Meet the Sheeple

Today a simple class discussion in my Sociology 202 erupted into a ridiculous display of mainstream media brainwashing, it showcased amazing levels of apathy that seems to have become something members of my generation thrive on. My teacher began a discussion with one of his attacks on US "capitalism", I again brought up the fact that the US is not a capitalist country and is in fact a mixed economy. He then finally admitted it was indeed a misnomer to call the US a capitalist country, but countered that there needs to be some regulation. I agreed with him but began to explain how the government has done little to regulate and in many cases encourages and enables corruption at all levels and sectors of the corporate world. I then began to get in an argument with my fellow students when I pointed out that Obama has continued many of the same policies Bush started including indefinite detention, warantless wiretapping, the Patriot Act, signing statements, as I continued to rattle off other examples I was cut off from all directions by a barrage of pro-Obama slogans, cheap talking points, and my teacher who kept insisting that we were now off topic (seeing as how its a sociology class and this is one of the few real discussions we have held I find this claim to be of little merit).

One girl first said, "Give him a chance hes only been in for 10 months, he needs more time."
I pointed out that in this 10 month period he has not only failed to follow key promises he claimed would be completed in this time frame he has also continued Bush administration policy in virtually every area.

Another student then pointed out to me that the Obama Administration is discontinuing raids on medical marijuana dispensaries. I acknowledged this small positive change but pointed out that the expansion of DHS powers and focus on anti government activity seemed to show that the only real changes Obama is committed to are from bad to worse.

As I began to explain signing statements, my teacher claimed that they where executive orders and I explained how unlike an executive order signing statements did not go through congress or have any oversight or approval by anyone. They where literally examples of the President circumventing and making law as he sees fit.

The Obama girl then told me there was nothing I could do so it was pointless to think the way I did, she explained
"YOU'RE NEVER GOING TO WAKE MOST PEOPLE UP, THERES NO POINT"

I then realized I had stepped into 1984, my teacher went on a tangent of how I was showing a very extreme view of government and kept repeating on how I should "give them a chance" and "have faith". I was now aware that we had temporarily suspended rational thought, the next five minutes the teacher tried to paint me out as some anti government extremist, he made a comment on how I should go to Ghana if I think the US is bad. When he pointed out that the US government couldnt be that bad because they didnt interfere with the opposition, I decided to go out swinging by cracking a joke about Bush sending anthrax to the senators against the Iraq War. He made some comment about me being a conspiracy theorist, lets just say that this wasnt one of my more coolheaded moments in a student-teacher discussion.

What have we become? Has it got to the point were personal attacks being leveled against people that ask questions and dissent from popular opinion is considered the norm? Where does it end? Thomas Jefferson once said "Dissent is the greatest form of Patriotism" in today's America a quote like that will lead to someone calling you a communist and going on a "love it or leave it" rant.

To close out, I enjoyed Jad's article a lot he made a bunch of good points its the one right below this.
Thanks for the article man.

Thanks- Alex B