Donate Bitcoin

Donate Paypal


PeakOil is You

PeakOil is You

Re: Land redistribution and revolution

What's on your mind?
General interest discussions, not necessarily related to depletion.

Re: America on the brink of a Second Revolution

Unread postby Lore » Mon 11 Oct 2010, 22:43:12

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('gollum', 'M')y prediction is for a Soviet style amicable divorce, but if I were predicting "revolution" I'd predict 1860s style (politically) civil war driven by sectionalism.


I wouldn't predict anything of the kind. The strict geographical, class, ethnic and social boundaries that divided the union at that time do not exist anymore. The possible threat would be from some fanatical wing-nut and party gaining political prominence and winning the majority support of the populace. Fat chance of that even happening.

Rather, collapse would most likely happen in stages, moving downward to more and more local levels, ultimately to a tribal state. Revolution will be a rather silent affair, when the function of government and authority can no longer provide the security and services it once did abdicating its responsibilities to the next tier down.
The things that will destroy America are prosperity-at-any-price, peace-at-any-price, safety-first instead of duty-first, the love of soft living, and the get-rich-quick theory of life.
... Theodore Roosevelt
User avatar
Lore
Fission
Fission
 
Posts: 9021
Joined: Fri 26 Aug 2005, 03:00:00
Location: Fear Of A Blank Planet

Re: America on the brink of a Second Revolution

Unread postby gollum » Mon 11 Oct 2010, 23:00:22

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Lore', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('gollum', 'M')y prediction is for a Soviet style amicable divorce, but if I were predicting "revolution" I'd predict 1860s style (politically) civil war driven by sectionalism.


I wouldn't predict anything of the kind. The strict geographical, class, ethnic and social boundaries that divided the union at that time do not exist anymore. The possible threat would be from some fanatical wing-nut and party gaining political prominence and winning the majority support of the populace. Fat chance of that even happening.

Rather, collapse would most likely happen in stages, moving downward to more and more local levels, ultimately to a tribal state. Revolution will be a rather silent affair, when the function of government and authority can no longer provide the security and services it once did abdicating its responsibilities to the next tier down.



don't argue any of your points, confederacies of states are the natural progression as the federal government becomes increasingly ineffective.
gollum
Heavy Crude
Heavy Crude
 
Posts: 1048
Joined: Thu 11 Nov 2004, 04:00:00
Location: Wyoming

Re: America on the brink of a Second Revolution

Unread postby PrestonSturges » Mon 11 Oct 2010, 23:53:58

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pup55', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')hose who could work but don't and have the educational level to compete with illegal immigrants but don't.

Hey, this is the exact definition of "white trash".....
except that they don't live in the urban areas, they live in trailers out in the country and fly the confederate flag....

There is a fellow that works out in the back of the plant where I work, and he more or less fits that definition.... He's on section-8 housing, his 5 kids and enormous wife get food stamps, but he has his radio turned to Rush Limbaugh every time I go out there... He does nothing but complain about the government taking over the health care system even though the plant had to take up a collection because he was behind on the rent because he, himself, had too many medical bills.... but heaven forbid the government make him wait in line for his kids get some medicine for their frequent ear aches....Why is he not on the other side? When the lightbulb finally comes on in the minds of these people, or when the mammary gland of government aid dries up and those little kids go hungry, then you will have your revolution....
There are two parts to the GOP - the wealthy and the dumber than dirt redneck.

Notice that the GOP strongholds are inevitably the richest and the dead last rock bottom poor districts? Michelle Bachmann's for instance.

The rednecks are essentially illiterate, godawful stupid, and gullible as three year olds. They seem to believe that anything on television, the newspapers, and radios must by law be true.

Although they are obsessed with the idea that other people are poor because they are lazy, these people are poor because they are stupid. And that's not necessarily intellectual stupidity - this is psychological stupidity. They aren't capable of learning, because that would remind them that other people know more than they do, and that enrages them. They are too busy being angry at people who know more to learn anything. College is for faggots.

What the elites have realized is that poverty breeds Republicans. So they are creating as many poor people as possible.

The only thing that really cracks the armor of their fantasy world is when they are killed by the power elites, like the labor protestors of the early 1900's. But Kent State was a joke to them, those were dirty hippies getting what they deserved.

