Will the economy piss people off enough for them to riot?

musicismylife78musicismylife78 Posts: 6,116
edited November 2009 in A Moving Train
The history books will record the Iraq War and the protests surrounding it, as definitely unique. The first time in history a mass movement of people were that massive prior to one bomb even being dropped, yet as the war in Iraq is in its 6th year and the Afghanistan war in its 8th, a social movement, a mass movement, a coalition to oppose these wars doesnt exist. There havent been any fire bombings. No strikes. No riots. Outside induction centers you dont have a huge number of people handing out flyers saying "dont go". It seems for todays generations of activists, activism is non existant. Or activism revolves, to them, around flyers, petitions, politicians and making "no war" signs and waving them around.

The economy however, on the flip side, seems to be affecting a large amount of people, its very personal, as people are losing their farms, houses, retirements, and life savings. And you have clueless politicians, who feel giving bailouts to multibillion dollar corporations is the solution, all the while normal average joes lose their homes.

The labor history, the labor struggle is rife with stories of riots and mass movements. Yet in all honesty the union and labor movement in the u.s. has been lacking for decades, probably since Eugene Debs failed efforts, and the Great Depression at least. That was the last time, radical labor politics was almost mainstream. Being a socialist in America was actually common.

So, what do you all think will happen as the jobs and the economy worsen? Will people do nothing, as they have been doing reguarding the war? Or will people start becoming radical, and start rioting?

I'd like to think people would rise up and do something, but I was the person in 2001 who assumed people would stand up to Bush and end the wars. And we all know how that turned out.

People seem pissed off as hell about the war, both wars are unpopular, with iraq being the longest war in american history, and it is also more unpopular than vietnam ever was. yet, people almost seem resigned to the war. People seem to be saying, "we disagree with it, but we feel powerless to stop it".

Will a major labor movement emerge?
Post edited by Unknown User on
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Comments

  • obama sort of has a perfect storm of events and none are in his favor:

    1. 2 wars, unbelievably unpopular. These wars are opposed by mainstream america now.

    2. A president who pisses off both left and right by his stance on the war.

    3. . you have the tea baggers who have shown they are willing to go out and storm the barricades, something the left wing radicals have been unwilling to do.
  • soulsingingsoulsinging Posts: 13,202
    no.
  • No.
    As long as the football game and American Idol are on..... no worries.
  • with the war, people never personalized it. A vast majority of people may be against both wars, but it doesnt touch many peoples lives, as no draft was ever ordered.

    With the economy though, people do seem to personalize it, as I said before. Not too many people's next door neighbor is fighting in iraq or afghanistan. But we all know someone, maybe its ourselves, maybe its the neighbor, maybe its the people down the street, who are having a hard time right now.

    Thats the difference I think. The fact that the economy is affecting tens of millions of people, hundreds of millions even, while the war, affects a small number of people.

    As I said, I sense rage, and anger, that tops anything I ever saw reguarding the war in iraq, in terms of the economy. And its from both sides of the aisle.
  • with the economy, I dont think people see in political terms, whereas the war always has been seen that way.

    You are pissed off about the economy, it doesnt matter what political side the politicians belong to, i think people want ALL the bums out
  • South of SeattleSouth of Seattle West Seattle Posts: 10,724
    We're the laziest fattest country in the World.

    Any one play the New Modern Warfare yet? It's pretty bad ass. :lol:
    NERDS!
  • OffHeGoes29OffHeGoes29 Posts: 1,240
    Protesting hasn't done a thing to stop the war(s) and no one will protest the condition of the economy. People with lives actually go out and find another job instead of protesting.
    BRING BACK THE WHALE
  • OffHeGoes29OffHeGoes29 Posts: 1,240
    We're the laziest fattest country in the World.

    Any one play the New Modern Warfare yet? It's pretty bad ass. :lol:

    I don't know if thats a true statement....
    BRING BACK THE WHALE
  • South of SeattleSouth of Seattle West Seattle Posts: 10,724
    We're the laziest fattest country in the World.

    Any one play the New Modern Warfare yet? It's pretty bad ass. :lol:

    I don't know if thats a true statement....
    Probably not, but it's believable ;)
    NERDS!
  • South of SeattleSouth of Seattle West Seattle Posts: 10,724
    Protesting hasn't done a thing to stop the war(s) and no one will protest the condition of the economy. People with lives actually go out and find another job instead of protesting.
    Exactly. Most of us here are working instead of protesting. The media is just a hype machine.
    NERDS!
  • Protesting hasn't done a thing to stop the war(s) and no one will protest the condition of the economy. People with lives actually go out and find another job instead of protesting.
    People can blame the government ...
    People can blame the economy.......
    People can blame others....
    People can come up with 1,000 excuses......

