How long until riots begin in the U.S.?

[Snowguy716]

I think they will happen eventually, but I don't think they will right now.  But take into account that the Millennial generation is exceptionally hive minded... so once it starts, it will blow up quickly.  And you won't have the vehement opposition from their peers like back in the 60s.  You'll see people more likely to join in or at least sympathize with rioters, or at the very least, not condemn the point of the action.

To be honest, I sort of hope massive protests begin.  I don't want violence... but enough people in the streets protesting to get peoples attention. 

As I've already said elsewhere... when the next round of protests begin, it won't be crusty old guys in tri-cornered hats bitching about taxes.

[Zarn]

You do realize you will likely end up with more right-wing (libertarian and conservative) protesters than left-wing ones?

[Beet]

If you see mass protests, it'll go beyond the type that identifies with political labels. I also predict that it'll be embraced by the left more than the right.

[Zarn]

If you see mass protests, it'll go beyond the type that identifies with political labels. I also predict that it'll be embraced by the left more than the right.

I don't think you understand just how peeved the right-wing is exactly. I also have been talking to dyed in the wool liberals, who are starting to question the federal government's role in society.

That said, R-W ones are more likely to be peaceful, although much larger in number than left-wing protests. L-W protests will tend to be smaller, much more violent, and completely pointless.

The only way the R-W will start to get violent, is if police or L-W protesters start getting physical with them.

[Lief]

If things continue in the direction they're heading, at the speed they're heading...

I mean, if you're not worried about this, and if you don't see how real a possibility it is, then you're really not paying attention. The riots happening in London right now don't just happen because some teenagers are bored or because the cops shot some guy. They can only really happen in a society that has been driven to desperation, that has lost all confidence in legitimate means of political discourse and turned to violent ones instead. And the economy is only going to get worse, and zero politicians, here or in Europe, are proposing actual solutions.

Obama gets up there and says that America will always be a triple A nation, and he looks like a total idiot. I'm sure he knows that he sounds like an idiot, the dude's intelligent and clearly has access to more information than most people. But he sounds like an idiot. The economy is in free-fall. There never was a recovery, which is why the "jobless recovery" meme was bull. The markets are now realizing this, and retreating like frightened animals into the one place they think is still safe.

Full-scale riots and mass protests probably won't occur until at least 2013 when a Republican is president and his/her economic policies just make things worse. By that point what remaining confidence in the political system there is will be lost.

[Beet]

If you see mass protests, it'll go beyond the type that identifies with political labels. I also predict that it'll be embraced by the left more than the right.

I don't think you understand just how peeved the right-wing is exactly. I also have been talking to dyed in the wool liberals, who are starting to question the federal government's role in society.

That said, R-W ones are more likely to be peaceful, although much larger in number than left-wing protests. L-W protests will tend to be smaller, much more violent, and completely pointless.

The only way the R-W will start to get violent, is if police or L-W protesters start getting physical with them.

Of course, if the system comes down, the federal government's role in society is about to become much, much larger.

As for protests, I just don't see the right wing being very effective at protest. Even at the height of the GOP 2010 wave, Jon Stewart could mobilize more people than Glenn Beck.

Plus, the fundamental issue is not the government's role in society, it's economic depression and inequality.

[True Federalist]

Fortunately, the United States seems to have escaped so far the use of staged riots as a pretext for looting.  Maybe it's because such looters would suffer a significant chance of being shot. So we'll have to wait until we have people who are angry enough to riot without the prospect of financial gain.

[Beet]

Keep in mind the ULTIMATE doomsday scenario, which I have considered since 2008. Even if the Federal government defaulted and could no longer pay for Social Security or Medicare, you would soon see overwhelming demands for new government social programs to provide a safety net.

[Chareth Cutestory]

If America is anywhere close to being what I hope it is, sooner rather than later. But more needs to be done than that. Our government has been sticking both middle fingers at us and laughing for far too long. Our country is an embarrassment. I also hope you guys are right in that it's apolitical. The very last thing anyone in Washington needs is a side to unequivocally take at the expense of reason. What I'm most sick of is a President that I have a feeling agrees with most of us and yet bites his tongue and plays the game anyway. I can't decide whether he'd actually grow some balls if he's reelected or if he really is just a career campaigner. Something's gotta give, regardless. Anyway, now I'm just rambling. Essentially, it needs to happen and it needs to be big.

