why does "takin' it to the streets" work everywhere but here?

[pepperbear]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/10/AR2006041000157.html

French Government Withdraws Controversial Job Law

By Molly Moore
Washington Post Foreign Service
Monday, April 10, 2006; 7:18 AM

PARIS, April 10 -- French President Jacques Chirac's government Monday withdrew a controversial youth employment law that had ignited more than a month of protests and violence on the streets of Paris and other cities.

*snip*

[thereismore]

1. because we haven't taken to the streets on a scale that matters. nt

[movonne]

2. Probably we have lots of people here that are lazy, stupid and content

with their lot in life...when they wakeup it will be too late...

[slackmaster]

6. If they are content with their lot in life, then there is no problem

;-)

[Jeffersons Ghost]

14. you got that right, movonne

Hey! Here's an idea... instead of buying our kids toy soldiers,
let's try this!

[blm]

3. Who owns most US media? BushInc's allies and defense industry profiteers.

.

[MoonRiver]

13. That's not stopping the immigration demonstrations, or the media coverage

of them. I still think most people aren't outraged enough. A war with Iran will do it, imo.

[blm]

23. I think the media is spinning immigration rallies against the immigrants,

though. The whole Mexican flag thing is being blown WAY out of proportion.

[Adelante]

25. The Mexican flag thing was dumb politics and dumber PR

They're doing GREAT with today's demos. It's so beautiful, I've been close to tears all day. But I can assure you, if I walked down the street here waving an American flag in protest against the government, it would not be well-received. But the main thing is, including the American flag in the immigrant protests is smart, because it doesn't give ammunition to their enemies. I think it wins greater support for the cause and that can only help.

[blm]

26. I agree - tactically it's the best way for any protest.

Short of the Gadsden flag, of course. ;)

[XemaSab]

4. It's too rainy outside

:(

[babylonsister]

5. Because the US is so large in comparison, lack of media, etc.

But check out DC this afternoon, and all around the country. People ARE takin' it to the streets!

[tridim]

8. That's the main reason.. We have a decentralized population

We also lack cheap transportation like they have in Europe and the inability for us to take a day or three off from work without getting fired. Most Americans are indeed lazy when it comes to defending our constitution, but I don't think that's the main reason.

[kenny blankenship]

20. Also a popular cause like opposing the new youth labor measure

(which was erroneously labelled a "reform" in U.S. media) will attract strikes in solidarity from big unions in France like transportation workers, et al. When that happens the whole country shuts down and so the powers in the Elysee palace must listen to the street.
In the United States NOTHING will happen when people protest a political event or policy, even a huge demonstration like the Feb. 15, 2003 protests, because there is no solidarity among the American workforce, there is no effective political-left-and-union unmbrella organization, and the powers wielding influence on Capitoal Hiell and the White House are therefore free to place, unopposed and uncontradicted, whatever interpretation they choose upon the protest through their corporate colleagues in the MSM. Usually they just undercount and disparage the protestors, encouraging the rest of the country to ignore them. That will stop in America only when a protest movement achieves the same shut-down power that was just displayed in France.

[MindPilot]

22. Right you are Ken!!

The only thing that protests here are good for is giving the CorpMedia some footage and sound bites to use to say "look at all the silly old America-hating pacifist socialist hippies with their signs" while turning the cameras to the other side of the street "look at these half-dozen REAL MEN who wave flags and support the WAR!"

I seriously doubt there would ever be enough unity in the USA to put enough pressure on the government to make them change.

[mdmc]

7. I think we exist in a very comfortable society

If everyone turned of their tv, and took it to the streets, we would be out of Iraq in 24 hours, imo. Since people are not sacrificing at all, there is no "taking it to the streets" in the USA.

