4 ms·

That's partially true. However, the middle class will continue to shrink, because the 1% have made it very difficult for anyone to join it and even harder to s

That's partially true. However, the middle class will continue to shrink, because the 1% have made it very difficult for anyone to join it and even harder to stay in it. We're on a timer to the bulk of the population being economically suppressed far enough that revolution becomes a potential option.

glofish 7y ago
Yeah right. People talking about revolution in America have no idea whatsoever of what the life of the people that actually revolt is like.
- Accujack 7y ago
  You're forgetting that many people in America have lived through revolutions. We're the great melting pot of people who had to come here because our military destroyed their home countries.
  - glofish 7y ago
    The vast majority of immigrants in this country come from countries impacted by their own governments. People have been immigrating into this country well before it was a global, military superpower.
- matthewdgreen 7y ago
  The life of the University students in Hong Kong doesn't look half bad. And yet they're tossing Molotov cocktails at armored police vehicles. Not too long ago here in the US we had thousands of people occupying big chunks of downtown NYC and clashing with police, albeit in a slightly less violent way.
  - glofish 7y ago
    It is not about "how it looks". It is very likely that their lives are much worse (or about to turn much worse). They are revolting because their lives are turning from being more like the US into being more like China. PS. A thousand people protesting in NYC does not in any way count as a "revolt".
    - matthewdgreen 7y ago
      The precursor to any revolt is (even mild) civil unrest. The article is pointing out that we don't even have any signs of that. As you've pointed out, even the idea that things are about to turn much worse (rather than actual conditions today) can motivate civil unrest, but we still don't have it here in the US.
- billmalarky 7y ago
  While I agree the US is not close to violent revolution, I would be wary of making that statement flippantly. Hong Kong appears to be at the beginnings of a violent revolution with close to the highest GDP per capita (higher than Japan/Aus/New Zealand, less than Singapore) and quality of life (arguably lower than Japan but the highest in China and most of the AP) in the Asia-Pacific. EDIT: Oops didn't mean to pile on, the other HK related comment was posted while I was typing this up.
- jfengel 7y ago
  Revolutions generally begin with the upper-middle class rather than the poor. The poor are too busy being poor to revolt. The fomenters of the French and American revolutions were quite wealthy, and the Russian revolution began with upper-class intellectuals who had a notably hard time getting the peasant class to go along with them. You'd expect revolutions to start from the grindingly poor, and you usually have to get those people on your side -- eventually. But they're often the last to join the revolutionary movement, after the groundwork has been laid from the top.
deleted 7y ago
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glofish 7y ago

Yeah right. People talking about revolution in America have no idea whatsoever of what the life of the people that actually revolt is like.

Accujack 7y ago
You're forgetting that many people in America have lived through revolutions. We're the great melting pot of people who had to come here because our military destroyed their home countries.
- glofish 7y ago
  The vast majority of immigrants in this country come from countries impacted by their own governments. People have been immigrating into this country well before it was a global, military superpower.
matthewdgreen 7y ago
The life of the University students in Hong Kong doesn't look half bad. And yet they're tossing Molotov cocktails at armored police vehicles. Not too long ago here in the US we had thousands of people occupying big chunks of downtown NYC and clashing with police, albeit in a slightly less violent way.
- glofish 7y ago
  It is not about "how it looks". It is very likely that their lives are much worse (or about to turn much worse). They are revolting because their lives are turning from being more like the US into being more like China. PS. A thousand people protesting in NYC does not in any way count as a "revolt".
  - matthewdgreen 7y ago
    The precursor to any revolt is (even mild) civil unrest. The article is pointing out that we don't even have any signs of that. As you've pointed out, even the idea that things are about to turn much worse (rather than actual conditions today) can motivate civil unrest, but we still don't have it here in the US.
billmalarky 7y ago
While I agree the US is not close to violent revolution, I would be wary of making that statement flippantly. Hong Kong appears to be at the beginnings of a violent revolution with close to the highest GDP per capita (higher than Japan/Aus/New Zealand, less than Singapore) and quality of life (arguably lower than Japan but the highest in China and most of the AP) in the Asia-Pacific. EDIT: Oops didn't mean to pile on, the other HK related comment was posted while I was typing this up.
jfengel 7y ago
Revolutions generally begin with the upper-middle class rather than the poor. The poor are too busy being poor to revolt. The fomenters of the French and American revolutions were quite wealthy, and the Russian revolution began with upper-class intellectuals who had a notably hard time getting the peasant class to go along with them. You'd expect revolutions to start from the grindingly poor, and you usually have to get those people on your side -- eventually. But they're often the last to join the revolutionary movement, after the groundwork has been laid from the top.

deleted 7y ago

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