First, there's a blog entry (about 250 words)which will have you respond to a hopefully thought-provoking question.
Second, there's a reading. There’s no blog entry associated with this. Just read.
Third, there's a written response to the reading. Your reading and writing on the blog must be completed by the Friday (by midnight) of the week in which the reading falls.This entry should be a long paragraph.
Monday, October 29, 2012
WEEK EIGHT WRITING ABOUT WHAT YOU READ
Why does this sort of protesting happen in Europe so much more than in the U.S.?
I feel that this sort of protesting happens in Europe so much more than in the U.S. because people are much more tired of the government in Europe. While there are some people who are tired with the government in the U.S. I feel that people trust the government a bit more than in Europe. People want to believe that their government is doing the best that it can to try to help with the recession and I am thinking that maybe more people in the U.S. have that faith unlike the people in Europe. In my opinion I feel that our government is great although they may have made some mistakes in the past and may still be making mistakes, but running an entire country sounds hard. I feel that people in Europe probably don't like the way the government is run and they are fighting for change just as the U.S. fought with Great Britain because they didn't like or agree with the government. This is just my opinion I am truly not sure why it happens more often in Europe than in the U.S.
The sort of protesting that happens in Europe versus in the U.S. is partly because the citizens have grown tired of being repressed. Political, charismatic leaders promise the people revolutionary social change, socioeconomic equality, homeland security and essentially a better life but they just become promises that would never be realized. The political system in the U.S. gives the people the option to impeach politicians that the people become unhappy with. In Europe is seems that the citizens can only get close enough to the Parliament and yell "Get out!, Get out! They don't represent us! Fire them!" The U.S. does not repress citizens in a way of government owning the people's livelihood. The U.S. gives citizens the right to vote for representatives that would represent the people. All though Americans do tend to disagree with some decisions made by our politicians, they also know that those candidates can be impeached or simply will not be re-elected on the next elections.
Some of the reason behind why there are more protests in Europe in comparison to the US can be attributed to the type of government these follow. Europeans feel trapped by their government and know that if they protest things can change. The citizens of these countries become frustrated with the imposition of high tax increases without having a voice or opinion in what they decide. They must fight back their government in order to be able to change their economic situation. In the US, however, the government knows that they will not be able to do this type of movements as the citizens will be able to remove them from office once their term is up. Also, citizens in the US can rely on their democratic form of government in comparison to a Parliamentary form of government in which the leaders choose themselves than the people. Overall, the US citizens enjoy many more freedoms than European citizens.
A possible reason why such strong protesting happens in countries such as Europe rather than in the United States is because of their different types of government. Specifically Spain's government is a constitutional monarchy. This type of government greatly differs from ours in the U.S. In Spain the state is ruled by an individual who inherits the throne by birth and rules for life or until they renounce their position in office. One of the duties as the King of Spain is to nominate a candidate for the presidency. The candidate then is put through a indirect election and chosen by Congressional delegates. My knowledge of other countries government is very limited. So I decided to take this opportunity to take a closer look. It seems as though, the citizens of Spain do not have a say in the choice of their leader. Spain's way of governing makes that clear, and therefore the citizens have to fight harder to be heard. In the United States, we are left to believe that our vote matters and the power of our vote changes our country. Therefore many American's may not feel the need to protest in such a way that the Spaniards do.
The reason for the outbreaks and numerous protests in Europe could be due to the political foundation there. The government from Europe is different compared to the government in the united states. In the United States, the government does try to help their people as much as possible, unlike in Europe there is not much assistance for those in need. As the story gave a little background on an elder lady who her nieces and nephews lost their jobs recently, those people do not want that to happen to them. They want their jobs and pay taxes so they believe they deserve their rights. Also, here in the United states, we supposedly have freedom of speech. But how much of that is true? Sure we can give our opinion, but if riots break out due to beliefs, people end up being punished badly. So, there is a slight fear installed in the United States oppose to other countries who always lived badly so if they can argue a point, get it across, and get punished for it, they know it was worth it. There could be a variety of reasons why there is protest in Europe much greater than in the United States, like poverty and much more, but in the end they can just have more courage than us.
