Mark Ruffalo reads Eugene Debs

[@MelancoliaI]

Debs had bigger balls than any presidential candidate that came after him. You couldn't say this stuff today.

[@melodyfleck9368]

+MelancoliaI We can say it, we are the 99% . Wake up and stand together. Vote for Bernie.

[@brendaschouten-beckett6448]

#BernieorBust #BerntheDNC #NeverHillary #NeverTrump #BernieorBastille

[@torystiffler2722]

Bernie is saying it.

[@westtell4]

you couldn't say it back then either he was arrested

[@racewiththefalcons1]

Let's not forget Mike Gravel, who only ran for president to get on the debate stage and call out all the war criminals standing up there with him.

[@moonshiny74]

This speech is just as true today as it was when Debs bravely delivered it nearly 100 years ago. We need more people like Debs in this world.

[@Awakeningspirit20]

Bernie Sanders! And, though he'll never be president, he spawned thousands more like him in my generation to carry on the torch... and the bourgeois class is working overtime to make the chains of the modern world all the more attractive, through notions of personal responsibility and religion. I'm not entirely optimistic, since I think the early 1900s and the 1930s were the best days for socialism in America, but who knows how history will develop. We millennials probably are just a bunch of dumb kids who grew up in chains and will never shed them... but I want to be one of the ones who rises and inspires them to do so.

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

This was before Mark even became famous

[@TheMyrmo]

That is actually MORE awesome than I already thought.

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

@Thia Stephan I think this was even before "The Kids Are Alright"

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

@Thia Stephan Guess I'm not a Mark Ruffalo superfan like you lol

[@Hibiscus308]

Damn! He nailed it. I can't believe he went to prison for this.

[@bhenry7584]

Debs was imprisoned for being a socialist who took 6% of the votes in the previous election and was on track to at least double that for the next. The speech was just a pretext.

[@deadreckoning6288]

Makes one wonder what will happen to Bernie if he becomes more of a threat?

[@متين-ج4ز]

Imperialism and imperialists must crush all voices of dissent, for if they did not, the overwhelming might of the truth would wipe out the evil of their deceit.

[@pkingperk6628]

You clearly don't understand what country you live in

[@5291982]

FOR TALKING ! ONLY IN AMERICA !

[@jackwarshawmusic]

Good to hear such a well-known actor speak stand with Debs in this year 2014 commemorating the victims slaughtered by order in the First World War.

[@franzfaramir]

What a magnificent human being he was. Long live socialism.

[@متين-ج4ز]

Long live socialism indeed, and let the capitalists tremble from the might of the people.

[@edebs6243]

"Wherever capitalism appears, in pursuit of its mission of exploitation, there will Socialism, fertilized by misery, watered by tears, and vitalized by agitation be also found, unfurling its class-struggle banner and proclaiming its mission of emancipation." --Eugene Debs

[@tyl2322]

@Jarod David >supports capitalism >complains about communism killing millions

[@mattwood6485]

@Jarod David People always say that and it makes no sense. Stalin and Mao killed millions of people, not communism. You could just as easily say that capitalism has killed millions of people because Hitler was a capitalist. Far, FAR more wars have been started for capitalist reasons than socialist ones. FAR more people have been enslaved for capitalist reasons. How many millions have died in colonized countries for the sake of profit? Capitalism is inherently exploitative and violent, dont kid yourself.

[@Junebug0369]

Let the capitalists break under the fist of the people. Long live socialism

[@chriseverett20]

Always knew he was my favourite Avenger.

[@cutecommie]

@@vikt First of all, being an actor is not exploitative. They earn a wage just like every worker. It just happens to be high. Second of all, if he lived in poverty, you'd criticize him too, just with different insults. And that's why ad-hominems are worthless. If you're against the idea, criticize it, not the messenger.

[@paul1720]

You’re presenting a completely facile argument. For one, whether or not he ‘refused’ his wages would make absolutely no difference to the system in which we all operate. Socialist critique is against systems, not individuals, so I’ll assume you’re either new to this or deliberately muddying the waters and not arguing in good faith. You’re essentially parroting the cliche of “Yet you participate in society”. Get some better arguments.

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

@@vikt Those billionaires exploit people and do far nastier shit to keep their wealth than Hollywood actors. This was also before he played Hulk

[@Awakeningspirit20]

I'm watching this like "damn, Professor Hulk has a lot of good points..."

[@jeffrunge6427]

@@paul1720 I agree with you as far as the point u made here goes, but mark ruffalo went full simp to isreal after they bombed again recently. Check it ↓

[@HebrewHurricane]

Wow! What a true hero: speaking truth to power without fear of consequences! 10 yrs behind bars for 5 mins of exercising his freedom of speech

[@peterkleynhans8056]

Yeah supporting one of the biggest Genocides the hit humanity. WHAT A HERO.

[@cooldude6651]

@@peterkleynhans8056 fucking what? He was speaking against ww1 dude

[@zah936]

I love Mark Ruffalo. That he is a good man was clear when i first saw him in the avengers. His pure heart shines through his eyes no matter what role he is playing.

