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Small local police departments are also staffed by the 90%, though. I find it difficult to imagine an uprising against the 1% in America any time soon, but if
by untog 8y ago
Small local police departments are also staffed by the 90%, though.
I find it difficult to imagine an uprising against the 1% in America any time soon, but if it did happen I can absolutely imagine the police siding against the 1%.
- coliveira 8y agoPolice forces are ideologically selected to protect the 1%. In extreme cases what you say is possible, but I wouldn't hold my breath.
- suresk 8y agoAt this point in America, pretty much everyone who has weapons and authority to use force is pretty ideologically aligned with the 1%. There is a pretty strong narrative in that group that all of these problems that many would ascribe to poor income equality are actually caused by immigrants, welfare recipients, and government. I think the chance of the police or military siding against the 1% is incredibly small.
- grosjona 8y agoFrom my experience, police officers generally don't like rich people. Also, I don't think that members of the police force or the military are as obedient or loyal as they used to be in the past.
- joncrane 8y agoThey don't like "rich assholes" but they are very authoritarian and respect and obey "power."
- gremlinsinc 8y agoIf the 1% decided to lobby for police salaries > 400k per year, would the police be more obedient? If revolution was coming, you better believe pay for police would rise, and they'd definitely protect their own interests.
- refurb 8y agoConsidering the top 1% is ~$450K per year per household, I'd wager plenty of folks on HN are in the top 1% if they are a two income household.
- lev99 8y agoThe top 1% of income is very different than the top 1% in wealth.
- amorousf00p 8y agohear, hear.
- cafard 8y agoYou might want to look up the history of for example the Republic Steel Strike in Chicago in the 1930s.
- dredmorbius 8y agoStuds Terkel on that: https://s3.amazonaws.com/wfmt-studs-terkel/published/22485.mp3 https://s3.amazonaws.com/wfmt-studs-terkel/published/22485.m...
- gremlinsinc 8y agoExcept, if it looked like it was coming to that, guess who just got a major pay raise : Police... Now Police is the highest paid field in America...and they'll do anything the 1% tell them to.