I am not sure why that type of protesting happens more in Europe than it does in the U.S. Maybe it s has to do with the type of culture each country has. In our culture protesting is effective, but we know that other forms of raising concern are a lot more effective. Europeans might feel that this is the only way that their leaders will pay any attention to them. The main reason why I think that we don’t protest as much here in the U.S. is because we know that if we do not like what our leaders are doing we have the right to take them out of office in the next election. This is a lot more effective than going out and protesting.
Honestly, I am not sure why protesting happens more in Europe than in the United States. I read a few of the above comments to get some ideas. I agree with the above entry that talks about cultural differences between European countries and the United States. Another thought I had was that maybe because government systems are older and could possibly still hold standards and traditions that are outdated and are clearly not working with society today. From the start of this country government has always pushed that it is a government "for the people, by the people." In my opinion, we take this idea and assume we do have control and can change it if we really wanted to through elections and such. Our election system is set up so that change at the capital is happening every 2 years (I think) so people wait until elections to make their opinions know. Like I said at the beginning I really don't have a definitive reason why but these are some of my speculations.
I think there’s far more protesting in Europe because there’s much more division within the people. In the US, we have our issues within our country, but most of us stand, relatively, on the same side of the fence. In places all over the world, including Europe, there is much more extremism and division within the people. Europe is very ethnically and religiously diverse, but in many places, people are forced to conceal their views from the general public, and when people have had enough they protest. Here in the US, we don’t have any, land-locked, neighboring countries, with the exceptions of Canada and Mexico. In Europe there are several countries all jumbled together, and it’s like taking 100 different people from all different walks of life and locking them in a small room together for a week. Sooner or later there’s going to be problems. Many of the governments running the countries where there are more protests don’t treat the people as they feel they should be treated. Over the years, we have had several protests in the US, some bigger than others, but I think our country and people operate in such a way that minimizes this type of conflict.
Sometimes it is good just to wonder on paper. I like these wonderings. It seems like we turn our frustration to apathy while Europe turns its frustration to anger.
It is my opinion that Spain, as well as the rest of Europe, protest much more than the United States simply because it is in their culture to do so. If you look back into history, you'll find that the Europeans have protested in nearly every century, and I believe that is has continued because it gets changes. If it doesn't bring change, then what it has done is brought attention to the subject for the world to see. Politicians typically do not like that. I also feel that we, as Americans, don't protest because we have the sense and idea that nothing will change. Then, because of this, we lose our urge to protest again on something else. If you take the "Occupy" movement, the media simply looked at this as some new cool thing that lots of people are doing, but if you look at the overall outcome....not much changed. I feel that we do not protest as much as the Europeans do simply because we do not "know how to protest". If you take any protest that has in Spain or France, for example, and compare the two - I believe that you will see a vast difference. I feel that if we learned how to really protest here, more things might change when we want them to. But instead, we (myself included) normally just sit back and say "OH well I hope that they fix this" whereas Europeans go out on the street and raise hell for everyone to see and hear.
The protests could be a result of government issues. Since Spain is a constitutional monarchy, many people have had issues with this type of government. What sounds better: being ruled by someone who is born into power or having the right to decide who you want to vote for? In many cases this can make some people revolt and demand change in government because they grow tired of being ruled over. We have the right to determine who we want to run our country. In the U.S. we have many rights and freedoms whereas people of other countries do not have the benefits that we do. In Europe, financial assistance is very limited whereas here in the states, it is easy to obtain. Another factor could be that in Europe, the people might have their own divided set whereas in the states, it’s united we stand, united we fall. People in Europe might be divided amongst each other. Europe is filled with many diverse people with different political and religious views. In some places, people have to hide their views because it goes against what the government wants them to believe. After years of silence, the people one day revolt and want change. I think in the states, when we are faced with a problem, we rely on the government to fix it for us and hope for the better.
It is complicated to understand why American’s don’t involve themselves in politics same as the Europeans’. Many might argue that we don’t have the same problems as the Europeans, but I disagree; our financial and political issues are no different than the Europeans. Couple of years ago we had the same real estate market dilemmas as the Europeans. Many people lost their jobs and homes, and I remember seeing numerous homes were either for sale or were foreclosed in my neighborhoods, and that real estate market destruction destroyed many families and led people towards bankruptcies’, but as citizens we failed to take any action. Right now the gas price is extremely high and just to make ends meet many people are working two jobs, so I feel we are at no different financial stage than the Europeans. I think the reasons American citizens don’t involve themselves in protests so much is because comparing to the Europeans, Americans stay very busy so they don’t have much time to think about politics, secondly our way of thinking differs from the Europeans’. If we are in a crisis, there are always some kinds of options available so instead of fixing the problem, we reach for the easy solution. Lastly I would have to commend our government system because there is no other country in the world welcomes democracy as the American government does, so we do have a little more faith in our government than the Europeans.
