Ragebait. Trying to explain how a candle works to an ant.
Yes it’s very tiring explaining why “NoBoDy DoEs SoMeThInG” to ignorant Europeans
Im pretty sure I saw that movie
I think it was called The Frozen Train That Could Not Stop.
Snowpiercer, right?
Pretty sure that’s what was being referenced, but Bullet Train might also fit.
The sequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?
Polar express 2: CHOO CHOO Electric Boogaloo
That’s my assumption.
for those that don’t know: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowpiercer
I think it was called “The Train That Couldn’t Slow Down”.
Where does the shoe go, again?
Sure, everybody complains. But, half the passengers are complaining about the non-white people on the train. They think the train is going to run off the rails, but it’s because only rural white christian uneducated people know how to ride a train properly. If someone tried to rush the conductor, these passengers would pull out their own guns and shoot them down long before they got near the conductor.
I don’t believe it’s half as bad as OP makes out and therein lies the real rub.
The Filipinos with a fraction of what the Americans had, in a culture where the government was killing people willy nilly got up and toppled the Marcos government.
The Ukrainians, probably just as poor, got up and fought the might of Russia’s puppet’s security forces. hundreds died and yet they toppled Yanukovych.
The problem with Americans, even the middle class and working poor is that you still see a possible future where you benefit albeit without having to sacrifice your wealth, energy, or life.
Like shit has to get a whole worse.
Look at the Chinese. For decades they’ve been living with a very oppressive and dangerous government.
It wasn’t until they were being locked/barricaded into their apartments before they realised that they were going to lose everything that they finally got up and started protesting. And holy shit for the first time ever the CCP backed the fuck down.
Americans on the other hand. Seems like you’re just too lazy, too selfish to get up and fight for your freedom.
You deserve to lose it.
without having to sacrifice your wealth, energy, or life.
That hits so fucking hard. I feel that, deep deep deep down inside my soul.
America has spent the last couple of decades building prisons. They have recently accelerated the process, and thrown up huge confinement centers. There’s plenty of room to house all the boisterous dissidents.
Then look at my comfortable life. The electricity is on, the water is clean, the roof doesn’t leak, I’m using the internet to speak my mind. There’s a Walmart around the corner.
What’s the point in throwing a rock at a window, figuratively speaking? Why be the first lemming off the cliff?
Now, when those services are interrupted, people WILL take notice. Rolling blackouts and internet interruptions will get people off their asses. But unfortunately, until that happens on a massive scale, most people will look out for themselves and ignore the big picture.
I understand all this of course, but I find it curious Americans seem to think everyone else who has gone on a protest, riot or participate in an actual revolution in history were all comfortable, with a large nest egg and able to stop working for as long as the revolution lasted.
The notion that they may have to actually sacrifice some comfort is completely unreasonable it seems and yet, that is exactly what they constantly accept every single time a politician (usually a Republican but by no means only by Republicans) erodes another right, liberty or opportunity
It’s not about “sacrificing comfort.” It’s about literal survival for a lot of people.
PERSONAL STORIES:
Example #1: My nephew needed a heart transplant within days of being born. He is on very expensive drugs for the rest of his life. The only reason his family can afford it is because his dad’s work pays for really good insurance. His dad is basically a prisoner at work.
Example #2: I have bipolar disorder. My one medicine is $1,500 a month without insurance. I get suicidal without it. The only reason we can afford to pay is because of my husband’s job and related insurance. He is basically a prisoner at work.
OTHER STORIES - JUST INSULIN:
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Alec Smith (Age 26, Minnesota, 2017): After turning 26, Alec aged out of his mother’s insurance plan. His monthly insulin costs were estimated at $1,300, prompting him to ration his medication. He was found dead in his apartment from diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) shortly after.
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Josh Wilkerson (Age 27, Virginia, 2019): After aging out of his stepfather’s insurance, Josh could not afford the $1,200/month cost for his prescription insulin. He switched to a cheaper over-the-counter version, which was less effective and led to fatal complications.