[cyclezealot]

9. Because Americans don't take it to the streets.

Either because they are apathetic or lazy. Plus remember New York at the Repug convention. Denied Central Park . remember New York at the big anti Iraq war protest. Police denied protesters rights to feed into main procession from side streets. How in a free country can they get away with such actions. Free? And at that protest in NYC did not allow them to use streets that allowed the protestors to be geographically cohesive.
And now. Read "People for the American Way's" report on how Bush's Supreme Court will effect American's rights to protest. "Courting Disaster." Right wingers want to demand American's are required to post huge bonds in order to be able to protest.
want a little history on our right to protest. read about how Woodrow Wilson came to Seattle , Wash. in the 1910's and the "Wobblies ' Closed down Seattle for weeks. The US government would not let that pass. Wilson used military force to end that strike. Hurray for the French. No to globialization.
The Europeans use to check government policy. I call it the 'fouth veto.' Americans need threaten it's owners with such tactics.

[Demeter]

10. Too Many Wannabe Fascists

They (little Hitlers) are as significant to the GOP as amoebas, but they think they're such big cheeses. What they don't realize is that the GOPrats are going to eat them alive, and are already half-way through consuming their livelihoods, futures, and happiness.

[kaygore]

11. We're fat and lazy? or we do take to the streets, but it's in our cars?

so everyone mistakes it for drive time!

[eek]

12. i bring this up often but it *still* burns my keister:

On Feb 15 - the day that antiwar demonstrations were going on around the world
i am certain that there were a minimum 500k people on the streets of New York City.

Actually, I really think that there were 1-2 million.
I know approximately how many streets and avenues were filled with we demonstrators.

I have also been to the "Macy's Day" parade a number of times and know the approximate human density/area . Ditto New Year's Eve.

Those events typically claim 2 million attendees. Granted, those numbers are probably inflated but there were *way* the hell more demonstrators then paradegoers.
If macy's day gets 2mil...

Anyway: the MSM pretty much went with claiming 100-150,000 people at the demo.
The airspace above the City was closed ("security") so there wasn't any overhead video.
Fkrs.


sidebar: adorably, the NYC airspace was not closed during the huge blackout. Guess complete power outage doesn't pose a "security" risk. Just peace marches.
Fckrs -fkrs!

[RaleighNCDUer]

15. This is America, and we haven't figured out how to 'take it to the

streets' without getting out of our cars.

[MindPilot]

16. There were 50,000 in the streets of San Diego yesterday

Some estimates say more like twice that. But the issue was not war, corruption or voting fraud, it was immigration.

Evidently the issue that really inflames people is the potential of being denied the "right" to steal jobs from Americans and drive down wages.

[depakid]

28. Do you really fail to see the connection?

There is (obviously) a connection between the two sets of demonstrations. Although unless I was being sarcastic, I doubt I'd frame it that way....

[LSdemocrat]

17. The power structure (media, politicians, etc) doesn't care

Do you think Dubya and the gang would be up at night worrying if 2 million people demonstrated against him in DC? I don't.

As far as the media is concerned, the corporate media doesn't care, and typically spends time pointing out the more extreme/absurd protestors, rather than the more coherent mainstream protestors. Additionally the media's obsession with balance would mean that they would likely give equal time to much smaller counter-demonstration.

[stillcool]

18. If you all want to come and protest outside my house...

I'll be happy to go. Otherwise the cost of a train, plane, or automobile, plus a lawyer, and a resting spot will need to be provided.

[Doctor_J]

19. We're the only country with state-run media

We're alot like Stalin's Russia. That, and the fact that most people won't consider us to be "oppressed" until American Idol goes off the air.

[McCamy Taylor]

21. 'Cause social studies is taught by coaches in the US. We are apolitical.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

24. You take to the streets when it gets personal.

In France, the students demonstrated because of legislation that would clearly hurt their employment status. The immigration demonstrations are occurring because the immigrants and their families face the actual risk of being deported and/or prosecuted if some of the proposed legislaation passes. During the Vietnam war, we took to the streets because we or our friends and family members were at immediate risk of being drafted, sent to Vietnam and possibly killed.

Really big antiwar and anti-Bush demonstrations will take place only when large numbers of people perceive that they, personally, are about to be seriously and immediately screwed for real. We know that we are being slowly screwed in ways that have not quite hit home yet -- but when a lot of people understand that their lives or livelihoods are in immediate danger they'll do something. Unfortunately, it has to be that extreme before anything really major happens.

[blondeatlast]

27. Edit: self-delete. I don't really advocate what I posted at all.

FWIW, it was decidedly non-violent and not at all subversive--just a really, really bad idea.