    But most people just need to take a good look in the mirror to find out why their lives are fucked up.......
    Take me piece by piece.....
    Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....
  • CommyCommy Posts: 4,984
    Protesting hasn't done a thing to stop the war(s) and no one will protest the condition of the economy. People with lives actually go out and find another job instead of protesting.
    People can blame the government ...
    People can blame the economy.......
    People can blame others....
    People can come up with 1,000 excuses......

    But most people just need to take a good look in the mirror to find out why their lives are fucked up.......



    good point

    what has protesting ever done?


    besides minimum wage, workers rights, women rights, minority rights, voting rights, representative government..judicial process, human rights....


    you're right. THIS time we should all stay home and look at ourselves in the mirror.
  • Commy wrote:
    Protesting hasn't done a thing to stop the war(s) and no one will protest the condition of the economy. People with lives actually go out and find another job instead of protesting.
    People can blame the government ...
    People can blame the economy.......
    People can blame others....
    People can come up with 1,000 excuses......

    But most people just need to take a good look in the mirror to find out why their lives are fucked up.......



    good point




    you're right.

    Thank You....
    Take me piece by piece.....
    Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....
  • CommyCommy Posts: 4,984
    edited November 2009
    Thank You....



    anytime speedy.


    you'll be right one of these days. then you wont' miss the sarcasm, i'll put it plainly.
    Post edited by Commy on
  • Commy wrote:
    Thank You....



    anytime speedy.


    you'll be right one of these days. you wont' miss the sarcasm.
    Yep...

    And one of these days you will baffle me with your brilliance......

    But today isnt that day..........
    Take me piece by piece.....
    Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....
  • CommyCommy Posts: 4,984
    Commy wrote:
    Thank You....



    anytime speedy.


    you'll be right one of these days. you wont' miss the sarcasm.
    Yep...

    And one of these days you will baffle me with your brilliance......

    But today isnt that day..........


    and today isnt' the day you understand simple sarcasm apparently either
  • Commy wrote:


    and today isnt' the day you understand simple sarcasm either
    Again...

    One day you will baffle me with your brilliance.....

    Today isnt that day.....

    Because if for one fucking second you dont think I understood exactly what the fuck you were saying.....

    well....

    Neverfuckingmind.........
    Take me piece by piece.....
    Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....
  • CommyCommy Posts: 4,984
    edited November 2009
    Commy wrote:


    and today isnt' the day you understand simple sarcasm either
    Again...

    One day you will baffle me with your brilliance.....

    Today isnt that day.....

    Because if for one fucking second you dont think I understood exactly what the fuck you were saying.....

    well....

    Neverfuckingmind.........



    care to address the point i made that set you off then?
    Post edited by Commy on
  • Commy wrote:
    Commy wrote:


    and today isnt' the day you understand simple sarcasm either
    Again...

    One day you will baffle me with your brilliance.....

    Today isnt that day.....

    Because if for one fucking second you dont think I understood exactly what the fuck you were saying.....

    well....

    Neverfuckingmind.........


    haha;


    care to address the point i made that set you off then?
    No....

    Have a nice day commy....

    Keep fighting the fight....

    Whatever the fuck that fight may be.....
    Take me piece by piece.....
    Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....
  • Today isnt that day.....

    Because if for one fucking second you dont think I understood exactly what the fuck you were saying.....

    well....

    Neverfuckingmind.........
    i understood what commy was saying. he was talking about the things that protesting has achieved. and he's right.
  • CommyCommy Posts: 4,984
    No....

    Have a nice day commy....

    Keep fighting the fight....

    Whatever the fuck that fight may be.....

    you don't want to or you can't?

    condescend me and then run and hide. nice.

    you're and idiot, and you just proved it.
  • Commy wrote:
    No....

    Have a nice day commy....

    Keep fighting the fight....

    Whatever the fuck that fight may be.....

    you don't want to or you can't?

    condescend me and then run and hide. nice.

    you're and idiot, and you just proved it.
    Again commy....

    Have a nice day....
    Take me piece by piece.....
    Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....
  • CommyCommy Posts: 4,984
    Commy wrote:
    No....

    Have a nice day commy....

    Keep fighting the fight....

    Whatever the fuck that fight may be.....

    you don't want to or you can't?

    condescend me and then run and hide. nice.

    you're and idiot, and you just proved it.
    Again commy....

