The only reason Americans don't riot like Euro countries is fear.

[Bonobo]

American police are so much more brutal and militarized that any riotings would be met with killing.

I think it's just the fear that keeps American youth from rioting like the rest of the Western world.

Their future is being stolen from underneath them. It's not hard to understand why there is so much anger.

I may be wrong about the reasons, but I don't think so.

Whatever it is, people better start listening.

[GoneOffShore]

1. Have you actually seen the Gendarmerie in action?

They don't just give you a stiff talking to.

[Bonobo]

5. No, but I would be surprised if they were as militaristic as US police.

After all, the US has been at war for so long. We have FAR more guns, far more veterans, far more love of violence in our culture.

What is your explanation for why Americans do not riot like the rest of the West?

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. They are that militarized

[Bonobo]

14. I will take your word for it. But it still leaves the question hanging. nt

[nadinbrzezinski]

21. I answered bellow

[Peregrine]

23. I was surprised

When visiting Paris there was a policeman almost every block armed with automatic weapons. They do not screw around.

[nadinbrzezinski]

33. Nope and it is a naitonal police

they are highly militarized. In effect European police units have served in army units, not as MPs, but infantry. They are expected to in a pinch. Last time was WW II.

As much as our cops are paramilitary organizations, they are not expected to join the Guard in a true military action.

[CTyankee]

72. I saw actual soldiers in cammo with long guns around the Eiffel Tower last April.

But nowhere else that I went. I was surprised because I've seen more guns in Rome and Madrid. Capital cities have to be worried...

[TheWraith]

22. Sorry, but I'm not a big believer in this.

"We have FAR more guns, far more veterans, far more love of violence in our culture."

I don't buy the line that we "love violence" more than Europe. You don't often see people here rioting after a sporting event, where in other places it's practically a weekly occurrence. Nor do you see anti-ethnic-group riots like there have been in France of late.

This is, I think, a case where perception bias rules. Some people have a preference to see the US as less civilized, even if they don't realize it. The grass is always greener on the other side, and all that.

[awoke_in_2003]

58. lots of bad food making us fat...

and lots of bad TV making us stupid.

[fascisthunter]

2. not much of a free country here

just look at how many people are in prison...

[elocs]

3. No, the main reason is that most Americans are just still too comfortable. n/t

[ixion]

Exactly.

As soon as the food or gas is gone, or even inaccessible, that's when things really start to break down.

[Bonobo]

11. So you are saying the UK young people have no cheap fast food and TV? nt

[ixion]

26. no, you are saying that, and quite snarkily, I might add

[Bonobo]

29. No, I was asking a question without snark and you read snark into it. nt

[ixion]

53. In that case: my bad.

sorry for misreading it.

[Bonobo]

56. No problem at all. I know how hard it is to read tone in text.

I appreciate the apology, Ixion.

[Ineeda]

17. Food and gas, sure, but even more

would be taking away their toys. I don't doubt many would finally pay attention and either panic or revolt without them.

[shanti]

36. and don't even mention

the power grid going down. all hell would break loose for sure.

[MineralMan]

4. No, that's not why at all.

That's not why Americans aren't rioting right now. And they've certainly rioted in the past. But, right now, they're not. Why they're not is an interesting discussion, I think. I don't see any such thing anywhere on the horizon here. If you to, can you explain who might do the uprising? And why?

[Bonobo]

9. I would expect generalized rioting by disaffected youth -as in the UK.

with the US7 lack of jobs, health care, etc. why is there not the same lack of disaffection and anger?


What is your reason that there is no rioting?

Other than LA, there haven't been any riots of any real size in that last 30-40 years...or am I wrong?

[Bluenorthwest]

54. I do not think these UK riots are 'generalized riots by disaffected

youth' but rather they are reactions to ongoing police brutality and racism. This is not, by the way, the first time this has happened.

[BeyondGeography]

6. Riot? lolwut?

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. Oh my you have never seen the Carabinieri in action

have you?

No, there are other reasons why...

[Bonobo]

10. So tell me. It absolutely puzzles and intrigues me. nt

[nadinbrzezinski]

19. For the same reason Americans don't have a working class

we are all part of the middle class.

And as long as people do not realize that they are not part of the middle class and that indeed things are not that bad.

Jersey Shore is one... and the old quip about until they turn off the net is partially true. Why? Deconstruct american media and what it tells us.

The other reason is that people are afraid, no, not of the cops... militarized or not. People are afraid of losing their jobs. People live with about two weeks worth of savings, that's it, two weeks from the streets.

Once people get over that fear...

That said we have had a few riots, not well covered, but we have.

This is Seattle in 1999





I did not see much of the coverage of it in the mainstream... and if AP don't report, it is not covered.

[Bonobo]

24. Riots by the police, yes, but not the citizens much.

I see young people getting their asses kicked but not often the reverse.

As for the jobs, I agree with you. I think you nailed it.

[nadinbrzezinski]

30. You do not udnersatnd, there were things burning in seattle

it was a riot. It was a full fledged riot.

But it was not covered.

