Welcome again to everybody. Make yourself at home. In the time-honoured tradition of our group, here is the weekly discussion thread.
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I think the problem is that the thing the united states has done most successfully in its propaganda is to get its people to not pay attention to the world around them.
I feel like people think of political strategies as a push and pull from left to right but even more prevalent in the west, where the spoils of global dominance are abundant, is a pull towards willful ignorance.
In the US I am rarely frustrated by a right wing person who has bad takes about what’s happening- that is a very rare experience. The vast vast majority of people will never pick up a newspaper, read an article, or watch a video on the news. Most people get an inkling of major events by stumbling across them while browsing sports or their hobby on social media. And even then theyll peek in, internalize the first take they see that feels ok, then never peek again. My frustrations are with people who have no idea what’s going on and feel proud about not wanting to find out.
The west is nowhere near a mass waking up because people are still going to their regular jobs, shopping at their regular stores, and hanging out with their regular friends. Change will have to come from outside of the west or things will have to get far worse here for far more people for anyone to be motivated to do something about something.
While I agree that the us is a failed state and the west is in a kind of collapse, it’s hard to convince someone of that while they’re playing video games on their PS5 after eating out at a new chicken place that opened up at the end of their day sitting in a cubicle chatting with coworkers.
This has been my struggle for a while. I’m pretty convinced that the principle issue of America/the west is not that there are “dumb people” that support Trump and right wing policies though they contradict with their class interest, it’s the people who are apathetic and are only able to think about what’s immediately in front of them (I need more money, I need this treat etc.) and disconnect everything else going on, such as when people are wrongfully detained they assume that it would never happen to them.
I’ve also found that when prodded, these people will not want to learn or get involved because it will make them depressed (they also say “I’m not interested” as if it’s some hobby), but also they have a discontent for their current lifestyle anyways. There are infinite excuses they will make up on why not to learn or get involved.
For your last point, there is a lot of people in the United States who don’t have that. The point should be that despite the immense wealth, how many people are doing okay and etc that there are those who have been truly left behind and grinded down to bits.
I’m sure you and the other person understand that, more so just saying that should be the point they hammer down when talking to people. My partner’s family is from a third world country and they literally had trouble understanding why someone like me would struggle so hard growing up in a place that literally had almost no utilities in a country that was so immensely rich. It may not just compute for them.