The elites have realized that the poor are zombies. Mass media and lack of education can get coal miners to defend the coal companies from the dirty hippies no matter how miners are killed and how many mountains are destroyed. Unless the coal company actually machine guns them, they'll vote Republican without fail. Obama's "guns and religion" remark was spot on.
User avatar
PrestonSturges
Light Sweet Crude
Light Sweet Crude
 
Posts: 6052
Joined: Wed 15 Oct 2008, 03:00:00
Top

Re: America on the brink of a Second Revolution

Unread postby Ludi » Tue 12 Oct 2010, 07:26:50

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Lore', 'T')he strict geographical, class, ethnic and social boundaries that divided the union at that time do not exist anymore.



And they didn't exist then,either, in any "strict" sense.
Ludi
 
Top

Re: America on the brink of a Second Revolution

Unread postby pup55 » Tue 12 Oct 2010, 08:51:11

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')hey seem to believe that anything on television, the newspapers, and radios must by law be true.


.... not to mention anything that their adulterous Preacher tells them from the front of the church on Sunday morning.....

There are two pretty similar permanent underclasses in the US...one black, one white..... and they are where they are because they have been that way for generations, they don't know any different, and they like it that way. Both are subsidized heavily by the government in various ways, in exchange for their votes...

There are plenty of people around with the proficiency to exploit the idiocy of both of these groups, the number one of which is the Wal Mart Corp.... no one can give me the number of what percentage of their sales comes from the government in one form or another: social security, food stamps/public assistance/unemployment...surely it's substantial.....but there are plenty of others, who prey on these people in one way or another.....ref: Eddie Long and ref: Rod Parsley... plenty of drug providers both illegal and legal....starting of course with the most lethal, the Phillip Morris Company....the payday loan industry.... and of course the car companies who for decades has sold these people more car or truck than they can possibly sensibly afford....

But there is an individual liberty question: If a population group really wants to keep itself isolated, stupid, and globally non-competitive, as it were, should they be allowed to? Should they be brought kicking and screaming into the 21st century against their will? If they want to be stupid, should they be allowed? Maybe they're happier than the rest of us, and that counts for something.

Maybe the rest of us should not subsidize them anymore either.... I don't have the answer....

What I do know is that there are a lot of them, enough in some areas to vote themselves benefits out of the treasury in one form or the other.

People do what they do until they can't, and then they do something else...


The main difference is: One group is dependent and admits it... the other is dependent and by some type of thought disorder does not admit it.....
Last edited by pup55 on Tue 12 Oct 2010, 09:51:03, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
pup55
Light Sweet Crude
Light Sweet Crude
 
Posts: 5249
Joined: Wed 26 May 2004, 03:00:00
Top

Re: America on the brink of a Second Revolution

Unread postby Timo » Tue 12 Oct 2010, 09:23:52

pup55, you've just described my take on the Achilles heel of the human race. The stupid occupies too great a percentage of our culture and will take us all down with them. It's not their fault, though. It's not anybody's fault. It's just the inherent flaw in our species. Perhaps this falw can be summed up in a single word: Greed. I suspect we're the only species of life on earth that uses this sentiment to our own destruction.
Timo
 

Re: America on the brink of a Second Revolution

Unread postby PrestonSturges » Tue 12 Oct 2010, 11:43:13

Generally individuals that yammer about how "independent" they are have huge issues with dependency, financial and emotional dependency.

Likewise the political groups that depend most on their self image of rugged individualism are the most dependent on federal subsidies to both the state government and individuals. Alaska is a prime example.

What the GOp does is use the Fascist strategy (one of many) that tells people the reason that they are poor is that their glorious birthright has been stolen from them by The Other (immigrants), although The Other ineveitably expands to include religious minorities and gays. And intellectuals, who supposedly masterminded the conspiracies that made Joe Shit Kicker poor. This line of propaganda bundles xenophobia, paranoia, and the envious hatred of people who know morre than they do.

The brilliance of this message is that it protects the wealthy and the company store. 100 years ago, you could not convince the coal miners in Possom Cove that mysterious distant Jews were causing their problems, but today you have Glenn Beck to tell them that.
User avatar
PrestonSturges
Light Sweet Crude
Light Sweet Crude
 
Posts: 6052
Joined: Wed 15 Oct 2008, 03:00:00

Re: America on the brink of a Second Revolution

Unread postby Ludi » Tue 12 Oct 2010, 12:26:26

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pup55', '
')There are two pretty similar permanent underclasses in the US...one black, one white..... and they are where they are because they have been that way for generations, they don't know any different, and they like it that way.


