prediction: the level of protest/dissent in the world will rise in the next five year

[RidonKs]

s

and certainly in the next ten years.

people talk about stability all the time. the stability of the culture and society in the middle east, in brazil, in southern europe, in eastern europe, in west asia and the indian subcontinent.

what do we mean by stability: the acceptability of the current political and economic circumstances to the population

and even the canadian and american and european and japanese people are becoming more aware of the situation in the world and of the situation in their pocketbooks.

i'm talking about the occupy movement. i'm talking about the most recent climate protests. i'm talking about the arab spring.

in the western world and its allies and its client states, in the kremlin, in the chinese communist party, in the japanese parliament, etc

the powers that be have responded to these movements mostly with indifference, frequently with resistance, and occasionally violence.

they will continue to spread as people struggle to gain a better understanding of what is actually happening in our societies and on the planet environmentally.

that is all.

[ZeN]

That is all


You promise?

[ArbitraryWater]

You promise?

:roll:

[Raymone]

#Ferguson

[Nanners]

I want to agree with you donks, but I dont think protest/dissent will rise at all, at least not in america.

It was almost laughable how easily the occupy movement was crushed by the status quo.

I dont think people (americans) are becoming more aware of issues like climate change and natural resource depletion at all. If anything we are becoming less aware. The amount of willful ignorance toward environmental and social issues in america is very high right now.

[poido123]

Religious tension has amped up here in Australia since the latest attempted terrorist attacks.

Australian Bogans are already spray painting mosques with offensive language and making random attacks on innocent people. Muslims are retaliating by protesting against oppression and isolated attacks are happening as an outlet.

It will get worse because Sydney and Melbourne already have alienated Muslim communities, the religious tension and isis movement should only further the current unrest.

Australia will see dissent/protests rise imo.

[masonanddixon]

There will be civil war in England within 5 years. In Australia, I expect to see deportations of Muslims and other undesirables.

[KNOW1EDGE]

You really went out on a limb with that prediction.

That's like saying "I predict that after Obama there will be another president that people will complain about"

Props to you for making such a bold prediction

[MavsSuperFan]

I can understand why people in the 3rd world will be angry, but in developed world whats so bad that you feel most people will want to protest?
Eg. the occupy "movement" was a comically small portion of the population

I honestly think most Americans (more than 50% of the population) are happy with the economic opportunity in this control.

[NumberSix]

I want to agree with you donks, but I dont think protest/dissent will rise at all, at least not in america.

It was almost laughable how easily the occupy movement was crushed by the status quo.

I dont think people (americans) are becoming more aware of issues like climate change and natural resource depletion at all. If anything we are becoming less aware. The amount of willful ignorance toward environmental and social issues in america is very high right now.
Quick question....

What was the point of the occupy movement? :confusedshrug:

I've asked many occupy protesters "what are you protesting? What is occupy trying to accomplish"? I've only ever gotten extremely vague answers or people saying they actually aren't sure or they're new or something.

[MavsSuperFan]

I want to agree with you donks, but I dont think protest/dissent will rise at all, at least not in america.

It was almost laughable how easily the occupy movement was crushed by the status quo.

I dont think people (americans) are becoming more aware of issues like climate change and natural resource depletion at all. If anything we are becoming less aware. The amount of willful ignorance toward environmental and social issues in america is very high right now.
Exactly, the GOP will keep the house and might win the senate in the mid terms.

The world is kind of ****ed, nothing is going to be done about global warming

[masonanddixon]

I can understand why people in the 3rd world will be angry, but in developed world whats so bad that you feel most people will want to protest?
Eg. the occupy "movement" was a comically small portion of the population

Forced multiculturalism producing and provoking already established racial and ethnic tensions and harming the landscape of the country
Financially unsustainable waves of immigration
Rampant corporatism and unchecked mining industry
Strong environmental concerns

[RidonKs]

You really went out on a limb with that prediction.

That's like saying "I predict that after Obama there will be another president that people will complain about"

Props to you for making such a bold prediction
you don't understand what i'm saying.

i'm not predicting anything about complaining.

protest and dissent are very different if they are real. and real means taking action and taking action doesn't end with taking over a public square in one of the biggest cities in the world but it's at least a start.

occupy didn't do much institutionally speaking and about that, nanners is right. but nanners is wrong in predicting that the failure of occupy to actually implement different policies is indicative of how angry people will be in the future. because the fact is that the obama administrations failure to adequately respond to the 99% movement will only exacerbate civil disobedience and activism in the future.

and it's the same with the climate walk in nyc last weekend. hundreds of thousands of people gathering. obama might still approve the keystone xl pipeline but at this point, we at least know he's considering the issue long and hard. or he's biding his time until it's more appropriate to approve it. but in the latter case, the protests especially in the united states with regard to this issue will grow if he does allow for construction.

