Is it just me or are we starting to live in V for Vendetta times?

[Yopaz]

I never understood the "Move to Canada or Britain" people.

If you're leaving America because you hate it, why would you go to the two countries most similar to it?

to enjoy all the comforts of a 1st world country without the american bullshit...anyway, going somwhere cultrually different is very hard

anyway rightnow Im gla dot be living where I do

But there are tons of, no offense, (according to them) "better" first world countries to go to. Sweden, maybe even France perhaps. But isn't the idea that they hate American Culture? Wouldn't they want to be somewhere culturally different?

And what is "The American Bullshit" anyways?

A Bill that never made it to the floor of Congress because The People spoke out against it? That's supposed to be how government works. This was a very good thing. More things like this should happen.

I'm about the least patriotic person you can find, and I'm still glad to be living in America.

Moving to Sweden or France would require that you need to learn a new language and being Norwegian and knowing the politics and mood over here not being able to speak Norwegian makes you a bad person. I can't speak for Sweden or France, but honestly if I were American and wanted to move to a different country I'd try Germany.

Now I realize I have said a whole lot without really saying anything related to this thread... Not being American I can't say much about this, but I see the world becoming more 1984 than V for Vendetta. I say this because the government all over the world are taking efforts into stealing our privacy, checking what we search for on the internet, what we say on the phone, what our emails say. Also the most important part that makes this look like 1984 we accept it. V for Vendetta is about a totalitarian regime where there's at least some fighting back.

 

[Chromanin]

Our culture is extremely similar to American culture. You pointed out all the benefits. It does come at a cost however. Our income tax is about 23%. By the end of all federal and provincial taxes, it's about a 30% cut out of your paycheck. We also happen to be extremely spread out. There are really only a few large population center. The worst part is that we have Harper in with a majority government, so we're going to see a passing of several conservative focused bills over the next 4 years. It's probably better than the US right now, we weren't as affected by the recession compared to the US, but overall I personally think it's a better place to live right now.

Yeah, I have heard about the taxes. If I actually see the benefit of paying them, though, it doesn't bother me so much. In addition to our government pretty much giving up on monitering big business to ensure they pay what they're supposed to be paying in taxes, I haven't seen the benefit of our public school system. As far as developed countries go, we're quite behind in education, and well, just look at who we have running the country. That's not even to mention our extreme lack of separation of church and state and our fancy to choose faith over reason.

Drag about those conservative bills, though. Thanks very much for painting me an honest picture. Any other info would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Erttheking]

I think Mike Kupari's answer to this entire brouhaha belongs in this thread.

http://larrycorreia.wordpress.com/2012/01/18/sopa/

You didn?t care when the government decided it could spy on you without a warrant. You didn?t care when they started telling you what you could eat. You didn?t care when your kids? education was turned into indoctrination. You didn?t care when they were more worried about military veterans than Islamic terrorists. You didn?t care when they spent so much money that our entire economic system may co?llapse. You didn?t care when they gave billions of your money to unions and corporations that were their political contributors. You didn?t care when inert cosmetic features on guns were felonies. You didn?t care when they made it a fucking crime to not have government approved health insurance.

All of these things were done in your name. On your behalf. To help you, protect you, take care of you. Each time you gave them more power and gave away more of your freedom. Each time you believed them when they said they were protecting you, or helping the less fortunate, or sticking it to ?the rich? who ?aren?t paying their fair share?.

Each time you applauded their efforts. Mocked those that were concerned. Called them uncaring or racist or alarmist or stupid. Each time you asked for more. You begged them to take care of you, protect you, right wrongs, enforce equality.

But now that your Internet porn and bit torrents are threatened, NOW you care?

It?s too late for all that, kids. Turning off Wikipedia for a couple days isn?t going to win back the freedoms we?ve pissed away. It isn?t going to undo decades of expanding government power. They?ve already decided there?s nothing they can?t do, no law they can?t pass.

