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Spain's Hologram Protest: Thousands Join Virtual March In Madrid
An anonymous reader writes Thousands of people marched past a parliament building in Madrid to protest a new law that they say endangers civil liberties. But none of them were actually there. From the article: "Late last year the Spanish government passed a law that set extreme fines for protesters convening outside of government buildings. In response to the controversial Citizen Safety Law, which will take effect on July 1, Spanish activists have staged the world's first ever virtual political demonstration. After months of massive flesh-and-blood protests against the so-called 'gag law', thousands of holograms last night marched in front of the Spanish parliament in Madrid."
In too much of the world today other things than humans have more rights.
This ranges from corporations having many/most of the rights of humans in many countries, while at the same time only having to pay fines for crimes where humans would be put to jail. And ranging to things like the compensation values of different things you do when damaging humans compared to damaging property.
No holograms showed up. This is a pepper's ghost illusion apparently performed with a projector and semitransparent material.
But I guess "hologram" nets more clicks.
"Nine times out of ten, starting a fire is not the best way to solve the problem." - my wife
Few years ago, when teachers were protesting against low wages in UK, protest was routed through biggest commercial street in London (Oxford Street). Before it has reached the end, half of the people protesting was gone, shopping (they came from all over UK, so being able to visit all the shops, both discounts and posh ones was a real treat).
If it passed a pub they'd have lost the other half too
The Law is restrictive, for sure, but so are the reasons for its existence. Spain is afflicted by both an old-fashioned right and a just-right-of-Stalin left. We have nothing like the social-democrats of Nordic countries. When the left rules, there is absolute peace and nobody protests, no matter how badly the government is mangling the economy and destroying jobs. When the right wins, there are protests within the protests whether they're doing OK or not. And not peaceful, civil protests, no, violent and extremist ones. It's pure 'Agitprop'. The right, then, issued this law to take a powerful tool from the hands of its political enemies, and the left is enraged. Spain remains, sadly, as divided as ever...
I look outside my manse window and see the hooligans shouting and pumping their fists into the air, and wonder, what is the benefit of it all? We've already bought the media, we control the message, so what do they think they're going to incite? The age of protest is dead, the age of tribute is begun. The ones who have the gold make the rules, as the richest voices get to shout loudest; of course, we make sure we're on the right side. And if we get to profit a bit from the arrangement, so what?
The Citizen Safety Law, contrary to its detractors, IS accurately named. The only thing protest is good for nowadays is trashing, looting, and injuries whenever it gets out of hand. Now bereft of purpose, the mob is only able to produce negative effects; this law simply dissipates the chaos before it can cause any harm.
Corruption is convincing someone that the selfless ideal is the same as their selfish ideal.
Politicians respond to anything that seems harder. Why they don't respond to emails so much as letters. You mailed a letter... it is harder then popping off an email.
So a virtual protester doesn't mean much. Just saying.
I've decided to stop wasting my time responding to AC trolls/sockpuppets... so if you want a response from me... login.