Those are mostly IndyMedia journos. You want to know what is really going on in the streets? Don't watch CNN or any other MSM... look at IndyMedia

[awoke_in_2003]

59. that's it in a nutshell, nadine...

:hi:

[southernyankeebelle]

12. No that's not it. In the 60s we had many leaders today there are none.

[jtuck004]

40. +1960 /nt

[awoke_in_2003]

60. The PTB executed the leaders...

and any potential ones we have now know that.

[Speck Tater]

13. Most Americans live in the suburbs. It's a long drive to where the riots would be..

Why drive all the way into town when you can watch it on TV?

Americans won't riot because they don't really give a damn. Not as long as there's food, running water, and reality TV.

[shanti]

37. don't forget electricity

that would wipe everything out.

[JI7]

15. there were riots in LA after the Rodney King verdict, and LAPD are some of the worst

and at that time worse than now because it was before a lot of the corruption was investigated.

[Skip Intro]

16. I'm glad we're not rioting here. What good comes from looting, property destruction, mob rule? nt

[leftstreet]

20. +1 The Ruling Class has been looting us, destroying the planet, and ruling all

and look at the devastation

[Raine]

25. Got to agree, I don't see the attraction. nt

[Bonobo]

27. I don't think "like" enters into the discussion.

Riots are what they are. They happen because of social forces and pressure.

I don't think "like" has any part in this discussion.

[seabeyond]

70. with you skip. i don't see wy people are advocating youth go out and hurt, be destructive

vandalize people that are just barely making it themselves.

ya

there is the answer.

[rurallib]

18. mericans fear losing jobs, other reprisals while I have the impression

that Europeans do not - mostly due to the power of their unions.

[Mnemosyne]

62. Plus the Europeans don't worry about losing health care with their jobs. n/t

[roamer65]

28. One big reason is so many Americans have guns.

A large scale riot/uprising in America would become a bloodbath.

American gun ownership even worried Admiral Yamamoto of the Japanese Imperial Navy in regards to an invasion of America.

[HughBeaumont]

31. Could also be lack of universal health care.

The Euros, Brits and Scandanavians have a universal system, we do not. We're too tethered to our jobs to lose health care since it's not provided for us. There's more for us to lose since they're unionized and we're pretty much grasped by the corporate genitalia.

Plus, we seem to be forgetting that 80% of us are largely unaffected by all of this. Our bellies are full. We're far too satisfied. Even on the left side of things, we're not even on the same page.

Not all of us hate the president so much as we hate what Corporate America is doing to us. We've been so successfully divided and conquered that we've taken our eye off the ball on where our anger should be directed. We should be storming corporate boardrooms and plowing past their security guards.

The government will likely listen once we all physically stand up to Big Business. Of course, that would mean worldwide economic upheaval and police and the military opening fire on the citizens.

And that's probably why it will never happen.

[Throd]

32. Rioting in my neighborhood will get you shot. And not by the police.

I have also seen the Guardia Civil in action in Madrid. If you don't play nice, they REALLY don't play nice.

[FarLeftFist]

34. England also has a much higher Anarchist rate than America.

Not saying their fight isn't for a 'just' cause, it is. Just saying that there are still plenty of Anarchists in the hills of England and also the Scottish countrysides.

[FarLeftFist]

75. The rioting has to stop though. Not good for forward progress.

[IScreamSundays]

35. number one reason why muricans aren't rioting is that they

are brain washed by media. These people knew what they were doing. There is too much real estate to put put cops on every corner. So they have built a media empire that tells the sheeple what to think. They are so neck deep propaganda and conditioning they don't have time to think for themselves, and even if they are of the personality type that might challenge authority; they are so assimilated into the system they are scared shitless to lose what little they may have. They only ones that will riot, at this point are the ones that have nothing to lose anyway. But, that could change. However, I am sure the PTB have prepared themselves for that.

[valerief]

39. That and Jesus. Pols here use Jesus to justify preposterous policies.

Religion is laughed at in European politics.

[valerief]

38. Do European countries have their own Fox Noose shows lying nonstop? nt

[jimlup]

41. Eventually as the situation detoriorates the rioting will start here

And it may not be as far away as most assume.

[in_cog_ni_to]

42. 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago or the 1970 shootings of four students at Kent State.

National Guard with guns, bullets and tanks....and they would use them. Gladly.

[Raine]

43. I'm sure the top 1% here would love to see the "masses" tear down and burn up

their own part of town along with killing some of the those on the low rung. They will laugh themselves silly at how stupid and powerless those lower than themeselves are. :yoiks:

[dissidentboomer]

48. I don't know about that. I think they would have impact, especially if

the riots continue with targeting of corporate HQs, financial centers, dc lobbyists, and strikes in the face of inaction, i.e., "the beatings will continue until morale improves".

[BlueCheese]

44. Of all the criticisms of Americans I've read...

Reluctance to riot is one of the more surprising.

[Bonobo]

51. Criticism or question?

The latter.

Pffft.