I do not know much about government in the US, which means I would know much less about European government. What I do know is that both governments are not the same. That being the case, I would assume that there are more protests in Europe than in the US because people in Europe are not happy with the way their government runs. I know that there are Americans who are not happy as well, but I think that we are more tolerant of the issues that occur in our country. Also, it does not benefit anyone to make riots and exaggerated protests. I am also thinking that the issues that our country has are tolerable and are more easy to deal with than what the Europeans have to deal with. It is all about the situation everyone is in.
I think that this sort of protesting happens in Europe much more than in the US, because Europe seems more out spoken and together in numbers than we are today. I think it has a lot to do with culture, and I think the US tries to minimize those things as quickly as possible when they happen here. However, I do think that people fear getting arrested here, or they do not give the time to even bother with those sorts of issues. I do not think people come together like they use to. Have you seen protestors here? I mean have you seen any lately? There is hardly enough people to make a difference or even create attention to make a difference. I remember recently when the colleges wanted to come together to protest against increasing tuitions. Most of us saw what happened at UC Davis. The cops pepper sprayed the little crowd that was there. During that time, CSUB had like 10 people at the most protesting. I think they gave up quickly that same day. It just seems that the US likes to deal with things differently. Protesting is and should not be violent. However, in most scenarios it seems to get violent no matter where it is.
The main reason protests like this happen in Europe is the fact that they have different views on government. They feel that government should take care of you in every way from cradle to grave. They want all kinds of free stuff and don’t want to pay higher taxes. As a result, the budgets are unbalanced and the government ends up spending itself into bankruptcy. When the government discovers it can’t afford to pay for all these benefits, they drop some and people riot as a result. So I guess I’m saying that the riots happen because the people are stupid and have unrealistic expectations for their government.
It is hard to say exactly why these protests happen more often in Europe than in America. One reason could be the numerous different types of government practiced in Europe. Spain, for example, uses a constitutional monarchy; this means that one person rules the government until they die or step down from the throne. The monarch then chooses a candidate for president and Congress then decides the president. It seems as though the people of Spain have no control of their government which, as history has shown us, leads to civil unrest. In the United Sates, we have a right to remove people from office who are not working toward the best interest for our country. Spain, on the other hand, seems to have no right to change their government if it is not working for the people. When people feel they have no power over their lives they tend to lash out, which could lead to violent protests. Also, as citizens of the United States we have a right to peacefully protest without the fear of being jailed; if that protest escalated to violence then we can get into trouble. In the United States the views of citizens are represented in government by how we vote and state senators; they are there to express the overall views of the people of their state. Because a monarch is the one picking political candidates, I can imagine the people of Spain feel powerless. I know I would feel like my voice wasn’t being heard if I lived under a constitutional monarchy.
I think that these types of protest happen much more in Europe than in the U.S. because of the different types of governments, cultures, and expectations of people. In other countries people look to the government to do everything in their life for them. They have to live by the rule of the government in order to get by, but in the U.S. we do not have to live like that. We pay outrageous amounts of taxes and other fees just so we can "feel" independent. Our government still runs of lives, but they do it at a much farther range than other countries. These expectations of government care can lead people to rely so much on government that when there is a slight fall in the income of a nation, or a slight change in how things are done, there are dramatic affects that will occur. These changes will cause riots, which will lead to a change one way or another.
I’m not to sure exactly why this sort of protesting tends to occur so much more in Europe than in the U.S. But, if I was to take a wild guess it would be that the people are finally taking a stand and do not want to be apart of a parliamentary system. It could be that the people in Europe are tired of this system and want to change it. Seeing, as not much tends to change even after voting. They decided to matters into their own hands and fight for the power of the people, through protest. The people want to be heard and their is not better way to do so, but to protest. They probably have seen how most protest in the U.S. have been successful and they wanted to try it. The U.S. doesn’t really protest as much any more because, we are use to change. Also, the recession in Spain may be worse compared to the U.S. I’m not to sure as to why this kind of protest occurs in Europe more than the U.S.