We watched it happen. We let it happen. We have the country we deserve.

So go ahead, post a rant about SOPA on your blog. Link to Ron Paul?s web page. Pretend you?re doing something. It?ll make you feel better. Then you will go back to business as usual and so will they.

Democracy in action. Isn?t it beautiful?

Ok this guy comes across as a conspiracy theorist "School's became indoctrination, government could tell me what I eat" Am I living in the right country? That stuff never happened to me. And screw you buddy (the quote not the OP), my dad won't shut up about how Obama is spending money like a drunken sailor. Did this guy just finish reading Animal Farm and thinks that everyone who agrees with the government on any issue is a sheep or something?

 

[Berenzen]

Our culture is extremely similar to American culture. You pointed out all the benefits. It does come at a cost however. Our income tax is about 23%. By the end of all federal and provincial taxes, it's about a 30% cut out of your paycheck. We also happen to be extremely spread out. There are really only a few large population center. The worst part is that we have Harper in with a majority government, so we're going to see a passing of several conservative focused bills over the next 4 years. It's probably better than the US right now, we weren't as affected by the recession compared to the US, but overall I personally think it's a better place to live right now.

Yeah, I have heard about the taxes. If I actually see the benefit of paying them, though, it doesn't bother me so much. In addition to our government pretty much giving up on monitering big business to ensure they pay what they're supposed to be paying in taxes, I haven't seen the benefit of our public school system. As far as developed countries go, we're quite behind in education, and well, just look at who we have running the country. That's not even to mention our extreme lack of separation of church and state and our fancy to choose faith over reason.

Drag about those conservative bills, though. Thanks very much for painting me an honest picture. Any other info would be greatly appreciated.

I don't know about other provinces, but Alberta has one of the best public school systems. We actually have a science curriculum that is equal to some first year university courses. In terms of the conservative bills... they're not great, but Harper isn't going to go make it hard-line conservative, despite his line, he got a lot of votes from Liberal businessmen that didn't want to go NDP. He's not going to risk his votes to make a hyper-conservative government.

 

[TheIronRuler]

With sopa and the ndaa bills, I feel like we're starting to live in V for vendetta times, mass censorship, people being detained without trial never to be heard from again, hell I'd move to Canada or Britain but then they'd just ship my USAss back. Anyone else feel the same way?

.
I don't think that they will be massacring their population for the sake of science soon.. But they are going to put a lot of people in Jail and silence many others.

 

[K4ndY]

No, on account of V for Vendetta being a work of fiction, and this shit-fest of disappearing freedoms that we're living right now being very, very real.

Time to grab your Guy Fawkes masks, citizens of the Interwebs!

Oh wait, Time Warner gets the money for those, don't they...

Ski masks for everyone!!!

 

[Zen Toombs]

No, I don't think so. We have some of the same problems and there are some superficial simmilarities, but America is not as controlling as Norsefire in either the movie or comic, but America also seems to lack the quasi-justification for its behavior Norsefire has.

 

[Ultress]

In addition to some of the better points I'll just say No and leave it at that.

 

[Ironic Pirate]

I think Mike Kupari's answer to this entire brouhaha belongs in this thread.

http://larrycorreia.wordpress.com/2012/01/18/sopa/

You didn?t care when the government decided it could spy on you without a warrant. You didn?t care when they started telling you what you could eat. You didn?t care when your kids? education was turned into indoctrination. You didn?t care when they were more worried about military veterans than Islamic terrorists. You didn?t care when they spent so much money that our entire economic system may co?llapse. You didn?t care when they gave billions of your money to unions and corporations that were their political contributors. You didn?t care when inert cosmetic features on guns were felonies. You didn?t care when they made it a fucking crime to not have government approved health insurance.

All of these things were done in your name. On your behalf. To help you, protect you, take care of you. Each time you gave them more power and gave away more of your freedom. Each time you believed them when they said they were protecting you, or helping the less fortunate, or sticking it to ?the rich? who ?aren?t paying their fair share?.