[white trash heroes]

As I've already said elsewhere... when the next round of protests begin, it won't be crusty old guys in tri-cornered hats bitching about taxes.

Sure it will, they'll just be joining in the fun. What do they have to lose, their non-existent pension?

[Snowguy716]

If America is anywhere close to being what I hope it is, sooner rather than later. But more needs to be done than that. Our government has been sticking both middle fingers at us and laughing for far too long. Our country is an embarrassment. I also hope you guys are right in that it's apolitical. The very last thing anyone in Washington needs is a side to unequivocally take at the expense of reason. What I'm most sick of is a President that I have a feeling agrees with most of us and yet bites his tongue and plays the game anyway. I can't decide whether he'd actually grow some balls if he's reelected or if he really is just a career campaigner. Something's gotta give, regardless. Anyway, now I'm just rambling. Essentially, it needs to happen and it needs to be big.

I also get this feeling that Obama does agree with "us" and he's probably frustrated with himself for f**king up so grandly.  But I don't foresee a change.  He's not playing the game.  The game is playing him.

[Senator Ben]

If things continue in the direction they're heading, at the speed they're heading...

I mean, if you're not worried about this, and if you don't see how real a possibility it is, then you're really not paying attention. The riots happening in London right now don't just happen because some teenagers are bored or because the cops shot some guy. They can only really happen in a society that has been driven to desperation, that has lost all confidence in legitimate means of political discourse and turned to violent ones instead. And the economy is only going to get worse, and zero politicians, here or in Europe, are proposing actual solutions.

Obama gets up there and says that America will always be a triple A nation, and he looks like a total idiot. I'm sure he knows that he sounds like an idiot, the dude's intelligent and clearly has access to more information than most people. But he sounds like an idiot. The economy is in free-fall. There never was a recovery, which is why the "jobless recovery" meme was bull. The markets are now realizing this, and retreating like frightened animals into the one place they think is still safe.

Full-scale riots and mass protests probably won't occur until at least 2013 when a Republican is president and his/her economic policies just make things worse. By that point what remaining confidence in the political system there is will be lost.

My God you are irritating.

[Zarn]

If you see mass protests, it'll go beyond the type that identifies with political labels. I also predict that it'll be embraced by the left more than the right.

I don't think you understand just how peeved the right-wing is exactly. I also have been talking to dyed in the wool liberals, who are starting to question the federal government's role in society.

That said, R-W ones are more likely to be peaceful, although much larger in number than left-wing protests. L-W protests will tend to be smaller, much more violent, and completely pointless.

The only way the R-W will start to get violent, is if police or L-W protesters start getting physical with them.

Of course, if the system comes down, the federal government's role in society is about to become much, much larger.

As for protests, I just don't see the right wing being very effective at protest. Even at the height of the GOP 2010 wave, Jon Stewart could mobilize more people than Glenn Beck.

Plus, the fundamental issue is not the government's role in society, it's economic depression and inequality.

The Tea Party protests were huge and there were different types, some outright hostile to Glenn Beck.

[Lief]

If things continue in the direction they're heading, at the speed they're heading...

I mean, if you're not worried about this, and if you don't see how real a possibility it is, then you're really not paying attention. The riots happening in London right now don't just happen because some teenagers are bored or because the cops shot some guy. They can only really happen in a society that has been driven to desperation, that has lost all confidence in legitimate means of political discourse and turned to violent ones instead. And the economy is only going to get worse, and zero politicians, here or in Europe, are proposing actual solutions.

Obama gets up there and says that America will always be a triple A nation, and he looks like a total idiot. I'm sure he knows that he sounds like an idiot, the dude's intelligent and clearly has access to more information than most people. But he sounds like an idiot. The economy is in free-fall. There never was a recovery, which is why the "jobless recovery" meme was bull. The markets are now realizing this, and retreating like frightened animals into the one place they think is still safe.

Full-scale riots and mass protests probably won't occur until at least 2013 when a Republican is president and his/her economic policies just make things worse. By that point what remaining confidence in the political system there is will be lost.

I'd love to live in New York, but unfortunately I do not. DC is pretty cool though.

My God you are irritating.

Don't you have some thread in the Forum Community to post in about what song you're currently listening to?