I feel like these types of protest happen in Europe and even other countries, because they have been repressed for so long. They are tired of it and feel this is the only way they can get out how they feel. It seems as they have no say or choice in the matter of taxes being increased or even decreased for that matter. They are pretty much just told what is going to happen, rather than being able to vote on a situation. In the US although things are rough with our economy as well, we have more of a choice in what is being done. We get to vote in a few days and then things may change because of how the votes are swayed. There has also been protests in the US as well, such as Occupy Wall Street which happened recently. I think any country is going to protest at some time in there existence if the government isn't doing what is right or helpful for its citizens. European countries as well as others just run under a different type of government that has much more control, and this can just call for protesting because people get sick of it. But as I said before it also happens in democratic countries.
European countries are, in comparison to the United States, much smaller geographically and economically. The US has the largest economy in the world, with Germany being the closest European country at number 5. And still the United States GDP is 3 times that of Germany. Aside from that here in California we have the tenth largest economy in the world. I don't think any other countries in the world has the resources we have here in the US. We are the second largest exporter of oil, and I read recently that we are probably going to be number 1 soon, passing up Saudi Arabia. I think Europe is probably prone to these protests because they lack the resources and stability we have in the United States.
I think that the types of protests that happen in Europe don't happen in America because we elect people do fight for us. Each state has districts with Mayors and a Governor for each state; those people are supposed to be our mouthpieces to higher officials. Since we have those people, we don't have to go out and riot in the streets and get violent. When people do rally together here, we also tend to follow certain rules set by our law enforcement. I think we do that because we have a certain level of respect for law enforcement, and law enforcement has a better way of dealing with rowdy rioters other than beating them. Europe doesn't seem to have the same mouthpieces we do for their government and they don't seem to respect the police officers as we do here.
I believe that the European people protest more compared to the United States is because their government is quite different than ours. I do not think that European people are able to vote as we do for what we favor. Also, European people are known to protest when they do not agree with their governments decisions. Also, I am assuming that people in Europe are not punished for causing violent protests because in the United States such a protest would have legal action take place immediately. I also believe that the people think that they have been pushed around for so many years that it is time to take a stand. I do not thing they like taking part in violent protests, however, they may feel as if that is the only way to get their point across. Many people in the United States do not feel as strongly as European people do when it comes to disagreeing with government. There are many people that do not like some of the things the government does, but it is not to the point where people will start protests over.
I think a main reason this type of protesting happens because of the governmental system in place. The type of government in Europe is very different from the government in the U.S. For example, Spain has a monarchy system in place. This means that the people do not have the opportunity to choose who they want to make the important decisions on their behalf. They are stuck with whoever is on the throne and have to live with the decisions they make. The only way to bring awareness about important issues to the people of Spain is to protest. That is the only way to get the attention of those in power. This type of government usually leads to the repression of the people being ruled by the monarchy. I think the fact that the people are tired of being repressed also contributes to why the protests happen in Europe. In the U.S., we are able to voice our options and vote on issues of importance. Countries in Europe usually have to abide by the rules and regulations put into place by the monarchy. Protesting is the only way to show the monarchy that the wellbeing of the people is what is important, without the people the monarchy would not have a country to rule.
My personal opinion on why the United States has less protesting than Europe is due to the people of the United States is intolerant of such acts. Many protests often end in violent dismay and for security of the “people” protests are often broken up or largely discouraged. As well as other countries, Europe’s lack of representation in the government does seem to have a huge influence on the trigger of protests. But I also believe that Americans are treated better than any other people in the world. And whether we agree with our chosen representations in Washington or not, we have our own voted legislation representing us and listening to us and out demands. (I'm not saying that they do there job well, but that is their job and purpose)This allows us to be happier people and restrain from the protests. We can speak freely about our concerns or worries without having to be concerned for the backlash those others will receive. Our leaders and law enforcement agencies do not want the country is disarray and will try to diffuse the situation without serious conflict. I believe Americans have the power to make a difference and changes as needed. Therefore we do not feel the need to protest as often or as violently as other countries.
