You must log in or # to comment.
They don’t even wear high-visibility vests. Are they stupid?
Their dock workers aren’t even inconveniencing anyone.
How’s it even a country?
The majority of Americans are over worked, stressed out and do not have the energy to start a general strike or create another 1789. However, an individual AmeriKan will resort to the quick and easy violence with a firearm to solve a problem. Weird. I respect the French and their ability to organize a general strike better than anyone in Europe and the planet.
So,… maybe set some shit on fire? Intead of beers and football games, try other extra curriculars?
The American state-oligarch apparatus is REALLY good at unionbusting, strikebreaking, and general anti-solidarity social engineering
It’s also borderline impossible to organize on the scale needed without getting infiltrated by the feds here. The US is fucking enormous, which means we need large scale organization to really do much, but opsec only gets more complicated and more difficult the larger you organize, especially when your resources are limited.
News organizations will spin shit as well and then propaganda networks will flip things.
It definetely makes it hard, but just a few state-level ones would still improve everything no?
I mean, that’s already happening. To me it doesn’t really look like it’s working, but maybe I’m wrong.
I like to think this is the real reason the French have been vilified as cowards and weak in the American Zeitgeist.
So we don’t look at our brothers in arms and join with them.
American Liberalism was the basis of the left, and we kicked it right out of the USA after the civil war, The French however took it and ran.
We need to dump some cow shit in front of the White House and set some tires in fire.
I’ve been thinking this too for a little while now. It fits too perfectly. Throughout my adolescence, I hated the French. Proudly, openly, I thought it was funny and edgy for some reason, because I’ve always been disgusted by racism and I am a tiny part French. Edgy teenage bullshit. As I aged out of teen years though, there came a point where something caused me to investigate my own bias with honesty. And when I did, I found it to be totally empty and devoid of substance. I had absolutely no real reason to dislike the French, and these days I feel nothing but love for them.
I’m convinced the only reason I ever hated them was because of propaganda. Never had a bad personal experience. And Parisian ‘rudeness’ is revealed to be, in my opinion, simple straightforward bluntness. The propaganda is incredibly effective. Americans would benefit greatly if we could all take just a few notes from them; they have a cultural understanding that the government works for the people, not against. And if it’s not doing it’s job, take whatever action needed to restore balance. Seeing footage of their protests starting a few years back really opened my eyes to what could be done.
UK here, no-one pretends to hate the French more than the UK. We have literally hundreds of years worth of war and shared inbred rulers between us.
Personally, I have nothing but mad respect for how fast the French are to whip out a quick reminder of how it starts, with the strong implication that everyone remembers how it ends if left ignored.
As an accomplished wizard, I can definitively state that fireball is the first, best solution to all problems.
Also the second, and depending on your level, third. Depends on available spell slots.
I don’t understand this either. A few protests that aren’t even in the news after a single day!?
You want to bet, it won’t be any different if trump says there was too much fraud and cancels the midterm results? A week of protests and outrage, but by then he will already do something else outraging to talk about. Americans are neutered.
There’s always the excuse that they can’t take one single day off from work because they’d lose healthcare coverage yada yada. I used to think it was bullshit, that they’re just lazy.
But… remember during covid, when a ton of people became unemployed? Suddenly they were protesting all over the place. Made me reconsider. I think the lack of social security really has them by the balls.
I read many -if not most- live paycheck to paycheck. If so, the problem might go way deeper than that.
By the “official” numbers, at least 1 out of 3 Americans live paycheck to paycheck.
At least
IIRC it’s 1 in 3 households are living paycheck to paycheck.
And if one member of that household loses their job, that means the entire household is fucked, at least probably.
Yup, the two income trap
Yeah, and are you going to tell me that the households on the bottom end of the income spectrum don’t have on average more people than the rich fucks?
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Yes, I agree. The system neutered them, I’m sure otherwise they are normal people. But the education they have. The price they gave to pay for it, theb guarded two party system where officias are bought by the rich, the bought media, the lack of healthcare and it’s price, …
This has produced the perfect cattle. The American aristocracy have made the perfect system, where everyone thinks they are free and are too uneducated, busy and sick to think about how much they are exploited.
Also a fully militarized police force in all 50 states some which rival the power of nations
The NYPD has over 30,000 cops, some 10k+ support staff and similar firepower to the active militaries of some European countries, and that’s just 1 city. Also the us military sells surplus and “necessary” equipment directly to police departments
There are also 50 separate states and each of those states has a rural/urban divide covering over nearly 3000 miles across of diverse geography without including Alaska or any of the islands.
