Jonathan Edwards8 said:You can just look further south to see what a dedicated group of fans can achieve against those thugs who have basically hijacked the whole country.
Real change only happens when there’s political will, and that kind of will usually stems from the majority opinion.
In Miami, you see a situation like that where there's actual support from most of the population, and they're willing to stand behind you. Because of that, they’ve actually forced local politicians to step up and do something. I really respect the activism and the moves being made there; honestly, if those actions hadn't happened, you wouldn't even be asking what the vibe would be like at the club right now. But they had that crucial advantage—the people were on their side. Here, it feels different. People either couldn't care less about Real Madrid, or the club wouldn't even exist if it wasn't for Mommy... or maybe they just enjoy the ritual of looking forward to guaranteed matches in Europe every single year before winter hits.
Jacob Newman74 said:I agree that we shouldn't underestimate the power of the Republican Party, but I also think you're underestimating the power of the streets. Right now, our society looks a lot like a pen full of sheep while wolves are picking them off one by one. Everyone just stands there watching. There isn't a critical mass in this country ready to stand up to the wolves, except for the hardcore fan movements. We're like towers standing around; instead of running toward the wolves and giving them hell, we're hanging out behind the barn, fighting among ourselves, eating, drinking, and sleeping. That’s pretty much the reality. And when the wolves finally target one of us, the rest of us just laugh and make jokes about how he's struggling.
Zoran Mamić was introduced today simply because he can be. All these scandals happening across the country occur because they can. It's because we stay on the sidelines and look for excuses. To top it all off, we get served these mindless divisions—left vs. right, Republican vs. Democrat, red state vs. blue state, this versus that. We're just gnawing on a bone while they laugh at us. Some things need to be set in motion for the sake of America and for our children, not for some political party, some specific club, or some niche group.
I wouldn't say I'm underestimating the power of the streets; it's more that I just don't see it existing. In theory, sure, but you kind of contradicted yourself in that response, and honestly, we're actually saying the same thing... it's that same old story we hear constantly about how stagnant and indifferent Americans have become.
If by "we" you mean the fans, I still maintain that our activism won't change a thing for a dozen different reasons, especially given how we're perceived. And if you mean Americans in general, I don't see any real potential there either. There's one more thing to keep in mind: the Republican Party has been in power for a good chunk of our history, and they've been in much deeper trouble than they are now, even as the GDP grows more than expected under their watch. When I mention the rise in veteran numbers—which is already unrealistically high—just consider how many people and entire generations they have locked in as loyal voters.
I've gotten angry about plenty of things and could probably go on for another hundred times this, but there's no point since everyone already knows the deal.