[RidonKs]

Exactly, the GOP will keep the house and might win the senate in the mid terms.

The world is kind of ****ed, nothing is going to be done about global warming
certainly not if people listen to you

"theres nothing to be done"

"alright then i guess i wont do anything"

you need to realize YOUR voice has an impact just like anybody else's. and the fact that you appear to be giving up because your voice doesn't have enough of an impact is like me giving up on the dream job i desperately want because it hasn't been offered to me yet.

[MavsSuperFan]

certainly not if people listen to you

"theres nothing to be done"

"alright then i guess i wont do anything"

you need to realize YOUR voice has an impact just like anybody else's. and the fact that you appear to be giving up because your voice doesn't have enough of an impact is like me giving up on the dream job i desperately want because it hasn't been offered to me yet.
Honestly I have some money invested in fracking :lol

[RidonKs]

Honestly I have some money invested in fracking :lol
well at least you have the sense to laugh about it

[KNOW1EDGE]

Ridonks you act as if you are telling us something that everyone in the world isn't already aware of.

[RidonKs]

Ridonks you act as if you are telling us something that everyone in the world isn't already aware of.
well if they're aware of it and it's such an obvious truth, it seems odd that nobody ever decides to actually discuss it in detail and with foresight to decide how people will actually respond...

i'm not spouting jibberish here. you can all shout to the rooftops that what i said in the op is perfectly obvious and warrants no further discussion.

if you want to take that position, my only question to you is; what are you doing about it? are you taking any action to prevent this? or have you already surrendered to the inevitability of our demise as a human species?

if the level of protest DOES rise, as we all apparently believe it will, what will factor into YOUR decision over whether or not you should actively participate in the movement, maintain indifference and neutrality towards it, or actively oppose it? from what i've read on this website, and i've read a god awful lot, people are either unwilling or incapable of talking about the decisions they will make in the future with regard to these issues. instead they either laugh the issue away, procrastinate on it, dismiss it entirely, or just pretend it doesn't exist at all. and it's a damn shame because things are happening right this second that, with an added boost from people who claim they believe in the righteousness of the humanist cause but fail to act in a meaningful way on the basis of those beliefs, could lead to very significant change on extremely time-sensitive crises. instead they fall susceptible to one of the four pitfalls i listed above.

[MavsSuperFan]

well at least you have the sense to laugh about it
The Keystone pipeline and hydraulic fracturing are almost inevitability.

Just like how even democrats support the coal industry in states that depend on coal, it will be very hard for any politician from those areas to vote in a way that will reduce employment. No matter the environmental cost.

Companies that make fracking equipment, land near areas with shale deposits, business like hotels, and residential property near those areas are all going to increase in value.

[Trollsmasher]

thanks for telling us

I really wasn't aware of the rising tensions across the entire Europe:lol

[RidonKs]

and i may invest in it as well. the subject of the laughter is the profit.

but that doesn't undermine the prediction. in fact it exemplifies it.

[Nanners]

occupy didn't do much institutionally speaking and about that, nanners is right. but nanners is wrong in predicting that the failure of occupy to actually implement different policies is indicative of how angry people will be in the future. because the fact is that the obama administrations failure to adequately respond to the 99% movement will only exacerbate civil disobedience and activism in the future.


Its not that I doubt that some people are getting angrier and angrier, I just doubt the ability of these people to channel that anger into anything that changes the status quo in a positive way.

The tools that the status quo has available for crushing dissent have come a long way since the last time that there were effective protests in the united states. For example, the FBI tried to blackmail MLK JR into commiting suicide back in the 1960s, so its not hard to imagine what you could accomplish with the modern day NSA surveillance tools if you turned them on an activist group.

Combine modern surveilance tools with things like a millitarized police and corporate control of the mainstream media, and its hard for me to see how it would be possible to challenge the status quo in this country through protest.

[Akrazotile]

I want to agree with you donks, but I dont think protest/dissent will rise at all, at least not in america.

It was almost laughable how easily the occupy movement was crushed by the status quo.

I dont think people (americans) are becoming more aware of issues like climate change and natural resource depletion at all. If anything we are becoming less aware. The amount of willful ignorance toward environmental and social issues in america is very high right now.

Awareness is not the issue, as it is likely at an all time high. The issue, as always, is ACTION. Which tends to remain much more static.

You can thank the left for always complaining but never doing anything meaningful. "Corparitsm is stupid and the environment is important man! Now excuse me while I take out loans from a bank to pay for inflated education and then fill up my van with gas so I can cruise around the country! Oh and btw, EVERYTHIG IS GEORGE BUSHS FAULT. Gawd Im so smart and progressive dude. :rockon: "

The difference between the right and the left? The right has some opinions that may or may not be idealistic and scientifically impractical about the AFTER life. The left's opinions are impractical about PRESENT life. Folks on the right live practically. Folks on the left talk it, real loud so everyone can see and hear them, but they never walk it (either bc its inconvenient or flat out impossible) but oh theyll still talk it. Gotta make sure everyone sees/hears them talking it.