[Bluenorthwest]

45. I've seen Los Angeles burn twice in my lifetime

Detroit, DC, many other places. I lived in the midst of rioting Los Angeles. And you are telling me that did not happen? You think that should happen again?
During the last LA riot, I had a kid I knew come to my house, he'd been shot in the gut basically for sport by some suburban freak who knew he could do so. Is that what you want? Really?
Have you ever lived through such a thing? That last LA riot, the police did not even show up at all, so your theory that they'd just kill everyone did not really play out. They went home and let freaks kill for sport and looters to run through burning neighborhoods. Children lived through this, they saw this.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

67. My daughter's best friend was orphaned by those riots in 1992.

He went off to play on his bike one day, came back and the hood was in flames.

The woman I thought was his mother, is his aunt, who adopted him.

He was seven years old when the L.A. Riots happened.

He is a beautiful, talented young man. Hispanic and one-quarter Japanese (I guess his parents owned or worked at one of the oriental-owned convenience stores, as there were no other businesses in the hood, I was told.)

[pipi_k]

46. Oh, I don't know about that...

We seem to be pretty good at rioting when our favorite sports team wins.

Or loses.

:shrug:

[Bluenorthwest]

55. As are the Brits and Europeans. My God! They are the kings of

sport riots. We are not even in their league in that regard.

[JI7]

47. is fear of police why you aren't rioting ?

[MineralMan]

69. +10

[HappyMe]

49. There would be nowhere to plug

in all their thingys. Their video game group meets at 4 (or what the fuck ever). They would miss dinner. New vampire movie is out. It's all their parent's fault - so they should just fuckin fix it now. Now damnit. What does FaceBook say?


:puke:

[FreeJoe]

50. I always thought that it was because we are more civilized

Rioting is a terrible way to advocate for a cause. It's a good way to turn the general population against you.

[dissidentboomer]

52. We no longer have "civilized" business and government leaders!

[FreeJoe]

57. I can certainly understand...

disillusionment with our current leaders. You'd have to be crazy not to be. I can understand protesting. I can understanding writing, speaking out, and campaigning. Rioting, I don't get.

If we riot, I can see two different scenarios. One is that we piss off the populace and get further marginalized. We would be playing right into their hands.

On the other hand, the rioting could be successful. We could trigger mass riots that tear down the government. In that case, I think we're very likely to end up in even worse shape. I don't want to be lead by the leaders of such a movement, even if they claim to be on my side at the start.

The answer is in the ballot box. That is where we have to fight and win. There are no shortcuts.

[dissidentboomer]

61. You could be right about scenarios in response to riots and the efficacy of

peaceful protests. However, what seriously concerns me and many others is that the ballot may be lost as an option. It is far too dependant on money and corporate candidates. They are corrupt. The political system is now designed to produce one type of winner - a conservative to radically conservative errand boy. It can't produce anything else with ANY real power. crap in, crap out. We now know that their policies will only lead to further pain and misery. In the short or long run, they have left the people with NO traditional means of change and the people are starting to feel cornered, boxed in. That ain't good....

[Duke Newcombe]

65. Normally, I'd agree with, you...

But after one definitely stolen presidential election, and possibly another, and the chicanery going on across the nation with election fraud, and the Citizen United decision, I'm not quite sure anymore.

[tiny elvis]

63. google these

riot new york
riot miami
riot los angeles
riot seattle
riot pittsburgh
riot ohio
riot michigan

[AsahinaKimi]

71. Riot in San Francisco after Harvey Milk/George Moscone was shot

People seem to forget that one.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Night_Riots

[John Agar]

64. We need disciplined, non-violent activism.

No riots, if we can prevent them.

Sit-ins, building occupations, mass marches on DC to shut it down: Yes.

Violence: not so much.

I've been in the middle of a lot of this, years ago, and police may well START the violence, now as they did back then.

But with our political system and so-called "leaders" failing us, action is all we have left.

[JoeyT]

66. Distance, too.

We're mightily spread out. Just as an example, we've got enough people to start a good and proper riot reading this thread right now. Of course if they wanted to make it happen, we're spread out over a few thousand miles. Kind of makes it difficult to even protest.

It isn't just fear of the police, by the way. It's fear of other repercussions. The threat of a lost job is a scary thing to hold over someone's head. And if you've been arrested, you're probably not getting another one anytime soon. Especially if it was the arrest that got you fired at the last one.

[Jim Warren]

68. I don't know where these pronouncements come from

People postulate things like they are written in stone without flux for vagaries of change.

Americans have enjoyed a high standard of living, wind that down a notch or three and you will see agitation turn to action.

[kctim]

73. It's not fear

Americans aren't rioting because, while things are tough, they are not as terrible as the far-right and far-left want everybody to believe.

[NNN0LHI]

74. Have you ever seen one of our large cities after they lost ... or won a sports championship?

Makes London look like childs play.

Lot of Americans just need the right reason to riot.

Don

[truedelphi]

76. My big worry is Oakland Calif.

When the Food Stamp cuts hit, you have a population of people, who are daily irritated, mistreated by the police. Half the the people there born from 1986 on have basically raised themselves. Parenting is absent.

When people in that community have no food or no gasoline, that will be the end of civility.