Why don't we have barbaric protests in America?

[Jacob1983]

In the last few years, we've seen a lot of violent barbaric protests in a lot of countries. We've seen people go with the mob mentality and get their barbarian on in Greece, Egypt, Syria, Brazil, Libya, and now Syria. I've been thinking about why doesn't this happen in America. Is it because Americans are wimps or just more civilized than most countries? Is it a fear of being beaten to death by cops or arrested? I am talking about 2014, not back in the 1950s or 1960s when we had people protesting the Vietnam War or racial discrimination. Maybe if we had some barbaric protests in America, would change. or maybe not.

[boutons_deux]

the plutocracy, VRWC, has an iron grip on the country: politics, wealth, energy, government at all levels.

It reacted vigorously, relentlessly, slyly, intelligently, throwing $Bs into the effort, in response to populist street protests and progressive policies (Medicare, Medicaid, VRA, etc) of the 60s.

They have won the Wealthy Class War on the non-Wealthy Classes.

The VRWC's soldiers, tea baggers, libertarians, Repugs have installed obstructionism that blocks change, blocks solving problems, blocks effective governing.

GAMEOVER.

Change can only come by changing govt policies, regulations, and that can't happen because the VRWC will block it all to sustain their power, wealth, privilege to keep ac ulating power, wealth, privilege. There aren't even enough progressive candidates, never mind elected candidates, to affect change, to restart the Class War from the losing side, in favor of the non-wealthy.

Note: you right-wing assholes voluminously on, ridiculed the filthy hippies, the OWS street protesters that were beat down barbarically by the heavily militarized riot police doing the bidding of wealthy class. And you right wing assholes cheered on the barbarity.

How many Repugs, libertarians, tea bagger "patriots" were part of the OWS protests? effectively ZERO

[boutons_deux]

Why There’s no Outcry

By Robert Reich, Robert Reich's Blog
26 January 14

eople ask me all the time why we don’t have a revolution in America, or at least a major wave of reform similar to that of the Progressive Era or the New Deal or the Great Society.

Middle incomes are sinking, the ranks of the poor are swelling, almost all the economic gains are going to the top, and big money is corrupting our democracy. So why isn’t there more of a ruckus?

The answer is complex, but three reasons stand out.

First, the working class is paralyzed with fear it will lose the jobs and wages it already has.

In earlier decades, the working class fomented reform. The labor movement led the charge for a minimum wage, 40-hour workweek, unemployment insurance, and Social Security.

No longer. Working people don’t dare. The share of working-age Americans holding jobs is now lower than at any time in the last three decades and 76 percent of them are living paycheck to paycheck.

No one has any job security. The last thing they want to do is make a fuss and risk losing the little they have.

Besides, their major means of organizing and protecting themselves — labor unions — have been decimated. Four decades ago more than a third of private-sector workers were unionized. Now, fewer than 7 percent belong to a union.

Second, students don’t dare rock the boat.

In prior decades students were a major force for social change. They played an active role in the Civil Rights movement, the Free Speech movement, and against the Vietnam War.

But today’s students don’t want to make a ruckus. They’re laden with debt. Since 1999, student debt has increased more than 500 percent, yet the average starting salary for graduates has dropped 10 percent, adjusted for inflation. Student debts can’t be cancelled in bankruptcy. A default brings penalties and ruins a credit rating.

To make matters worse, the job market for new graduates remains lousy. Which is why record numbers are still living at home.

Reformers and revolutionaries don’t look forward to living with mom and dad or worrying about credit ratings and job recommendations.

Third and finally, the American public has become so cynical about government that many no longer think reform is possible.

When asked if they believe government will do the right thing most of the time, fewer than 20 percent of Americans agree. Fifty years ago, when that question was first asked on
standard surveys, more than 75 percent agreed.

It’s hard to get people worked up to change society or even to change a few laws when they don’t believe government can possibly work.

You’d have to posit a giant conspiracy in order to believe all this was the doing of the forces in America most resistant to positive social change.

It’s possible. of course, that rightwing Republicans, corporate executives, and Wall Street moguls intentionally cut jobs and wages in order to cow average workers, buried students under so much debt they’d never take to the streets, and made most Americans so cynical about government they wouldn’t even try for change.

But it’s more likely they merely allowed all this to unfold, like a giant wet blanket over the outrage and indignation most Americans feel but don’t express.

Change is coming anyway. We cannot abide an ever-greater share of the nation’s income and wealth going to the top while median household incomes continue too drop, one out of five of our children living in dire poverty, and big money taking over our democracy.

