A lot of people I see on here lambasting Americans for not acting really don’t seem to grasp how hard it is to think about solving systemic problems when your every waking moment is consumed by worrying whether you’ll be able to feed your family today or keep a roof over their head tomorrow. Much of the US lives one or two missed paychecks from destitution. The fact that the standard of living generally is higher than in many countries doesn’t mean your kids are eating dinner tonight, and it certainly doesn’t mean you have leisure time to think about complex ideas like systems of government or equitable tax policy, let alone educate yourself about them. We have few safety nets, our culture actively maligns those who use them, and those in power are actively trying to eliminate them.
A revolution under these conditions will only happen when sufficient masses have lost all access to basic needs.
A lot of people I see on here lambasting Americans for not acting really don’t seem to grasp how hard it is to think about solving systemic problems when your every waking moment is consumed by worrying whether you’ll be able to feed your family today or keep a roof over their head tomorrow. Much of the US lives one or two missed paychecks from destitution. The fact that the standard of living generally is higher than in many countries doesn’t mean your kids are eating dinner tonight, and it certainly doesn’t mean you have leisure time to think about complex ideas like systems of government or equitable tax policy, let alone educate yourself about them. We have few safety nets, our culture actively maligns those who use them, and those in power are actively trying to eliminate them.
A revolution under these conditions will only happen when sufficient masses have lost all access to basic needs.