What's the matter with .... me??

[burythehatchet]

Another less than stellar dysfunctional holiday get together with the family. But this year something entirely new. Perhaps not entirely. Last year my father and I had a major argument because he doesn't want me to be "political". He correctly believes that it hurts my career, which it does. But he can't seem to understand the state of the world. Or maybe he does and 1) either likes it, or 2) feels that nothing can be done. In any event, he is very conservative, and at the risk of being labeled a bad son, he is a hypocrite.

This year I wanted to discuss all the recent events with my two brothers and sister. The remarkable thing was that they were all completey disinterested. They all have young children, they are all masters level educated, and they seemed to care nothing at all. It got so bad that towards the end of my stay I believe they were all feeling sorry me for being a lunatic.

This is what its come down to. Complete apathy. Noone seems to care. Hell, maybe I am a lunatic. Only time will tell.

[indigobusiness]

1. That is so reminiscent of that quote about

"...until they came for me."

edit- I dug up the quote. It goes to the heart of apathy.

---

First they came for the Jews. I was silent. I was not a Jew. Then they came for the Communists. I was silent. I was not a Communist. Then they came for the trade unionists. I was silent. I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for me. There was no one left to speak for me.


AUTHOR: Martin Niemöller
ATTRIBUTION: On resistance to Nazis, recalled on his death 6 Mar 84

[burythehatchet]

3. Funny, that's exactly the quote that was in my mind all week

but I was too discouraged to say it.

[in_cog_ni_to]

2. It's a sad day when the well-informed Patriot

is made to feel something is wrong with him/her because he/she cares so much about his/her country and wants to help fix it. Sad, sad, sad. NOTHING is the matter with you. You're not a lunatic. Look at the ill-informed, apathetic sheeple and ask that question. What's the matter with YOU for not caring what happens to your country?

[burythehatchet]

4. Thank you for saying that

It makes a difference. I really began to question myself but then the facts keep getting in the way.

[loftycity]

5. Same here

Apathy. They look at you like you are out of your mind.
Out on some fringe thought process.
I don't get it. I think they truly believe that a collapse could never happen in the US. I've asked them "tell me something good that has or is happening." Still the blank stares and the comment "maybe I should read more."
Or the best one is "Let's wait and see what happens."
Oh--that one is the the pearl of wisdom. Yeah, let's just wait and see what happens?!?!--that's good.

[burythehatchet]

8. You got more of a response than I did.

They simply changed the subject at our place. Its as though they cannot conceive something like nazi Germany happening again.

Forget history. Repeat history.

[Dogmudgeon]

6. Not apathy ... withdrawl

If it's too painful to confront, most people will withdraw from the stimulus.

Dictators know that they can count on this reflex.

--p!

[burythehatchet]

7. I believe you're right.

My family is in the NY/NJ area and it occurs to me that they may be "shellshocked".

[ChipperbackDemocrat]

9. There is nothing wrong with you, friend!

You just realize that the brownshirts are in the streets in Weimar America.

You understand what it means, and most people don't understand or want to understand.

This is a scary time for our country, but we can still save her from this menace. We will have to do it block by block, town by town, state by state.

We have municipal elections in 2005 and congressional in 2006. Along the way, we have day-to-day citizenship to do.

If we are to stop this facism, we cannot co-opt to it or negotiate with it. There are no yellow stars, yet. There are no stormtroopers, yet. There is no arbeit macht frei, yet. Whether those things come will depend on ALL OF US.

There is nothing wrong with you, friend. You understand what it means, now pass it on to somebody else. There are millions who think as you do. We have to seek them out.

[loftycity]

12. Bury the H -I've been living in Upstate NY for the past 3 months

I have to say people here are very out of the loop. I don't think I've been to a Pod-ville like this--- ever. I came here thinking it would be progessive and got regressive.
They have been spoiled by great Democratic movements and programs.
Wait till the programs get pulled. It will be a Wake up call for them and too late.
In Minnesota, people know what is wrong and who is responsible. I cannot believe the apathetic here.
I pick up on the attitude "Hey, I got my stuff-who cares about you."
Self absorbed-- very weird and so boring.
Hey and I not saying everyone is like that here, just the general observation.
It is Pod-ville.
Glad I'm on my way back to Minneapolis in a couple of days.
Hope you're doing OK.

[burythehatchet]

13. Upstate NY is pretty bad as you move away from some of the

universities. I went to school at SUNYAlbany and I found that when you get off campus the discussion gets a little thin.

I'm actually on my way back to Atlanta. Will stop in DC for a couple of days. That should be good tonic.

[MsAnthropy]

10. Sometimes I envy the stupid people

how much easier their lives must be not to care, not to have to think about things, not to have anything affect them. They sure don't generate the stomach acid that we've spent over this election and the state of our country. But how much we care is how we measure ourselves as people and as citizens. What is the phrase about the "unexamined life"? I'd rather spend the stomach acid.

[sendero]

11. Maybe...

... this is because of this. In 1980 Ronald Reagan was elected. He quickly gained a legion of detractors, many of them quite vocal.

But when the dust settled, America was more or less allright, the huge debt he'd rung up was waved off by many as a small price to pay for the things he did accomplish.

Then Bill Clinton was elected. He quickly found a legion of vocal detractors on his ass. But, America enjoyed 8 years of relative peace and prosperity.

Now we have George Dubya Bush. He has lots of vocal detractors, but real analysis of what he is doing is not happening in the mainstream news. People have heard this "the sky is falling because our president sucks" for almost 20 years, just as they have heard "we're about to have an economic collapse" for 30.

Just because a person cries wolf does not mean the world is free of wolves, but I can understand how many have just thrown in the towel.

[burythehatchet]

14. It really all comes down to the MSM

I can understand that most people can't spend 2 hours a day on DU. Perhaps ignorance is bliss. :(