Is another Hippie Revolution coming?

Whaaaaaat? So what isn't 'part of the noise' then? You seem to be pretty sure of your own ability to think independently, as a 'non-sheep'-- if you know for sure that communism/capitalism is 'part of the noise', then you must know what the answer is... so why keep it to yourself? And I don't mean vague general statements like 'it's a combination of both'--what does that even MEAN??? Isn't that what we have NOW??

Everyone knows that there is no pure political system... but there are states in which one system is dominant. You seem to be really adept at dismissing absolutely everything while also saying absolutely nothing.

Telling people to 'wake up' or whatever is like begging them to do your thinking for you. What you are saying is 'even though I'm also clueless as to how to change anything, at least I'm helpless in a paranoid, cynical way'.

You seem to think the answer is like some sort of magical, biblical moment where a utopia will descend from the heavens the moment the system we have crashes and burns.

The truth is that in the history of human beings and their ideas, almost everything has already been said and done. There are very very very few truly 'original' thoughts or ideas in the world. For the longest time, there has only been differing opinions and majority rule. There are ideas that are constantly falling in and out of favor, being articulated in different ways, but essentially everything has always stayed the same.

Just because Marx wrote out the Communist Manifesto, it doesn't mean that we have to follow his vision right down to the most minute detail or we're not doing it right... there's room for adaptation. Most truly political people understand this... it's the religious people who don't ask questions. It's the paranoid, cynical people who don't ask questions... but those people might as well be dead, because they're never going to be able to accomplish anything that isn't destructive.

You don't know this for sure-- and when, in the history of human beings, has desperation ever caused less harm than good? The 'people in power' LOVE desperation... it makes the masses needy for answers, for saviors, for all of that crap. It makes them irrational, and easy to manipulate... it makes them impatient for a solution. Desperation is why we have wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Desperation is how dictators happen... chaos is NEVER a good thing... and people never ever ever ever 'wake up' when they have to worry every day about providing for their families and themselves.

 

Look at that, a whole bunch of more noise...

 

You don't have a single coherent idea in your head, do you?

 

Could we possibly disagree less provocatively?

 

I don't see the purpose of restating the problem over and over again. A mass movement is a concert of individuals. Charity starts at home. All civility is precisely equal to our relationship to the person standing next to us, always.

 

Is that a request for agreement?

 

Probably... I just have a really low tolerance for people who seem to think they know everything but are incapable of saying anything. It's kind of like calling someone less intelligent than you and then not being able to explain why. If he had any ideas that seemed less than ridiculously vague and juvenile, then I might have taken it easy.

 

^^^This is a good example of an idea.

Calling everything 'noise' because you're too lazy to understand it is a good example of 'being exceedingly ignorant'.

 

Someone needed to say this and everybody needs to understand it. ^^^

Everyone waits for change but they seem incapable of achieving it. Why? Because they do not understand this point. The government does not need to change. We do not need better politicians. Our bosses, spouses, children, families are not holding us back. We are. We need to change. When we do, everything else will follow. How I treat the cashier, my family, my employer, etc. This is where the revolution starts. The revolution is not a political one, not one of the media, not one comprised of systems. It is and always has been inside. The revolution is inside. The revolution inside will have enormous external force and outcome. What we've built is simply physical manifestation of the conflict and turmoil within ourselves. Why does the brooding artist create sad, haunting things? Because their internal conflict is pointed outwards through their words, their fingertips, and their actions. We find a billion things to blame. But I have NEVER heard one single soul say, "I am the problem. I need to change."

Our fight and our revolution should start with the one againsnt our own ignorance.

 

Ya gotta get your pokes in don't ya? I think the jabs getting traded are good illustrations of how we as a whole are incapable of getting on the same page with regard to any issue of revolution.

This makes sense to me. Trying to orchestrate social and political reform on a scale beyond local is effectively setting any such movement up for failure as far as I'm concerned. Too many differing interests and too many divisions within that the establishment can (and WILL) exploit to divide any movement against itself.

I believe the route to meaningful change must involve identifying and addressing areas that we've become dependent on the system for our livelihoods. Food and shelter... ability to move about... protection/safety. How is it that our "needs" provide a means to reinforcing the status quo and how can we change that.

In deference to the "noise" point... until any of it is actually acted on in a meaningful way, this is all just noise... including my posts. the thing is, we DO need to make noise loud enough for the establishment to hear.

 

^^^YES. This is what I was trying to say a few posts ago... but I don't think I said it as succinctly as thedope. Sudden revolution is scary and counterproductive... successful revolution begins when individuals decide to change their lifestyles, and stop empowering the people that would exploit them.

 

Okay, I admit... I'm not always the nicest, most gentle person in the world. But that shouldn't have any effect on anyone else's ability to be a better person. If someone has a point, then the point will resonate.

You can agree with someone and think they're a douche at the same time... and even a future utopia will probably have blunt people in it.

 

Personal transformation is no less scary.

 

that and It's always someone else's job to effect the change. Political candidates tirelessly promote themselves as agents of change but election after election they prove themselves to be liars and they also prove that as a whole, voters are idiots for buying into the lies.

I think we have a winner

This sums it up very well-- the core problem. As long as we persist in not changing ourselves then the revolution is canceled... but take heart... political hopefuls will play revolution charades for our entertainment with a tired act so thin on credibility that a child can see through it.... but enough of us buy into it time and time again... placing the onus of change into the hands of someone who will benefit most from things remaining as they are.

 

However the only thing that can be truly threatened are our illusions.

 

Well, that's not completely true.

 

Something more?

 

That has bothered me for a very long time. I don't understand how people either cannot see through, or are not completely fed up with the bullshit. When American Idol winners receive more votes than a President elect...that speaks volumes.

 

We would have to sacrifice a lot of comfort/leisure time to make it work properly... I mean, to REALLY change things.

 

Governmental control is an illusion.