[@brandontitus7651]

Powerful! Well done Eugene Debs and Mark Ruffalo. Today, I will be sharing this video with my United States History students. We are studying WW1. Interpreting Primary Sources is the focus of today’s lesson. After reading a quote from Echoes of Distant Thunder…students will answer the following questions. 1. Do you think government action to suppress opposition to World War I was justified? Why or why not?~ Thank you for the lesson, Eugene! Thanks for the passionate read, Mark!

[@greenburg2276]

Damn maybe Kermit Peterson was right, woke college /s

[@contrarian23]

We need a Debs today. A true American hero. His life and his many collected writings and speeches should be required reading in every school in America.

[@xyzsame4081]

Sanders has been a fan of Eugene Debs and made a documentary when he was a low-income candidate for the small independent party in Vermont. Sanders. did not always show courage when it comes to regime change wars (he voted for the Afghanistan war and the war in Yugoslavia, which in hindsight were not justified either). That said: he also invited Noam Chomsky to Burlington in 1984 - so he is not an uncritical supporter of the mental illness called "American exceptionalism" - at least once he got the right information - I wonder how many politicians could sit through a Chomsky speech and get their "convictions" ruffled. The video title is: Deciphering Foreign affairs jargon (U.S. imperialism, manufacturing consent, the usual Chomsky stuff). it is in two parts, Israel comes up in the Q & A.

[@xyzsame4081]

Sanders has gotten bolder regarding Israel (Bolivia) - I think he dares to return to his roots. Which is also important because the presidency is hectic, he CAN fall back on convictions he formed for himself (not getting them spoon fed by lobbyists and war profiteers). He is not easily duped by thought stopping clichés either because he developed his positions organically and w/o input of the special interests. The basis of his convictions was formed as a student and activist in Chicago and then as protester of the Vietnam war and running for higher office with a small left party throughout the 1970s. With very little success btw. He was poor and worked gigs during that time (some related to his political passion like the documentary about Eugene Debbs, and some just to make money, like being a carpenter or working for the tax office. - but he seemed to be unfazed by his poverty (he was lucky he stayed healthy). One can see that independenc of thought in the M4A bill btw. Most relevant candidates take a piggy ride on the popular term Medicare for All, but have now backtrapped and watered it down to a version of "public option". see next comment if interested.

[@xyzsame4081]

Public option = some (the young, healthy and wealthy can OPT OUT) would undermine a well set up single payer system slowly in other countries - but in the U.S. the predatory insurers have the systems, departments, statistics and bean counters already in place to do the purges. 90 % of the costs are caused by 10 % of the insured - they just have to fire the right clients. In the U.S. public option would undermine the reform right away and give industry and hostile Republicans and corporate Democrats plenty of opportunity to undermine the system and to defund it. There is a reason _no other country has the public option on a larger scale._ (At least no developed nation, if a third world country does it it means the bare basics for most and first world medicine only for the few). In Germany 10 % of the population have private healthcare insurance with full coverage. Only the affluent are even allowed the choice to opt out OR to be in the public pool. More precisely: the insurers determine with their offers who will become their client and whom they do not want). Of course there is cherry picking going on. The unusual German system can be explained: historic relic of a 2 class healthcare system that was founded in 1884 and conservative governments doing favors after WW2. "Opting out for the wealthy" (and a for a few profession which can be expected to have stable and growing incomes - like civil servants) does nothing to make the system more cost-efficient or fairer. The inefficiencies and distortions are not enough to trigger a complete overhaul, they had a kind of reform in recent years to curb the cherry picking somewhat. The German private insurers still are allowed to add premiums for higher risks, can exclude certain risks (if the surcharge on the regular premium would be too much) and can refuse to cover certain persons at all. So the high risk, high cost patients will always be with the public pool, which misses out on the contributions of the healthy and young among the affluent. It is often conflated with supplemental private insurance btw. Public option always means FULL private coverage for those who opt out - not only private insurance upgrades ON TOP of the public coverage. Upgrades (supplemental) invariably means that the private insurers deal with the harmless and less costly stuff - and are handed that niche. while the public offer always covers the high cost intervention, surgery, long hospital stays, ongoing expensive medication, .... If there is a "market" for those upgrades it shows that the public coverage does not have sufficient funding and / or politicians are doing favors for the insurance industry, affluent voters, profitable companies and doctors. doctors and hospitals always get higher rates from the private insurers. The public agency has a stronger negotiation position. The mandated pay roll taxes must be affordable for companies and their employees - so the rest of the funding has to come from general tax revenue and that means income tax for the wealthy and for highly profitable companies. For the affluent (and political parties chasing their vote or corporate donations) it makes sense to have a 2 tier system. 1) The (sometimes very expensive) basics are covered by the cost-efficient public insurance agency (usually the private insurers are not even allowed to cover them - no duplicative coverage. Nor are the private insurers interested in the big / expensive stuff for _supplemental_ packages. (as opposed to full private coverage). 2) Plus upgrades to make the experience really good and worthy of a first world country for those who can afford the upgrades. They are more expensive of course (compared to what the public insurance would do if they had those budgets _per person_ - but then ALL would get the really good services or the short wait times). The cost-inefficiency of private insurance is easily outweighed by savings on taxation. With the same budget per person - and comparable pools (age, risks - no cherry picked pools for for-profit insurance companies) the public non-profit insurance agency ALWAYS gets you more bang for your buck (that is systemic and applies in all countries - although the discrepany is most glaring in the U.S. Sanders is the only rlevant candidate who identified the crucial and indispensable elements of single payer (= a cost-efficient system to deliver good services for ALL) - and he holds on to it. All others have given in to the lobbyists which have been working overtime in the last months. Given in to the seemingly harmless argument of: Why not give choice = choice to opt out. Why should not have the private insurers have a relevant part of the "market" as well ? It is not hard to understand if you THINK it through and care to inform yourself how they do it in other countries (some better than others, these systems are historically evolved, and every country did their own thing. Those who have the least _private, for-profit_ in the system do best). Either these backtracking candidates did not do their homework to understand in-depth HOW single payer works and WHY it is so much more cost efficient. (I will give Gabbard, Warren and Yang the benefit of the doubt - the benign assumption is that they have been duped or are careless in their attempts to UNDERSTAND how healthcare works in the countries that leave the U.S. in the dust). Or they do understand - but they want the money of the big donors and the goodwill of the party "leadership" (who wants those donations to continue as well). Only Trump gets more money from the industry than Pete Buttigieg. Wallstreet likes for-profit healthcare as well, it is not only the healthcare industry ! So the lobbyists have provided them with an argument that seems to make sense on the surface, especially for the underinformed U.S. voters that fear change - in the past decades change was always for the worse. ACA was an improvment for some and made things worse for others, did nothing to control exploding costs and is unsustainable. But many are like: The devil we know .... (the fear mongering is going to be ramped up. targetting who already have Medicare or will get it soon. It has already been defunded, so they know it has not improved regarding coverage and services they can pay for. To have good coverage people must buy upgrades already - and they can only buy them from the inefficient private insurers). Or candidates are unable to think for themselves (nor do they want to) and have served the Big donors and used their talking points for decades: see Joe Biden. Or the candidates do not serve big donors they ARE big donors because they are billionaires.