Honestly the police are the real problem. They’re never part of the local community in any real sense, they’ve been too brainwashed into an us vs them mentality.
Which means that every single American is effectively living in ‘occupied’ territory and they can’t even depend on their communities banding together to fend off attacks. They’ll simply be stabbed in the back by their own cop neighbors.
In a sane country, local police would’ve majorly curbed ICE’s activities simply because they were foreign agents messing around in ‘their’ city. Instead we’ve seen time and time again that when it matters, police will always side with our oppressors regardless of the legality or morality of it.
Which is why it seems so hopeless to many of us. How can we fight an entire government, military AND every single cop all at once?
Yeah and that’s without even dealing with the national guard or actual Feds if serious uncontrolled riots break out
America is one of the most locked down countries on earth with widespread state sanctioned violence
When the EU is 50 countries big with half like Hungary and each gets an actively violent and murderous police army they can start lecturing Americans about violent protests
Yeah, many people do not realize what we are up against. There is a GIANT imbalance of violent power. Any violent resistance would be lone wolves, or small groups that may not be able to coordinate. Most people who give a fuck about everyone’s future will be shot, blown up, or jailed. Everyone else will feel bad, yet go along to get along. They will value their family’s comfort above everyone else’s. They probably won’t consider past grandchildren. They will consider their time overlapping their children’s and grandchildren’s lives, but no further. Their foresight is short, and selfish.
I mean, yes obviously it does. I don’t begrudge anyone for being unable to comprehend life without all the basic safety nets civilized countries offer, but we can already barely afford food and rent. Oh got some weird medical thing that’s concerning? Well I hope it’s not cancer, buy a bunch of Tylenol and just hope it goes away. Doctor too expensive.
This is by design.
It really does fuck us.
Yup, and considering everything that’s coming to light right now, it’s hard to say that it isn’t by design.
A few protests that aren’t even in the news
Depending on how much you rely on main stream (especially legacy) news, you’re highly unlikely to see one protester on the news for every ten thousand on the street.
Turns out that the billionaires and hectomillionaires that own all of the biggest media outlets don’t like to draw attention to people criticizing their golf buddies when they don’t have to.
I’m not saying we shouldn’t do more, but there are plenty of ongoing protests. Just because you don’t see them in the news everyday didn’t mean they aren’t happening. Minneapolis, Portland, LA, DC and more all have protests that have been more or less ongoing since the shit hit the fan in their respective areas. The difference between this country and Franve can’t be understated im terms of geographic size and population density. It is MUCH harder to sustain protests when we’re all so spread out compared to am entire country the size of Texas.
It’s not about that. Your protests are meaningless. They don’t do anything. They are just pointless parades. The officials don’t need to care about them.
I don’t think people outside the country realize how much the establishment and the right wants violent demonstrations. That’s what they’ve been trained for and what they’re salivating for. We have a lot of experience with the entire machine pivoting on a dime to turn a single dumpster on fire into an apocalyptic event that justifies any and all violence against the protestors. Just look back at the coverage in 2020 to see just how absolutely bloodthirsty the establishment is.
And you know what the wildest thing is? Even without something that the news can paint as “violent riots burning the cities down”, they shot and killed so many people and have done such casual atrocities, that people aren’t on board with. I saw a clip of news casters talking with glee about how exciting the election season will be, because the violence has push people away from the establishment and the right.
So, maybe we are all kinda holding our breath while finding ways of fighting back that don’t immediately being the force of the U.S. Government down upon our communities’ heads, and maybe that makes for worse television, but I’m not sure television coverage is on our side right now.
They don’t need to be violent. There are other ways, but mostly its about numbers and leadership. You don’t seem to have either.
I really wonder what you must see when you look at the Minneapolis protests. I wonder what you think is missing there. I wonder what you think of all the protests, big and small, across the country that get no press. I wonder if you think what they’re missing is, as the post we’re under posits, the news painting protestors as burning down their cities.
In France, the worst they will likely be met with is water cannons, tear gas, and potentially rubber bullets/beanbag rounds.
In America, it’s more likely to be automatic assault rifles.
I have breathing issues due to being tear gassed too often, my left shoulder suffers from very painful tendinitis that will probably never go away due to being tossed on the ground / beat up, got an acquaintance who lost an eye to a rubber bullet, that’s the life of a regular french demonstrator.
