tempus
Full Member
Alien Ant Farmer
Posts: 212
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Post by tempus on Oct 6, 2011 16:12:31 GMT -5
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Post by N. De Plume on Oct 6, 2011 16:17:06 GMT -5
My reaction? “Good for you.” With more condescension than I used to think any one human should ever have a right to muster. (Boy was I wrong!)
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Post by Bezron on Oct 6, 2011 16:27:56 GMT -5
Not to diminish the message or anything, but the protesters in Chicago are really obnoxious. They have pretty much taken over an area along a one way street and are actively blocking people who are just passing through. Two days ago, one of them stuck his megaphone in my face (I don't work near there, it's just between my train and my office). This morning, 5 or 6 were out there with large plastic drums (like for storing liquids) that they had converted into actual drums. It's hard to convey without sounding like I support the corporations (I really don't, and I hope this protest has an affect), but I saw one actively assault a cop (as an example). Just ran up and shoulder checked him. While Chicago does have a "financial" district, it isn't anything like Wall Street.
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Post by lighthorseman on Oct 6, 2011 16:30:23 GMT -5
I think the dichotomy is fascinating... when this sort of thing happened in Egypt, Morocco and Libya, it was praised by Western media as the "Arab Spring". But when American disenfranchised voice their frustrations, eh, not so much.
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Post by N. De Plume on Oct 6, 2011 17:02:41 GMT -5
Well, the Arab downtrodden are so downtrodden, that protests are the best course of action.
But the American downtrodden have refrigerators, which means they have life so good that any form of protest is really just an inconvenience.
(Not saying that the Chicago protesters couldn’t be more courteous, especially towards those they claim to be fighting for, if Bezron’s experience is anywhere near typical. But even with more polite protests, you get the same attitude. See Wisconsin, for example.)
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Post by RavynousHunter on Oct 6, 2011 17:09:23 GMT -5
So, they have a discontented mob, and they decide to piss them off. Is it just me, or are these people terminally fucking stupid?
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Post by N. De Plume on Oct 6, 2011 17:36:28 GMT -5
So, they have a discontented mob, and they decide to piss them off. Is it just me, or are these people terminally fucking stupid? Actually, if they can provoke a riot, or something close enough to one, they can make the mob look very ugly while keeping their hands clean. Could be a pretty slick trick, actually. |
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Post by RavynousHunter on Oct 6, 2011 17:51:23 GMT -5
While paying out the ass to repair the damage they'd cause. Bit of a double-edged sword.
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Post by N. De Plume on Oct 6, 2011 18:03:03 GMT -5
While paying out the ass to repair the damage they'd cause. Bit of a double-edged sword. If they’re willing to pay the cost, then they still come out ahead. I mean, what’s a little property damage compared to maintaining the Fuck-the-Poor Status Quo? |
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Post by malicious_bloke on Oct 6, 2011 18:33:11 GMT -5
While paying out the ass to repair the damage they'd cause. Bit of a double-edged sword. If they’re willing to pay the cost, then they still come out ahead How? Waffly hippy jargon aside, what has/will this protest objectively change apart from a few hundred people arrested for overstepped prearranged boundaries (such as keeping themselves out of the road)? Actually forget it. OMFG WE'RE MAKING OUR VOICES HEARD, WE'RE GONNA CHANGE THE WORLD BY WAVING PLACARDS! Or something. |
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Post by largeham on Oct 6, 2011 18:59:51 GMT -5
What do you propose we do Malicious Bloke? As you seem to believe that going out into the street will do nothing, should we start a letter writing campaign? Or how about we start a petition? Those have worked so well in the past. Even better, we can just sit at home and bitch about the world, that will surely change it.
Also, members of the IWW had a bad experience in Chicago, first they got trailed by cops, one plain clothes officer followed and then told a woman to unbutton her jacket (she had a union T-shirt underneath) in public and then protestors spread rumours the union people were provocateurs and infiltrators.
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Post by N. De Plume on Oct 6, 2011 19:29:38 GMT -5
If they’re willing to pay the cost, then they still come out ahead How? If the protesters come of as a bunch of brutish, rioting hooligans, sympathy from those people who are undecided on the issues that lead to this protest will shift to those people who have suffered at the hands of those “brutes.” Politics is all about image. The placards seemed to help Martin Luther King, Jr. Again: Image. |
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Post by HarleyThomas1002 on Oct 6, 2011 20:22:17 GMT -5
I think the dichotomy is fascinating... when this sort of thing happened in Egypt, Morocco and Libya, it was praised by Western media as the "Arab Spring". But when American disenfranchised voice their frustrations, eh, not so much. The people involved with the protests in the Middle East didn't come off as a bunch of pissed off smelly hippies. At least that's the first thing that came to mind when Bezron mentioned stoarge barrels being used for drums. |
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Post by Dragon Zachski on Oct 6, 2011 20:29:57 GMT -5
So I guess it's true that proximity to the situation can turn protestors from "Down-trodden heroes" to "smelly hippies".
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Post by Kit Walker on Oct 6, 2011 20:48:09 GMT -5
So I guess it's true that proximity to the situation can turn protestors from "Down-trodden heroes" to "smelly hippies". Well, when they're being dicks about it, yeah. I will say this: MLK, Jr. also had a "nicely dressed" thing going for his protests. Admittedly, that was still the standard of the day but it does play to the image thing. |
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