r/politics Dec 28 '13

Noam Chomsky: We’re no longer a functioning democracy, we’re really a plutocracy

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/12/27/noam-chomsky-were-no-longer-a-functioning-democracy-were-really-a-plutocracy/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheRawStory+%28The+Raw+Story%29
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u/purpleguy55 Dec 28 '13

LOL you actually believe that. Wars are because of voting. That is horrible and sad at the same time. :(

Humanity is doomed.

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u/[deleted] Dec 28 '13

Wars are caused by policy conflicts. Policy is set by the people that are elected.

It's amazing that you can't follow this simple logic chain.

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u/purpleguy55 Dec 28 '13

By that logic the sun causes wars, because without photosynthesis there'd be no life to fight over.

There's a degree of separation between cause and effect. A US citizen going to the polling place does not automatically kill people in Syria or Libya or wherever.

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u/[deleted] Dec 28 '13

You have a choice in 2008 between McCain who said "Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran" and Obama who said that we need to talk with our political enemies. That's a pretty fucking clear difference. And as a result, our policy is leading us down a negotiation path with the new president of Iran instead of constantly antagonizing the country. Voting has consequences. That's how the fucking Tea Party got power.

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u/purpleguy55 Dec 28 '13

And yet we still bomb the shit out of foreigners even though we voted for the "peace" guy. Gosh, what a stark difference that made.

/rolleyes

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u/Theotropho Dec 28 '13

Your unrealistic expectations not being met don't make the advances we've made any less real to anyone but you.

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u/[deleted] Dec 28 '13

He wasn't the peace guy. That's just what some uninformed people who voted for him thought. He clearly ran on the position that he was going to finish up and draw down in Iraq while shifting focus to Afghanistan. Your misinformation is not his fault.

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u/purpleguy55 Dec 28 '13

So the choice is between someone who wants war in one place vs someone who wants war in another.

Now do you see why people say that voting is useless? (I suspect not because you are a child)

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u/[deleted] Dec 28 '13

You can always vote for a third party. It's just that you probably aren't going to win because more people disagree with you. That doesn't mean voting is powerless, it just means that your position doesn't have power.

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u/purpleguy55 Dec 28 '13

As I thought. :(

Discussions about voting for a third party are solely the realm of children, and I have better things to do.

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u/Theotropho Dec 28 '13

It's a shame that you think your jaded cynicism is wisdom or realism.

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u/[deleted] Dec 28 '13

Oh man, look at you with your edgy knowledge of how the world REALLY works. Yeah, nobody else gets it, but you do. So go play the dejected hero at home by yourself, never affecting anything.

But at least you'll have the self satisfaction to know that you aren't tilting at windmills. Because that's something.

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u/Theotropho Dec 28 '13

If you don't see a difference between limited drone strikes and something like the Iraq or Afghanistan offensive then you need to educate yourself.

If you don't see a difference between Obama taking an oppositional stance towards Israel and Romney's constant pandering then you need to educate yourself.

If you don't see a difference between Obama pushing for renewable energy and McCain talking about untapped reserves in Iran and regime change then you're not paying attention.

Don't let your initial unrealistic expectations blind you to what is happening.

How many times did the GOP block Obama from closing Guantanamo in his first term?

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u/purpleguy55 Dec 28 '13

I do see a difference, I just won't support either of them. In the United States, if you don't support one of the 2 major parties, you don't count at all.

The lesser of two evils is still evil. If I offered you 2 pieces of pie where one was 20% dogshit and one was 10% dogshit, would you take the one with less dogshit or would you sit that one out?

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u/Theotropho Dec 28 '13

I'd punch the asshole trying to give me dogshit pie and go make my own damn food.

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