America Finally Snaps Out of Its Mass Coma
For the past eight years — up until a few months ago — America seemed to be drowning in a sea of apathy and oblivion. It was scary, seeing an entire country just sitting there in a giant stupor. No matter how shocking the news was, no matter what our government was doing — no reaction.
Invading and occupying another country, killing hundreds of thousands of their citizens and more than 4,000 of our own soldiers — “Huh. Got any more beer?”
Massive spying and surveillance of American citizens — “So what. They can spy on me; I don’t have anything to hide.”
What was happening to us? The country that was founded by a revolution was sinking into quagmire of “DUUUHHH.”
But then last April, something snapped. Finally! I don't know what happened, but millions of couch potatoes suddenly came alive with populist fury. “Let’s see what’s on the tube” quickly gave way to “What??? Raise taxes on the wealthiest one percent of the population? Oh no you don’t!” And they took to the streets with a vengeance.
And the same thing happened again this summer. In early August, millions of jaded TV viewers were jolted out of their stupor, boiling over with furious thoughts of “Government bureaucrats meddling in the insurance industry??? Not on my watch!”
Who’da thunk that inside millions of couch potatoes, a fiery protester was struggling to break free?
And now the cat’s out of the bag. Millions of concerned American citizens are on watch, ready to stop Evil in its tracks. They’re taking their country back. And who do you think their next target will be?
You guessed it: Those ponytailed potsmoking treehuggers with their conservation and solar energy. They’re a threat to the oil and coal industries, and the American citizenry will not stand for this!
Concerned Americans: Grab your sign, a bullhorn and your Talking Points, and hit the streets! Big Oil needs you — Now More Than Ever.
posted by Tom Harper @ 3:27 PM
17 Comments:
I don't think anyone can underestimate the rage and sense of betrayal the average American felt when the bailout happened. It was a huge slap in the face along with a reality check. No, the Iraqi War isn't about terrorism; it's about corporate greed. What the hell are we doing in Afghanistan? Why are we letting Israel invade Gaza and blaming the victim? All these things finally became clear to the average American that they had been sold a bill of goods for a damn long time.
Unfortunately, that anger is not necessarily helpful to those of us who are "tree huggers". You've seen the protests against Obama's health care plan. I have to keep remembering that I'm living in America and not some f(*&ed up parallel universe when I see people openly waving their guns and likening Obama to Hitler. WTF?
So who knows how this revival will pan out.
This is EOTR by the way--too lazy to sign in.
Enemy: It's just ironic that the people who were so unmoved for 8 years by Iraqmire and the Patriot Act (and Israeli aggression too) are suddenly out there teabagging and disrupting those town hall meetings.
It really is like a parallel universe sometimes. It shouldn't be so F###in' easy for these astroturf organizations to manipulate thousands of gullible people.
I think Enemy has a point, the big bank failures, GM etc, made people mad, made me mad anyway, It seems people just want to bitch right now and they have a lot to bitch about. Obama is taking the brunt, he might deserve it after 4 years, but not now. The previous bunch got away with murder and are big time responsible for the crap we are in.
It's a good thing we have a hero to make it all better.
"Senate Majority Leader Senator Harry Reid reportedly has pushed back consideration of climate legislation to late September to allow Senators time to get their constituents’ views during the August recess."
Harry knows how to straightened all this out, just like health care.
Why should gummint haters exert themselves to get out from in front of the boob tube and protest with The Decider in the White House and his moles, termites and cronies doing major damage to government from within?
Now it's all different. You never know, Obama and his people might actually get the government busy helping the great majority of Americans, not just the worthy, wealthy few and the corporations. Might have more things turn out as well as Cash for Clunkers, or something. So now there's a big reason to get out and raise hell about.
it is amazing that the disaster of bush and the debacle of Iraq (yes that cost trillions) didnt wake the stupid from their sleep
but touching the INSURANCE industry wakes them
something is rotten in America and it aint Hamlet
Great post as always, Tom. Actually, it's a really good post. As I read, I thought of all the morons I work with who fit right into the category of cretins you outlined. There's nothing I can say that you haven't already said.
It's just sad that our nation's citizens are so fucking gullible, ignorant, and apathetic.
Thanks for getting my blood pressure up this morning :-)
Um, why are none of you on the couch watching teevee? I'm sick of all of you protesters. There's nothing to protest, everything is fine, drink your beer and eat your HFCS and pay your bills on their 3rd and 4th notice.
Sheesh.
And as the corporations sit in that large tub of oil gobbling up petro dollars the earth has other plans. Turning up the temp they'll get boiled in their own oil. Problem is we'll boil right along with them.
I love how the head of one of the nations largest coal companies Duke Energy supports carbon credits and will be glad to put them in place in 2050 which is about 10 years after he's dead unless he lives to be 100.
