MLK Musings

[Kudzu2]

Today in the United States, we observed Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It's especially a big deal in my hometown of Atlanta as King was from here. As per usual, I read posts and emails honoring King, honoring his memory in whatever way they knew how to. Many people use the day to do some sort of service for the poor or some other neglected segment of the population. Since I wasn't around back then I don't know how different the world of today is. The general consensus is that people are better, kinder and more accepting. Not all racism is gone but most of it is and all people of good faith keep doing their part to make sure we stay in that direction.


..or at least that's how it used to seem. Then the internet happened and we began to see how people really felt. You could say things that you would not dare say in public. Still, I always brushed it aside. It's the internet, after all. A cesspool of all kinds of weirdness. Then in 2009, Obama became President and the racists of Red America started to really take the gloves off. They said the new President was secretly not American, that he was communist, that he was a secret Muslim, that he wanted to Destroy America. You know how it went. The tea party, a movement ostensibly about taxes, became notorious for resembling a 21st century klan rally. Then came last year and the rise of Trump and the alt-right, a movement that doesn't even try to hide its fascist leanings. You better believe that the Republican party will start to put alt-rightists on the ballots. You have that to look forward to, totally-not-racist Trump voters. And whether or not Trump himself is a racist is not even the point. What's clear is that he's revealed the country for being what it always was.

So no, I didn't feel very celebratory today. If this strikes some people as too politically divisive, then too damn bad. You know where the back arrow is.

[Kirk]

To me all politicians are one in the same.

[DizzyPixie]

To me all politicians are one in the same.

Out of curiosity, are you an anarchist? I lean towards anarchism, and I have the same view about politicians, more or less.
Also, to the first person who posted, it's not unlikely that they'll put alt-rightists on the ballots. I'm from Greece, here we have a Nazi party in the parliament. I don't think the world is a better place, either. Some things have improved, and I don't mean to disregard the revolutions and the struggles. Martin Luther King was great, and the situation of black people in the US is better than back then, as far as I know. Significantly better than then, but not good. Wars still happen, nationalism is rising, capitalism is exploiting people in the poorest countries, the world feels like it has started boiling, it feels unstable, somebody whose name I don't remember said that it feels like something has died but something else hasn't been born yet. Like transition. Or like a stormy sea, you're in constant suspense and you don't know where you'll be when the sea calms down. I hate it when people here try to act like everything is fine and this system is working, because "we have democracy" or "we have food". Not everybody has. And even if all western people did, the world is interconnected, our life is based on the struggles of others, maybe too far from many of us to care about. But we're so desperate to convince ourselves that we're in control, that we're civilized people, that progress is happening, through enterprises and political correctness. I'm only 21 and I'm fed up! It's almost 3am here and I'm writing rather impulsively. I just want to protest and break things on the heads of Nazis.

[Kudzu2]

I have friends who are anarchists and to be honest, their ideology is a joke. Even the most primitive societies have had a state-like structure in place. So unless they're advocating a return to hunter-gathering, which they don't appear to be, I don't see how anarchism could ever work. And yes I've heard of those handful of towns in Catalonia in 1937 or whatever, I'm talking about long term and over a wide geographic area. I think it's normal to have an anarchist phase. I did, but then I grew up. I don't think capitalism is exactly the greatest thing ever but it's the system we have and I don't see that changing anytime soon. Smashing a Starbucks window won't change anything.

[gypsylee]

I have friends who are anarchists and to be honest, their ideology is a joke. Even the most primitive societies have had a state-like structure in place. So unless they're advocating a return to hunter-gathering, which they don't appear to be, I don't see how anarchism could ever work. And yes I've heard of those handful of towns in Catalonia in 1937 or whatever, I'm talking about long term and over a wide geographic area. I think it's normal to have an anarchist phase. I did, but then I grew up. I don't think capitalism is exactly the greatest thing ever but it's the system we have and I don't see that changing anytime soon. Smashing a Starbucks window won't change anything.

Hey Kudzu..

I read DizzyPixie's post and thought it was thoughtful and insightful (plus she said she wrote it impulsively at 3am). But you've kind of latched onto her mention of Anarchism (which was actually directed at Kirk's comment). The majority of the post isn't saying she thinks anarchism is the solution; just a general view of how things are, which I quite agree with.