I feel that this sort of protesting happens in Europe so much more than in the U.S. because people are much more tired of the government in Europe. While there are some people who are tired with the government in the U.S. I feel that people trust the government a bit more than in Europe. People want to believe that their government is doing the best that it can to try to help with the recession and I am thinking that maybe more people in the U.S. have that faith unlike the people in Europe. In my opinion I feel that our government is great although they may have made some mistakes in the past and may still be making mistakes, but running an entire country sounds hard. I feel that people in Europe probably don't like the way the government is run and they are fighting for change just as the U.S. fought with Great Britain because they didn't like or agree with the government. This is just my opinion I am truly not sure why it happens more often in Europe than in the U.S.
ReplyDeleteThe sort of protesting that happens in Europe versus in the U.S. is partly because the citizens have grown tired of being repressed. Political, charismatic leaders promise the people revolutionary social change, socioeconomic equality, homeland security and essentially a better life but they just become promises that would never be realized. The political system in the U.S. gives the people the option to impeach politicians that the people become unhappy with. In Europe is seems that the citizens can only get close enough to the Parliament and yell "Get out!, Get out! They don't represent us! Fire them!" The U.S. does not repress citizens in a way of government owning the people's livelihood. The U.S. gives citizens the right to vote for representatives that would represent the people. All though Americans do tend to disagree with some decisions made by our politicians, they also know that those candidates can be impeached or simply will not be re-elected on the next elections.
ReplyDeleteSome of the reason behind why there are more protests in Europe in comparison to the US can be attributed to the type of government these follow. Europeans feel trapped by their government and know that if they protest things can change. The citizens of these countries become frustrated with the imposition of high tax increases without having a voice or opinion in what they decide. They must fight back their government in order to be able to change their economic situation. In the US, however, the government knows that they will not be able to do this type of movements as the citizens will be able to remove them from office once their term is up. Also, citizens in the US can rely on their democratic form of government in comparison to a Parliamentary form of government in which the leaders choose themselves than the people. Overall, the US citizens enjoy many more freedoms than European citizens.
ReplyDeleteA possible reason why such strong protesting happens in countries such as Europe rather than in the United States is because of their different types of government. Specifically Spain's government is a constitutional monarchy. This type of government greatly differs from ours in the U.S. In Spain the state is ruled by an individual who inherits the throne by birth and rules for life or until they renounce their position in office. One of the duties as the King of Spain is to nominate a candidate for the presidency. The candidate then is put through a indirect election and chosen by Congressional delegates. My knowledge of other countries government is very limited. So I decided to take this opportunity to take a closer look. It seems as though, the citizens of Spain do not have a say in the choice of their leader. Spain's way of governing makes that clear, and therefore the citizens have to fight harder to be heard. In the United States, we are left to believe that our vote matters and the power of our vote changes our country. Therefore many American's may not feel the need to protest in such a way that the Spaniards do.
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ReplyDeleteThe reason for the outbreaks and numerous protests in Europe could be due to the political foundation there. The government from Europe is different compared to the government in the united states. In the United States, the government does try to help their people as much as possible, unlike in Europe there is not much assistance for those in need. As the story gave a little background on an elder lady who her nieces and nephews lost their jobs recently, those people do not want that to happen to them. They want their jobs and pay taxes so they believe they deserve their rights. Also, here in the United states, we supposedly have freedom of speech. But how much of that is true? Sure we can give our opinion, but if riots break out due to beliefs, people end up being punished badly. So, there is a slight fear installed in the United States oppose to other countries who always lived badly so if they can argue a point, get it across, and get punished for it, they know it was worth it. There could be a variety of reasons why there is protest in Europe much greater than in the United States, like poverty and much more, but in the end they can just have more courage than us.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure why that type of protesting happens more in Europe than it does in the U.S. Maybe it s has to do with the type of culture each country has. In our culture protesting is effective, but we know that other forms of raising concern are a lot more effective. Europeans might feel that this is the only way that their leaders will pay any attention to them. The main reason why I think that we don’t protest as much here in the U.S. is because we know that if we do not like what our leaders are doing we have the right to take them out of office in the next election. This is a lot more effective than going out and protesting.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I am not sure why protesting happens more in Europe than in the United States. I read a few of the above comments to get some ideas. I agree with the above entry that talks about cultural differences between European countries and the United States. Another thought I had was that maybe because government systems are older and could possibly still hold standards and traditions that are outdated and are clearly not working with society today. From the start of this country government has always pushed that it is a government "for the people, by the people." In my opinion, we take this idea and assume we do have control and can change it if we really wanted to through elections and such. Our election system is set up so that change at the capital is happening every 2 years (I think) so people wait until elections to make their opinions know. Like I said at the beginning I really don't have a definitive reason why but these are some of my speculations.
