The other day, someone — and I’m sorry, I can’t remember who — described Americans as “pacified.” I’ve been thinking about that while watching and reading the news coming out of France. The people there have taken to the streets to protest the country’s planned pension reforms.
From The New York Times:
Mr. Sarkozy said strikers and demonstrators blocking fuel depots did not have the right to “take hostage people who have nothing to do with it.” He was referring to 10 straight days of strikes at refineries and blockades of fuel depots that have left motorists struggling to find fuel. While the authorities said Tuesday there had been a “slow improvement” in fuel supplies with only 14 out of more than 200 depots still blockaded, service station operators said about a half of the country’s 13,000 gas stations were experiencing supply problems.The crisis shows little immediate sign of ending and a final parliamentary vote on Mr. Sarkozy’s plan to raise the minimum retirement age from 60 to 62 seemed unlikely until the middle of next week.
Read the entire article, by Steven Erlanger, here.
Did you get that? The French government is trying to raise the retirement age by two years and the country’s people have not only taken to the streets, they’re shutting down businesses. Though, retiring a couple years later may not seem like a huge deal here, where people are praised for being workaholics and, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average retirement age is 62 — if we retire at all.
But what about all of the other things going down in our country? There is plenty to be outraged about if you’d only pay attention. We’ve got corporations trying to buy elections, with the Supreme Court’s blessing. We’ve got giant polluters shrugging their shoulders as their customers succumb to cancer. We’ve got openly bigoted politicians. We’ve got an election coming up and voters are yawning. The gap between the extremely wealthy and what used to be the middle class is widening by the second. Our schools need money, and so do their teachers. The same banks that once pushed people into loans are now pushing people out of their homes. Our military is struggling in a 10-year-old war, but no one’s being killed by drone attacks here so … so what?
Meanwhile, if you check in with your social media accounts and your friends, you’re likely to hear about what’s shakin’ on a reality TV show, the latest electronic gadget or some over-paid sports star or starlet falling from grace (if only temporarily).
I think the case can be made, while our citizenry was once known for standing up to the powers that be, that we have become a pacified people easily distracted by salacious celebrity news and sparkly stuff in stores. We’re more concerned with what we want and gossip than we are about shaping a positive world for future generations.
My feeling is people feel their opinions don’t count for much, or that if they voice them, people will shoot them down. I’ve had conversations with people about a number of issues where they suggest there’s nothing we can do about things, so we should all just go about our lives until the world falls down around our feet. We’ll deal with it then. That’s no way to be.
What’s wrong with us? This is a Democracy for the people, by the people — is this ringing any bells? Our country was created when ordinary, everyday people stood up to those in power and said, “Enough already! Let’s start over.” It was our country’s revolution that inspired France’s revolution.
When did our spirit get crushed? For chrissake, we’re living in Mecklenburg County, home of the “hornets nest.” We got that label during the Revolutionary War because the people who lived here were so fired up and outspoken. Heck, we even created our own Declaration of Independence.
The time to speak out is now. The issue to speak out on is the one that’s nearest and dearest to your heart. So put your gadgets down, educate yourself and get on your soapbox. The future needs you. Oh, and don’t forget to vote. It’s important.
The History Channel recently ran a series called, “The Story of Us.” Here’s a segment about the Revolutionary War:
This article appears in Oct 19-25, 2010.
Hmm, if I’m not mistaken, you deemed the people who HAVE spoken up as “an angry mob” otherwise known as The Tea Party. So you want people to protest but only if they will protest issues YOU believe in? As far as I know, the Tea Party is protesting big government. Which, by the way, is what has gotten France in to the mess they’re in right now.
SP is exactly right. What are we allowed to speak out about? What we’re not being guaranteed by the powers that be? Take a look at the Declaration of Independence and compare the grievances against the King to the control we live under today. We are far less free.
SP thinks those corporations buying elections and killing off Americans for profit aren’t receiving daily reacharounds by the conservatives in our government ranting about de-regulation. These people need to be regulated or they’ll only look out for their bottom line, period. They could give a fuck less about the public.
This is why the Tea Party gets laughed at for the myopic wingnuts that they are. The Tea Party is more stupid than angry.
Wes, the more power centralized in government, including economic power of a central bank and today’s taxation, the easier for powerful interests to get their way. If the power wasn’t there over our lives, it couldn’t be bought. The challenge for Rhi and yourself is to realize that this special interest takes the form of the corporations that you hate and the unions and regulators that you love. Absolute power leads to absolute corruption.
I would support the Tea Party if:
A) They were actually a grass roots organization instead of a bunch of fools being incited and steered by the Republican Party and Rupert Murdock.
B) They actually made sense when they spoke about their cause.
C) They didn’t wave childish racist signs every time they meet.
D) They actually had a plan rather than bumper sticker style slogans. They yell constantly that they want taxes and spending cut, but they never say WHAT spending they would cut. I bet none of the cuts involve our bloated military.
E) They didn’t throw their support behind ignorant buffoons who run for office.
100% agree with the writer. People these days have their
focus on the wrong things. Everyone hates the Gov and complains
about the Props, Laws, and systems but half of the complainers arent
even taking their responsibilty to vote! Instead they sit their watching tv eating their meals at home or at the club or at the bars trying to be noticed while the country goes down the drain. Its extremely sad. People need to exercise the rights we were given! We dont need to be radical and start fires and get all crazy. Just use your freedom of being a citezen and making your opinions known by getting involved!
-sierra….
The Tea Party’s true success is that they’ve made faux political scientists and commentators out of least educated segments of American society. BV here fits quite nicely into this category.
The way these people regurgitate the same tripe over and over again without any actual understanding of what they’re actually saying would be comical if their naivete weren’t so utterly depressing.
Wes – please don’t proclaim to know what I think because it is obvious you don’t. Do you ever have a thought or idea or solution of your own or do you simply attack others’ comments and call them names? If you had an intelligent, well-informed thought, I might actually pay attention to your comments.
But getting back to the subject of Rhi’s post, I don’t feel we need a violent uprising like the French. I think the American people are much more effective when they voice their opinions by voting. I just wish there were better choices to vote for these days and I think therein lies part of the problem with people becoming complacent or pacified. When the choices are “Shitty Candidate” and Shittier Candidate” it doesn’t make a person real excited to get out and vote.