    Have a nice day....
    i will.



    thanks.


    :)
  • OffHeGoes29OffHeGoes29 Posts: 1,240
    [quote="Commy"



    good point

    what has protesting ever done?


    besides minimum wage, workers rights, women rights, minority rights, voting rights, representative government..judicial process, human rights....


    you're right. THIS time we should all stay home and look at ourselves in the mirror.[/quote]

    None of those were given due to direct protesting alone, and a lot of those things you listed were past for other reasons then the general interest in the public. Minority rights took 150 years in the making, womens rights only came around because they need to increase the voting pool. Protesting comes in the form of votes. Thats why the senior population still hold heavy influence, they vote. Most protesters are college aged kids thats barely make it to the voting booth to vote for the President, and just do it because its the in thing to do. Most barely have any concept of what they are protesting about, and usually aren't looked at with any kind of respect by the rest of the voting population that works and has actual life experience.

    The dems payed attention to this and pandered to the youth this time around with an anti-war theme....and we aren't cutting and running from A-Stan or Iraq any time soon.
    BRING BACK THE WHALE
  • soulsingingsoulsinging Posts: 13,202
    with the war, people never personalized it. A vast majority of people may be against both wars, but it doesnt touch many peoples lives, as no draft was ever ordered.

    With the economy though, people do seem to personalize it, as I said before. Not too many people's next door neighbor is fighting in iraq or afghanistan. But we all know someone, maybe its ourselves, maybe its the neighbor, maybe its the people down the street, who are having a hard time right now.

    Thats the difference I think. The fact that the economy is affecting tens of millions of people, hundreds of millions even, while the war, affects a small number of people.

    As I said, I sense rage, and anger, that tops anything I ever saw reguarding the war in iraq, in terms of the economy. And its from both sides of the aisle.

    this is not as bad as the great depression and nobody rioted then and we're a lot more docile and sedate now than we were then. nothing is going to happen.
  • soulsingingsoulsinging Posts: 13,202
    We're the laziest fattest country in the World.

    Any one play the New Modern Warfare yet? It's pretty bad ass. :lol:

    I don't know if thats a true statement....

    the fattest part is true. the laziest is only half true. there is a lot of entitlement, but we're also incredibly overworked in america. we have the worst work-life balance in the western world. americans define themselves by their job/career to an unhealthy extent. plus our cost of living has become so high, a household needs 2 incomes just to pay bills.
  • soulsingingsoulsinging Posts: 13,202
    Most protesters are college aged kids thats barely make it to the voting booth to vote for the President, and just do it because its the in thing to do. Most barely have any concept of what they are protesting about, and usually aren't looked at with any kind of respect by the rest of the voting population that works and has actual life experience.

    i'm so tired of this bullshit statement. i hold the same beliefs now i held when i was in high school, college, working world, grad school, and now career. if you are so fucking convinced that any opinion held by someone aged 18-22 is completely invalid and worthless becos they don't have "actual life experience", why let them vote at all? i know people in their 50s who've never had a real life experience, you don't try to say they don't deserve to be heard. :roll:
  • polaris_xpolaris_x Posts: 13,559
    the fattest part is true. the laziest is only half true. there is a lot of entitlement, but we're also incredibly overworked in america. we have the worst work-life balance in the western world. americans define themselves by their job/career to an unhealthy extent. plus our cost of living has become so high, a household needs 2 incomes just to pay bills.

    that is because america is also the most consumer-based society out there - everybody believes they need to have things they really don't ... also, the life cycle of everything is ridiculously small that people are replacing things that should last a long time every few years ...
  • soulsingingsoulsinging Posts: 13,202
    polaris_x wrote:
    the fattest part is true. the laziest is only half true. there is a lot of entitlement, but we're also incredibly overworked in america. we have the worst work-life balance in the western world. americans define themselves by their job/career to an unhealthy extent. plus our cost of living has become so high, a household needs 2 incomes just to pay bills.

    that is because america is also the most consumer-based society out there - everybody believes they need to have things they really don't ... also, the life cycle of everything is ridiculously small that people are replacing things that should last a long time every few years ...

    planned obsolescence... god bless the auto industry. make it cheaper to buy new than repair something. you double your profits and wipe out the backbone of the economy... middle class skilled workers.
  • JeanwahJeanwah Posts: 6,363
    citizen54 wrote:
    No.
    As long as the football game and American Idol are on..... no worries.
    Aint that the truth. As long as people have their TVs, nothing will ever change.
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