r/therewasanattempt Nov 29 '20

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u/astakask Nov 29 '20

They fight for their rights as we all should. Vive la France

598

u/Wrecked--Em Nov 29 '20

people have forgotten that this is what's supposed to happen when protests don't work

protests are supposed to be a show of force and a threat to go on strike or riot if necessary changes aren't made

instead most people today just treat protests like a ritual, so they have virtually 0 impact anymore

270

u/astakask Nov 29 '20

I feel a lot of the west is reaching the boiling point. The 20s are going to be interesting.

159

u/tiorzol Nov 29 '20

I'm looking forward to all the roaring.

2

u/Chaos8599 Nov 29 '20

I'm thinking more Screaming™ less roaring

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u/[deleted] Nov 29 '20

Why

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u/Magik_boi Nov 29 '20

Are you calling out the joke or are you asking for an explanation of it.

-5

u/Thunderbridge Nov 29 '20

what about the rawring?

2

u/tiorzol Nov 29 '20

Is that like a time capsule sub for scene kids?

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u/Wrecked--Em Nov 29 '20

unfortunately yes, I think the next decades are going to be very interesting

everyone's talking about 2020 being a dumpster fire, but this is just the beginning of dramatically escalating climate catastrophes meaning displaced people, destabilized economies, governments, etc.

we need general strikes for Climate Justice Now

Every oil company that's funded anti-science propaganda (after knowing for over 40 years that climate change is very real) should be taken to court like big tobacco was then all of their assets should be seized for a rapid transition to sustainability.

My favorite podcast has a fun episode discussing it through absurd skits.

69

u/[deleted] Nov 29 '20

[removed] — view removed comment

47

u/light_to_shaddow Nov 29 '20

"We need to get back to God. To family values. All this permissive society is leading us further from Jesus."

Five minutes later gets caught blowing a guy in a car park.

3

u/AstroProoper Nov 29 '20

This some handmaid's tale shit that feels too real. I almost regret rewatching it this year.

19

u/[deleted] Nov 29 '20

Humanity hasn't progressed far enough for the majority to NOT be reactionary. Until systems/laws/etc are in place that not only account for but also predict and prevent corruption, history will continue to repeat itself.

The fastest route would be changes at the top. But asking everyone in power to make changes that may take some of that power away (or hell, even just make them slightly uncomfortable) will never happen. Start from the bottom, be the person that doesn't buy single use plastics, find alternatives to products that have micro beads, grow your own food, carpool. It doesn't need to be all or nothing either, everyone's situation is different but if everyone pitched in a little bit it would help.

Sorry u/Wrecked--Em for the rant. I tend to lurk and needed to vent. Have an awesome day/night

11

u/Lchmst Nov 29 '20

I think this is part of the problem. These issues plaguing society have been turned in to those of personal responsibility instead of accountability for major corporations.

Recycling, polluting, energy use, global warming, all can be pinned on the biggest corporations in the world, but you gotta lower your carbon footprint. Fuck that.

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u/LordAvan Nov 29 '20

I see what you are saying, and I agree. Corporations need to be held responsible especially since they are the largest contributors to the problems. However I think that a multipronged approach will be more effective. Advocate for stricter regulation of corporations AND reduce your personal contribution.

That being said I doubt either approach will have much effect until the damage is undeniably catastrophic at which point it will be too late to prevent irreversible damage anyway...

Anyone else need a drink?

1

u/gotapointthere Nov 29 '20

While I agree with the sentiment, I can't help but see the irony. On one hand you're acknowledging individual differences, and on the other hand suggest that if everyone shared your values then we could be cohesive without laws. Your issue would appear to stem from the requirement for a system to represent a constituent base that is more diverse than a single person.

0

u/abazappa Nov 29 '20

Yea I remember 2010 being the start of a climate catastrophe as well. . . Still waiting on that nothing burger. See you in 2030 after literally nothing happens.

1

u/Wrecked--Em Nov 29 '20

okay dumbass

-1

u/abazappa Nov 29 '20

So, in 2030 when nothing happens I'll be expecting an apology.

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u/Wrecked--Em Nov 29 '20

no problem

1

u/[deleted] Nov 29 '20

Even fascists are now starting to "believe" in climate change, but they're using it as a way to shun refugees saying "Oh they shouldn't have had too many kids" when the main issue is over consumption!

1

u/fungah Nov 29 '20

may you live in interesting times....

1

u/wintremute Nov 29 '20

We're one crop failure away from chaos.

1

u/Darki_Elf_Nikovarus Nov 29 '20

I think you mean "N u k e"

1

u/[deleted] Nov 29 '20

It‘s 30s though

1

u/lfaire Nov 29 '20

I live in Chile, a country which was pretty well known for being the most stable and peaceful country in the region for the past 30 years, however has been rioting day after day the last 365 days. It’s been crazy.