[Balla_Status]

Americans renouncing their citizenship up 221% (http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertwood/2014/02/06/americans-renouncing-citizenship-up-221-all-aboard-the-fatca-express/)

More and more expat americans are giving up their US citizenship...the US government isnt too happy about it.

Relevant to this thread as leaving America seems to be the only way to protest the government these days.

[Balla_Status]

The Keystone pipeline and hydraulic fracturing are almost inevitability.

Just like how even democrats support the coal industry in states that depend on coal, it will be very hard for any politician from those areas to vote in a way that will reduce employment. No matter the environmental cost.

Companies that make fracking equipment, land near areas with shale deposits, business like hotels, and residential property near those areas are all going to increase in value.

Hydraulic fracturing has been around since the 50s. It only became controversial after a dude made multiple untruthful documentaries made by someone that has no science background. Each have been easily disproven.

The shit thing about the booms is the people it affects in each town who worked regular jobs beforehand and could afford living there no longer can't due to the increase in prices of food, rent, etc. due to the boom.

[masonanddixon]

Hydraulic fracturing has been around since the 50s. It only became controversial after a dude made multiple untruthful documentaries made by someone that has no science background. Each have been easily disproven.

The shit thing about the booms is the people it affects in each town who worked regular jobs beforehand and could afford living there no longer can't due to the increase in prices of food, rent, etc. due to the boom.

You seem like a nice guy, but fracking and mining in general are a blight to the environment

[Balla_Status]

You seem like a nice guy, but fracking and mining in general are a blight to the environment

Do you even know what fracking is?

And you're absolutely free to stop using anything powered by fossil fuels or made from the direct production of a fossil fuel.

[masonanddixon]

Do you even know what fracking is?

And you're absolutely free to stop using anything powered by fossil fuels or made from the direct production of a fossil fuel.

Yes, as far as I am aware, it releases groundwater impregnated with benzene into the environment and permanently ****s up the area.

All these places in Queensland that are being mined, like Roma, are historic, ancient areas that are going to be permanently damaged because the idiot running the state and the idiot running the country have no respect for the environment. Mining ruins the entire aesthetic nature to an area. Everywhere the minding industry goes it leaves a trail of shit.

Check out Queenstown, Tasmania, if you want to know all about how benign mining is...

[Nanners]

Hydraulic fracturing has been around since the 50s. It only became controversial after a dude made multiple untruthful documentaries made by someone that has no science background. Each have been easily disproven.

The shit thing about the booms is the people it affects in each town who worked regular jobs beforehand and could afford living there no longer can't due to the increase in prices of food, rent, etc. due to the boom.


The opposition to fracking has very little to do with gasland and very much to do with the fact that fracking has absolutely exploded in recent years and is happening on such a large scale now.

[masonanddixon]

The opposition to fracking has very little to do with gasland and very much to do with the fact that fracking has absolutely exploded in recent years and is happening on such a large scale now.

What about the fact it's an aesthetic nightmare?

[Nanners]

What about the fact it's an aesthetic nightmare?

Yep. Check out the aerial view of Rifle Colorado or Midland Texas on google earth if you want to get an idea of what it looks like when you cover the ground with fracking pads.

Hawker is right that gasland is a crap documentary. If anyone wants to see a good honest documentary on fracking, check out this film - Split Estate (http://www.splitestate.com/) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AU4cyKkEeLI

[masonanddixon]

Yep. Check out the aerial view of Rifle Colorado or Midland Texas on google earth if you want to get an idea of what it looks like when you cover a natural area with fracking pads.


Yeah it's unreal. What amazes me is how a single politician can manage to **** up an entire country by corporate greed. All these miners need to be shot out of a cannon into the Pacific.

[Balla_Status]

Yes, as far as I am aware, it releases groundwater impregnated with benzene into the environment and permanently ****s up the area.

All these places in Queensland that are being mined, like Roma, are historic, ancient areas that are going to be permanently damaged because the idiot running the state and the idiot running the country have no respect for the environment. Mining ruins the entire aesthetic nature to an area. Everywhere the minding industry goes it leaves a trail of shit.

Check out Queenstown, Tasmania, if you want to know all about how benign mining is...

Where do you get that false information from? Propaganda it seems as you're absolutely incorrect. You realize everything is fully disclosed to the government what is pumped in Queensland?

Natural gas is not mining buddy. You're being duped.

[masonanddixon]

Where do you get that false information from? Propaganda it seems as you're absolutely incorrect. You realize everything is fully disclosed to the government what is pumped in Queensland?

