[theragtopguy]

I remember how the American people, especially the college students, protested the ever increasing escalation of the Vietnam war during the Sixties. The campuses were boiling with anger and there were constant protests against the war.

Why is it that I see none of this happening now? Are the American students (and sheeple) THAT apathetic that hardly anyone is protesting this escalation of the Iraq war by this madman Bush?

Maybe the young people are too preoccupied with their video games and such (which were not around then)?

I don't get it.

[Loki]

No draft, therefore no chance that college-age males will be forced to go fight an unpopular war, therefore no mass protests by college students. This is also why the Republicans won't support a draft.

[Ludi]

There is no draft (yet).

[theragtopguy]

I understand about the draft issue, I should've put that in there. At this point I think there SHOULD be a draft. Then the burden would be shared by more people and maybe then the public would be more pissed off.

Still, one would think that there would be more protests.

He made me sick with his interview on 60 Minutes. What the hell planet does he live on? Doesn't want to govern by opinion polls and such. I thought that they were supposed to govern according to the will of the people. Silly me.

[caliginousface]

Never question the Decider.

[seldom_seen]

America is in a deep, deep state of denial about this war. How often do you hear US dependence on foreign oil discussed in relation to the Iraq war? Almost never. It's taboo to talk about the real reason we're in Iraq.

Much of the 'outrage' is superficial. Everyone's 'mad as hell' about the iraq war but no one is really doing anything substantial about it. Except maybe buying a hybrid, which is a way to mask the denial and is more of a fashion statement than anything else.

This isn't Vietnam either. The stakes are way the motherf*ck higher.
The trajectory of western civilization will be determined by how the oil in that region will be divvied up.

[Benzin]

A draft would NOT share the burden equally. The rich and powerful will have no problem stopping their kid from going over to the sandbox. Why would it be any different this time around? We all know who would go in a draft: the poor and powerless.

My own hypothesis as to why there is no outrage is because it is very subtle. A lot of people are wrapped up in their lives and could care less about what happens outside their little world. They may not like what they hear, but don't spend much time on it. The rest of us voice our rage on the internet and it is probably for the best. There is a much greater feeling of anonymity so it is easier to convey how we feel. Take for instance the way blogs and websites have changed dissemination of information and opinions. The internet has truly changed how we "dissent" in today's culture.

To come out today and do a full protest like the good old days just ain't what it used to be. People are much more hostile to groups that do it and rest assured TPTB have authorities standing by to take out anyone who dares step across the fine line which is freedom of speech, or what is left of it. I always used to think America was the "free speech zone" but apparently that is no longer the case.

Besides, it just seems hypocritical to protest something like this war and at the end of the day get into the car or SUV. Damn...

[Loki]

You make some interesting points Benzin, but I wonder what the real use of street protests are. I've participated in my share of street protests, but I stopped when I realized that they are utterly useless and masturbatory (with some exceptions, especially labor picketing). Not to mention the fact that they are often organized by professional "activists" who see them as a meat market where they can pick up their next lay.

[NEOPO]

Boom

[mekrob]

On the main street near my university, there were about 200 students protesting. This is out of 16,000 undergrads and several thousand more grads. This is also one of the more liberal and anti-Bush schools in the nation. Go "democracy".

[cynicalheretic]

Uhm, well we have myspace and personal home pages for us to get our voices out. Sadly not quite as impressive as a million man march.

[shakespear1]

The wars are not visiting the average Joe and Mary inside their homes. They have so many channels that they can switch it off any time it tries by going to one of the 100+ channels.

[alpha480v]

In my opinion, most people don't care because they don't have a stake in this mess. They don't have sons or daughters over there, and oil prices are falling, with gas getting cheaper than it was last year. It's "OK" to drive that SUV again. Bring on the draft and I think this will change Americans opinions.

[Carlhole]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('theragtopguy', 'I') remember how the American people, especially the college students, protested the ever increasing escalation of the Vietnam war during the Sixties. The campuses were boiling with anger and there were constant protests against the war.

Why is it that I see none of this happening now? Are the American students (and sheeple) THAT apathetic that hardly anyone is protesting this escalation of the Iraq war by this madman Bush?

Maybe the young people are too preoccupied with their video games and such (which were not around then)?

I don't get it.

[katkinkate]

How much is it that there is no protest, and how much is it that the media just aren't covering it?