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Jesse Sheerer-Radcliffe (Age 21, Minnesota, 2019): Jesse died after rationing his insulin due to the high cost, a case his father highlighted as a “ridiculous”, preventable loss.
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Antavia Lee Worsham (Age 22, Ohio, 2017): Antavia struggled to afford her $1,000/month insulin costs and supplies after turning 18 and losing state coverage, resulting in her death from DKA.
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Shane Patrick Boyle (Age 48, Arkansas, 2017): A comic book writer who struggled with costs, Shane was $50 short on a GoFundMe campaign for his insulin and died from DKA just days after his mother passed away.
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Monique Gabriel Moses (Age 26, 2017): After losing her job and insurance, Monique rationed her insulin to make it last, resulting in her death.
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Jesse Lutgen (Age 32, 2018): After losing his full-time job and insurance, Jesse rationed his insulin, which was later determined to be from a “black market” supply of left-over insulin from a deceased friend.
Ok so you’ll just hang on to that scrap until they inevitably come for you later on… good plan
What part of “They’ll die without it” did you miss?
Revolution fails if all the revolutionaries are dead, jackass.
It’s so easy to say things like this when you aren’t living the situation. What would you have them do? Die for no reason? There isn’t some organized revolution to go join.
I have already explained myself plenty… a few hours a week organizing is more than any of them do
But sure, jump to the absolute extreme of “dying for no reason” so your victim complex is scratched a bit
You come off as someone with zero empathy for fellow human beings, especially if they happen to be born in the USA. You do you, I guess.
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Don’t worry, no one’s gonna think you’re nice
Do you know that none of them organize? Have you considered that the slightest mention of union or strike in many places leads to immediate termination, especially in at-will employment states? Loss of a job means loss of healthcare which means death. I’m not trying to play the victim. I am fortunate to be able to organize with local leftist organizations and my healthcare is secure. Most Americans are not so lucky. It’s not some absolute extreme, it happens to people we know and love.
It’s so easy to make the assertions you do. I’d like to see you choose those actions over your child’s medication. We don’t get a social safety net. If we’re fired, it could mean we go into lifelong debt, homelessness, or simply die. Most Americans live paycheck to paycheck. Those who can should organize. Those who cannot should care for their family and immediate community.
Do you know that none of them organize?
I do know… hence my bitching
Have you considered that the slightest mention of union or strike in many places leads to immediate termination, especially in at-will employment states? Loss of a job means loss of healthcare which means death.
Already covered… they should not have accepted those conditions but they did… just as they accepting these new, lower conditions. As time goes by it will only get harder.
Case in point, 11 million of their fellow Americans lost access to health care a few months ago… so yes I understand they must risk something, but they will lose everything anyway if they just sit and wait.
So, exaggerating as everyone is doing here, if you are kidnapped and the kidnapper assures you there is zero chance he will let you live. Do you fight back? or wait in case the kidnapper changes his mind?
It’s so easy to make the assertions you do…
Again, you are just waiting for your turn to slaughter
Ah. You’re a troll. “Should not have accepted those terms,” lol, lmao even.
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You are asking people to choose homelessness. At some point the tide may rise to the point where community support will allow for this, but it’s just not there yet. I don’t know if it will ever be until it’s too late.
Homelessness and for people on expensive medications, literal death.
Ok first of all, if you are 1 day pay cut (so no pay for 1 day so you can strike) from being homeless, the harm is already done and you now get to enjoy the benefits of showing nothing but apathy for the past 2 decades
Second, of course I do not mean every single person should be able to do this… but your position is that basically NOBODY could strike either which is laughable
Dude, I wasn’t even in the work force 2 decades ago, I went from high school straight into paycheck-to-paycheck survival mode because I couldn’t afford to go to college. I didn’t even have a chance, but people like you go online and act like all Americans are lazy assholes who should just fix their country because you don’t know what it’s like to be locked into wage slavery just to afford the most basic amenities that are provided freely to everyone in your country. If I don’t have a job, I lose access to the medication that makes my life bearable and possible, and in order to keep a job I have to sacrifice most of my time and energy for it.