You are severely underestimating the violence of french anti-riot policing methods. Those weapons might sound chill due to being labeled “non-lethal”, but they’re actually quite lethal (people die regularly) and violate the Geneva protocol (tear gas usage is theoretically banned on civilians).
If you believe it’s that relaxed, come demonstrate in France, see what it’s like to be charged at by 100 dudes in full body armor swinging at you trying to do maximum damage while you’re caught in a cloud of toxic gas with nowhere to run. You thought the press could cover your ass by filming the police violence, or that the government would do something about police brutality? Guess what, they target journalists too, and our govt encourages police brutality.
If you’re looking for excuses, don’t drag us into it. Protesting in France isn’t an easy affair, we genuinely put our lives on the line every time we go out there. It’s the police that decides how violent protests are, the reason you hear so much about french “riots” is because our police keeps escalating the violence. We have a peaceful nature.
Americans need to shut the fuck up about the rest of the world I swear. You’re not that special.
Rubber bullets banned in many countries, people lose eyes to them in France
Tear gas long term health effects
Casualties from the yellow vest protests
Police violence on journalists
This documentary’s trailer should tell you enough about our riot police situation
You’re not special either. Plenty of people here going through the exact same shit you did yet nobody gives a shit and has to just keep piling on like idiots
I’m UK based btw. I had my tangles with the police at protests in my younger days. It’s intimidating, even when nominally peaceful. I have a lot of respect for those of you willing to face off against the nastier crowd control methods.
It’s worth noting that there is still a huge difference between what you dealt/deal with and shoot-to-kill military weapons fire.
If I thought it would help, I would (unhappily) deal with tear gas etc. I’m too old, with too much to lose to risk rubber bullets etc, but respect those that would. VERY few people would face gunfire without the ability to fire back. The American Left is not at the point where they are willing to escalate to that point.
Well if it’s strictly about guns, then the american left has a point to prove about the second amendment.
Is it only there to help school shooters, or is it about well regulated militias opposing tyranny?
Waiting and watching.
Their biggest problem is media capture. With the loss of twitter to Musk, there’s no large scale organisation path that hasn’t been captured.
As the phrase goes. “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”
… AND THE HOOOME OF THE BRAAAAAVE
Ba dum tis!
French cops also shoot people who just drive away.
Sure and that gets a wikipedia page for you to cite. You’re not wrong, just heavily downplaying the problem with this whataboutism. It’s not about France where this thing is an exception, but about the US where this is becoming the norm.
On 27 June 2023, Nahel Merzouk (25 February 2006 – 27 June 2023),[1] a 17-year-old French youth of Moroccan and Algerian descent,[2] was shot at point-blank range and killed by police officer Florian M., when he did not comply with an order to stop and instead attempted to drive away in Nanterre, a suburb of Paris, France. Initial reporting on the incident (informed by police statements) was later contradicted by a video posted online, which led to widespread protests and riots. Symbols of the state such as town halls, schools, police stations, and other buildings were attacked.[3] The Interior Ministry reported that more than 5,000 vehicles had been set on fire, along with 10,000 garbage cans; nearly 1,000 buildings had been burnt, damaged or looted; 250 police stations and gendarmeries had been attacked; and more than 700 police officers had been injured.[4][5]
The killing—condemned by President Emmanuel Macron as “inexplicable” and “inexcusable”[6]—became part of a broader public debate regarding aggressive French law enforcement,[7] racial profiling,[8] immigration,[9] and the stakes of naming the subsequent suburban violence “rioting” rather than “revolts”.[10] On 28 June, the president of the National Assembly, Yaël Braun-Pivet, asked deputies “to respect a minute of silence in Nahel’s memory”.[11][12]
Police kill someone in France:
Massive violent protests, burning police stations and police cars
Incident condemned by governmentPolice kill someone in the USA:
Nonviolent protests
Government defends the killer
automatic assault rifles
This is redundant, by definition all assault rifles have auto or burst fire modes. Anyone (including lawmakers) in the US who claims otherwise is incorrect.
I’m not American. I’m only aware of them in passing. It’s not the sort of thing we learn about in school, over here.
I learned about this stuff from video games. The MA5B is full auto.
You may be right, I don’t know shit about guns, but relying on information from a video game is not the smartest. The person deciding on what mechanics the different guns have, may not know anything about the topic.
Burst fire is not available on civilian models out of the box in the US
Yeah that’s not true. Semiautomatic assault rifles are very common in the US, more available by far than full auto.
Assault rifles have select fire, by definition.
