Kniall, sorry for the delay, I'm much slower than I would like to be.
Kniall said:
Courageous Inmate Sort said:
Some thoughts that have been on my mind:
Although these categories are just to try to understand what is going on, because I don't think it is possible to have precise boundaries here, it seems, in a very very broad way, that the protests were comprised of (i) peaceful demonstrators, part of which were following the Free Pass Movement and even those that don't usually had some kind of identifiable argument to their protest; (ii) vandals, some of which are violent against the police but in general destroy public and also private property and most of the time have their faces covered (some demonstrators also have they face covered, but it seems more prevalent among vandals and criminals); (iii) criminals, what distinguishes them is that they not only break stuff but also break in and steal from stores, they appeared on the scene of many demonstrations late at knight.
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The government forces always send in agents provocateurs who pretend to be against the police. Brazil will be no different.
Certainly. And as it seems, there are also agent provocateurs sent by other forces, or other facets of the same elite. I recently saw articles stating the involvement of George Soros by funding the Free Pass Movement by means of AVAAZ, MoveOn.org and Change.org. Further, the Free Pass Movement was created amidst the World Social Forum, which receives funding from the likes of Ford Foundation and was itself created with the participation of Brazil's Labour Party, currently governing the country. Add to that that the Free Pass Movement seems to have received money directly from the Brazilian Government and it seems like a case of 'manufactured dissent', as mentioned in this article on Sott: http://www.sott.net/article/258024-Manufacturing-dissent-The-anti-globalization-movement-is-funded-by-the-corporate-elites. As you pointed out below, the protests have grown from that and maybe now have a life of their own, even though I think continued influence from the money masters is to be expected.
Also, it seems that ex-president Luis Inácio Lula da Silva and the Labor Party marketeer had a heavy hand in the Government's decision of embracing the protests as democratic. The media reported that Lula also influenced the decision of São Paulo mayor Fernando Haddad to back down on the bus fare rise.
They don't understand that this isn't about the bus fare, just like the Turkish government doesn't understand that it isn't about the proposed mall in Gezi Park. This is about the survival of the ruling elites.
The Government has slightly broaden its stated understanding of the situation, as the recent move by Dilma Rouseff and the Ministry of Justice towards a political reform shows. But the reform still focus on minor adjustments to the current bureaucracy of the political proccess.
Nevertheless, the discourse by Government or Brazilian society at large has not yet reached - as far as I can see - the understanding that this is a movement against the ruling elites, even though there is some obvious influence from the Occupy movement, which has a clearer 99% x 1% motif.
The people have many dissatisfactions and demands, but I have a thought that the major 'push' is happening on the collective unconscious, if we can call it that. I believe it was discussed in the cognitive science threads that people don't usually know and can't explain why they are doing something. They do have their rationalizations, but they are unaware of the true reason. Perhaps the threshold has been reached unconsciously but has not yet fully surfaced to consciousness?
Surely there is a factor that through their wishfull thinking the elites are bringing it on themselves, such as we saw when there was police violence ('let's crush these people and be done with it') and then the protests grew exponentially. But still, the broadness of the protests in terms of cross-section of society and manifold reinvindications, as well as the interconnectedness and maybe feedback loop - in one month we had Turkey, Brazil and then the mega protest in Egypt - among the protests around the world bring to my mind this idea that much is working through the collective unconscious, osit.
Just as one example, I recently read this excerpt: "So what changed, other than an economic slowdown? Caio, one of the protesters on the Rio subway, said: "Not much. It's not that things got worse all of a sudden. It's just that many realize how screwed up they are. We come from centuries of social and economic inequality. And the fact that it was worse years ago is no consolation. Maybe before people didn't have the tools to do this. Or they were too busy working to make ends meet. Or they didn't think it would make a difference. Or they were scared. Now they think things can change."
It seems to me that this example is representative of what many protesters answer when questioned, in the sense that they don't actually know what has changed, why exactly they are there, or have many varied justifications, sometimes almost unrelated to each other. They just know, feel or perceive in some way that something is wrong and that they can now do something about it. This would tie in with your comment below about the limbic system, maybe even on a global scale, as people have information and imagery of protests around the world.
Given that Thursday, June 20, there were 1,2 million people protesting in 388 cities, it seems that a significant part of the people of Brazil are backing up the demonstrations. However, it seems that many disapprove, on many grounds: because they don't think it is fair to stop the traffic, because of the resulting violence, because they think the demonstrations are inefficient or, more importantly, because they think the demonstrations are attached to a left wing revolutionary ideology or because they think the demonstrations are attached to a right wing fascist ideology (this latter being covered on the link posted by SMM).
