Quote:
Originally Posted by Moogs
I agree with much of what Paul says btw. If you make your little corner better by not being a wasteful, self-centered idiot... and in fact go out of your way to be friendly and helpful with little stuff every day... I think things would improve.
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That's really all you can do, if you want to be very pragmatic and realistic about it all. Standing around with a sign and screaming to people who don't give a damn about what you have to say has just always struck me as a waste of time and energy (and, for many, it's more of a social event/gathering anyway, and less about actual "change" or "protest"). Do you think the people inside the capitol building give two honest rips about what a bunch of people carrying on outside on the Mall are talking about, in general? On balance, no. That's just true.
Their world and pursuits are so far away (and isolated) from "regular folks". So while it's a "feel-good" thing to gather with like-minded others and call for this or that, listen to some bands and play hacky-sack and smoke a joint...at the end of the day, what has honestly happened in a "big picture" way? Not much. How could it?
People/groups have screamed about stuff for decades, with no change. There are more direct, effective and efficient ways to bring about change that doesn't involve standing around like it's 1970 and chanting clichéd slogans and silly rhymes (and that goes for both sides of it all...I'm not just picking on hippies and the Left here, mind you...the other side is just as bad with their stuff).
But you make your "little corner" of the world as safe and pleasant as you can for yourself and those you care about. And, in turn, those people (hopefully) do the same. Those are achievable things that are easy-as-pie and don't cost a dime...it's just a matter of personal choices and decisions (not acting like an asshat in public, around others, showing a little courtesy, good manners and common sense, not driving like an oblivious jacktard as though you're qualifying for the Numbnut 500, etc.). Sounds small, but what if
everyone - or even most people - did it? Think about how nicer it would be, driving around, going to ballgames, movies or restaurants, shopping, etc.
I think it would ease the tensions and remove some of the "edge" out there.
I'm a
huge "people-watcher" and observer of interaction, behavior, etc. It's amazing how so many people are quick to anger or confrontation these days...in the Target parking lot, in line at a Subway, sitting in traffic, etc. I've certainly been guilty. But there's always one person - a triggerpoint - who starts the ball rolling toward something bad...a line-cutter, a parking-space robber, an aggressive tail-gater, etc.
Acting like an inconsiderate moron and flaming jerk pushes people's buttons. They don't like it. It comes down, IMO, to the oblivitards and idiots of society. Most of us don't go out of our way to make things difficult for others. But, I swear, some people just wake up in the morning and can't wait to be an asshole. I've known these people, so I know they're out there. Self-styled "rebels" and "against the grain" types who've just never had their idiocy properly pointed out in whatever way makes sense at the time (a conversation, constructive criticism, a royal ass-whipping, etc.).
We start reigning
these folks in, things almost instantly start to improve. Think about it...one person has the power to stir stuff up or cause bad things to happen. So what about the 20 people around him/her who don't believe or think that way? There's your "call to action", when you see wrong, stupid things happening in front of you. We don't shame people enough. We reward, excuse and look the other way at bad, inappropriate behavior. And we've done it for at least 2-3 decades, and now what?
Talk about "chickens coming home to roost".
This, as if I have to paint a picture, is the outcome of an overly permissive, irresponsible, lazy, you do your thing/it's none of my business culture and mindset. We don't hold people accountable for their actions, we rarely demand excellence (or hell, even effort), we excuse and justify the most heinous of words and deeds in the name "understanding" and "not coming across as mean", we cater to the lowest common denominator in entertainment (turn on your TV at any hour if you doubt me), etc.
What in the hell did we expect, after decades of the above? What other outcomes were there possibly going to be?
A world where the shitheads, a-holes, jackballs almost rule, where the low-rent, amoral pinheads set the agenda/tone and where the lazy and professional, perpetual victims demand "more, more, more!" on the backs of those who work and try to do the right thing.
We take these huge swings, out to the furthest arcs of thinking. And then we spend years coming back the other way and don't even think about hunkering down in the middle, and maybe applying a "little of both" approach to problems and issues. It's always "this or that, only". Hardcore right or hardcore left. Too restrictive or too permissive. Ultra-conservative or ultra-liberal. If 40 years has taught us anything, it's that the extremes, on
both ends, solve/fix NOTHING (and usually only make things worse).
But try wrenching the steering wheel out of the hands of those driving, either side, and see what happens...
Which leads me right back to my original point...take care of you and yours, and make your little part of the world as good and right as it can be. Hopefully others see that and take note...