At some point, working people, students, and the broad public will have had enough. They will reclaim our economy and our democracy. This has been the central lesson of American history.

Reform is less risky than revolution, but the longer we wait the more likely it will be the latter.

http://robertreich.org/post/74519195381

[Trainwreck2100]

can't risk being sent to the hospital

[Jacob1983]

Boutons, I'm not a right winger. I would gladly consider being in a barbaric protest because you only live once and it might be fun to cause some mayhem. If I died in one, oh well, how many people can say they died in a barbaric protest on American soil?

[ElNono]

We evolved. Now we on Facebook/Twitter/The Interwebs...

Srsly, I just think it isn't anywhere near as bad here than it is there, and people largely have other things to worry about. Plus the last group of protesters to amass any numbers (Occupy) was quickly labeled everything from communists to feminazis. I think America understands that violence isn't the path to solutions... which is ironic when you think about our foreign policy...

[Jacob1983]

It's just weird to me. I mean you see countries all around the world going all barbarian and medieval during protests but people just don't roll like that on American soil.

[TDMVPDPOY]

get arrested and whose going to pay ur bail fee? lawyer fees? how about in prison, whose going to supply the bread and butter for ur family if ur the only one earning an income

[boutons_deux]

get arrested and whose going to pay ur bail fee? lawyer fees? how about in prison, whose going to supply the bread and butter for ur family if ur the only one earning an income

get arrested for protesting, it's on your record, and good-bye job opportunities (just like blacks and browns arrested for mj). Dissent is suppressed, and criminalized, with decades long consequences.

[Blake]

This is on its way to barbarism:

Some Target employees are hoping the giant retailer will rethink its plan to open stores at midnight on Black Friday. They claim the early opening will take many workers away from their families for a big part of Thanksgiving.Target wants to open up earlier than ever -- at 12:01 a.m. that night.CBS News national correspondent Jim Axelrod reports Target employee Seth Coleman would have to report to work at 11 p.m. on Thanksgiving - too early for him.Coleman told CBS News, "All Americans should be able to break bread with loved ones and get a good night's rest on Thanksgiving."Coleman decided to fight back -- delivering bagfuls of pe ions with 190,000 signatures to Target's headquarters in Minneapolis, Minn.,..............

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/target-d...-amid-protest/

[boutons_deux]

This is on its way to barbarism:

yep, that's some really nasty dissent.

[Jacob1983]

You guys are wimps and definitely not dedicated to the causes that you supposedly support. I give props to the barbarians in the Ukraine for going bat crazy and going medieval in those protests. It takes courage and dedication to do that .

[Blake]

You guys are wimps and definitely not dedicated to the causes that you supposedly support. I give props to the barbarians in the Ukraine for going bat crazy and going medieval in those protests. It takes courage and dedication to do that .

What have you protested against lately?

[DisAsTerBot]

What have you protested against lately?

minimum wage?

[Blake]

minimum wage?

I'll need to see pictures of him going barbaric on Target before I believe it.

Until then I imagine he'll continue to monitor how many items people take into the dressing room before coming here to whine about life.

[scott]

Americans have more to risk than the people in any of those other countries.

[Jacob1983]

If I'm going to engage in barbaric protest, it has to be something that is important. Why would I protest over a ty retail job? That would be like protesting at McDonald's because you ate a lot of Big Macs and got fat.

[Blake]

If I'm going to engage in barbaric protest, it has to be something that is important. Why would I protest over a ty retail job? That would be like protesting at McDonald's because you ate a lot of Big Macs and got fat.

Wimp

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

People like the OP should be protesting and plotting to assassinate their corporate overlords. If I worked at Wal-Mart I'd be trying to coordinate a nationwide bombing spree of Walmarts (but I don't work at Walmart, to any NSA head reading this).

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

Also by far the biggest reason no protests happen is because the rich have successfully used Christianity to makes fools of poor people by convincing them it's no big deal that their life on earth might suck because they have heaven to look forward to. Karl Marx was dead on referring to religion as the "Opiate of the Masses". Just like how pimps keep their s hopped up on heroin, the rich keep the poor hopped up on religion.

[ElNono]

People like the OP should be protesting and plotting to assassinate their corporate overlords. If I worked at Wal-Mart I'd be trying to coordinate a nationwide bombing spree of Walmarts (but I don't work at Walmart, to any NSA head reading this).

they know, tbh