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We see enough people profiting from these wars to wonder how much global conflict is manufactured. I hope we stop buying in. We, the people, are pretty powerle
by dfxm12 8y ago
We see enough people profiting from these wars to wonder how much global conflict is manufactured. I hope we stop buying in.
We, the people, are pretty powerless here. Lobbyists and elected officials have too much power and election cycles are too far apart. So even when recent American military action gets relatively low support from Americans [0], neither congress nor the president has any motivation to do anything about it.
0 - https://news.gallup.com/poll/208334/support-syria-strikes-rates-low-historical-context.aspx https://news.gallup.com/poll/208334/support-syria-strikes-ra...
- josho 8y agoYou’ve forgotten how to protest. I recall you guys getting pretty upset over some tea with Britain. Seriously as long as folks are content at home the politicians won’t give a damn about you. Go march in the streets en mass and things will slowly change.
- mont 8y agoAre you implying that putting some filter over my facebook picture isn't an effective method of protest?
- becomingknown 8y agoPerhaps you forgot to put /s.
- wonthegame 8y agoYou raised awareness. (Slightly sarcasm)
- johannes1234321 8y agoNot only that, but you are also signalling to your environment that thy are not alone. That's also a key factor in many demonstrations.
- dfxm12 8y agoIf you think people haven't protested needless military action, you're paying as much attention to the American people as the politicians we've elected.
- Retra 8y agoStrikes are far more effective than waving a sign on the street corner.
- InitialLastName 8y agoStrikes are really difficult when you've developed a culture of consumerism and permanent debt trapping big chunks of the population into wage slavery. It's even harder when, at the same time, you put your thumb firmly on one side of the business/labor relations scale by pushing at-will employment and right to work efforts.
- Retra 8y agoI don't disagree with any of that. Will you argue any of that is going to change if we continue to prefer the safety of strong words over decisive action and sacrifice?
- InitialLastName 8y agoNot while people keep electing "outsiders" to "clean up" the government. Turns out that process tends to further entrench corporate interests.
- milquetoastaf 8y ago>Go march in the streets en mass and things will slowly change The Afghani and Iraqi Wars engendered some of the largest protests in human history. They are still ongoing. In America, when you march in streets, they make laws so cars can run you over
- freeflight 8y agoWasnt the last time this actually happened "occupy" and didn't that get dismantled and side-tracked pretty quickly? IMHO not even a US specific issue, people in a whole lot of "western countries" seem to have forgotten how to meaningfully protest. Sure, there is the occasional "against climate change" or "for this societal issue" marches, but they all have the problem of being incredibly obscure in their goals and demands. Long gone are the days of large scale peace protests against very specific "interventions", like the invasion of Iraq triggered.
- FiveSquared 8y agoFacebook. That’s why. People protest online instead of offline.
- blattimwind 8y agoThat'll teach them!
- lustysocietyorg 8y ago> We, the people, are pretty powerless here. Most US americans have been voting for Democrats or Republicans or not at all for decades. Of course the politics remain the same: Wars and politics that favor the richest. Please, vote for the Green Party or another reasonable party in 2020.
- FabHK 8y agoMaybe it's worth it to first reform the political system from a first-past-the-post system to more proportional representation (otherwise, unless I'm mistaken, those votes go pretty much straight to the wastepaper basket (or trash can, in this case)).
- dfxm12 8y agoEven in our current system, after a third party reaches a certain threshold, they qualify for government funding. It's something to think about if you don't like the candidates the major parties are running and thus assume your vote means nothing. Search for "Minor party candidates" here for the specifics: https://www.fec.gov/introduction-campaign-finance/understanding-ways-support-federal-candidates/presidential-elections/public-funding-presidential-elections/ https://www.fec.gov/introduction-campaign-finance/understand...
- lustysocietyorg 8y agoClinton and Trump have both been elected by roughly 26% of eligible voters in 2016. https://mises.org/wire/26-percent-eligible-voters-voted-trump https://mises.org/wire/26-percent-eligible-voters-voted-trum... If you do not vote or vote for someone you do not want, your vote is worse than lost. There is much potential for other parties. And while the presidential election is most important regarding war and the rest of the world, other elections for local politicians are important too and maybe even more important for US citizens. Related talk: How To Eliminate The "Spoiler" Vote Phenomenon w/Jill Stein pt. 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgYEFxjJaUg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgYEFxjJaUg
- FiveSquared 8y agoTruth. I like how the young dems are doing in terms of anti-war and pro-privacy stance.
- nradov 8y agoDon't blame the election cycle. All military funding has to be passed by Congress and the House of Representatives election cycle is only 2 years.
- BeetleB 8y ago>We, the people, are pretty powerless here. Lobbyists and elected officials have too much power and election cycles are too far apart. Trump didn't get elected due to support from lobbyists and elected officials. The Russian interference was mostly noise.