What about burst fire?
You say that like you can’t get your own automatic assault rifles in America.
You can’t. I feel like you don’t know what an automatic rifle or an assault rifle is.
You can, they just cost like $10k-$50k (if you want one legally).
Otherwise, crime gonna crime.
Lol yeah that’s true. I’m just assuming they didn’t mean that only eccentric rich people can get automatic assault rifles, whatever that contradiction in terms means.
I definitely am not talking only about eccentric rich people, you are correct.
Modifying them is trivially easy, so any can be full auto, but burst fire is superior anyway. Full auto is only for psychological coolness.
Oh for sure, I call it “a great way to turn a lot of money into a lot of noise” lol. It’s pretty useless outside of specific military applications.
Not as easily as modifying a semi automatic.
French cops: using less lethals according to the manual.
'Merica cops: point blank, headshots (unless you’re preggers), gas the kids
If you think french cops follow the manual I have a bridge to sell you
checks the Internet search engine
American police are significantly more lethal, with fatal shooting rates in 2019 being 22 times higher (3.1 per million) than in France (0.14 per million).
… … I dunno, that feels like a pretty significant difference
That still doesn’t mean french cops are not also dangerous during protests. I’m not trying to say they’re more dangerous than your brown shirts, I’m saying that protesting also isn’t risk free in France, and claiming that french cops follow the rules is simply incorrect.
When you look at the damage French protests cause vs the violence they incite in cops, it’s relatively safe compared to the violence us cops perpetrate in retribution to completely peaceful protests in the us, or even just violence top bystanders in the US. Add in that French protests actually accomplish something and the risk benefit calculations are so totally different.
If you’ve only experienced french protests through international medias, you probably have a very skewed view of both the actual damage they create and their effectiveness.
Protests are famously attractive for the kind of person who enjoys hurting others, on both sides. Difference is that only one side can hurt others while being protected by the system.
They’re all full of stories and excuses because none of them can figure out how to do anything beyond going out for a walk every couple months.
It occurs to me, pregnant women who want abortions in states where it is illegal should just go to a protest…
I get what you’re saying, but if you ask me, being murdered by a fascist is a rather drastic method of abortion…
Wasnt the the last French protest and riots about the raising of retirement age? And didnt that happen anyway?
Im really asking, I think Im correct.
Yes. But at least they went and protested en masse.
They didn’t go far enough
At this point, I can only imagine it’s out of spite. The regime wants violence, and we are certainly capable of it. But denying them the response they are begging for seems to really blue ball them.
We’re going to die probably. But on our terms, not theirs.
yeah, sure
Mmmmmm that’s good rationalization
Thats one way to cope with the situation I guess.
There is something to this, though. If people start behaving violently, the administration will label them as some kind of radicalized terrorist and respond with military force, and then probably blame black or indigenous or immigrant or trans/nb people as the reason for the radicalization and come down even harder on these marginalized populations
They are going to do that anyways. Watch the polls this November. They will incite violence, then order people to disperse, denying them their right to vote.
Entrée Madame la Guillotine
Blatantly copied it…
Goddamn IKEA. Have they seen oligarch necks?! This thing has maybe 5-10 good chops in it.
But then again, could make for a lovely spectacle - hear me out.
10 of these delivered by pallet, efficiently flat-packed, to the stage. The oligarchs, milling about in their corral, cast their eyes up at the sudden disturbance, lick their lips at the raw, delicious shareholder value on naked display.
The Executive Executors, unhooded, unhurried, and unafraid - begin to unbox, and then to build. The livestream is immaculate.
10 of these
Do you not know ikea? They are a company that does mass production. They do not put out a product so they can sell 10. They will chop whole forests and mine entire mountains so they can provide the global population with their products. They understand supply and demand. They will make loads more than just 10
Blatantly copied it
Now me too
Dictators use instigators to escalate the situation and remove personal freedoms. People are being smart and not falling for instigators, all history books shows how they use infiltrataded people to cause the authoritarian regime to attack protester. So I think people are being smart and they afraid from midterms and trying everything to see if they can have a provocateur before the midterms.
Yeah, because ICE is sure showing respect for laws and norms, don’t want to risk that by defending yourself!
I mean, they use all of those things in the US too, but that stuff is the floor for anti protest/riot cops, not the ceiling.
The very call of the guy’s ancestors saying that Trump deserves medieval French-style royal treatment. I understand him.
They are waiting the elections bro! Mid elections, final elections, 2026 elections and goes on.