I'm not convinced they like it that way. If they liked it, they wouldn't be so angry and depressed and have such a high incidence of alcohol and drug addiction. :(
Ludi
 
Top

Re: America on the brink of a Second Revolution

Unread postby Ludi » Tue 12 Oct 2010, 12:34:14

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Timo', 'I')t's just the inherent flaw in our species. Perhaps this falw can be summed up in a single word: Greed. I suspect we're the only species of life on earth that uses this sentiment to our own destruction.


Except greed is not inherent in human society, therefore not a flaw in the species. Greed to some extent is in all animals, but humans in our original society, the band (hunter-gatherers), don't exhibit greed to any extent within the group. Many band societies don't even have a concept of personal property or privacy. The strength of the band is in mutual support. Greed is not rewarded because nothing can be gained by it. In hierarchical society, however, greed is rewarded by higher status. Our society rewards behavior which we then turn around and call a "flaw" and a "sin."

More about the band: http://theanarchistlibrary.org/HTML/Jas ... .html#toc8
Ludi
 
Top

Re: America on the brink of a Second Revolution

Unread postby Quinny » Tue 12 Oct 2010, 13:03:08

You talking about the US!

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pup55', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')hey seem to believe that anything on television, the newspapers, and radios must by law be true.


.... not to mention anything that their adulterous Preacher tells them from the front of the church on Sunday morning.....

There are two pretty similar permanent underclasses in the US...one black, one white..... and they are where they are because they have been that way for generations, they don't know any different, and they like it that way. Both are subsidized heavily by the government in various ways, in exchange for their votes...

There are plenty of people around with the proficiency to exploit the idiocy of both of these groups, the number one of which is the Wal Mart Corp.... no one can give me the number of what percentage of their sales comes from the government in one form or another: social security, food stamps/public assistance/unemployment...surely it's substantial.....but there are plenty of others, who prey on these people in one way or another.....ref: Eddie Long and ref: Rod Parsley... plenty of drug providers both illegal and legal....starting of course with the most lethal, the Phillip Morris Company....the payday loan industry.... and of course the car companies who for decades has sold these people more car or truck than they can possibly sensibly afford....

But there is an individual liberty question: If a population group really wants to keep itself isolated, stupid, and globally non-competitive, as it were, should they be allowed to? Should they be brought kicking and screaming into the 21st century against their will? If they want to be stupid, should they be allowed? Maybe they're happier than the rest of us, and that counts for something.

Maybe the rest of us should not subsidize them anymore either.... I don't have the answer....

What I do know is that there are a lot of them, enough in some areas to vote themselves benefits out of the treasury in one form or the other.

People do what they do until they can't, and then they do something else...


The main difference is: One group is dependent and admits it... the other is dependent and by some type of thought disorder does not admit it.....
Live, Love, Learn, Leave Legacy.....oh and have a Laugh while you're doing it!
User avatar
Quinny
Intermediate Crude
Intermediate Crude
 
Posts: 3337
Joined: Thu 03 Jul 2008, 03:00:00
Top

Re: America on the brink of a Second Revolution

Unread postby Cabrone » Tue 12 Oct 2010, 13:19:10

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PrestonSturges', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pup55', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')hose who could work but don't and have the educational level to compete with illegal immigrants but don't.

Hey, this is the exact definition of "white trash".....
except that they don't live in the urban areas, they live in trailers out in the country and fly the confederate flag....

There is a fellow that works out in the back of the plant where I work, and he more or less fits that definition.... He's on section-8 housing, his 5 kids and enormous wife get food stamps, but he has his radio turned to Rush Limbaugh every time I go out there... He does nothing but complain about the government taking over the health care system even though the plant had to take up a collection because he was behind on the rent because he, himself, had too many medical bills.... but heaven forbid the government make him wait in line for his kids get some medicine for their frequent ear aches....Why is he not on the other side? When the lightbulb finally comes on in the minds of these people, or when the mammary gland of government aid dries up and those little kids go hungry, then you will have your revolution....
There are two parts to the GOP - the wealthy and the dumber than dirt redneck.