Each time you applauded their efforts. Mocked those that were concerned. Called them uncaring or racist or alarmist or stupid. Each time you asked for more. You begged them to take care of you, protect you, right wrongs, enforce equality.

But now that your Internet porn and bit torrents are threatened, NOW you care?

It?s too late for all that, kids. Turning off Wikipedia for a couple days isn?t going to win back the freedoms we?ve pissed away. It isn?t going to undo decades of expanding government power. They?ve already decided there?s nothing they can?t do, no law they can?t pass.

We watched it happen. We let it happen. We have the country we deserve.

So go ahead, post a rant about SOPA on your blog. Link to Ron Paul?s web page. Pretend you?re doing something. It?ll make you feel better. Then you will go back to business as usual and so will they.

Democracy in action. Isn?t it beautiful?

For billing something as "an answer to brouhaha" that's an incredibly reactionary and sensationalist bit of crap. I'm not at all familiar with the author, but he sounds like the worst kind of cynic, the kind that is cynical because it allows them to feel superior to others. You know, an asshole.

The first paragraph is a mix of complete and utter bullshit, and things people did care about, which isn't off to a good start. Then he proceeds to say, with a straight face, evidently, "You didn't notice things happening until it affected you!". No fucking shit. That does tend to be when people notice something, because that's how people work.

And then he gives some truly beautiful hypocrisy at the end. "You think you're doing stuff by ranting? Well you aren't" (paraphrased, obviously). Except that this entire thing was a pointless rant that achieved nothing, suggested no solutions, and exists entirely for the author to pretend somehow to superior to most of the internet, as far as I can tell. Whereas people complaining about SOPA have managed to delay (or maybe stop, haven't been following up on it) the bill from being passed. In conclusion, no, Mike Kupari's reaction to this entire brouhaha does not belong in this thread, as it is very silly.

 

[KiKiweaky]

You mean the world has become a really bad, stupid movie?

..............

You might be right.

OT. It's always the people in the world who have the least to complain about whose complaints are the most vocal.

Healthy, educated, confident citizens are more dangerous to their own government (in some parts of the world) than that countries neighbours ever will be. Sure people who have the least right to complain will often complain the most, because they are allowed to or the population realises things could be better.

 

[aegix drakan_v1legacy]

And in a good 10 or so years, we'll be living in a future VERY similar to Deus Ex 1.

Seriously, if you haven't played it, do it. Take a good look at the world. I really worry that we're headed that way.

 

[peruvianskys]

I think people who live in a comfortable and relatively free environment like America really like to feel as though they are suffering through some terrible hardship and oppression. In reality, your American right to free speech, assembly, and all that is pretty damn near the best you can have in this world right now. America isn't perfect and it certainly isn't the best nation on earth by a long shot, but when it comes to being able to criticize your government and speak freely about the issues you care about, you're probably in about the best place you can be. I have no complaints about Canada or Britain or Sweden or any of those other great countries that American liberals idolize, but we really do have in America a fabulously entrenched tradition of free speech and expression that is really hard to find anywhere else. So be grateful and use those rights to address the legitimate problems your nation faces!

 

[peruvianskys]

*catchpa problem sorry!*

 

[peruvianskys]

*catchpa problem sorry!*

 

[Mr.Mattress]

So we could either live in a Depressive Dictatorship, a Terrifying Anarchous State, or a Theocratic Depressive Dictatorship(Which is what that guy wanted! He wanted to set up a Religious Regime!)... Yeah, no, I like Democracy, even if it is becoming a bit Censor friendly.

 

[WeAreStevo]

Yes, it is just you. SOPA is nothing like V for Vendetta, people are overreacting. Yes they are terrible bills, but they aren't going to cause a nuclear war.

People need to calm down.

Agreed.

If anything we began to stray into "V for Vendetta territory" when the Patriot Act was swept into law.

THAT scares me a whole lot more than SOPA or PIPA