Is there hope for democracy?

[SongOfTheRayne]

Hey all. I'm new.

I basically see Orwell's prophecy coming true in every possible way, crimestop= labeling question-asking as unpatriotic, doublethink= just one example, patriot act denying liberties patriots died for, war is peace= the war for peace, freedom is slavery = freedom being taken away in the name of protecting freedom, two minutes hate= uniting people against larger-than-life black and white villains, prolefeed= well, that speaks for itself, the marriage restrictions, the civillian surveilance, the arrests without charges, the mistreatment of prisoners, WE EVEN HAVE VAPORIZATIONS NOW. Look up ghost prisoners.
And as Orwell said, modern man has performed the essential act of Jonas. We have remained passive and allowed ourselves to be swallowed. The major theme of his writings was the horror that the world becomes when we FAIL TO PROTEST. I see, as the worst of the world's problems, not the atrocities being committed by governments, but rather our own human inertia brought on by comfortable lifestyles and the assumption that everything will take care of itself. Technology once inspired people to think. Now it ensures that we don't have to. Honestly, if a dictator were to take over America and declare himself ruler for life, and say that there would be no more elections and anyone refusing to serve as his slave would be burned alive, I fear that the American people would write an angry letter to him, and them promply proceed to forget that anything had ever happened. WE NEED DISSENT. NOW.
So who's with me? And who thinks i'm crazy?

[Mythsaje]

1. Well, you've come to the right place...

Welcome to DU!

This is dissenter central. In fact, we're so into dissent that we often argue amongst ourselves as to what we're dissenting against.

;)

[SongOfTheRayne]

4. wow....someone replied already....

cool! Down with human inertia! Other similar slogans! Something of that general meaning! RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE!

[cssmall]

2. Welcome to DU.

I'm with you and I believe most others here are with you, else they wouldn't be here. Secondly, yes, you are crazy, you wouldn't be here if you weren't. :D :hi:

In response to what you've written, I believe it best to say bide your time and watch, fight your battles when they come. Remember not to have a chip on your shoulder, though sometimes it is difficult. We are in this together.

[Vincardog]

3. Good luck

[RufusEarl]

5. Oh you're definitely crazy, but i'm with you!

and welcome to DU. I'm pretty new here myself, but it's a great place no matter when you get here.

This subject has been covered here in full, but it's still relevant. I noticed you didn't have a little star by your name, that means you haven't joined DU. Once you join DU pay dues, you'll be able to use the search engine, and there is a wealth of information logged on this website.

[wake.up.america]

6. You are not crazy. Too many Americans are in a "comfort zone"...

As long as they are able to take care of their own immediate needs, they could care less about what transpires around them. Too many are short-sighted, dulled by game shows, comic books, poor education and junk food.

Perhaps people are just starting to realize Bush is well on his way of creating a sick Orwellian society and something needs to be done.

Or perhaps they fear their "comfort zone" will be taken away. In such case the removal of Bush and his gang of thugs would only be short term.

There has to be a deep understanding of freedom, personal development, and , at the same time a sense of social responsibility.

[SongOfTheRayne]

8. Amen to that!

:applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause:

[wake.up.america]

9. I lived in the States for many years and felt "empty" most of the time...

Perhaps it was me, but I certainly do not feel that way now.

[Union Thug]

7. Hope? Yes...but..

I'm pretty cynical. Let's face it, short of some revolution of mind and spirit, the corporations own the mass mind and psychology of the people of this country. Every time an advertisement strikes our eyes or ears, we are being imprinted with with messages about values. Same with every television program or movie that glorifies a way of life... Credit card ads telling people to spend spend spend...

And so we have a culture that can't be inconvenienced with the reality of war, poverty or social justice, cuz we're too busy worrying about bullshit like iPods and football and hoarding shit before someone else takes it. It's the ultimate bread and circuses scam.

Democracy has given way to a culture of cancerous consumerism.

Crack that nut.

[IsItJustMe]

10. Heavy duty question, I was reading Noam Chomsky about media control and

he says:

so they control the media and have massive resources... Mobilizing community opinion in favor of vapid, empty concepts like Americanism. Who can be against that? Or, to bring it up to date, "Support our troops." Who can be against that? Or yellow ribbons. Who can be against that?... The point of public relations slogans like "Support our troops" is that they don't mean anything. They mean as much as whether you support the people in Iowa. Of course, there was an issue. The issue was, Do you support our policy? But you don't want people to think about the issue. That's the whole point of good propaganda. You want to create a slogan that nobody's going to be against, and everybody's going to be for, because nobody knows what it means, because it doesn't mean anything, but its crucial value is that it diverts your attention....


Bone chilling when I read this.

And oh by the way, I'm new to DU also and if 'free thinking' and 'the search for truth' is crazy then sign me up.

[SongOfTheRayne]

11. yes, and if you say.....

that you're going to lower taxes and protect people from terrorism, it doesn't matter what you actually do.
kind of reminds me of Farenheit 451, the way people can so- almost DELIBERATLEY- blindly ignore the issues.
It's.....drowning out dissent with oversimplified words about good vs. evil that will then be bleated at crucial moments by masses of slow-minded followers....phrases like, "Four legs good! Two legs baaaad!" and we LISTEN, because surely we don't want Jones to come back....the problem is, the Commander and Theif is just as bad as 'Jones'...
*sigh* where are the Ghandi/Martin Luther King/Emmerson/Thoreu/Orwell-type people when you need them?
Now that America is no longer such a beacon of human rights, we need a new country to be the 'beacon nation' instead...and maybe we'll wind up reforming OUR government after theirs...maybe South Africa? They seem to be doing all right in the way of civil-liberties right now...