So I think you're deliberately being argumentative here when she was making a good contribution to your post. For example, the comment about having an anarchist phase but then "growing up" implies it's an immature political leaning. If you want to get technical, the system we have in the West is more of an Oligarchy than a Democracy or Capitalist one. Corporations are basically our rulers now and that is not Capitalism.

But I'm not wanting to argue about politics :) I'm just pointing out that Pixie wrote a decent response and you've taken something you disagree with (anarchism) and just run with it. If I was her I'd feel pretty annoyed by your reply. Just saying.

[Kudzu2]

Yes, I pretty much am saying it's an immature leaning. So is the belief that all politicians are the same. They're not. There are very distinct differences that matter. It's a lazy and vaguely holier-than-thou attitude that really gets under my skin. Especially since it effects me directly. My health insurance, you know, that thing that helps me live, is now in danger because too many people chose not to vote because, like, they're all equally bad, you guys. How nice it must be to never have to choose between medical care and food. I remember going hungry many nights because I needed an expensive procedure and could not afford both. I said at the outset this would be an angry thread, but it's my thread so let me be angry.

[gypsylee]

I said at the outset this would be an angry thread, but it's my thread so let me be angry.

I actually LOLed at that, so ok :)

[salvator here]

Dare I say.. I can understand your concern in regard to your health care, I'm also quite concerned myself. To be quite frank here, I'm doubtful that the current administration is going to offer us much hope; thought I'm trying to be (cautiously) optimistic about it - what choice do we have here in the US. I was hospitalized late last year and also once this year and the bills have not even come in yet, but I'm already expecting even more bills that I can not afford, so I try to block it out of my mind.

I could also go on-and-on about politics here in the US, but I going to chose to remain impartial - not just here in your thread but in real life. We will get through this (somehow), know that much. Keep in mind that 'they' can not just repeal something like the affordable care act without going through congress and trust me, that's not going to be an easy task.

But yeah.. I'd be lying if I said I'm not also concerned about it, as well.

I guess I'm just going to say, lets try to stay strong because the worry alone about this alone could negatively affect our health.

Hope that made sense.

[DizzyPixie]

Here the politicians are pretty much the same, the current ruling party was supposed to be leftist and got elected with the motto "hope is coming" and it's literally all the same as the previous right wing government. In the previous elections it didn't get enough votes to form a government by itself so it collaborated with another right wing party and formed a government together, proving that their differences aren't that great. Maybe it's because my country has always been dependent on "great powers" since it was formed in 1828. Our governments are puppets in the greater scheme, and the "greater scheme" is built on capitalism. The difference between left and right parties is that the left parties give more money to the people, if there is money. Now, in the recession, they're pretty much the same, and the parliament is a joke in general. There are way too many corrupted people and crazy people in there. The only party that is somewhat different politically wise, is the communist one, but it is very authoritarian, with a long history of writing off its own members for voicing different opinions and their youth acts like Jehova's Witnesses. It's not lazy of me to not trust any of these people and I don't propose doing nothing, the opposite, I want to find a way to collaborate with other people and work hard together, without depending on this ridiculous troupe.

Maybe the situation in the US is different because it's a more independent country. I read Trump intends to stop the Affordable Care Act which was probably something good for a country where many people don't have insurance, so Obama was better in that sense. However, I've also read it was kinda dysfunctional in terms of quality of services, resources management and still didn't include absolutely everybody. Anyway, I have many disagreements with Obama's government in general, but Trump appears (even) more dangerous, since he's clearly part of the rise of nationalism globally.

PS: I don't get insulted easily, when I post on political threads I expect the worst flame war, not just anger. :p But thanks, Gypsy Lee.

PS2: Anarchism in Spain was very successful thanks to the wide spreading of political ideas before the revolution. It's one of my favourite chapters of history. It ended not because of a internal failure but because of an unjust war. What do you expect when it's Spanish revolutionaries and volunteers vs. Germans, Italians, Portuguese and Spanish nationalists? The difficulty in anarchism is that everybody has to participate and engage to true dialogue, get along with others, be responsible, it can't be built in a society like ours, where minding your own business has gained the status of a right; that's why when it happens, I respect and admire it.

[Kirk]

I believe the more government gets involved with things, the worse off we all are and more waste of resources occur.