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From a european perspective, this protest was unfortunately way to directed to the American public. When it comes down to protests like this, I feel like there

From a european perspective, this protest was unfortunately way to directed to the American public. When it comes down to protests like this, I feel like there is too much focus on the US government even if they are the most hardcore when it comes to world wide surveiliance. But when Europe came together on stopping ACTA (I helped organize an IRL protest) it felt like the world was much more united on the issue. Yesterday I did nothing mainly because I felt left out because my little country did not matter. The demonstrations were covered in the media in my country pretty heavily and I think a bunch of people screaming on the streets, giving out flyers and so on gives a much better impression on the general public than some websites having a banner or some telephone calls. Seriously, America should get together on the streets AND swamp their telephone lines.

motters 13y ago
Agree. Although a lot of the news is about NSA, and very American-centric, this is really a global problem. Not many people pay attention to blacked out web sites unless it's Google or Facebook.
kefka 13y ago
Protesting on the streets in the US doesn't work. Unlike much of Europe, where the streets are used for walking and small cars, we have these big roads and big cars. These roads are for driving. Even the town squares in all the cities I've lived in were optimized for vehicles. Now, we can take this to the streets. But all that does is piss off every man and woman trying to live their life and work and get groceries.
- pessimizer 13y ago
  >Unlike much of Europe, where the streets are used for walking and small cars, we have these big roads and big cars. Tiny streets like these? http://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/oct/16/french-protests-airport-fuel-supplies http://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/oct/16/french-protests... >all that does is piss off every man and woman trying to live their life and work and get groceries. That's the same thing it does everywhere else. The reason you have street protests is to disrupt what people are doing and have them focus on what you are saying. The reason street protests "don't work" in the US is because of a combination of the precariousness and conservatism of the middle class. It's too big a risk for middle-class people to participate in a protest, and the majority of them are racist law-and-order voters who have voted to eliminate most of the rights of the accused and to militarize their police forces out of their fear of black and hispanic people. Now that we're afraid of the Middle East, we've eliminated most of the rights of the unaccused. Europeans have a different history, and the development of civil rights there wasn't entirely born out of race-based fear, so their situation is different. Here, only poor people and students protest, and they are completely ignored by a monolithic media except to be taunted, confronted by police at a ratio of 10 cops to a protester, and carted off to jail if their permits aren't current or if they step off the sidewalk.
  - aestra 13y ago
    Remember the Seattle WTO protests? http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/General/Pictures/1999/12/01/seattle9.jpg http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/General/Pict... Or the union protest in Michigan? http://images.politico.com/global/2012/12/11/121211_michigan_protesters_ap_328.jpg http://images.politico.com/global/2012/12/11/121211_michigan... http://www.bloomberg.com/image/iQN6PbfAWHDw.jpg http://www.bloomberg.com/image/iQN6PbfAWHDw.jpg Yeah, it happens in the US too.
kyboren 13y ago
> I felt left out because my little country did not matter. The truth is that you really don't matter to American politicians, and American politicians are (ostensibly) the only ones who wield power over the NSA. Our politicians don't even care about their constituents; why in the world would they care about you? The general American psyche holds the rights of US citizens in high regard while ignoring or outright disparaging the rights of non-citizens. We have to be realistic. Our message is much more powerful when we focus on the crimes against the American people.
- staticelf 13y ago
  > Our message is much more powerful when we focus on the crimes against the American people. And that's why I think I feel left out, even by the group I would be supporting. I think the better way would be to describe the crime against the worlds population including the American one. There is also mass surveilance going on in my country and they are basically forwarding all data to the NSA which of course is illegal. But I can't really join a fight which I am not a part of and probably never will be. I can't call American politicians, but I can call the representives in my country. But it feels rather silly to call and complain and it will not matter if I am the only one who does it. I want the EU to take action against the US gov for their crimes, I also want the EU to take action against my government for their crimes. I want all mass surveiliance shut down. No matter where it is located. It's a bit like to try and take action on international crime in just one country.

motters 13y ago

Agree. Although a lot of the news is about NSA, and very American-centric, this is really a global problem. Not many people pay attention to blacked out web sites unless it's Google or Facebook.

kefka 13y ago

Protesting on the streets in the US doesn't work. Unlike much of Europe, where the streets are used for walking and small cars, we have these big roads and big cars. These roads are for driving. Even the town squares in all the cities I've lived in were optimized for vehicles. Now, we can take this to the streets. But all that does is piss off every man and woman trying to live their life and work and get groceries.

pessimizer 13y ago
>Unlike much of Europe, where the streets are used for walking and small cars, we have these big roads and big cars. Tiny streets like these? http://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/oct/16/french-protests-airport-fuel-supplies http://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/oct/16/french-protests... >all that does is piss off every man and woman trying to live their life and work and get groceries. That's the same thing it does everywhere else. The reason you have street protests is to disrupt what people are doing and have them focus on what you are saying. The reason street protests "don't work" in the US is because of a combination of the precariousness and conservatism of the middle class. It's too big a risk for middle-class people to participate in a protest, and the majority of them are racist law-and-order voters who have voted to eliminate most of the rights of the accused and to militarize their police forces out of their fear of black and hispanic people. Now that we're afraid of the Middle East, we've eliminated most of the rights of the unaccused. Europeans have a different history, and the development of civil rights there wasn't entirely born out of race-based fear, so their situation is different. Here, only poor people and students protest, and they are completely ignored by a monolithic media except to be taunted, confronted by police at a ratio of 10 cops to a protester, and carted off to jail if their permits aren't current or if they step off the sidewalk.
- aestra 13y ago
  Remember the Seattle WTO protests? http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/General/Pictures/1999/12/01/seattle9.jpg http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/General/Pict... Or the union protest in Michigan? http://images.politico.com/global/2012/12/11/121211_michigan_protesters_ap_328.jpg http://images.politico.com/global/2012/12/11/121211_michigan... http://www.bloomberg.com/image/iQN6PbfAWHDw.jpg http://www.bloomberg.com/image/iQN6PbfAWHDw.jpg Yeah, it happens in the US too.

kyboren 13y ago

> I felt left out because my little country did not matter. The truth is that you really don't matter to American politicians, and American politicians are (ostensibly) the only ones who wield power over the NSA. Our politicians don't even care about their constituents; why in the world would they care about you? The general American psyche holds the rights of US citizens in high regard while ignoring or outright disparaging the rights of non-citizens. We have to be realistic. Our message is much more powerful when we focus on the crimes against the American people.

staticelf 13y ago
> Our message is much more powerful when we focus on the crimes against the American people. And that's why I think I feel left out, even by the group I would be supporting. I think the better way would be to describe the crime against the worlds population including the American one. There is also mass surveilance going on in my country and they are basically forwarding all data to the NSA which of course is illegal. But I can't really join a fight which I am not a part of and probably never will be. I can't call American politicians, but I can call the representives in my country. But it feels rather silly to call and complain and it will not matter if I am the only one who does it. I want the EU to take action against the US gov for their crimes, I also want the EU to take action against my government for their crimes. I want all mass surveiliance shut down. No matter where it is located. It's a bit like to try and take action on international crime in just one country.