Are We Really So Shallow?
I was watching television late last night when CNN announced a Breaking News story about a rowdy crowd celebrating in the streets outside Staples Center after the Los Angeles Lakers' NBA title win.
The crowd was damaging police cruisers, throwing rocks and bottles at officers and setting bonfires in the street.
Officer Karen Rayner said one or two police cruisers were damaged and reinforcement officers were called in from throughout the city to help disperse the crowd.
Aerial television footage showed people jumping on a police car, rocking vehicles attempting to pass through the crowd, setting small trees on fire and throwing fireworks and flares set up by police. No injuries were reported.
A gas station was looted and several cars and a news van were vandalized, police chief William Bratton told KTTV-TV.
CNN broke away from that story in Los Angeles to Tehran, Iran where thousands of Iranians stood in the streets protesting their election between Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Mir Hossein Moussavi.
Opposition groups launched protests after Ahmadinejad's claim he had won 62 percent of the vote, despite predictions the election would be closely fought amid growing disquiet over the president's economic and foreign policies.
Hundreds of Moussavi supporters Monday defied a government ban on their rallies, gathering for a demonstration at Tehran University. The government had earlier in the day rejected a request by Moussavi to hold a nationwide march.
"They are chanting slogans: 'Death to the dictator,'" said a witness who CNN will not identify for safety reasons. "We are here. We will not leave the scene until our presence is known."
I was ashamed to see such a wide disparity between my fellow Americans and the Iranian people.
The Iranian people are willing to stand up and fight for their right to a fair vote and their right to be heard; we on the other hand ignore war crimes and infringement of our civil rights -- and instead -- riot over a ball game - even one we're happy about.
Whatever happened to the people in America that stood up against the government over the Vietnam War? They're not all dead yet, the "baby boomers" for the most part are still alive. Where did they go?
Whether or not you agreed with their cause they were brave Americans standing up against or for something they felt was wrong or right.
Where are the young people in America today? How do 'they' feel about America? I think a bit of that 'feeling' was shown during our last presidential election; however, they've been kicked in the guts recently by the man and his team they all stood up and voted for. They and I voted for 'change', for justice to served, and to have our 'rights' returned to us. So far it seems, we're back to square one on some of those issues.
Where did the spirit for America's values go? Where did our patriotism go?
You know, patriotism isn't always about attacking another nation because they've done us harm or plan to. It's about standing up for the values that made America what it is today -- no matter how small the issue.
While I do not advocate violence, I do support peaceful protests and the demanding that answers be given and justice be served. I support standing up for America's values.
Ironic and sad. Rec'd.
June 15, 2009 9:02 AM | Reply | Permalink
Where are peoples' priorities? They care more about damaging their own city then they care about what is going on in their own country. Completely senseless. And it happens time and time again.
June 15, 2009 11:08 AM | Reply | Permalink
It's not all that weird.
As Americans, we've come to associate victory with
blowing shit up or otherwise destroying physical property and
doing whatever the heck we feel like doing, regardless of rule of law or common decency.
Particularly the folks who've come of age since the Reagan years - and I'll bet that's the demographic so ardently "celebrating".
Same thing happens in Boston, Philadelphia, you name it.
(Pay no mind to the goings-on after soccer games, in Europe - my hypothesis really falls apart in Greece or Italy.)
June 15, 2009 8:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
I was asking the same question in a comment to someone about how the Iranian's are willing to risk so much for their votes to be heard and we are docile, and naive, believing in our own impotence. As long as we buy into 'it doesn't really matter' crap we don't even try. There are so many excuses for not taking action and getting involved.
Apparently the Iranian president does not have much political power but they offer some small degree of representation for the Iranian people and look how much that matters to them.
If it's worth having, it's worth fighting for.
I know we woke up a bit during this last election and more of took to the streets and did not let 'excuses' get in our way... but we have so far to go. Going to the Single Payer Healthcare demonstration in WA this month (info on Oleeb's blog)or donating so that someone who can go is physically there to represent you is an opportunity to demonstrate.
We must investigate the crimes of the Bush administration. There must be accountability. It is the only way to regain any integrity.
One way to help with this is to support the ACLU in their efforts. They have been a leader in getting us some of the information we have now.
We need to have some real discussions with our representatives. We need to take a serious look at so much of what is going on that I realize that I should have a regular opportunity to hear from and speak to my representatives. I am going to be writing them about this and suggest that we need regular town halls throughout the year 'every' year. it would perhaps hold them more accountable for votes in real time and allow more real time input before decisions are made.
