He shouldn't be; civil disobedience, for a truly believed in cause, would be common in a society of Thoreau's creation. Or not so common: if he could've created the government, then there probably wouldn't be a need to holler about a government being too pushy or money hungry.
The government has far too much control over the public, as every person in America is subjected to suspicion and covert intelligence. To quote Josh Swensen, from Janet Tashjian�s �Vote for Larry,� "Since when is the ordinary citizen the enemy?" Healthcare must be approved and filed; each personal purchase is recorded, every sale, every gift, every cent. Yets imports and exports are not examined; food evades carrying the FDA seal of approval; this country is in a war that everyone mildly grumbles or forgets about. Besides covering America's eyes with a blindfold and double-checking every move made, the government is doing it with the people's money. Isn't that just a tiny bit ironic? Those politicians in DC can start a war, ignore education and the old, and essentially suck the country dry without so much as a murmur, and in fact with our ringing endorsement! Did you not SEE people shooting tons of TNT into the air without a backwards glance as to WHAT exactly should be celebrated? Independence? Not hardly; to quote Josh Swensen once more, "It used to be that when politicians sold the public down the river, it was behind closed doors. Now they're screwing us right before our eyes." Not to be on a soapbox - oh yeah, that particular purchase hasn't been reported to a local politician, I must get on that right away - but Thoreau stood up in outrage for a lot less than this. He refused to budge from his position about a war no matter who pushed, while American citizens today calmly walk in the direction pointed, not arguing about the war, the economy, or failing education!
True democracy as Thoreau would picture it would be actual democracy, instead of a country run by about a third of the population, all of which have closets full of suits and, oh, yeah, bribe money stuffed in their pockets; nice going on that one, America. Probably the ultimate torture for Thoreau would be to be forced to sit in front of a TV, watching the daily news as the newscaster carefully dodges what's happening in the White House and talks about the hair of some new celebrity or some new diet fad, his eyes following the small ticker tape at the bottom that testifies to the falling state of the country.
Look at the FDA, the CIA, the FBI, trading regulations, and past legislation. Most people haven't heard of most of the acronyms running the country from the back seat, and are lucky to know what CNN or ABC stands for. Thoreau would not be watching TV, like us patrons of entertainment, who don't realize that we Americans have always gotten the best shot at Democracy and are now squandering it. He would be protesting in front of billion-dollar corporations, blocking the highway by riding a slow bike (all the while waving the annoyed commuters) and making suspicious-sounding phone calls to annoy the enforcers of the Patriot Act, laughing all the while at those who would see his stunts on TV between bank and fast-food commercials. Even something so necessary as education has become just a bickering point to politicians: to be used to look good when in danger of criticism and to be tossed aside when those in power deal with the "more important things" such as lobbyists, oil, and the wealthiest 1% of America's population, which, funnily enough, seem to be all the same people... The government has decided to go to war for the wrong reasons, under the guise of democracy, while the high majority of us who don't support it sit back and wait to do something until it crashes and burns instead of before it is too late. The government calls itself democracy, but as Thoreau would probably point out, it only serves itself to the disadvantage of the American people. Josh: "I'm sorry, but have you guys forgotten who elected you? ...You work for us, remember?"
Article by: Rachel |
