OK, so what do you propose we do instead? crickets
[deleted]
The Day We Do Nothing Of Consequence
41–50 of 83 posts
Re: The Day We Do Nothing Of Consequence
#42Everyone is talking about calling Congress or signing a petition, this is pointless. Congress is completely broke. We don't need Congress. Why can't we vote on budgets ourselves? We have the internet. We can devise a way to vote online a few times a year, once a quarter. You login, you look at the proposals, you vote on what you think is good for the country. Congress is the middleman that is poisoning our system. Th…
Specialization. I don't have time to research these things as deeply as someone we're paying full time. Which isn't to say that this concern should dominate - clearly, there are issues which this would ameliorate; any proposal has costs and benefits. Just pointing out a (potentially significant) cost.
Re: The Day We Do Nothing Of Consequence
#43Everyone is talking about calling Congress or signing a petition, this is pointless. Congress is completely broke. We don't need Congress. Why can't we vote on budgets ourselves? We have the internet. We can devise a way to vote online a few times a year, once a quarter. You login, you look at the proposals, you vote on what you think is good for the country. Congress is the middleman that is poisoning our system. Th…
California allows direct democracy by referendum and ballot measure. The results have largely been terrible.
Re: The Day We Do Nothing Of Consequence
#44Earlier quoted context omitted.
Someone like Dianne Feinstein, California Senator, who has emerged as vocal defender of the spying programs? http://articles.latimes.com/2014/jan/18/nation/la-na-adv-fei... http://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact
Sure, why not? You could raise lots of CA tech money, I'm sure. One of the hallmarks of an effective issue advocacy group is that it cares more about performance on its issue than it does about party affiliation. So you might want to take on one Democrat and one Republican (preferably from different states, to head off criticism that your movement is geographically limited) to make the point. One note, though: there…
"why not?"
Because she's not up for re-election until 2018.
Re: The Day We Do Nothing Of Consequence
#45Wow. Glass houses much? A whole post of nothing but "You're all wasting your time and not accomplishing anything." In order to not be just 100% hypocritical he would need to offer some actual solutions.
You don't need to know how to cure cancer to know that poking me in the eye won't cure cancer. You don't always need the right answer to recognize a wrong answer.
Re: The Day We Do Nothing Of Consequence
#46OK, so what do you propose we do instead? crickets
As someone who doesn't live in the States: organize a rally right in front of Congress (it wouldn't be the first time something like that is done[1]), march, organize protests. Things like the Civil Rights Movement, the protests against Vietnam and Gay Pride Parades are great examples of the kind of effort it takes to get real change. Signing an internet petition, though? That didn't even bring Firefly back on TV. [1…
While not simply a petition (nb. this isn't either), the anti-SOPA blackout - particularly the calls and media it prompted - accomplished a whole heck of a lot more than the Rally To Restore Sanity and/or Fear.
Re: The Day We Do Nothing Of Consequence
#47In the world of grand political change, three or four years is nothing. Don't give up hope yet. The Demand Progress folks are committed and have a good sense of what it takes to bring about political change in a democracy. Please support them. And believe it or not, legislators do watch those calls and emails––especially calls. All of them of them will tell you that the perception of a groundswell of support or oppos…
And by all means, back up those phone calls by voting.
And donating. And working campaigns. And getting out the vote.
Re: The Day We Do Nothing Of Consequence
#48The only hope that we have of containing mass surveillance technologies is to establish a moral norm against using these technologies as unchecked tools of power.
The point of the Day We Fight Back is not that effect that we have in Congress but the effect calling Congress has on us as a society.
Re: The Day We Do Nothing Of Consequence
#49Talk about contrarian bullshit. I would ask joepie91 (the author) if he has even called his representatives. This kind of post isn't helping. It's hurting the cause. Everyone knows activism is difficult. Bitching about how everyone else practices their activism is easy.
> This kind of post isn't helping. It's hurting the cause.
So is this:
The Day We Fight Back
A bit of text at the top of the page. It is doing nothing but still feeling like you did. You were so moved that you did ... nothing. That is the message it sends. These people are too lazy to do anything except put a little banner up that in no way disrupts anything about their little lives.
Re: The Day We Do Nothing Of Consequence
#50>Not only do these tactics not accomplish anything in reality, they also distract people from making a real effort to change the world.
You might say the same thing about a massive street protest. Those people are just standing in the street shouting, they're not physically acting to solve their complaints! And yet, from civil rights to overturning dictatorships, peaceful public protests have proven unsurpassed for effecting change. In a world where social networks are no longer local, people still need a way to coordinate and make a show of strength in support of their chosen causes.