There is a lot of work to do. I hope that we all get busy and give up the notion that we are 'impotent' and can't do anything to change things. That only becomes true when we sell out to that idea.
June 15, 2009 1:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
Back in the day of Bush -v- Gore OUR very own "Supreme" Leaders put "U.S." all in our place.
There are "Supreme" Leaders everywhere. Unfortunatly!
June 15, 2009 2:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
I don't think you can judge anything about where Americans stand on anything by watching what the news media decides to cover as "news."
Remember when there were huge anti-war protests that were barely covered and, hence, not much in terms of "news." Remember those teabag parties that were actually tiny but were massively covered, making them "news."
The news media is shaping your opinions and the opinions of the American public by focusing you on what they want you to see. Never mind the man behind the current. Nothing to see here. Move along.
June 15, 2009 2:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Amen.
I loved the old form of TPM where I could just rate a comment highly without having to add a contentless comment.
June 15, 2009 9:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
It isn't the job of young people alone to defend the republic. Sadly, most of those who were young 40 years ago did exactly what they are doing today with respect to the conflict in Viet Nam: nothing. They will continue to to that. What happened to those who were in the streets and working hard against the war? Many of them are now to invested in the system to protest it, many were only involved back then because it was their ass on the line. Some are still active and working against all the unAmerican things that have been happening. It really is the job, in my opinion, of those who are older, to start standing up and saying that we object and helping to spark real actions by real people to send a message to our "betters" who are in power in DC that saying "Change" is not enough and that real, substantive change isn't done in cooperation with all the corrupt and insatiably greedy interests who have profited from all the bad stuff that needs changing. It is time to change the equation in Washington. I don't think the President or any of the Democratic leadership takes that seriously at all. If they did, we wouldn't be seeing such watered down stuff being debated on healthcare, the wars, climate change, etc...
As for the riots, it's happened numerous times before and it just shows that people are stupid. It is embarassing to realize that a sports championship is far more motivating to so many.
June 15, 2009 3:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well we must remember that there have been thousands of deaths related to soccer games played in Europe as well as South America.
But, yes...the justaposition of a riot over basketball and the mess in Iran is stunning.
Great post Coonsey.
June 15, 2009 3:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
Today in New Mexico we are mourning a police officer who died in a helicopter crash to rescue a Japanese hiker who also died in the crash. Here this is a very big deal. Flags half staff. Gov. Richardson actually seems upset.
Little acts of patriotism and heroism happen every single day, nationwide. Just because an act didn't make the national crappy coverage doesn't change the fact that many Americans do things for each other.
I'm not knocking your post, just that it isn't the Americans as a whole who seem shallow. What the media covers is, however.
June 15, 2009 4:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
I really appreciated this comment. Thanks.
June 15, 2009 7:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
By the way, what has Obama ever said about the 2000 and 2004 elections, and whether there was fraud or not?
June 15, 2009 6:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's far worse than you describe it here. As I have documented elsewhere in this blog this week, even liberals are watching apathetically as our civil liberties -- guaranteed in the Bill of Rights and the reason so many patriots have died -- are being systematically stripped from us.
Notice I "are being stripped." Present tense.
June 15, 2009 6:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
You support American values- but what ARE those values? Reagan's "revolution" buried the ethic of social responsibility in the landslide of "What's in it for me?" How did he win the vote? "Are you better of now...?" Not "How's the country?"
The values we would like to espouse are denigrated as "San Francisco values" or European values."
We need to fight back to restore our version of "American values." Which gets back to your point, sadly...
June 15, 2009 7:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
I concur. It was the era of greed is good, parroted by Rush. It was the time of the bright, shiney city on a hill. Yeah, except those people mesmerized by the shiney city lived in the valley and had to deal with all their polluted run off.
June 16, 2009 1:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
Yes.
June 15, 2009 7:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
Bread and circuses, or beer and bigscreen.
June 15, 2009 7:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
The latter surely.
June 15, 2009 8:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
These are likely the same people who think that the government grants us rights.
June 15, 2009 7:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes. Yes we are.
June 16, 2009 1:50 AM | Reply | Permalink
Alot of parrots have died, Argggggh!
Lifer in their pants.... zipppp.
June 16, 2009 4:32 AM | Reply | Permalink