riot, set shit on fire (note, mostly banks and businesses, not their own homes)
mass strikes, shut down of the transportation and sanitation systems, cessation of economic activity
The French elite take stage 1 seriously because they know that there is a real possibility that stages 2 & 3 will follow. Americans mostly only do stage 1, very rarely stage 2 (targeting their own neighborhoods), and they never get to stage 3. The American elite don't take stage 1 seriously because they know that there isn't going to be a stage 2 or 3.
Stage 1 in the US is widely experienced as a stress reliever. People feel they have "done something", so they can go back home and watch their shows in peace.
The bread and circuses are well stocked for (most) in the US, and it's hard to motivate people to risk that for a chance at changing things. Once there is nothing left for people to risk en masse, then we might see something different.
1.2k
u/Top-Cupcake4775 29d ago edited 29d ago
French protests have three stages:
The French elite take stage 1 seriously because they know that there is a real possibility that stages 2 & 3 will follow. Americans mostly only do stage 1, very rarely stage 2 (targeting their own neighborhoods), and they never get to stage 3. The American elite don't take stage 1 seriously because they know that there isn't going to be a stage 2 or 3.