Riots in USA?
72There's a Storm Coming...
Growing Unrest
Lord, I hope not. I have always wanted to avoid violence, but that doesn't mean I'm for apathy. Countries around the world are seeing revolutions, and now the news that there are violent riots in London.
It's scary and sad. But I think it is also scary and sad to see Americans that seem frozen in fear. Look what is going on in our own country. For God's sake, because of Government in-fighting, we've just had our world-wide credit rating downgraded! That is a big deal!
Our country is in a lot of trouble - deep trouble, on so many fronts. But it seems to me that the average American (of which I am one) is just listening for the bottom line. Instead of really paying attention to each issue of the current battles in our Congress and with our President, we just wanted to know if any current paychecks would be disrupted. When they were saved at the eleventh hour, there was a huge collective sigh of relief. Okay, yay, things are back to normal. Right? Wrong!
It's not over. To me it feels more as if they put a band-aide over a serious wound that definitely requires surgery. "Be afraid - be Very Afraid."
The Government has used scare tactics on us for so very long now, that it's almost like we've been water-boarded, or tortured. We're just so happy when the very worst doesn't happen, that we're grateful for the little bits of peace that we can find. Dear God - let's don't rock the boat, we may all drown. Well, if we aren't drowning yet, we are at least taking on water at a steady pace.
As middle class America - who is on our side? WE are not even on our side. No one is really doing anything. How long have we really been Sold Out? Was it when they started Outsourcing our jobs, ruining complete cities, whole states?
Or was it the sure and steady invasion of people from other countries that we let come in and take over the jobs that we didn't really want to do any way. You know, like construction jobs. Hey wait a minute. I used to know a few guys that were in construction. Carpenters that were really proud of their abilities and their jobs. I wonder where they are and what they do for a living now days?
Bill Gates, who somehow has a lot of influence in Congress, (Why? Because he's filthy rich) believes so strongly in outsourcing, that he is involved in providing free education to people in other countries to learn high tech skills. Is that yet another type of job that Americans wouldn't like to do?
A lot of people say, why would he care? He sold Microsoft. Well, guess what? He remains at Microsoft as a non-executive chairman.You think he is not still heavily invested in it?
I hear all the time that "They" want to get rid of the middle class. But as much as I try, I cannot figure out why. If they totally succeed, who is going to shop at the malls, eat at the restaurants and buy the merchandise that all these big corporations own?
One thing that continues to irritate me is the people who think they are The Rich. They hear the Government talk about taxes, and these people that make a few hundred thousand a year think they are talking about them. Let's get something straight. They are not talking to today's millionaires, they talking about the Billionaires. A million dollars is a joke to these people.
The super rich have lots of ways that they don't have to pay taxes at all. The top 5% of the richest Americans. If you're reading this - chances are you're not one of them. Just like you are not the ones they are really talking about in Washington.
A fellow hubber recently said, "Why don't they just charge 10% across the board?" Well, why don't they? It would be taking the same amount of everyone's pie. Yes the rich would have to pay more actual dollars - because they have more actual dollars. And 10% of what they have would bring our nation right out of debt - you know the good old National Deficit? They scurry around in Washington as if they don't know what to do, when the answer is right there in front of them. But who always wins in court? The ones who can afford the best attorneys, or pay for the outcome.
So, with this recent little agreement in Washington, how long will it be before we are once again threatened with no pay checks for our Military personnel, you know the people who put their very lives at stake for our safety? Or for what ever reason Congress has decided that they want them to. How long will it be before our Senior Citizens are once again threatened with losing their Social Security because the funds have been dipped into for other things?
Just think how many things really go on in Washington that we are not really paying attention to. Or that we don't even know about. Now that is really scary. So scary that a lot of people just don't really want to know, as long as they can make it through this month.
And then I see that they are not just revolting in some far away country that fights all the time anyway. They are rioting in London. The UK. Civilization.
Is that what it is going to come to here? I hope not. But I do think we need a serious revolution. I just hope it's done wisely. I would like to see it get started on the internet. Let's see exactly which big corporations are really hurting us the most, and let's boycott them. That would be a start.
I know someone that has that very information. But he has been put on their "Watch List." Just seeing his name and picture on their websites was enough to make him back down. It's very easy to be scared enough to not do anything. But it's getting to a point that I am more afraid NOT to try to do something. Like write these articles, hoping that someone will read it and want to help. What I'm trying to say, people, is that it's really time to "Get This Party Started!"
Not the Republican Party. Not the Democratic Party and Not the Tea Party. I'm talking about the real party. THE AMERICAN PARTY.
I'm not hard to contact. Just sayin'.
