korea, Taiwan... hopefully India.
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@Smile Guy I understand your concern with the detached administrators making rules about things that do not affect them or they don't even understand. But you would have to have a "village kingdom" (a micro-state) to avoid that. Because it goes from family, house, neighborhood, village, town, city, province, region, state, federation / union, planetary government, galactic government - it's just a matter of scale (and you can increase the granularity of the steps as you want). There is nothing fundamentaly different between Copenhagen, Denmark and EU, just a difference in scale. All of Human history is going from smallest of tribes to villages, to towns, to cities, to microstates, to larger kingdoms, states, federations, unions ... it is absolutely inevitable we will end in a planetary government as one united Earth. It may take a few hundred years, but it is unavoidable.
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@Smile Guy If you don't like some of the elements of EU then vote against it. ... This is why I don't like Brexit. Because UK was the strongest economy in the EU and one of the three most powerful players inside it. Instead of helping us REFORM the EU, they run away.
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@Smile Guy All those empires of old that you mention subjugated other countries by force, and there was no freedom anywhere inside those empires. Unions and federations that have democracy and freedom have a much higher chance to survive without revolutions and break ups. Look at USA (240 years and still nowhere near breaking apart). EU had a hiccup with the UK (and even that was close 50:50), but is still taking in new members. I hope African Union will get their act together and unify all of Africa like never before. And also rest of the world. Road to world government will be rocky and it will take hundreds of years, but we will get there. But Mars will declare independence probably sooner than that.
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