ReplyDeleteI think there’s far more protesting in Europe because there’s much more division within the people. In the US, we have our issues within our country, but most of us stand, relatively, on the same side of the fence. In places all over the world, including Europe, there is much more extremism and division within the people. Europe is very ethnically and religiously diverse, but in many places, people are forced to conceal their views from the general public, and when people have had enough they protest. Here in the US, we don’t have any, land-locked, neighboring countries, with the exceptions of Canada and Mexico. In Europe there are several countries all jumbled together, and it’s like taking 100 different people from all different walks of life and locking them in a small room together for a week. Sooner or later there’s going to be problems. Many of the governments running the countries where there are more protests don’t treat the people as they feel they should be treated. Over the years, we have had several protests in the US, some bigger than others, but I think our country and people operate in such a way that minimizes this type of conflict.
ReplyDeleteSometimes it is good just to wonder on paper. I like these wonderings. It seems like we turn our frustration to apathy while Europe turns its frustration to anger.
ReplyDeleteIt is my opinion that Spain, as well as the rest of Europe, protest much more than the United States simply because it is in their culture to do so. If you look back into history, you'll find that the Europeans have protested in nearly every century, and I believe that is has continued because it gets changes. If it doesn't bring change, then what it has done is brought attention to the subject for the world to see. Politicians typically do not like that. I also feel that we, as Americans, don't protest because we have the sense and idea that nothing will change. Then, because of this, we lose our urge to protest again on something else. If you take the "Occupy" movement, the media simply looked at this as some new cool thing that lots of people are doing, but if you look at the overall outcome....not much changed. I feel that we do not protest as much as the Europeans do simply because we do not "know how to protest". If you take any protest that has in Spain or France, for example, and compare the two - I believe that you will see a vast difference.
ReplyDeleteI feel that if we learned how to really protest here, more things might change when we want them to. But instead, we (myself included) normally just sit back and say "OH well I hope that they fix this" whereas Europeans go out on the street and raise hell for everyone to see and hear.
The protests could be a result of government issues. Since Spain is a constitutional monarchy, many people have had issues with this type of government. What sounds better: being ruled by someone who is born into power or having the right to decide who you want to vote for? In many cases this can make some people revolt and demand change in government because they grow tired of being ruled over. We have the right to determine who we want to run our country. In the U.S. we have many rights and freedoms whereas people of other countries do not have the benefits that we do. In Europe, financial assistance is very limited whereas here in the states, it is easy to obtain. Another factor could be that in Europe, the people might have their own divided set whereas in the states, it’s united we stand, united we fall. People in Europe might be divided amongst each other. Europe is filled with many diverse people with different political and religious views. In some places, people have to hide their views because it goes against what the government wants them to believe. After years of silence, the people one day revolt and want change. I think in the states, when we are faced with a problem, we rely on the government to fix it for us and hope for the better.
ReplyDeleteIt is complicated to understand why American’s don’t involve themselves in politics same as the Europeans’. Many might argue that we don’t have the same problems as the Europeans, but I disagree; our financial and political issues are no different than the Europeans. Couple of years ago we had the same real estate market dilemmas as the Europeans. Many people lost their jobs and homes, and I remember seeing numerous homes were either for sale or were foreclosed in my neighborhoods, and that real estate market destruction destroyed many families and led people towards bankruptcies’, but as citizens we failed to take any action. Right now the gas price is extremely high and just to make ends meet many people are working two jobs, so I feel we are at no different financial stage than the Europeans. I think the reasons American citizens don’t involve themselves in protests so much is because comparing to the Europeans, Americans stay very busy so they don’t have much time to think about politics, secondly our way of thinking differs from the Europeans’. If we are in a crisis, there are always some kinds of options available so instead of fixing the problem, we reach for the easy solution. Lastly I would have to commend our government system because there is no other country in the world welcomes democracy as the American government does, so we do have a little more faith in our government than the Europeans.