I think it's neither of those. It's just ordinary people who are fed up. But of course you will
hear a lot of noise because the minority of 'ideological people', the people who believe, invent and repeat propaganda (lies) are the loudest because they own the media and can make it seem as if 'most' are not on the side of the ordinary protesters. The sight and sound of millions of people shouting and marching in unison has an extraordinarily powerful and magnetic effect on the limbic systems of humans.
The psychopaths and their minions must say and do whatever it takes to prevent people from being swayed towards what they would naturally do - empathise with their fellow man.
[bold is mine]
Regarding this left wing x right wing problem, I find it very interesting that each side is pointing their fingers to the other. I don't know what is the truth in this debate but the rhetoric of both right and left wing is pointing towards a totalitarian regime (or, more correctly, overtly totalitarian regime).
Nah, it's the same side on the top doing the same old 'divide-and-conquer' routine.
Thanks for pointing this out. Although I've thought about the divide-and-conquer concept I was still trying to figure out who was right. Maybe a vice of thought (black or white thinking) or just being caught on the discourse of right wing/conservatives x left wing/liberals that appears on the web, as mainstream media doesn't even go that far.
I think my difficulty here was that my main source of alternative news in Brazil has been _www.midiasemmascara.org, which is considered right-wing/conservative but seems to do a reasonably good job of analyzing political events and actually pointing out many problems that the mainstream media tries to hide and the many cases of disinformation etc. I already knew and tried to be on my guard regarding their strong christian bias, but I usually conceded to their political analysis, which has actually been similar to what Sott has reported on some international issues (they are even aware of Political Ponerology).
However, when discussing the protests they took a very strong position against it, claiming the protests to be manufactured. So far, it is reasonable. The problem, which I could only pinpoint after your post, is that they are also thinking in black or white terms because they are opposing the people on the streets. Even though they recognize that the protests have expanded to all kinds of reinvindications and a broad cross-section of society, they still antagonize all the participants for being duped into an incredibly high level revolutionary communist maneuver.
And here is where what you said made all the difference, if one sees that the truth is that psychopaths and their minions are preventing people from empathizing with each other, then regardless of whether the trigger for the protests had the intention of 'manufacturing dissent', one should not oppose their fellow man. On the contrary, if one has empathy it is not possible to disregard the suffering of another. Even if he has been duped into going into the streets, now he is being shot in the head by the police.
What I mean is, even if their analysis is correct, they are not correct to antagonize all the people that went to the streets. By doing this they are only advancing a division between people, it becomes all about choosing a side and badmouthing the other, or worse. In the end, everyone of us loses because while we're trying to figure out who is right among us, they - the psychopaths in power and their authoritarian followers - reap the rewards of a population weakened by distrust and hate.
For what is worth, it was through _midiasemmascara.org that I learned of the São Paulo Forum, which I mentioned in this post: http://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,26315.msg315082.html#msg315082.
I must say that I became intrigued about this debate between political ideologies because I thought that if I could understand who does what, who controls whom etc. I would be able to see how the overreaching tentacles of the global elite are working in my country.
I think it is important that the mainstream media which originally was kind of divided but in most part against the protests were quick to embrace the protests as democratic, following or actually anticipating the Government's position. The mainstream media has repeated constantly that the protests are not of a political nature, which makes me wonder...
Not of a political nature?? There isn't anything more political in the whole wide world than millions of people taking to the streets! It is the only true political expression - millions of humans speaking with one voice. Don't listen to the mainstream media, it's job is to hypnotize you, or at least try to keep you hypnotized.
Just to clarify, I think they meant to say more in the sense of not being related to traditional political parties and institutions, but I completely agree with you. I don't usually watch mainstream media but I wanted to see what they were reporting to try to find clues, and they also had live feed video.
Well, I have almost no answers and many questions. We know it was not spontaneous because there was an organization behind the beginning of the protests, but why the sudden increase in numbers, why now? Has it been planned for a long time? Who is going to benefit from the protests?
Of course there was organization prior to the actual outbreak of protests, but revolutionary feeling has been brewing under all societies for many years now. Sometimes it has to be actively encouraged from above - especially when it doesn't exist at all, like in Libya in 2011 (the purpose there was to take out Gaddafi because he stood to gain most from North Africa falling out of American/NATO control) - but I'm pretty sure the Brazilian protests took off the way they did because a critical mass of discontent from below had been reached.
So, why now?
Why not! The rich get richer, the poor get poorer. Time for a revolution. Who is going to benefit? Time will tell I guess.
