I hate to feel this way, but you are right. Continued unrest, as well as the threat of even worse violence from the Black Panthers and leftist radicals during the 60s, were why we got some temporary systemic change back then. The ruling class and their bought pols gave us some change rather than risk civil war and continued unrest. Of course, those were reversed beginning with Nixon and continuing under Reagan..

@TomMcGiverin

It's a shame that conflict and destruction has to again be the price we pay to gain some decent reform.

We are supposed to have democracy to achieve progress without the need of violence. This is what happens when democracy is subverted by the ruling elites.

@RoboGraham True. As long as the govt. is owned by the rich and corporations, we will never get any lasting systemic reform. At best any reform we get will be temporary and only if the ruling class feels they have no choice for the time being with the cost of the unrest being too great or the threat of revolution becoming real in their minds. I think if the 99% attempts violent revolution again, like in the 60s, we will get mowed down by the brainwashed military and cops who would not side with us..

@TomMcGiverin

Many would be mown down for sure. But as happens against the American military elsewhere in the world, the more they kill, the more insurgents they create and eventually, they decide it's too costly to continue. And I think they would defy orders if the killing gets too out of control because it's their own countrymen they will be murdering.

The American populace is the best armed citizenry the world has ever known. If the military can't beat the Vietnamese or the Afghans, I think they will have trouble with a bunch of angry Americans pissed off about a tyrannical government.

@TomMcGiverin

It seems that way now but imagine the scenario after they start using live ammo and people start losing loved ones.

Civil rights was won because the authorities amped up the violence and every evening people who weren't supportive at first saw on the news protesters being bit by dogs, hit by fire hoses, and beaten. That in your face brutality tugs at the empathy most people have within them. If it gets to the point of real fighting, I think more and more people would see things our way as they watch the authorities unleash hell on their fellow citizens.

Or maybe the repression will work and it will just get worse from here on out.

@RoboGraham The problem is nowadays few TV channels will show that brutality the way they did back then. Maybe MSNBC, if even that...

@TomMcGiverin

Yes, that's a major issue. But we have twitter, facebook, youtube, email, and a vast number of other apps and social media platforms.

The government would have to shut down the internet to put a stop to the spread. Do you think the American public would tolerate that. I mean come on this isn't the people's republic of China, this is America. If they were to truly censor it they would outrage millions of people and make everyone want to see the stuff even more and there is always a way to smuggle information. Especially in the information age.