I've been wondering this myself
Found this blog via Balloon Juice, which led me to this article:Last year saw major street demonstrations in London and Greece; this year Tunis, Egypt and Yemen. For years, Paris has played host to various strikes and protests. Many of these were initiated and fueled by social networking sites and other iInternet resources.
Why then, with an unemployment rate of 20% and more Internet connections than anyone else, aren't we here in the States fucking shit up?
An illusion of systemic equality, that's why.
In Europe, people immediately suspect anyone with money of wrongdoing. They have a history of monarchy, of rich people appointing themselves leader simply because they can. Not because they earned it.
In the Middle East and elsewhere, they have a history of monarchy and corrupt dictatorship. They also immediately suspect anyone with money of having bribed, cheated and violently slashed their way to the top. More often than not, resource-rich countries in the third world end up with leaders put into place by foreign powers, usually us.
We have no such immediate suspicion of the rich; to the contrary, the average American has a "more power to 'em" attitude towards even the slimiest of capitalists. Our real religion is capitalism, and to slander any of its chosen people is blasphemy. Profit makes you a prophet....
A lot of NSFW language, but interesting stuff.
Why then, with an unemployment rate of 20% and more Internet connections than anyone else, aren't we here in the States fucking shit up?
An illusion of systemic equality, that's why.
In Europe, people immediately suspect anyone with money of wrongdoing. They have a history of monarchy, of rich people appointing themselves leader simply because they can. Not because they earned it.
In the Middle East and elsewhere, they have a history of monarchy and corrupt dictatorship. They also immediately suspect anyone with money of having bribed, cheated and violently slashed their way to the top. More often than not, resource-rich countries in the third world end up with leaders put into place by foreign powers, usually us.
We have no such immediate suspicion of the rich; to the contrary, the average American has a "more power to 'em" attitude towards even the slimiest of capitalists. Our real religion is capitalism, and to slander any of its chosen people is blasphemy. Profit makes you a prophet....
A lot of NSFW language, but interesting stuff.