American government hypocrisy

[1976_Child]

 

Makes you think.

[Hamilton Saint]

That's excellent! Thanks for posting it.

[pap]

Very good video. Youtubed for your convenience.

 

[hypochondriac]

It's stupid. Random shots of the police providing no context (the police may be using force quite reasonably.) Totally biased.

[pap]

It's stupid. Random shots of the police providing no context (the police may be using force quite reasonably.) Totally biased.

 

Just a stab in the dark, but I think the context might be Obama banging on about foreigners getting the right to free speech and assembly when American citizens are getting a baton baguette for wanting to change the financial system.

[hypochondriac]

Just a stab in the dark, but I think the context might be Obama banging on about foreigners getting the right to free speech and assembly when American citizens are getting a baton baguette for wanting to change the financial system.

 

Is that why though? If so then yes that is hypocritical, but that clip doesn't show that at all.

[pap]

What, a baton baguette?

 

The coppers were piling into people and dragging them about. For sitting down.

 

I may have taken some linguistic liberties, my pedigree chum, but that's about the size of it. Obama can't claim any moral authority on freedom of speech and assembly when there are riot police in New York vigorously dispersing people who had turned up to protest.

 

(Were you specifically looking for a police baton tastefully positioned within a long piece of bread? That didn't literally happen.)

[hypochondriac]

What, a baton baguette?

 

The coppers were piling into people and dragging them about. For sitting down.

 

I may have taken some linguistic liberties, my pedigree chum, but that's about the size of it. Obama can't claim any moral authority on freedom of speech and assembly when there are riot police in New York vigorously dispersing people who had turned up to protest.

 

(Were you specifically looking for a police baton tastefully positioned within a long piece of bread? That didn't literally happen.)

 

No. What I am saying is we have no idea that all they were doing was just sitting down. Was violence used for no reason? Or were the police provoked? Did the protesters refuse to leave when asked politely? Were they abusive? That clip doesn't provide any context as to why the police acted as they did and thus it is meaningless.

[pap]

Those are interesting questions. Up to you to find out, really. Sure there is plenty of evidence out there for you to make an informed decision.

 

Personally, I thought that the video was nicely made, deftly illustrating the hypocrisy mentioned by the individual poster. Regardless, if you're setting riot police on your own people, your society has a problem. I include us in that statement.

[buctootim]

I was talking to some American environmental activists a while ago and asked them why Greenpeace (which advocates civil disobedience on occasion) was no where near as popular or as successful in the US as in Europe. Consensus was that Europe is more tolerant of peaceful protest (even if it is strictly illegal - eg occupying an area). You are much more likely to get your head cracked or be arrested in the US than in Europe, where the police will usually only act in that way under severe provocation.

[pap]

I was talking to some American environmental activists a while ago and asked them why Greenpeace (which advocates civil disobedience on occasion) was no where near as popular or as successful in the US as in Europe. Consensus was that Europe is more tolerant of peaceful protest (even if it is strictly illegal - eg occupying an area). You are much more likely to get your head cracked or be arrested in the US than in Europe, where the police will usually only act in that way under severe provocation.

 

Interesting, but not surprising.

 

You have to ask who the police are really protecting, because it isn't the people.