Notice that the GOP strongholds are inevitably the richest and the dead last rock bottom poor districts? Michelle Bachmann's for instance.

The rednecks are essentially illiterate, godawful stupid, and gullible as three year olds. They seem to believe that anything on television, the newspapers, and radios must by law be true.

Although they are obsessed with the idea that other people are poor because they are lazy, these people are poor because they are stupid. And that's not necessarily intellectual stupidity - this is psychological stupidity. They aren't capable of learning, because that would remind them that other people know more than they do, and that enrages them. They are too busy being angry at people who know more to learn anything. College is for faggots.

What the elites have realized is that poverty breeds Republicans. So they are creating as many poor people as possible.

The only thing that really cracks the armor of their fantasy world is when they are killed by the power elites, like the labor protestors of the early 1900's. But Kent State was a joke to them, those were dirty hippies getting what they deserved.

The elites have realized that the poor are zombies. Mass media and lack of education can get coal miners to defend the coal companies from the dirty hippies no matter how miners are killed and how many mountains are destroyed. Unless the coal company actually machine guns them, they'll vote Republican without fail. Obama's "guns and religion" remark was spot on.


Harsh comments IMO. You'll get a range of intelligence amongst the poor just the same as any other demographic. You pick out 1 guy and extrapolate from that.

When you are truly poor you are desperate and living on the edge which, ironically, can make you quite conservative.

Why? Because when you feel insecure you can't afford to take risks. Your employer may be an exploitative turd but at least you are getting a wage and just about hanging on in there.

Radicalism is usually the privilege of those that can afford it.

Please don't just label all poor people as stupid.

Fear and insecurity are pretty useful tools when you want to exploit people and the hard right understand this only too well.
User avatar
Cabrone
Coal
Coal
 
Posts: 433
Joined: Fri 21 Apr 2006, 03:00:00
Location: London
Top

Re: America on the brink of a Second Revolution

Unread postby pup55 » Tue 12 Oct 2010, 14:20:26

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'Y')ou pick out 1 guy and extrapolate from that


Aww. true enough, I was just giving you an anecdote but I am willing to say that there are a lot of people like that....not everybody of course

And of course, you are quite right, there are different kinds of intelligence, and some of these people, despite minimal education are actually pretty bright....

And, far be it from me to be condescending, he is probably "happier" as defined in some way, than a lot of people. His aspiration level is low, he is comfortable enough, and has a big loving family around him....so maybe his is the right way...

But when he leaves his little domain and enters the realm of national politics when he goes into the voting booth, he, and a lot of his buddies around here are making decisions that are ultimately going to cause a lot of problems....
User avatar
pup55
Light Sweet Crude
Light Sweet Crude
 
Posts: 5249
Joined: Wed 26 May 2004, 03:00:00
Top

Re: America on the brink of a Second Revolution

Unread postby PrestonSturges » Tue 12 Oct 2010, 14:33:38

There are lots of dumb middle class and yes wealthy people. But when you kick them to the bottom of the economic ladder, then they are ready to be indoctrinated with conspiracy theories and propaganda.

A lot of this depends on what sort of upbringing they had. Most bedrock conservatives I've met are from alcoholic familes featuring death, suicide, abandonment by their parents. Because they grew up with chaos and uncertainty, they got used to making sense of the world through stories and rationalizations that spackled over all the gaps and contradictions. As adults, this means they will embrace crazy bs rather than tolerating any ambiguity. Ambiguity means terror......dad is late coming home tonight, is he drunk and about to rip the door off its hinges and beat us with a board while waving a handgun (again)? Yeah, ambiguity can't be tolerated, ambiguity is madness.

This need to rationalize and make up stories (Daddy is a spy and he went away) means that their grasp on reality will remain very slim. They "believe" whatever they heard last, and might just sucker punch you if you express doubt. Even fundementalist churches have been pissed off when members of 20 years forget all their religion to embrace Beck when he dishes out some warmed over Mormonism. They have no long term memory. Their thought processes are chaotic, and this reflects what is pretty infantile state of mental development. Because of this fragmentation in the mental processes, they can embrace totally contradictory positions, which means that they have trouble embracing meaningless talking points about how the Dems love Communism (while the Republican factory owner ships their jobs to China). They are like babies, and slogans are like shiny keys that we jingle jangle in front of their faces.
User avatar
PrestonSturges
Light Sweet Crude
Light Sweet Crude
 
