Comments | jinxed_wood: Ranting about giving a d@mn

jinxed_wood

Ranting about giving a d@mn

May 12, 2007 22:25

As a lot of people know on my flist, I'm in the middle of finishing up a media course at the moment, part of this course involves journalism and I've found myself researching and interviewing a variety of people as a result.My articles vary from the geeky (Gaelcon, anyone?) to the political (the M3 motorway through the Tara-Skyrne valley - who's ( Read more... )

life, rant, politics

Comments 7

ithildyn May 13 2007, 00:08:33 UTC

I'm at the opposite end of the political spectrum from you, but I certainly empathize with your sentiment. Have an opinion of your own, damnit! Be informed, don't just parrot whatever sound bite your particular political persuasion is currently fond of at the moment. Know why you think as you do. I don't care if you disagree with me on some issue, but I do care if you can't actually hold up your side of the argument.

Okay, that was my rant [g] [HUGS]

jinxed_wood May 13 2007, 13:51:01 UTC

Right there with you! It's lazy thinking as far as I'm concerned. For instance, when I was at the protest, there was a lot of pamphlets and articles being handed around. Most of the stuff was absolute drivel, with no factual substance whatsoever.

I may be a liberal, but I'm not an idiot, and just because I don't think the war was the U.S.'s brightest idea doesn't mean I'm prepared to listen to some conspiracy theorist drone on about the evil Imperialist west! A captive audience, I ain't; I come from a very politically active family, where one's opinion had better be backed up with some hard, verifiable facts, or it will be summarily dismissed as drivel (and I really mean this, my Mum's a lawyer, you can imagine the grilling!)

But on a lighter note, I actually finished another chapter of BSR last night and I'll be posting it later (after I read it over, late night writing can do funny things to my spelling :-P )

themolesmother May 13 2007, 07:08:45 UTC

It's not just the Irish. Two million people took to the streets of London to try and stop Blair taking us Brits into the Iraq war. Sadly, a few years down the line, only the die-hard protesters remain. It's human nature, I'm afraid.

*Sigh* You can tell I'm a professional cynic, can't you?

MM

jinxed_wood May 13 2007, 14:02:42 UTC

*Nods* My housemate, who's from Somerset, more or less said the same thing. But even though I realise why it's happening, I can't help but feel disappointed. Ireland has a long history of civil protest; in fact, the first peaceful sit down in history happened here, led by Daniel O'Connell, and was responible for granting full emanciaption to Catholics in Britain in 1829. We're kind of letting the side down, as far as I'm concerned.

(The comment has been removed)

jinxed_wood May 13 2007, 14:05:20 UTC

Maybe we've just got too comfortable with the status quo and, as they say: 'Out of sight, out of mind!' Still annoys me, though!

*hugs back*

mbbthebest May 19 2007, 07:09:16 UTC

Thought I agree that apathy is one of the reasons there are lesss people, I think it is also a practical reason: back then it could have made a difference.
When the decicion still had to be made, there was a purpose to protest for.
But if that many people did not made the difference then, what is the purpose to go now when it is too late to turn it back?
Only thing that can be do in oull the troops out, which would make the situation worse. (and one of the the main reasons agains t the war in the first place, you can't undo it later)
What bothers me more are the people who were back then when the choise was made too apathic to inform themselves, and were all 'support the troops', and now things are going bad are suddenly whining about being lied too, while the rest of the world aready knew back then that there were no weapons of mass destruction and that most casualties would come from the civil war after Saddam was removed.

But what I came here for, are you still working on 'Rings and Roundabouts'?

jinxed_wood May 19 2007, 14:15:48 UTC

*Grins* I know where you're coming from, but Ireland is in a slightly different position. We are a neutral country, so we're not directly involved in the conflict, but there is a long standing agreement between Ireland and the U.S. with regards to refueling military airplanes at Shannon airport - with a few provisos: no movment of political prisoners through Ireland and definitely no 'torture' flights ( ... )