Forum Post: Respond to wrong thinking.
Posted 12 years ago on Oct. 24, 2011, 1:57 p.m. EST by DKAtoday
(33802)
from Coon Rapids, MN
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
JonFromSLC (West Valley City, UT) 1 points 15 hours ago
Until there is no power, no food, no water, no sanitation, no Jersey Shore, no X-factor, and no football... we aren't in distress. reply permalink ↥ ↧ DKAtoday 1 points 0 seconds ago
Seriously? Where have you been? Or should I ask how comfortably well off are you (employment and financially )? Everyone out there please fly a flag upside down. We have people living in the streets and more joining them all the time. I don't think that they consider this a viable lifestyle choice. Fly the flag upside down - We need all of the visible reminders and messages to the rest of our population who don't have internet access. This is a time of crises and we need to band together to resolve it.
Um, I'm not sure if the above was sarcastic or not, but consider the following questions:
1) Do you get enough to eat such that you are not starving? 2) Is it possible for you to find reasonably secure shelter if you choose to seek it out? 3) Do you have access to clean water? 4) Are you allowed to express your opinion without seriously risking loss of life?
My personal knowledge of history tells me that at this moment in time, in most western capitalist or social capitalist countries, the PROPORTION of people who can answer yes to all 4 of those questions over the last 50 years is higher than at any other time in recorded history in any other society. This is not in any way meant to disclaim the notion that there is too great a degree of inequality in our society, nor that there are millions of people in our country who cannot answer yes to all four of those questions. Every society, especially ours, has a duty to improve itself with each generation, but engaging in hyperbole about the extent to which our current society is evil is counterproductive to effective change. The financial elite is corrupt and overconcerned with their personal welfare with respect to the larger needs of our society, and too many people are hungry and bereft of opportunity. That realistic claim should be enough to effect constructive change because it resonates as true with the vast majority of people. Going beyond that satisfies your ideological agenda, whatever it may be, but alienates the vast majority of people who would otherwise ally with you. Wrong thinking indeed.
Meaning what exactly? Do you or do you not agree that this country is in distress? If you do agree do you feel it to be correct or incorrect to display our belief by hanging the flag upside down to signal our belief to any and all who can see it?