Harry Reid fills me full of confidence, not. He must be a tiger behind closed doors, but he comes across as a nothing in front of the cameras. How is it possible that he is the best man for the job? No fire, not very articulate, a mumbling, bumbling, stumbling, push over.
It is amazing that 8 years of Bush did not wake up Americans, except around bailout time. Even when they started hating the war, they didn't do anything about it. I remember when we invaded Iraq; I felt like I was in Invasion of the Body Snatchers as it seemed that only me, my husband and Eddie Vedder knew this was a crock--I wasn't blogging then.
America is also a racist country and that is coming out--listen to Rush if you can stand it or watch Fox-unreal.
Natural selection had better get moving.
Holte: No doubt, there was already lots of anger and fury about those corporate bailouts. I was pissed too. But all this anger seems to be channeled against health care reform, and against Obama in general. And I think those astroturf groups are responsible.
Dave: Yup, good old Harry Reid. I don't know why the Democrats can't some leaders who have spines.
SW: That's right, spending our tax money to help regular people? No! It's time for the slaves to take to the streets on behalf of their masters.
Distributorcap: You're right, there's definitely something rotten here.
Carlos: It's amazing how these astroturf groups can use a certain phrase, and millions of drones suddenly snap out of their stupor, ready to demonstrate and yell and scream on behalf of their puppetmasters.
Randal: Time to pour another pitcher of Kool-Aid and turn on the tube.
Demeur: That's the trouble. When powerful groups bring on these global catastrophes, we all suffer.
Holte: He puts out this image that he's a tiger waiting to pounce, or an iron fist inside a velvet glove, or something. But I haven't seen any evidence of this yet.
Enemy: I remember that too, 2003 just before the Iraqi invasion. Everyone was either apathetic, or just blindly going along with Dumbya. They'd say "well, we've got to do something." [sigh]
If you watch tv coverage of the "protests" at the townhall meetings, it looks like a lot of pissed off people. Well, it's not. Watch closely - there may be a handful of yellers and screamers. Outside, there might be 50 - 100, tops, and this is in large cities. A friend told me she attended one in southern california - outside, there were maybe 20 protestors. Others around the country quote similar numbers from events they have attended. Here on the east coast, maybe 50. Those are not "huge protests", those are a few pumpkinheads trying to make waves and scare everyone into thinking that they are the majority - just like the instructions from the websites paid for by big Insurance told them to.
Meanwhile, the MSM lets them look like huge bands of angry mobs (which they definitely are not - 10 - 50 people does not a huge angry mob of protestors make). Then the left falls for it and starts talking about the huge mobs of angry protestors - which is not the case.
Most of the people in those videos and pictures from townhall meetings are the 20% who still thought Bush was doing a bang-up good job when he left office. What we know from that is they are the bottom-feeders of their "party" - the crazies and crackpots. And they continue to be allowed to frame the debates and turn them into non-debates of "do what I say or else" bullshit.
Gosh. If only Solar energy would do away with the need for other energy sources. It is not so though.
Maybe we should reconsider nuclear power. Or is that also evil?
You know who cap and trade will hurt though? The little guy.
Tom - when people were protesting the war were they being anti American and nasty disrupters? Were people who did not like Bush anti-American?
Bee: The drones are doing exactly as they were instructed by that FreedomWorks memo. A few people will spread out within the audience, taking prominent positions, and then maximize the yelling and interrupting. The goal is to create chaos and throw everything off kilter. Debate and discussion have nothing to do with it.
As far as media coverage goes, I went last week to check out the Republican protest that was covered by the local paper. It turned out there was also a pro-health-reform protest that I didn't know about, so I joined it. My wild guess was that the "Anti" group had maybe 40, 45 people; and the "Pro" group had slightly fewer, 30 to 35 maybe. I was there for about half an hour.
The next day the paper said a total of about 200 people were in the "Anti" group, and about 40 were in the pro-reform group. Maybe another 150 people showed up for the "Anti" rally after I left; but their article sure didn't describe what I saw first hand.
Anonymous: I think solar combined with all of the other renewable energy sources will eventually get us off of oil/coal/nuclear. It'll be a slow process though.
I'm in between about nuclear energy. I've always been against it, but the fact that so many European countries are using it -- maybe it's worth a second look.
I don't think any protesters are "anti-American," whatever their cause is. But they don't have the right to shout down the person who's speaking, or try to incite a riot, no matter what they're protesting.
I'm sure the fact that television sucks had nothing to do with getting these folks off the couch, nor was it because it happened to coincide with switch to DTV when people actually had to start paying for the crap they were now watching.......
Lew: I don't know if TV content has anything to do with it. Some people are so zombied-out and sedated, they'll sit there and stare at the tube no matter what's on. And those rightwing talking heads are always on somewhere.
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