KT
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@d.william - I adore you! (Sorry, but that's the first thing that comes to my mind when I read your stuff)
This is a good article and what you say is true. I should mention the fact that a lot of people don't want to know what's going on in my own article about America. I don't think a riot will happen because nobody will know about it. They'll be too busy listening to rap and Lady Gaga while watching the Superbowl on Sunay instead of going to church.
KT, I'll be in that protest and there are folks like me, and many others in this country that learned long ago "It is Better to Die on Your Feet than Live on Your Knees". An old quote, I don't remember who said it. It was made in reference to communism but I never forgot it. We remember our history lessons, we don't want to repeat them. Now maybe the "children" will let the grownups clean up this mess they made in Washington and help get our country back on track. Thanks for your insightful article,
Peter
@d.williams and @jtyler, It just blows my mind that so many people aren't paying any attention. How can they be that irresponsible? Don't people care about our future generations and the future of this Country?
I read an article on Yahoo earlier today about the storm on the Sun and how it may disrupt technology. One Reader said he was glad because he walked into his lunch room at work and everyone in there was on some sort of electrical gadget. He said it was dead quiet and no one was talking to each other.
We could hope that at least a few of them were reading current events - not related to gaming.
@Peter - Ah! There IS hope! Okay, I'm researching which company to start with. OPEN to suggestions!
The people involved in this hub, the commentators and presenter, are awesome people...so I hate to play the devil's advocate on this one, but I feel it necessary. I see a consensus from older people about how younger people don't care, don't know, are apathetic, don't care about future generations, etc. It appears a bit hypocritical actually. 30 yr olds didn't create this debt, didn't create this climate over the last 30 years of deregulation, cutting tax deals with the biggest corporations, paid subsidies to corporations for shipping jobs overseas, who spent madly while claiming to limit the size of government, etc. They didn't march into Vietnam and lie about things like the Tet Offensive, allow Watergate and the like to strip away any element of trust with our government, MKULTRA, COINTELPRO, Iran Contra, let Ollie North have a radio show when he should be in prison, didn't kill the democratically elected leader of Iran and put back in a despot in the Shah's son, leading to the first Islamic Republic and the first actual Islamic terrorist movements into action...those younger generations were brought up in the world you created. They were brought up in the Pepsi generation, bred on billions in market researched advertisements, the government is a hypocrisy, that somehow politicians walk into the office with hundreds of thousands in the bank, and out with millions despite their recorded salaries, and that somehow, despite the fact that corporations are statistically making more than any other time in recorded history when adjusted to inflation, that they are still victims of too much regulation. They have no side to believe in...your Jerry Rubin turned into a corporatist and Abbie killed himself after hiding for 30 years and fighting for a river. Carter was a failure but somehow everything he said ended up being true. Reagan was a great leader and a true patriot, but he sold arms to the people who took our hostages to fund an illegal war that ended up flooding our streets with crack. Clinton got a bj in office and is impeached over it. He did 50 other things that were horrid! It was the bj that got him impeached...and what did that turn out to do? Nothing, but spend hundreds of millions in research and legal proceedings. 30 year olds didn't build a society in which the lowest common denominator was pushed like crack on the airwaves and television, leading to the Brittney Spears generation just coming of age. When I was a kid, Guess jeans were the big thing. Brand names baby! A normal family maybe had 2 pair. Those damn things were $60 bucks in 1985. That was some cash back then. Today, take a look at your kids. How many pairs of 7s or Coach purses do they have? Did you know about Prada when you were 15? They do. It is normal to live beyond your means now, almost shunned if you don't. This wasn't a credit card country in 1975. What happened since then?
Hey man, I am just saying that blaming the youth is kind of ridiculous. How many people in the 50s said they wanted to be stock brokers or hedge fund managers while they were 14? Now, how many kids in the 1980s said they wanted to be brokers or hedge fund managers? Why would you think that changed? Those kids didn't cause that change. Those kids didn't create an advertising, market research and financial transaction based society. Those people who are retiring now created that world for us. On top of it, they allowed the entire structure of journalism to be taken over by 24 hr op/ed machines. They allowed the way we engage in arguments to be subverted through experiences like the fight against big tobacco...if you eliminate the foundation of the argument by denying the facts, paying off some of your own guys who have science type degrees and put them on the stand, then you can take control of the entire argument. You have eliminated the basic premise by denying the verifiable facts in favor of a paid party line, backed by your own employees. Look man, we are just as pissed as you are. You at least get your social security, your Medicare. We know and have always known that we won't. You can be pissed as us for watching the Super Bowl on Sundays, but hey...you allowed your churches to become political mouthpieces with Fallwell, Schaffly and Shaeffer back in the 70s. Ask yourselves what we have to believe in now days. Now ask yourself why we feel like that.