Natural gas is not mining buddy. You're being duped.

I got it from the Population Health instructors during medical school. It's common sense. Everyone knows what coal seam gas is all about.

It may be 'disclosed' but the effects are obvious. It's just like Abott claiming that dumping millions of tonnes of dredge into the Great Barrier Reef won't have any consequences because he gets someone to pretend that the waste simply drains into the shore.

When people think of Australia they want to think of abundant wildlife, the final frontiers of the earth, and clean environment and living. No one wants to see a bunch of greedy ****s coming in and destroying the land and stealing all the natural resources. It's all an aesthetic blight, and all for short term gains.

[Balla_Status]

Yep. Check out the aerial view of Rifle Colorado or Midland Texas on google earth if you want to get an idea of what it looks like when you cover the ground with fracking pads.

Hawker is right that gasland is a crap documentary. If anyone wants to see an excellent documentary on fracking, check out this film - Split Estate (http://www.splitestate.com/)

The surface/mineral rights stuff is ****ed up. I can agree with that. Landowners seem to have way more power here in Australia than in the US.

[masonanddixon]

The surface/mineral rights stuff is ****ed up. I can agree with that. Landowners seem to have way more power here in Australia than in the US.

Are you still in Brisbane?

[Balla_Status]

I got it from the Population Health instructors during medical school. It's common sense. Everyone knows what coal seam gas is all about.

It may be 'disclosed' but the effects are obvious. It's just like Abott claiming that dumping millions of tonnes of dredge into the Great Barrier Reef won't have any consequences because he gets someone to pretend that the waste simply drains into the shore.

When people think of Australia they want to think of abundant wildlife, the final frontiers of the earth, and clean environment and living. No one wants to see a bunch of greedy ****s coming in and destroying the land and stealing all the natural resources. It's all an aesthetic blight, and all for short term gains.

So in other words, a non-credible source? No, not everyone knows what coal seam gas is about otherwise you would sound more informed. Calling it "mining" and comparing the blight to Queenstown makes you look really uninformed as that is not how you extract natural gas.

Stop using natural gas and other fossil fuels then if you hate it so much dude. The entire city of brisbane is powered by that shit.

Pretty sure real estate development is doing more harm to your wildlife than the bloody natural gas business. Ya'll got kangaroos for DAYS.

[Balla_Status]

Are you still in Brisbane?

Yes.

[masonanddixon]

So in other words, a non-credible source? No, not everyone knows what coal seam gas is about otherwise you would sound more informed. Calling it "mining" and comparing the blight to Queenstown makes you look really uninformed as that is not how you extract natural gas.

Stop using natural gas and other fossil fuels then if you hate it so much dude. The entire city of brisbane is powered by that shit.

Pretty sure real estate development is doing more harm to your wildlife than the bloody natural gas business. Ya'll got kangaroos for DAYS.

Both are bad and they go hand in hand.

Tell us then the methods of coal seam gas.

[KevinNYC]

what do we mean by stability: the acceptability of the current political and economic circumstances to the population

You're setting up a false dichotomy because you have misdefined what stability is. You can have protest and dissent in stable countries or to put it another way, who is this "we," you are talking about?
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kvBIN_RS-2w/Ug1FuTtP0FI/AAAAAAAAGII/LkPrENR-N1U/s640/MadMagazine-WhatYouMeanWe.jpg

Political scientists would say that political stability is characterized by the absence of violence. (http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/421273?uid=3739832&uid=2&uid=4&uid=3739256&sid=21104698218447)

You seem to be falling prey to romantic notions of revolutions. The Reign of Terror followed the French Revolution.

You've heard of the phrase May You Live in Interesting Times?

[RidonKs]

explain more kevin. no i haven't heard that phrase before.

[KevinNYC]

explain more kevin. no i haven't heard that phrase before.

It's a Chinese curse. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_you_live_in_interesting_times)* It sounds weird because you want your life to be interesting so why is it a curse? Because interesting times involve a lot of wars and it makes for a great story, but it's a hellish to live through.


*Possibly apocryphal.

[Dresta]

DEE-LOO-SHUN-AL

All i'm gonna say: no chance of popular unrest in Western countries until significant economic collapse as the majority of people's lives are far too comfortable and far too easily entertained with their mindless gizmos and gadgets to care about political change, even to know anything about the system of government they live under and the plausible alternatives to it. Sure there'll be an increase in self-aggrandizing crime, but that is just another means for people to get the things they want.

Though there will probably be more empty protesting as things are going to get worse. The Fed is no way in hell going to raise interest rates, and i'd wager in the next couple of years they are sure to opt for another round of QE. That is when things will accelerate southwards, and you will get more protests, but only because people are upset they aren't as well off as they used to be. Oh well, by then it will be too late, and all the protesting you want will amount to **** all.