Ok then… hang on to the scraps they have allowed you to have until they take those away… I am sure you’ll just go down happy you stretched your misery as much as possible without inconveniencing the regime.
all Americans are lazy assholes
lazy no, just apathetic… assholes yes, it if does not affect them personally, they could not care their neighbour suffers… “fuck you, got mine” is the most identifiable American Value
If I don’t have a job, I lose access to the medication that makes my life bearable and possible, and in order to keep a job I have to sacrifice most of my time and energy for it.
This regime just kicked around 11 million of people in your situation out of health care… I guess it did not hit you this time so you keep chugging away at your self admitted slavery…
Alright, so what should I do to singlehandedly save my whole country? What do you want from me? Do you feel good about yourself that you’re arguing with people in worse living conditions than you on the internet? I will quit my job and go out into the streets until a cop shoots me to death for sleeping on a park bench in your name, that will save my country!
singlehandedly
Nothing, do you know what the GENERAL part of General Strike means?
What do you want from me?
I would love to America to fuck off… but YOU don’t need to do anything for ME… you should be doing this for YOUR FUCKING SELF
Do you feel good about yourself that you’re arguing with people in worse living conditions than you on the internet?
LOL OMG the victim complex… this is another American Value
I will quit my job and go out into the streets until a cop shoots me to death for sleeping on a park bench in your name, that will save my country!
Maybe be smarter than the Pedophile you elected as president? maybe just spend a few hours a week organizing from the safety of your home?
you’re talking to individuals, not a public. you do not have that kind of pull.
I work every day to lay the groundwork for a general strike.
I speak to everyone I can about it.
I have convinced maybe 3 people and I have about 150 million workers left to go.
But let’s be more realistic. Maybe 30 million are already convinced. Only 120 million people left to talk to.
I’ll update you when I’ve spoken with everybody.
Jesus fucking christ, dude. Get some perspective, or shut the fuck up. They don’t “got theirs,” and choosing to “help” is quick suicide for no gain.
Honestly, it’s disgusting to watch someone like you parade some absurd moral high ground while having absolutely no grasp on the lives others are living.
They don’t “got theirs,” and choosing to “help” is quick suicide for no gain.
so they’ll just wait their turn to lose health care on the next big beautiful tax cut for the rich?
I honestly couldn’t care less about them… if Americans do not care about themselves, what do I care.
The reason I am upset is because their actions (or lack thereof) is causing the World tons of pain… they are afraid of losing their jobs? how about the 150 Iranian little girls they just slaughtered just because their pedophile president doesn’t want people asking about his kiddy diddling days?..
Honestly, it’s disgusting to watch someone like you parade some absurd moral high ground while having absolutely no grasp on the lives others are living.
The stop the pearl clutching and block me… you are choosing to engage with me
I am choosing to tell you the fuck off. Don’t mistake this for an exchange of ideals. You are behaving in a disgusting fashion, and you need to be told. I respect that it comes from a good place, because we ultimately want the same thing, but to treat people who already feel powerless as morally bankrupt is beyond absurd.
You are kicking the powerless while they are down, because you don’t like the outcome. Get some perspective.
There’s a lot of fucking problems in the world. For someone so vocal about what others should be doing, what the fuck are YOU doing about all the problems?
If you have time to post drivel on lemmy, maybe you have time to go make a change in the world.
I can multi task, you know?
But seriously, how lame is this reply of yours? my country is not speed running towards fascism, yours is.
And we’re fighting it, no thanks to people like you who only attack us.
But good to know you’re in a country with no problems whatsoever. So you can sit on your lazy ass and let all the problems keep on happening because they don’t impact you personally.
Sure, keep telling me the type of person you are.
Can’t say I really disagree. As an older person with a lot at stake it’s just not bad enough to make the risk worth it (times several million). It is the younger generation that will have to stand up, but I fear they don’t have enough good jobs to make striking effective. I don’t think civil rights style peaceful protest is going to work this time, either. Revolution is brewing and just waiting for the scales to get tipped a bit too far.
