[cshimmin]

One thing you need to keep in mind is that in the US things are stacked against people who would want to protest or engage in any kind of activism.

Take a day off work to go to a rally or peaceful protest? “At will” employment means you can be fired the next day, no reason given. You got fired? Virtually all workers in the US get their health insurance through their employer, so now you and your family just lost access to medical care. It’s a really rough job market in many sectors, so it could take a few months to get a job. But since you got fired without cause, you can at least try to claim some unemployment benefits. In California, that maxes out at something like $450 a week.

Meanwhile in France if they want to fire you they have to give like 3 months notice (or pay you out for that time). Healthcare is socialized so no worries there. And if you still can’t find a job in a few months IIRC there’s fairly reasonable social benefits available.

[AlecSchueler]

> One thing you need to keep in mind is that in the US things are stacked against people who would want to protest or engage in any kind of activism.

This is the kind of exceptionalism that got you into this mess. You don't think things are stacked against the populations in countries like Turkey and Serbia?

Yes of course France is very different in terms of the freedom of the population, but why is that? Because they demanded it!

[cshimmin]

You don’t have to convince me that this is a bad thing for America. Yes it’s exactly how turkey and russia and other failed/failing democracies got to where they are.

[croes]

So much for „land of the free, home of the brave“

That’s why other countries have social security. It provides freedom and courage.

[intended]

This is not things being stacked against you.

Activism IS expensive, its what people default to when other options have failed.

[braaaahp]

What you need to keep in mind is once enough frogs are boiling things get worse fast.

No logical breakdown from an armchair is going stop parents with hungry kids.

This is the failing to read the room part I mentioned. Our biology is composed of biology not philosophy. It is self selecting. It’s biological imperative is select self.

Ok good you got some sort of Excel sheet breakdown. That’s just words.

This is what I’m talking about; American public is so dissociated due to economics that straight up ignores externalities. 8 billion people are the externality and it’s going to be hard for 300 million to ignore them and live in their narcissistic bubble much longer. Third world countries have rebuilt and don’t see the specialness in Murica or the point in sewing their shirts if they’re going to be so low affect.

Americans have to change not because of some philosophical position but because of physical reality not really caring about the excuses of 300 million; only half of which is cogent, and half of that actually intelligent. It’s not looking good, Bob.