I will say that there is a little swath of the demographic, I call the Lalapalooza generation (graduated hs between 1991-1995, that is incredibly politically active and motivated. I am not sure why that particular age group caught the bug, but they (we) certainly did. For some reason, beforehand and afterwards don't appear to give to squats about much of it. Oddly, that is also the generation the formed all of the indie music and film movements, changed the game with DYI initiatives, etc. It is a very strange demographic really...would be a good social writeup for someone if they wanted to put in the research.
Kt, you look like you are in my generation from the pic on KTBanks.com. I think you are off the hook on this one. Did you mention that you were retired? How in the world are you retired? Man, I screwed up along the way obviously. I am never going to be able to retire.
Texasbeta, quite a rant there, you have said a lot of things that are true and a lot that are your opinion and don't diferentiate between them. You took a personal affront, I think because I called the people in Washington "children". I was not reffering to age but mentality. I don't know anyone my age that is retired, we all will have to work until we die. My generation made a lot of mistakes and so did the one before us and before them, but this bunch that is bought and paid for has really screwed the pooch. It's good to be fired up but a little better aim is what you need. I Thank you for your enthusiasm and continue on, thanks Ktm
Peter
Hey, I didn't even get any notices from Hubpages that there were any more comments. What's up with that?
I don't remember saying that I'm retired, but if I did, maybe I just meant I don't work out in the corporate world anymore. Now that I work for myself - it seems like I work 24/7.
However, back in the day, in my 20's, I was still very interested in politics and world events. My whole family is pretty political. My Uncle was a State Representative and a District Judge, and my cousin is a Judge. Another one is a lawyer. It goes back for generations.
We are descendants of Patrick Henry, the "Give me Liberty or Give me death," guy. So - I can't help it. It's in my blood. My kids are even drawn in. :/
KT- as far as your comments about us being bombarded with fear, that is exactly what they want to do. Further when you are so bombarded with tragedies and crises, you shut down and stop listening. I don't know how many people I've heard tell me over the last two years "I don't listen to the news anymore it's too depressing" when I asked if they saw or heard xyz. If they keep us scared we will remain prisoners to their bs and cower in our homes waiting for them to "save us" because the issues are so big "what can we do?" This is much the same as the bombardment with sex, power and money in advertisements, television and movies - we quickly became a consumer nation living above our means and stopped creating things, manufacturing things. We are a nation of lazy, intentionally ignorant sheep who do nothing but consume, charge, and fight about whatever the issue of the day is that we are being propagandized with. The debt ceiling bs was just that - bs. It was a created dilemma to scare the shit out of us and allow them to get away with slapping down the least among us AGAIN. But if you note how the argument was framed, it is exactly as you said, the folks making 100-200k a year were programmed to think Obama was trying to tax them to death, instead of realizing that he (and the D's) were just trying to get the top 1% to pay their fair share - and I'm tired of hearing how they already are - I saw a list the other day, and I paid more taxes last year than 8 top companies together, because of loopholes and breaks that WE do not get. There was another manufactured crisis for a day or two, and now they are stirring the pot over birth control. Really? Someone on tv was comparing it to women being given free manicures, seriously? If i miss a manicure it isn't going to cost me thousands a year and create an unwanted pregnancy. Anything that keeps us fighting over the little stupid stuff keeps us from noticing the big scary stuff. I believe in two or three years we middle class and/or poor folk are going to be looking at the Great Depression and wishing we had it that good - then there will be riots and rebellion, if not downright revolution.
@kelbethc,
When I finished reading your comment, I let out a pent up sigh of relief. The truth is not always easy to hear, but at least it is the TRUTH. Thank you for contributing to this discussion.
Have you read the hubs by, themanwithnopants ? His political ones are really good. He actually has a movement going on and is trying to make a difference.
KT - thank you. I haven't had a lot of time to be on here, to be frank, until and unless I get an email update on one of the few I follow and/or have commented on. I will have to check him out. The reality, in my eyes, is (frankly) that I truly believe with all of my heart that our government is so lost and corrupt that no "movement" is going to do a damn thing. NOTHING is going to change until they have fkd enough of us and there is enough abject poverty and hunger that there are riots in the streets (much as is going on in Europe right now, but at least we'll have a valid excuse) and the poor and the once-middle-class-now-poor are burning down the mansions and climbing over the gates to the WH.