Another large issue is that America is so large that it is not very feasible for Americans to just go on a 1-3 day road trip to DC to protest/riot/whatever else. They leave the friend and family network that could support them the most at home. Protests in local cities can do work, but it is more impactful if the lawmakers responsible are personally impacted in DC imo
For a General strike, all that is required is that they do not go to work… they can do that from wherever they are.
You guys love to make up the most ridiculous excuses… who from Minnesota flew to Washington to complain about ICE?! nobody!, you do that were you live
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Whining and bitching is the most American thing you can do. It often means that you see something that can be improved, and democracy is supposed to be about eternal vigilance.
Being proud of your country should mean being proud not of our current laws, but of the constitution that allows us to fix those laws when they are deficient.
For the record, carrying a gun while marching in the street while eating apple pie is the most American thing you can do - as long as you’re wearing red, white and blue. This is true for people of any political persuasion, left or right.
In all seriousness, though, it’s our Constitution that brought us to this point. The laws aren’t being fixed - and gaps in the budget are kicked down the road. The government pays corporations in tax breaks, and corporations use their profit to pay politicians their bribes. All of this has been sanctioned by the Supreme Court, directly decided by cases brought before them (Citizens United, for example). The Supreme Court also has “stolen” elections, where the objective winner was not chosen. (Gore vs. Bush)
What we are seeing up to this point is no checks, no balances and no plan for the future. That’s a failure of the Constitution on a massive scale.
IMHO, I think the only chance for salvation is the economy. All middle-class Americans have one thing in common - the 401k. If the economy crashes, especially if the stock market takes an extended dive, then the opposition voices will get loud. The average American will draw a line at destroying their retirement income.
I honestly don’t know which is worse - an authoritarian government that provides a stable economy or an incompetent government that destroys the very country it’s trying to loot.
What if it doesn’t allow that? Asking for a friend.
If the government still recognizes the authority of the constitution, then you can fix the constitution via amendments.
Otherwise, it would be time for a new constitution. But of course, in that case, there would truly be nothing to be proud of. It would mean your entire country and government was a complete failure, and that whatever new constitution you ratified would have to make many provisions to protect the government from the overwhelming stupidity of the citizens.
“Time for a new constitution”
Maybe.
The American Constitution is the oldest national codified government constitution in force. No other constitution has lasted so long. Ergo, either it’s a really solid document that can still serve us - or its time has passed.
Or, I guess there’s a third possibility. The Constitution might be like a virus - not an entirely wholesome organism, but very good at surviving. A document that can sometimes serve the masses, but also a tool for the elite when properly weaponized. Perhaps it’s a document that perfectly balances authoritative power with social conflict.
I think, though, that our forefathers should have addressed a balanced budget in writing. If the budget isn’t balanced and if the debt is above a certain percent of the GDP, then emergency elections should be held. This would avoid a lot of the looting from our coffers.
I feel in the US we are closer to scenario two. Sure, it’s theoretically possible to modify the constitution but people have been trying to decades and the level of political consensus required is quite extreme.
You get as many people in the baggage car as you can to coordinate throwing their weight against one side and derail the train. Choo choo motherfuckers.
General strike? We’re working on it. Unfortunately, a hundred years of anti-union propaganda is difficult to crack.
Yeah. I think one of the hardest things I’ve discovered, at least where I live, is that a lot of folks who would also work in fields where they can’t not show up. My mom’s a hospice nurse, I work in animal care. She can’t not attend to her patients and I’m not going to neglect the dogs in my care for a day. We could take the day off symbolically, show solidarity, but the work won’t stop, it’d just be one of our “don’t care” coworkers doing it. Our other struggle has been that, in a relatively union free state, most of the union folks are caught in that “benefits for me, fuck you, go Trump” mentality. Not a blanket accusation of union workers, just a lot of our locals are ladder-pullers.
Strange argument. Not only should it be really obvious by now that your constitution isn’t helping you guys “fix those laws,” but you’re also saying that people who live in a society without a constitution shouldn’t be proud of their country. Now, as not-an-ultranationalist I do agree that people shouldn’t be “proud of their country,” but it’s certainly possible to offer a better justification of that position.