ReplyDeleteI do not know much about government in the US, which means I would know much less about European government. What I do know is that both governments are not the same. That being the case, I would assume that there are more protests in Europe than in the US because people in Europe are not happy with the way their government runs. I know that there are Americans who are not happy as well, but I think that we are more tolerant of the issues that occur in our country. Also, it does not benefit anyone to make riots and exaggerated protests. I am also thinking that the issues that our country has are tolerable and are more easy to deal with than what the Europeans have to deal with. It is all about the situation everyone is in.
ReplyDeleteI think that this sort of protesting happens in Europe much more than in the US, because Europe seems more out spoken and together in numbers than we are today. I think it has a lot to do with culture, and I think the US tries to minimize those things as quickly as possible when they happen here. However, I do think that people fear getting arrested here, or they do not give the time to even bother with those sorts of issues. I do not think people come together like they use to. Have you seen protestors here? I mean have you seen any lately? There is hardly enough people to make a difference or even create attention to make a difference. I remember recently when the colleges wanted to come together to protest against increasing tuitions. Most of us saw what happened at UC Davis. The cops pepper sprayed the little crowd that was there. During that time, CSUB had like 10 people at the most protesting. I think they gave up quickly that same day. It just seems that the US likes to deal with things differently. Protesting is and should not be violent. However, in most scenarios it seems to get violent no matter where it is.
ReplyDeleteThe main reason protests like this happen in Europe is the fact that they have different views on government. They feel that government should take care of you in every way from cradle to grave. They want all kinds of free stuff and don’t want to pay higher taxes. As a result, the budgets are unbalanced and the government ends up spending itself into bankruptcy. When the government discovers it can’t afford to pay for all these benefits, they drop some and people riot as a result. So I guess I’m saying that the riots happen because the people are stupid and have unrealistic expectations for their government.
ReplyDeleteIt is hard to say exactly why these protests happen more often in Europe than in America. One reason could be the numerous different types of government practiced in Europe. Spain, for example, uses a constitutional monarchy; this means that one person rules the government until they die or step down from the throne. The monarch then chooses a candidate for president and Congress then decides the president. It seems as though the people of Spain have no control of their government which, as history has shown us, leads to civil unrest. In the United Sates, we have a right to remove people from office who are not working toward the best interest for our country. Spain, on the other hand, seems to have no right to change their government if it is not working for the people. When people feel they have no power over their lives they tend to lash out, which could lead to violent protests. Also, as citizens of the United States we have a right to peacefully protest without the fear of being jailed; if that protest escalated to violence then we can get into trouble. In the United States the views of citizens are represented in government by how we vote and state senators; they are there to express the overall views of the people of their state. Because a monarch is the one picking political candidates, I can imagine the people of Spain feel powerless. I know I would feel like my voice wasn’t being heard if I lived under a constitutional monarchy.
ReplyDeleteI think that these types of protest happen much more in Europe than in the U.S. because of the different types of governments, cultures, and expectations of people. In other countries people look to the government to do everything in their life for them. They have to live by the rule of the government in order to get by, but in the U.S. we do not have to live like that. We pay outrageous amounts of taxes and other fees just so we can "feel" independent. Our government still runs of lives, but they do it at a much farther range than other countries. These expectations of government care can lead people to rely so much on government that when there is a slight fall in the income of a nation, or a slight change in how things are done, there are dramatic affects that will occur. These changes will cause riots, which will lead to a change one way or another.
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ReplyDeleteI’m not to sure exactly why this sort of protesting tends to occur so much more in Europe than in the U.S. But, if I was to take a wild guess it would be that the people are finally taking a stand and do not want to be apart of a parliamentary system. It could be that the people in Europe are tired of this system and want to change it. Seeing, as not much tends to change even after voting. They decided to matters into their own hands and fight for the power of the people, through protest. The people want to be heard and their is not better way to do so, but to protest. They probably have seen how most protest in the U.S. have been successful and they wanted to try it. The U.S. doesn’t really protest as much any more because, we are use to change. Also, the recession in Spain may be worse compared to the U.S. I’m not to sure as to why this kind of protest occurs in Europe more than the U.S.