[Beet]

If America is anywhere close to being what I hope it is, sooner rather than later. But more needs to be done than that. Our government has been sticking both middle fingers at us and laughing for far too long. Our country is an embarrassment. I also hope you guys are right in that it's apolitical. The very last thing anyone in Washington needs is a side to unequivocally take at the expense of reason. What I'm most sick of is a President that I have a feeling agrees with most of us and yet bites his tongue and plays the game anyway. I can't decide whether he'd actually grow some balls if he's reelected or if he really is just a career campaigner. Something's gotta give, regardless. Anyway, now I'm just rambling. Essentially, it needs to happen and it needs to be big.

I also get this feeling that Obama does agree with "us" and he's probably frustrated with himself for f**king up so grandly.  But I don't foresee a change.  He's not playing the game.  The game is playing him.

Honestly, I hope that Obama snaps. I hope that he has a mental breakdown where he loses his faith in his ability to compromise with the Republicans, with his ability to win reelection, and what he was taught growing up, and realizes that Summers, Bernanke, Geithner, etc etc f--ked him over and set up him up to be the fall guy for their theft. But it's probably too much to hope for.

[Jayhawker]

If things continue in the direction they're heading, at the speed they're heading...

I mean, if you're not worried about this, and if you don't see how real a possibility it is, then you're really not paying attention. The riots happening in London right now don't just happen because some teenagers are bored or because the cops shot some guy. They can only really happen in a society that has been driven to desperation, that has lost all confidence in legitimate means of political discourse and turned to violent ones instead. And the economy is only going to get worse, and zero politicians, here or in Europe, are proposing actual solutions.

Obama gets up there and says that America will always be a triple A nation, and he looks like a total idiot. I'm sure he knows that he sounds like an idiot, the dude's intelligent and clearly has access to more information than most people. But he sounds like an idiot. The economy is in free-fall. There never was a recovery, which is why the "jobless recovery" meme was bull. The markets are now realizing this, and retreating like frightened animals into the one place they think is still safe.

Full-scale riots and mass protests probably won't occur until at least 2013 when a Republican is president and his/her economic policies just make things worse. By that point what remaining confidence in the political system there is will be lost.

I like how you say things no one else really wants to hear, and I think you're right here. I'd like to think Mitt Romney would instantly fix things, but I know that's not the case - it'll take years for America to recover. America should be pretty interesting around 2014...

[Lief]

Well, NY is a nice place to visit (Greenwich Village FTW), but that was not what I was getting at. The post you made which I responded to is a near mirror copy of numerous other posts made by our resident concern troll.

Nah, I'm a better writer than he is.

[krazen1211]

Liberals typically won't protest their own. Hence all the anti-war rioters have mostly died down.

Incidentally, they never died down for Richard Nixon.

[anvi]

I realize what I'm about to say may sound trite.  I don't mean to minimize the fact that times are tough in the U.S. and may remain tough for a while.  I even think a protest or two or a dozen might wake some people up.

But, during the day, I saw footage of thousands of starving children in Somalia whose mothers had walked for one month to bring them to aid camps, and a government hurling tanks and munitions at its own people in Syria.  9% unemployment sucks, and dropping markets do cause people genuinely understandable anxiety and all.  But there are lots and lots of people in the world who can only wish they had our problems instead of their own.

[Invisible Obama]

Some of the posts in this thread are completely unrealistic and borderline crazy. There aren't going to be any riots here and when it comes down to it, the country will be fine.

[Frodo]

When Republicans and Tea Party conservatives begin implementing their policies and vision for America after taking complete control of the executive and legislative branches in January 2013, combined with a compliant Supreme Court.

Clearly I have no faith that Republicans will make the mistake of choosing a flake when they have so much at stake in winning the 2012 elections (and yes, I know it rhymes).  

[A dog on every car, a car in every elevator]

What would people riot about?  Their love of Chinese products or their judgment at the polls every two years?

[Torie]

People will riot over their declining stock portfolios? People will riot over the prospect that Medicare benefits will be cut?  Over what? 

[J. J.]

Neither riots, nor revolution.  It's a realignment.   Welcome to 1979!

[Snowguy716]

People will riot over their declining stock portfolios? People will riot over the prospect that Medicare benefits will be cut?  Over what? 

They will riot over the fact that you have more than them and that you think that's just fine.  So, in the absence of the government taking from you and giving it to them, they will just go ahead and take it from you themselves.

Never underestimate the danger of an adolescent with nothing to lose.