Posts: 6052
Joined: Wed 15 Oct 2008, 03:00:00

Re: America on the brink of a Second Revolution

Unread postby Ludi » Tue 12 Oct 2010, 15:07:21

Preston, I like your point about conservative people being fearful rather than stupid. Certainly wanting things to stay the same feels like a safe position. Progressive folks want things to change, and that is very scary! 8O
Ludi
 

Re: America on the brink of a Second Revolution

Unread postby PrestonSturges » Tue 12 Oct 2010, 15:57:07

Mental incoherence is the synptom of movement conservatism. Consider Palin's notorious word salad style of speaking. Also. Being inarticulate and inexperienced are virtues for the Tea Party.

I think a good example of mental chaos are the "liberal fascism" crowd, and I don't hestitate to rip on them for being dishonest morons (as compared to honest morons). Consider the post on Redstate, and tell me this guy isn't a couple nuggets short of a Happy Meal.

http://www.redstate.com/docjohn/2010/10 ... aka-nazis/
User avatar
PrestonSturges
Light Sweet Crude
Light Sweet Crude
 
Posts: 6052
Joined: Wed 15 Oct 2008, 03:00:00

Re: America on the brink of a Second Revolution

Unread postby PrestonSturges » Tue 12 Oct 2010, 19:42:27

I was just listening to the AM radio and they were saying how Obama is like Chavez, using the poorest people.

In fact, the GOP strategy is to build their base in the poorest and most isolated parts of the country, and to dump corporate money into saturating those markets with corporatist propaganda.

It's not just enough to have a strategy and follow it, they have to completely invert reality. The simplest script is to simply accuse the other guy of following your script. This avoids confusion. And it is "projection." The thief accuses others of stealing, the liar accuses others of lying, the Nazis accused the Jews of planning genocide, the GOP accuses Obama of exploiting the poor.
User avatar
PrestonSturges
Light Sweet Crude
Light Sweet Crude
 
Posts: 6052
Joined: Wed 15 Oct 2008, 03:00:00

Re: America on the brink of a Second Revolution

Unread postby rangerone314 » Tue 12 Oct 2010, 20:00:52

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PrestonSturges', 'T')heir thought processes are chaotic, and this reflects what is pretty infantile state of mental development. Because of this fragmentation in the mental processes, they can embrace totally contradictory positions, which means that they have trouble embracing meaningless talking points about how the Dems love Communism (while the Republican factory owner ships their jobs to China). They are like babies, and slogans are like shiny keys that we jingle jangle in front of their faces.

I believe they call that "cognitive dissonance".
An ideology is by definition not a search for TRUTH-but a search for PROOF that its point of view is right

Equals barter and negotiate-people with power just take

You cant defend freedom by eliminating it-unknown

Our elected reps should wear sponsor patches on their suits so we know who they represent-like Nascar-Roy
User avatar
rangerone314
Light Sweet Crude
Light Sweet Crude
 
Posts: 4105
Joined: Wed 03 Dec 2008, 04:00:00
Location: Maryland
Top

Re: America on the brink of a Second Revolution

Unread postby Plantagenet » Tue 12 Oct 2010, 20:21:52

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PrestonSturges', '.'). the GOP strategy is to build their base in the poorest and most isolated parts of the country...


You mean like Massachusetts, where Scott Brown won Teddy Kennedy's senate seat? :roll:
User avatar
Plantagenet
Expert
Expert
 
Posts: 26765
Joined: Mon 09 Apr 2007, 03:00:00
Location: Alaska (its much bigger than Texas).
Top

Re: America on the brink of a Second Revolution

Unread postby Serial_Worrier » Tue 12 Oct 2010, 20:45:01

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Plantagenet', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PrestonSturges', '.'). the GOP strategy is to build their base in the poorest and most isolated parts of the country...


You mean like Massachusetts, where Scott Brown won Teddy Kennedy's senate seat? :roll:


Liberals are a deranged lot, projecting their fear and insecurity onto everyone else. Is it any wonder that self-identified conservatives are 2x as many as liberals?
User avatar
Serial_Worrier
Heavy Crude
Heavy Crude
 
Posts: 1549
Joined: Thu 05 Jun 2008, 03:00:00
Top

PreviousNext

Return to Open Topic Discussion

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests

cron