I feel like these types of protest happen in Europe and even other countries, because they have been repressed for so long. They are tired of it and feel this is the only way they can get out how they feel. It seems as they have no say or choice in the matter of taxes being increased or even decreased for that matter. They are pretty much just told what is going to happen, rather than being able to vote on a situation. In the US although things are rough with our economy as well, we have more of a choice in what is being done. We get to vote in a few days and then things may change because of how the votes are swayed. There has also been protests in the US as well, such as Occupy Wall Street which happened recently. I think any country is going to protest at some time in there existence if the government isn't doing what is right or helpful for its citizens. European countries as well as others just run under a different type of government that has much more control, and this can just call for protesting because people get sick of it. But as I said before it also happens in democratic countries.
ReplyDeleteEuropean countries are, in comparison to the United States, much smaller geographically and economically. The US has the largest economy in the world, with Germany being the closest European country at number 5. And still the United States GDP is 3 times that of Germany. Aside from that here in California we have the tenth largest economy in the world. I don't think any other countries in the world has the resources we have here in the US. We are the second largest exporter of oil, and I read recently that we are probably going to be number 1 soon, passing up Saudi Arabia. I think Europe is probably prone to these protests because they lack the resources and stability we have in the United States.
ReplyDeleteI think that the types of protests that happen in Europe don't happen in America because we elect people do fight for us. Each state has districts with Mayors and a Governor for each state; those people are supposed to be our mouthpieces to higher officials. Since we have those people, we don't have to go out and riot in the streets and get violent.
ReplyDeleteWhen people do rally together here, we also tend to follow certain rules set by our law enforcement. I think we do that because we have a certain level of respect for law enforcement, and law enforcement has a better way of dealing with rowdy rioters other than beating them. Europe doesn't seem to have the same mouthpieces we do for their government and they don't seem to respect the police officers as we do here.
I believe that the European people protest more compared to the United States is because their government is quite different than ours. I do not think that European people are able to vote as we do for what we favor. Also, European people are known to protest when they do not agree with their governments decisions. Also, I am assuming that people in Europe are not punished for causing violent protests because in the United States such a protest would have legal action take place immediately. I also believe that the people think that they have been pushed around for so many years that it is time to take a stand. I do not thing they like taking part in violent protests, however, they may feel as if that is the only way to get their point across. Many people in the United States do not feel as strongly as European people do when it comes to disagreeing with government. There are many people that do not like some of the things the government does, but it is not to the point where people will start protests over.
ReplyDeleteI think a main reason this type of protesting happens because of the governmental system in place. The type of government in Europe is very different from the government in the U.S. For example, Spain has a monarchy system in place. This means that the people do not have the opportunity to choose who they want to make the important decisions on their behalf. They are stuck with whoever is on the throne and have to live with the decisions they make. The only way to bring awareness about important issues to the people of Spain is to protest. That is the only way to get the attention of those in power. This type of government usually leads to the repression of the people being ruled by the monarchy. I think the fact that the people are tired of being repressed also contributes to why the protests happen in Europe. In the U.S., we are able to voice our options and vote on issues of importance. Countries in Europe usually have to abide by the rules and regulations put into place by the monarchy. Protesting is the only way to show the monarchy that the wellbeing of the people is what is important, without the people the monarchy would not have a country to rule.
ReplyDeleteMy personal opinion on why the United States has less protesting than Europe is due to the people of the United States is intolerant of such acts. Many protests often end in violent dismay and for security of the “people” protests are often broken up or largely discouraged. As well as other countries, Europe’s lack of representation in the government does seem to have a huge influence on the trigger of protests. But I also believe that Americans are treated better than any other people in the world. And whether we agree with our chosen representations in Washington or not, we have our own voted legislation representing us and listening to us and out demands. (I'm not saying that they do there job well, but that is their job and purpose)This allows us to be happier people and restrain from the protests. We can speak freely about our concerns or worries without having to be concerned for the backlash those others will receive. Our leaders and law enforcement agencies do not want the country is disarray and will try to diffuse the situation without serious conflict. I believe Americans have the power to make a difference and changes as needed. Therefore we do not feel the need to protest as often or as violently as other countries.
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