[Peace-discuss] In the streets

[LAURIE SOLOMON]

True; there are some fundamental differences in French and American
societies.  However, from what I have heard about the French gendarmes, they
can be every bit as brutal if not more so than the Amerikan police when it
comes to crowd control.  I have been told that they have lead weights in the
hems of their capes which they frequently swing as clubs and which can do a
hell of a lot of damage.  The special riot police, I am told, are no
slouches either.  Nevertheless, this is only hearsay on my part; and I will
have to  leave it up to those who actually know to correct me with respect
to these points.

 

But I do agree with you that "the average American still thinks of himself
as "middle class" and buys into the Horatio Alger myth, he doesn't want to
or see the necessity of taking the risk."  In point of fact, that is one of
my criticisms of references to the "working class" by many Americans who are
wage earners and consider themselves as working class  and not middle class
in name only but not in their values, ideologies, or practices.  It is also
one of the things that I reject with respect to Union's saying that they are
representing working class interests or their members since as you note most
of their membership have upward mobile pretentions and identifications not
only in terms of wanting the American dream financially but in terms of the
middle class American ideologies, values, and motivations.  The so-called
"working class" in the US buys into the Horatio Alger myth when it comes to
the welfare needs of others (but not when it concerns them personally) and
with respect to them in terms of their career goals for themselves and their
children.  "Everyone in the US can become president, can be a success, can
get rich, can .."  In short, many Amerikans buy into the very same
establishment that they complain about and criticize.  When they protest, it
is typically a self centered and self-interested motivation that drives them
and not a collective concern at all much of the time. Often the  motivation
is not to achieve the common good or general welfare of the collective but
to alleviate or rid themselves of some guilt for their status versus that of
others or for past behaviors, to come off as appearing responsible and
concerned human beings in the eyes of other people or God, or exploiting
others; sometimes, they motivation may be the cheap thrill of being part of
a mass movement or a member of a crowd.

 

From: John W. [mailto:jbw292002 at gmail.com] 
Sent: Sunday, February 01, 2009 10:58 PM
To: LAURIE SOLOMON
Cc: C. G. Estabrook; peace-discuss; sf-core at yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] In the streets

 

 

On Sun, Feb 1, 2009 at 11:24 AM, LAURIE SOLOMON <LAURIE at advancenet.net>
wrote:

Which is why - despite it being a French saying - the saying "the more
things change the more they stay the same" has become an American
description.  Until the masses of ordinary people get off their asses and
take to the streets with a willingness to shut things down and prevent
business as usual even if it means their inconvenience and discomfort, there
will be no significant change in the US - only minor symbolic reforms at the
periphery.

This is true.  But there are certain fundamental differences between French
society and American society.  In general, the law and law enforcement are
tilted much more in favor of the French citizen than of his/her American
equivalent.  French citizens frequently sue their government, and have a
decent chance of winning such suits.  French gendarmes are much less brutal
in their methods of crowd control and law enforcement in general.

All of which is to say that American citizens would be risking much MORE by
taking to the streets, with less chance of success.  And since the average
American still thinks of himself as "middle class" and buys into the Horatio
Alger myth, he doesn't want to or see the necessity of taking the risk.



Instead of the corporations and the establishment elite getting 3 trillion
of the common person's money, the government will only give them 2 3/4
trillion; and instead of demanding final control and veto over the
operations of those corporations and the use of the money, the government
will get for the public only minor symbolic control which only those behind
the closed doors will be able to know about.  Indeed, the French
demonstrations have much more authority and impact than any placard carrying
or letter writing demonstrations that we have in the US will ever have.  Our
demonstrators do not even get off the sidewalks and block traffic for fear
of being called irresponsible and losing respectability, for fear of being
arrested and getting a record or having to pay a fine, or because they do
not want to be seen as being disruptive.

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: peace-discuss-bounces at lists.chambana.net
[mailto:peace-discuss-bounces at lists.chambana.net] On Behalf Of C. G.
Estabrook
Sent: Sunday, February 01, 2009 12:46 AM
To: peace-discuss
Subject: [Peace-discuss] In the streets

 

      Paris When it Sizzles:

      The French Say No to Fat-Cat Bailouts                 

 

You have to admire the French. The ordinary people there know how to stick
up  

for themselves - instead of meekly bowing down and accepting whatever bitter


gruel the elite tries to cram down their throats. And they don't just write
a 

few angry letters (or blog posts!), or send checks to some worthy
progressive 

organization to organize a few mildly admonishing ads or press releases on
their 

behalf. Hell no, they take to the streets, by the millions, they shut things


down, they make some noise, they put their time, their jobs, and their
bodies on 

the line.

 

Yesterday saw another remarkable display of this national trait, as an 

astonishingly broad spectrum of the French citizenry surged through the
streets 

of Paris to express their outrage at the government's response to the
economic 

crisis. This response has been the usual doling out of billions in public
money 

for the fat cats who caused the crisis, coupled with increasing demands for 

"sacrifice" from the hoi polloi: less pay, longer hours, fewer benefits, a 

bleaker life for you and your children while the elite party on.

 

But on Thursday, an estimated 2.5 million people - blue-collar workers and 

white-collar professionals, educators and students, doctors and train
drivers, 

native-born and immigrants - came out to tell the government: "We are not
going 

to pay for the greed and corruption of the elite! Find another way!" The 

contrast to the stunned, herd-like reaction of the American and British
publics 

to their governments' gorging of corrupt oligarchs with no-strings largess
could 

not be more striking...

 

Full article at <http://www.chris-floyd.com/>

 

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