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[Mizhara]

A very good article on the matter.

I honestly think we're witnessing something that may go down in history. For the first time there's something genuinely new in the world of protesting and/or creating awareness and traditional media have serious problems trying to keep up with it. The communication network and availability of the internet tied so closely to a real life event, not to mention the nature of the event itself is amazing to behold. If we're really lucky, this may very well spark a somewhat different take on news media and for that matter resolving conflicts like these.

Some of us might go 'Wow, I live in the future!' when we read books on a Kindle or find out what country and city we're in by using our Smartphones, then get hotel rooms and plane tickets fifteen minutes later on the same device, but this particular event transcends even that. Reality has caught up to science fiction in the networked communication department and we're witnessing it as it unfolds. I'm enjoying this immensely.

[Helen Ohmiras]

Hmm.  Very interesting opinion piece, and it did get me thinking.

My opinion?  We'll see if any real change occurs.  I'm not talking about a week, a month, a year from now.  I'm talking five years, ten years, twenty years.  Protests aren't new.  This isn't new.  The use of technology is new, but the bottleneck for change is the message.  That's why it's easy to brush off the protesters, and why shortly after the protests end, it will be forgotten by many.  It's why traditional media really isn't useful here.  They're looking for the ratings, the soundbites, etc.  Want to know more?  Go online, don't watch mainstream news.  The Media should simply inform, not try to entertain (and that's the problem with all the media channels and outlets).

That's not to say that it won't be significant in a historical sense.  Will this change the minds, habits and motivations for those who will be influential in the years to come?  Will this protest lead the way to future protests?  The protests have already spread, and I'm sure that many who protest in years to come will look at this one as an example of how to do it "right".  On everything else though?  We'll see.  Technology is only as useful as those who use it, and as any fan of science fiction knows, it can be used responsibly... or not so responsibly.

[orange]

Based on the opinion piece, I hope it leads to increased dialogue and conversation, not only between those with issues, but between those who have issue(s) and those who the issue is against.

Any successful democratic republic requires an educated electorate to ensure it functions appropriately.  Understanding the roots of the issues and what led to this or that situation is critically important.

The problem will come as those in power fight to maintain a Status Quo and the majority (the 80%) trade freedom for security.  The remaining 19% will find themselves a minority and under fire.

[Invelious]

This entire movement is fantastic. What needs to happen now is a clear message needs to be relayed to the rest of the population of north america.  Until that happens, the general population watching is going to look at a bunch of young adults who are just acting reckless with no clear goal other then they are unhappy about something.

If the rest of the US and Canada can finally get the message into their skulls and see whats happening, then this event is going to really take off. Until then my optimism will remain skeptical, but I really hope this thing explodes into pure epicness.


P.S. If i didnt have a son to feed, I would so be there.

[Victoria Stecker]

This entire movement is fantastic. What needs to happen now is a clear message needs to be relayed to the rest of the population of north america.  Until that happens, the general population watching is going to look at a bunch of young adults who are just acting reckless with no clear goal other then they are unhappy about something.

If the rest of the US and Canada can finally get the message into their skulls and see whats happening, then this event is going to really take off. Until then my optimism will remain skeptical, but I really hope this thing explodes into pure epicness.


P.S. If i didnt have a son to feed, I would so be there.

This, pretty much. I have some very strong (and highly articulable) feelings about the manner in which the financial sector screwed up the economy and continues to profit.

The place where they are going to struggle in the national eye is their inability to be condensed into a soundbite. The traditional media runs on soundbites. If you need more than ten seconds to describe something, you're fucked.

[kalaratiri]

Non-traditional media! 

[Arnulf Ogunkoya]

Non-traditional media! 

Only way to go with something like this. The mainstream will generally distort things, given who owns it and what their interests are.

What makes me smile are some of the Tea Party types who are getting enthusiastic about this. I suspect the groups that funded and set up the Tea Party "movement" are not going to be too happy about that. 

[Lyn Farel]

You can't beat the network. Me approves.

[Invelious]

Given everything that is happening, I found this and for whatever reason it seems to be relevant to this discussion. Just sharing.

http://cgiampietri.wordpress.com/2008/09/29/the-state-of-nature-hobbes-locke-and-rousseau/


edit: found a more detailed and well written version of the above link.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_nature

[orange]

Non-traditional media! 

Only way to go with something like this. The mainstream will generally distort things, given who owns it and what their interests are.

What makes me smile are some of the Tea Party types who are getting enthusiastic about this. I suspect the groups that funded and set up the Tea Party "movement" are not going to be too happy about that. 

The originators of the Tea Party movement have had their message distorted/hijacked by those funding the current Tea Party movement.  Arguably it is the neo-cons who did so.  And in the opinion of libertarians, the neo-con is just as bad as the social liberal:  both support the idea that someone else knows what is best for every individual/family, the difference is who (God/Government).

The "Tea Party-types" you are talking about recognize that they need to be part of the discussion that is occurring in order to get their message to the "revolutionaries" (Jeffersonian definition of revolutionary).  The generation coming of age, which lacks the voting power of the previous two, looks at the status quo and sees it cannot work.

There is a Crisis of the Old Order.   How the world emerges from this crisis is the great unknown and more people are likely to die before it happens - those in power have every reason to maintain the status quo (regardless of their political affiliation).

[DA5UN]

[spoiler][/spoiler]

But on a serious note this has been fascinating to keep an eye on and that article was very well written and a good read.

[Mizhara]

Youtube video. "My little nightstick's going to get a workout tonight."
Organized protesters tried to join them, got pepper-spray and baton beatings as a result.

[mod]*snip*[/mod]

[Mizhara]

Longer (and disturbing) video of needless violence and police that are apparently either very poorly trained in handling crowds or with hair-triggers for violence. There's heaps of other videos out there on the violence going on against these protestors. A damn good question I keep hearing the protestors ask the police but doesn't get any answer to:

"Who are you protecting?".

If you're in that city, get the fuck down there and make your voice heard, even if it's just by being another one the authorities have to deal with. Don't let this... this... freakin' fascism happen unopposed. I know there's a lot of Americans here who are decent people and I can't believe you guys will allow your country to turn into... well, THAT.

[Kaleigh Doyle]

I think every citizen should be informed and critical of the information they receive, regardless of what source it comes from. Everybody's got an agenda.

As someone who's just scraping through this shit-period with a job, I am watching to see what happens pretty closely. I think most people are just trying to get by on a daily basis; when shit gets bad enough that no one can there'll be a mess.

[lallara zhuul]

One of my favourite internet thingamabobs.