5 Ways Powerful People Trick You Into Hating Protesters

[infocyde]

No paid protest.

[NickofDiamonds]

40 Reasons to Resist
1. …because the Government’s mandate has been to represent corporate greed, not the people’s needs.

2. …because democracy does not happen only at the ballot box; it should materialize every day.

3. …because there are no super heroes, and there never will be: it must be you.

4. …because our collective responsibility to each other trumps any loyalty to a partisan government.

5. …because a true revolution does not start with force; it can only start with freedom of the mind.

6. …because we ought to judge politicians not by what they say but rather by the number of individuals they fail to serve.

7. …because the government is supposed to protect its citizenry from corporate power, not be controlled by it.
8. …because government is held in contempt by the people for putting their self-interest over the citizens.

9. …because Aboriginal communities deserve the same basic necessities such as healthcare, education, and drinkable water.

10. …because no social group is above nor below any other.

11. …because promises are not just political rhetoric; a government needs to keep its word and honor its people

12. …because trust must be earned, and constantly maintained, not simply demanded or assumed.

13. …because a government that silences journalists silences the truth.

14. …because silence never helps bring out the truth.
15. …because complacency to abuse, crime, and corruption makes one an accomplice.

16. …because when we face tyranny, our duty to fight is not for oneself alone, but for all those who share in our struggles.
17. …because authority does not translate to abuse of power and trust.
18. …because a ‘strong stable economy’ requires a strong and empowered working class and cannot be built upon an impoverished citizenry.
19. …because the Universal Declaration of Human Rights allows for freedom of information, a right above and beyond partisan political interests.
20. …because we are humans, and our value as such surpasses material wealth.
21. …because there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe nor popular, but it must be done because it is the right thing to do
22. …because no revolution ever asked for permission to challenge the status quo.
23. …because the nature surrounding us has given us life; it is not right to put a price on it.
24. …because we must be an example to our children of what is right, what is just, and what is truth.
25. …because partisan ideologies fragment reality, and we don’t live in fragments.
26. …because freedom of information is the only weapon against ignorance.
27. …because a government invading our privacy while remaining secretive itself is a grave assault on democracy.
28. …because whistleblowers would not be needed in a government that truly serves the people.
29. …because poverty is not an individual choice but rather the violent process through which those in power oppress us for profit.
30. …because while poverty is not an individual choice, not attempting to abolish it is a conscious choice.
31. …because reason & truth are enemies of tyranny and ideological oppression.
32. …because a life driven by the need to make ends meet is not living, it is merely surviving.
33. …because there is a fundamental difference between a “market society” and a “society with a market.”
34. …because dignity is not for your government to reward upon you, nor to take from you. Dignity is your birthright.
35. …because the tyranny of a government is directly correlated to one’s fear to take action.
36. …because while ignorance is the weapon that divides, truth and solidarity are the strongholds of humanity.
37. …because laws are written by fallible humans, and embody within them the historical context of dominant power relations.
38. …because even though bad laws can be re-written, the lives they impact are lived only once.
39. …because the rights and freedom we do have, have only been achieved through revolution.
40. …because at the end of it all, we would not want to look back and wish we’d have done it when we had the chance

17/07/11 - 24/07/11 | May15 International Organization | May15 International Organiztion WORLD REVOLUTION FOR REAL DEMOCRACY NOW EUROPEAN REVOLUTION TAKE THE SQUARE FMI DITADURA UE BANCO CRIME CRISE ECONOMIA

[Jukesgrrl]

Originally Posted by Cida

Great post. Reminds me of the move to demonize the Occupy movement.

I think it was Glenn Greenwald who first pointed out to me the way the media presents whistle-blowers as marginal or disturbed.

Ditto from yours truly. Thanks for posting, BradPiff (can't rep you because I did yesterday).

[Hesster]

Originally Posted by bus man

"Protesters"? You mean the ones who block traffic, smash out car windows, assault innocent bystanders, attack the police officers who are trying to maintain law and order, break store windows, loot the contents of those stores, then burn down what's left?

No, they don't need "powerful people" to get me to hate them. They're able to accomplish that all by themselves.

I think we're up to every single point on the list appearing in this thread, but I'm just gonna pull a quote from the very first item because the above reply is a perfect example.

C) To get the majority's attention, the group with the complaint will gather in large numbers to chant and block traffic, etc. This forces the media to cover the demonstration (since huge, loud groups of people make for good photos and video) and cover the issue in the process (since part of covering the protest involves explaining what is being protested). In America we've seen this tactic used by everyone from impoverished war veterans, to women seeking the right to vote, to the protests about police violence you're seeing all over the news right now.

D) To counter this, all you need to do is simply wait for a member of the activist group -- any member -- to commit a crime. Then the media will focus on the crime, because riots and broken glass make for even more exciting photos and videos than the demonstrations. The majority -- who fears crime and instability above all else -- will then hopefully associate the movement with violence from then on.

E) You, in your quest to keep the system from changing, can now reframe the issue not as oppressors vs. the oppressed but as citizens vs. criminals -- supporting their cause means supporting violence. The TV will be full of images of burning convenience stores and looted storefronts, at which point the majority will then smirkingly say, "I would never protest government oppression by mindlessly destroying someone's private property!"

[evilcart]

Originally Posted by keepingquiet

So you believe that the actions of people who may not be a part of the protest should reflect upon the entire protest.

it must follow that you believe putting words into the mouths of others is a reasonable way to present your point

[Dopo]

Originally Posted by BradPiff

5 Ways Powerful People Trick You Into Hating Protesters | Cracked.com

So true

Easy,
It's done by showing pictures on either side (prostesters or police) and put a huge emphasis on whatever makes one side look bad.

[Tonyafd]

Originally Posted by BradPiff

5 Ways Powerful People Trick You Into Hating Protesters | Cracked.com

So true

They also destroy talented third party candidate by finding a single unguarded moment and play it over and over and over.

If you don't believe that, watch Bernie Sanders. If he does better than they expect they fill find or invent something quirky about him and play it over and over and over.

[Labonte18]

The protestors that I hate are the ones that bring their kids to protest.

Show me a 4 year old that understands the complexities and has made their own decisions on something like abortion.. There isn't one. So don't parade them around with you. They don't belong there.

[keepingquiet]

Originally Posted by Spaten_Drinker

It is the responsibility of the protestors to police their own and dissavow anyone who breaks the law.

What are they supposed to do about people who are not a part of the protest? When leaders make speeches urging people not to result to violence what does that mean to you? When members of a protest stand in front of the police hoping to protect them from violence what does that mean to you?

[ocnjgirl]

Originally Posted by bus man

"Protesters"? You mean the ones who block traffic, smash out car windows, assault innocent bystanders, attack the police officers who are trying to maintain law and order, break store windows, loot the contents of those stores, then burn down what's left?

No, they don't need "powerful people" to get me to hate them. They're able to accomplish that all by themselves.

This article os not about Baltimore, its more about the 99%ers protest. It's about how rich people manipulate the middle class to be fooled into thinking their enemy is really the teacher with the pension next door or the single mom getting help with paying for heat, while the 1% gets defended by the very same people whose necks are getting stepped on at every turn.

It is a bit mind boggling IMO how many people here don't read the articles, but only the headline, and feel that's enough to make a judgement about it. This is part of why we are so easily manipulated, few of us want to do more than skim the surface.