i found that a little one sided. but no disrespect to Etan, he's clearly doing his bit. but it does seem that the democracy these people champion is the very thing that has given the administration the mandate to fuck them over.

while his delivery of this speech is sound and entertaining,
it will achieve nothing.

//the democracy these people champion is the very thing that has given the administration the mandate to fuck them over.

that's a really odd thing to say. i'm not sure i understand that. yeah, the current administration got "voted" in, but wasn't given a mandate by all to do the things that Thomas is talking about. that seemed to be his beef, that the govt is no longer serving the people, but its own agenda somewhere else for self-serving reasons, and not for self-serving reasons of democracy either.

i think his speech might change things - just the power of it - it's so obvious that he's angry and frustrated, but absolutely everything that comes out of his mouth falls into this incredible structure and overwhelm of detail - i haven't seen a speaker like that ... well, ever. if anything, Thomas reminded me of Chomsky without resignation, and with fury. Chomsky's lectures are full of detail - the details bog him down, and he wants to get that across, but it also makes you feel resigned to the fate of the system - not so here.

that he can be that angry and yet pace himself and yet give details - like a precision volcano. and what he was saying - about putting those people in that situation that hundreds of thousands of ordinary people face for their whole lifetimes - he is absolutely right. more people than him should be as angry as he is in this speech.

he speaks about the sort of stuff people sweep under the carpet so they can get on with their lives and say deep in their subconscious "at least i don't live like that. i just step over them and their urine-soaked mattresses and children when i go on the metro. that's all i have to think about - stepping over and being relieved it isn't me." god, that's what i thought when i was in London.

i think this speech will change things in the same way Kanye's "Bush doesn't care about black people" has already changed things.

//difference between democracy here and democracy there

I don't really want to re-open old wounds/stupid arguments, but I wonder whether the US in their championing of "freedom", put no limits on your freedom. American freedom is about being free to be as big or as loud or as rich or as gun-toting as you g'damn want, darnit. They've taken a more classically liberal approach to freedom. We're free in a everyone is free, as long as they're impinging on others. It's like the not talking on election day. Free here is more about being equitably free, which sometimes actually involves a curtailing of the freedom of some to enhance the liberation of others. Or something.

/classically liberal approach to freedom.

It's funny, even talking to my lefty American friend over here, I picked up on that- a sort of 'one nation under God' thingy infiltrated even his definition of freedom/equality/social responsibility- i.e, since all Americans are free, each man/woman is responsible for his/her own fate/destiny. The guy you step over in the gutter with newspapers for blankets has as much control over his destiny as the guy who turned a hot-dog stand into a multi-national franchise... Classic case of determinism versus indeterminism. Even liberal Americans want to believe in the American Dream, it's part of what being American is all about. A 'level playing field' to people of every race, age, sex & colour. One day I might be a successful millionaire and I could do with a tax break once I get there.
I think what Etan is getting at with his speech is how The Dream is devoid of The Reality of social responsibilty... and I don't think it's aimed at the hard left or right, but rather that massive chunk of voters who aren't sure they voted for the right guy last election. There's a group of people that need waking up, and maybe speeches like Etan's are just the right tool for the job?

//massive chunk of voters who aren't sure they voted for the right guy last election. There's a group of people that need waking up

i'd say many people don't see any discernable difference between the two guys at all.

BTW, finally got around to watching the stream last night- way cool.