@kelbethc - Did I mention how much I like you? :)
KT - nope, you forgot, but that's ok so did I - it's great to find someone else who sees through the BS and is another member of the new third political party "the Reality Party". We don't have to agree on everything, members only need have (a) common sense, as noted by someone other than self-assessment, (b) the ability to see through the propaganda shoved down our throats, and (c) the realization that both major political parties and 98% of elected officials in Washington DC are puppets of the rich and the corporations and were already bought and sold before they even entered their office for the first time. Have a great weekend!
For some reason - Hubpages is NOT notifying me when people make comments on MY Hubs. I do get notifications about other Hubs I follow, just not my own. ;/
Good article. Riots are already happening, look at Wisconsin.
@Glenn, Did you hear about them purposely preventing cell phone service in San Francisco?
And I sure didn't think what happened in Wisconsin got enough news coverage. Or maybe I was just really busy at the time?
I had not heard about the cell phones in San Francisco. I'm not surprised! Have you read Atlas Shrugged? For an old novel it really hits close to home. I'll be back to read more.
Glenn...
NO I haven't read that - I'll check it out, thanks!
KT, I really liked what I saw here. It's nice to see average Americans speaking out. As one of them, I share your fears of further economic upheaval and civil unrest becoming violent. If enough of us speak out loudly enough, perhaps our leaders will actually listen. I very much like your idea of not enabling the worst offending corporations to continue via our dollars. Thanks!
@poetvix,
Thanks for taking the time to comment, and for understanding.
I started following your Hubs because I saw something you commented on, on someone else's hub, and I knew you were smart.
Someone that has actually read Ayn Rand, WOW! I'm convinced, that your worth following based on your reading habits.
It is time to wake up America and let them know what the rest of the World has known for years, that America lies and kills it's own people to scare the hell out of the rest of the world.
OMG - I Am SO worth Following. lol
Actually I do try my best. I haven't written in a while though, maybe I'm losing my mojo. Or maybe I'm just too fed up with all the bullshit in the world.
Update: I wrote this hub and the above commenters made their comments BEFORE the Occupy Wallstreet type of movements started. A lot of people don't agree with the movements, but at least I'm happy to see that people are trying to do something!
Yes, there has been the wrong type of people get in the mix - and the media is thrilled to get to show a criminal element, or anything else that can make things go wrong. But I have seen some regular middle class people in the mix. I just think they need to re-group and figure out a better way to go about it.
The hub itself and the comments are very interesting. There are so much that I have to learn about America and politics. I was one of those who do not watch the news because IT IS ALWAYS BAD NEWS. Then, I realized things will not get any better and I get dumber the longer I stay out of being uninformed. I want to participate but do not know how and my knowledge is limited, and my viewpoints are narrow. Hubs like yours are informative and encouraging. When I came into light, I now pray that Americans truly wake up, be united into bringing back America's glory again -- the country of the free and the brave.
d.william Level 7 Commenter 9 months ago
Good article. You have got the right idea, but MOST of the American people do not have a clue about what is going on in Washington, or anywhere else in the world. And they do not care as long as it does not directly affect them. When i do MY ranting about the economy to my friends, family, and ex coworkers, they just shrug their shoulders and say things like: "you've got too much time on your hands since you retired", or, "I don't watch the news because it is too depressing", or, "well that really does not affect me", or, "there is nothing i can do about it, so why worry about it", or, "you can't fight city hall".
It is truly disheartening that people are so apathetic about the state of our economy and the corruption in our politics.
But on the other hand, those who run this country want it to stay exactly this way. The fewer people who know how crooked they really are, the better. They make their own laws, vote for their own big benefit packages, huge retirement funds, free insurance, etc., etc.,
They do not want Americans to know what they are up to. When people start paying attention and asking questions they bring up irrelevant things like, sex scandals, morality and same sex marriages, then stir up the dirt to further muddy the waters by attacking women's rights of choice, preaching the bible, and pointing fingers at everyone else but themselves.
You ask when this started? It started when big business, realized just how easy it is to dupe the public, and move huge amounts of money from the economy and into their private bank accounts without anyone ever seeing them do it. Then those huge corporations bought the loyalty of the politicians - and yes, i will say it, they also bought the republican party, and some of the democrats as well. When you have politicians with limited mental capacities like Bachman, Palin, OConnel, etc., it is easy to use them as front line troops - they make nonsensical noises and are expendable.
Riots in America? They are coming soon. As soon as they destroy the income, and few health benefits that seniors have. The majority of Americans are retired or soon to be. What a grand march on Washington that will be. All of us old folks hobbling toward the front door, with our canes, wheel chairs, scooters, and empty medication vials that we can't afford to fill, and throwing them all on the front steps of the white house. And I will be leading the pack. What a glorious march it will be.