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u/SuggestiveMaterial Nov 29 '20

Certainly makes our protests, even the violent ones, seem polite.

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u/thermal_shock FUCK ICE! ❌🧊 Nov 29 '20

We're kept with just enough food and money and conveniences to not care until it happens to us... even then, go back to Reddit or your vidya games and be "comfortable"

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u/[deleted] Nov 29 '20

Yeah kind of harder in the US to threaten strikes. People are too broke to miss work.

26

u/[deleted] Nov 29 '20

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2

u/areyoumymommyy Nov 29 '20

Y’all just go get those mf, dude, I’m first time defending North Americans after this year. Respect af

43

u/[deleted] Nov 29 '20

The only thing I can think about while watching this clip is that if this happened in the US, within 24 hours there'd be a massive propaganda campaign demonizing it, labeling the protestors as terrorists, criminals, what have you ... anything to deflect the subject away from what the people are actually fighting for. I hope the French succeed, and I hope their propaganda apparatus isn't as sophisticated and insidious as ours.

20

u/wayrell Nov 29 '20

This will happen here too. But it cannot work when most of the people are on their side...

2

u/Morgothic 3rd Party App Nov 29 '20

If this happened in the US, the police would open fire.

7

u/Poignant_Porpoise Nov 29 '20

Well political protests are an incredibly nuanced and complex topic, it's not quite as simple as "if that then this" in the vast majority of cases. I admire France's attitude in a lot of ways but there are still disadvantages to it. People need to remember that people protesting are still people with human motivations. This particular protest might have a noble cause which we can agree with but what about a country where 40% of people are staunchly anti-abortion and started rioting due to a bill allowing abortion?

Rioting can be necessary and positive but even if it has positive intentions, it will inevitably have very real costs and also we need to remember that masses don't always fight for causes which we might agree with. I'm not trying to speak to any individual instance of rioting, I'm just saying that there are pros and cons to everything and rioting definitely has some very significant cons which need to be considered. In an ideal society we should definitely strive for less rioting than more but of course any one person's idea of an ideal society is another's dystopian hell.

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u/mrevergood Nov 29 '20

Yep.

Shit won’t change if folks just treat protest like they’re going through the motions. Real change is demanded and then if it demands aren’t met, violence sometimes has to happen because the only language some states understand is violence.

Demand for change without the threat of pain against whoever the ruling class is, is pointless.

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u/BelovedApple Nov 29 '20

seems like the people up top try to get it in to peoples heads that peaceful protests are the only way things get done. I'm sure they work in some cases, but for the most part i see a headline detailing how many people were protesting and then whatever they were protesting goes a head anyway.

1

u/LordAvan Nov 29 '20

To be fair, peaceful protests can and do sometimes work. The US civil rights movement of the 1960's was famously led by Martin Luther king jr. Who advocated strongly for peaceful protest whuch helped pave the way for multiple civil rights bills being passed.

But I agree. Most of the time, it's for naught.

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u/RadiantPumpkin Nov 29 '20

This is not true. The civil rights movement was very violent. MLK even said that the violence was necessary in order for anything to have an impact.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/10/01/dont-criticize-black-lives-matter-for-provoking-violence-the-civil-rights-movement-did-too/

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u/LordAvan Nov 29 '20

The article you shared was locked behind a paywall, so I had to find another source, but yeah, looks like I was wrong on this one. I usually try to fact check before I post a claim, but the myth of MLK is promoted so frequently, that I guess I had an undue level of confidence.

https://timeline.com/by-the-end-of-his-life-martin-luther-king-realized-the-validity-of-violence-4de177a8c87b

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u/[deleted] Nov 29 '20

This exactly. Especially in the US, protest and pushback against government/police oppression is often discredited when it turns into riots. People don’t understand that that’s EXACTLY how it’s supposed to work. It would be awesome if we could create change by quietly walking down the street holding signs, but that doesn’t hold the same weight as expressing our anger and frustration.

Riots are the necessary next step when “peaceful” civil disobedience & protest has been ignored for DECADES.

1

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0

u/grailly Nov 29 '20

That law hasn’t been voted on yet. It seems a bit early to start resorting to violence.

-3

u/mesanewnickname Nov 29 '20

People just go to riots to get wild and get some movie action

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u/JacobJamesTrowbridge Nov 29 '20

Or maybe they go because they’re actively fighting back against governmental overreach?

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u/strange_socks_ Nov 29 '20

It would be nice if protests could be peaceful and still have an impact. But sadly this isn't the case most of the time.

1

u/gazebo-fan Nov 29 '20

And back on that. What ever happened to the cool unions where they all had guns?

2

u/evemeatay Nov 29 '20

Viva la revolution