I would note that in Brazil the poor actually got less poor in the last decade and formed a new low-middle class and the old middle class got poorer. Maybe just a detail but I find it interesting because it seems both are on the streets.
Trying to think in a very broad manner about the general situation of the world - a one world government of psychopaths and authoritarians follower - and the very rapid "rise" of Brazil as an important player in the world stage, probably meaning being a more active chess piece in the hands of the Controllers, my guess is that things are going to get worse. In general my thought is that we are moving towards a more controlling State, with fewer liberties and more violence for those who try to oppose it. They have guns and we have none (gun control is very strict in Brazil). Now they have drones. And now they have an uproar in the streets, which is already giving cause to violence. But until now we saw very little real bullets, but maybe they will soon be the norm against protesters?
In this situation, the Powers That Be won't relinquish control without a fight. So there will be bloodshed, but it might not descend into complete chaos if normal people can see what's going on and take control of the situation locally.
[bold is mine]
I wonder how much normal people would need to see in terms of what's going on? I mean, they do have a perception of some kind that things are wrong and could be better, but most know nothing about psychopathy and even less about any possible cosmic connection. So, people could either learn of these things previously, by reading or being told, or actually learning them 'on the flesh' as the psychopaths go 'all out' in an attempt to retain control or even when the space rocks are raining down on their heads. It reminds me of something the Cs said about prior knowledge facilitating or reducing the pain of learning, even though everyone is going to learn eventually (sorry if I remembered it wrong).
Regarding taking control of the situation locally, that is interesting because it fits the profile of the protests, which are dispersed across hundreds and hundreds of cities. It would be a wonderful sight to see if local communities really took control of local politics, in the broadest sense of individuals taking care of each other, themselves and the environment in which they live.
But for that to happen I think that the security forces would have to side with the people instead of the government, which is likely to be a problem because it's the government that pays their salary and it is more likely than not that a whole bunch of security officers are actually authoritarian followers. The solution may be a cohesive mentality among the people to the point where security forces are cornered and have to back down, and then maybe they will side with the majority.
I've began to translate Life is Religion to Portuguese (one third done, more or less), maybe the knowledge contained therein will help the Brazilian people to be more human and disengage from psychopathic influences, thus increasing the chances of a better outcome? I'll post it in another thread.
Can it go in the other direction and all the requests of the protesters be fulfilled? No corruption, good education and health care for everyone? It does not seem likely unless the whole Brazilian Government (and all its branches) are rebuilt from the ground up, not to say having to diffuse the knowledge of psychopathy among the people so they can no longer re-infiltrate and take charge again.
No, not unless a military leader with a conscience comes to power, like a Chavez or a Gaddafi. But that's very doubtful because I'm sure they've learned by now to watch out for and deal with 'troublemakers' rising through the military ranks.
They will probably try to manage the situation like they did in Egypt: just nod and say yes to everything, then just do the same as they've always done; put someone in power they can control.
Well, it seems that former president Lula has really bent over to their control, I've read somewhere during his office term that 'bankers have never been happier with Brazil'. And Dilma Rousseff is following the same path, although she does not have his charisma and sometimes acts somewhat truculent in world politics.
The Brazilian military seems to have been purposefully and systematically weakened, as they had a history of causing trouble. So, probably not much of a chance of someone arising out of their ranks.
I really don't know what to think of Chavez. He seem to have done good to its people, but has also been involved with the FARCs and the Castro brothers.
All in all, maybe it is one more sign that the Cosmos is going to "clean house" and it is "knocking at the doors"?
I think we could see major upheaval in every country on the planet in the next year or two.
I wonder: if humanity cleans house 'down below', then maybe the cosmos won't have to 'up above'?...
Or maybe both happen in parallel, with one phenomenon being a reflection of the other?
Well, for humanity to clean house 'down below' by itself, I would assume that humanity would have to have knowledge of what is really going on, on many levels, to then be able to clean it all up. I think that would be fantastic but, and maybe I'm being too negative, it seems that ignorance of what is true is still a large problem within society. So, I would guess that humanity consciously cleaning the house 'down below' without some cosmic help is not the most likely outcome.
On the other hand, considering that humanity may be affected by what is going on in the cosmos, I think it is more likely that humanity could clean house 'down below' as a reflection of what is happening in the universe around us, even if that is done through the collective unconscious. Perhaps there will be upheavals literally all over the world and the masses will bring down the elite and maybe during this process they will consciously understand what they unconsciously already knew. Or maybe it will all happen mechanically, without ever being fully brought to consciousness.
Of course, all of this imho at this moment and certainly subject to revision.