No, not that one. And no, not that new one that tries to ride on its coattails. I’m thinking of a different one. One that’s not necessarily driven by politics. I have to admit I was a little moved by the images from Boston.com’s “Big Picture” features this week that covered the massive protests in Thailand and Kyrgyzstan. Seeing civilians organized in large enough numbers to overwhelm security forces clad in high-tech riot gear immediately made me curious about two things. First of all, how did so many people get on the same page and take action? And second, what were they really protesting? The answer to the first question is still being analyzed by major news sources, but the uprisings had common motives. Most sources are citing government corruption, murky privatization schemes, oligarchical leadership, and financial hardship for the working class while elites flourish. Sound familiar? Why are we so complacent about similar things happening in America? I live in one of the states hardest-hit by the recent mini-econopocalypse. Things are so bad here in Michigan that the city of Flint is burning down while firefighters are being laid off. You may have heard of Flint because that’s where documentary filmmaker and rabble-rouser Michael Moore started his career, with Roger & Me. Or because it always seems to get a top ranking on things like the Forbes.com America’s Most Miserable Cities list. It’s getting so bad here in Michigan that one of the hottest new ideas in urban planning is bulldozing. And yet you’ll still have no trouble finding unemployed people whose homes have been repossessed rabidly defending the politicians of their red/blue preference that helped get them where they are, while the only folks that are really taking action are crazier than a soup sandwich. So while I joke about the need for revolution in America, part of me is dead serious. Although I don’t think a violent revolt is necessary, I really believe that a revolution in thinking is imperative. A book like Naomi Wolf’s The End of America: Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot would have been perceived as absurd a decade ago, but now seems almost hackneyed to a reasonably informed person. Will we ever wake up and let go of our love of our political parties and realize that it’s more about regular working people vs an entitled and affluent ruling class wielding their control of a corporatocracy? I found it amusing that while googling “American complacency”, one of the more insightful things I found was this piece by a 19 year-old. They compare American apathy to the behavior of a sociopath, which they point out is defined as someone who is “interested only in their personal needs and desires, without concern for the effects of their behavior on others.” What do you think? Are we getting a little lazy here in the cradle of modern democracy?

Apparently even the prayers of Ronald McDonald won’t protect the riot cops of Southeast Asia…

All photos Boston.com’s Big Picture