"And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more.
People talking without speaking,
People hearing without listening,
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one dare
Disturb the sound of silence. " --Paul Simon
What does this - Three Polls Find Workers Sensing Deep Pessimism - NY Times article have to do with this one - There Is Silence in the Streets; Where Have All the Protesters Gone??
I was listening to Thom Hartman as he filled in for Randi Rhodes on Air America Radio yesterday, and basically he answered that question. People who are worried about their jobs, feeding their families and keeping roofs over their heads barely have time to contemplate the state of our country, let alone the time to do something about it. Students who are worried about keeping up their grades so they don't lose scholarships (if they have them) or working to pay tuition (if they don't) also don't have time, or the energy to take to the streets.
Which is exactly what our illustrious government officials want.
They are probably rubbing their hands together in glee over the prospect of an underpaid, overworked populace who not only put lots of extra bucks in these oligarchs' pockets, but who are sapped of any energy to protest their situations. Don't forget Cheney, Rumsfeld and the rest of the Neo-Con cabal were there during the late 60s and the 70s when protestors mobbed at every turn. They remember what it was like and they remember what it did to Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon. They don't want it to happen to them. Best of all, it's a 2 edged sword - they reap the benefit of the increased production without paying increased wages, and they get to listen to the sounds of silence from the masses.
Posted by Cyberkat at September 1, 2006 7:14 AM | TrackBack