[@freedomsorator2217]

'I hate, I loathe, I despise Junkers and junkerdom. I have no earthly use for the Junkers of Germany, and not one particle more use for the Junkers in the United States. They tell us that we live in a great free republic; that our institutions are democratic; that we are a free and self-governing people. This is too much, even for a joke. But it is not a subject for levity; it is an exceedingly serious matter.' E. D

[@NassimHarameinVedas]

@abby495 - Kurt Vonnegut quoted and wrote about him . . . "As long as there is a lower class I am in it; As long there is a criminal element I am of it; As long as there is a soul in prison, I am not free" - Eugene Debs

[@Vercingetorix.Rising]

Might be my all time favorite quote

[@spaghettiking7312]

Debs proved that words cut deeper than any blade and hit harder than any bullet.

[@DRpokeme]

Brilliant speech and awesome delivery by Mr Ruffalo. Thank you...

[@متين-ج4ز]

Shame on the 19 “people” who disliked this

[@marylawrence2218]

@Jarod David shame on you for not being able to accept other people's views

[@Awakeningspirit20]

Slaves of the bourgeois. The capitalists and the nationalists are but ignorant workers who wear their chains like designer clothing and bask in their exploitation

[@jshllrd2]

I am happy yet sad that I am 40 and I have never really been exposed to E. Debs, what a great man~!

[@Reminiscable]

How is this seditious? This is just democracy.

[@WaluigiMangione]

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedition_Act_of_1918

[@philipm3173]

Precisely!

[@zombiesingularity]

Wow he was sent to prison for ten years for this AND it was upheld UNANIMOUSLY by the US Supreme Court? The fuck?

[@bmortloff]

zombiesingularity Sweet land of liberty.

[@MrDrewlips]

+zombiesingularity war hysteria and jingoism. good vs evil propaganda. dehumanization of the "enemy".

[@magNUMreSIN]

Yea. It was a time when they suspended the rights of Americans. Kind of like the Patriot Act. Crazy history we have.

[@stillemere6702]

This just proves that rights are a temporary concept that the rich use to keep us feeling like they care at all about us.

[@jacoray7159]

Thankfully he was commuted after three years.

[@tramonp]

Legendary.

[@sns8420]

Debs' speeches against the Wilson administration and the war earned the enmity of President Woodrow Wilson, who later called Debs a "traitor to his country".On June 16, 1918, Debs made a speech in Canton, Ohio urging resistance to the military draft of World War I. He was arrested on June 30 and charged with ten counts of sedition Debs went to prison on April 13, 1919. Debs ran for president in the 1920 election while in prison in Atlanta, Georgia, at the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary. He received 919,799 votes (3.4%), In January 1921, citing Debs' deteriorating health, proposed to Wilson that Debs receive a presidential pardon freeing him on February 12, Lincoln's birthday. Wilson returned the paperwork after writing "Denied" across it. On December 23, 1921, President Warren G. Harding commuted Debs' sentence to time served, effective Christmas Day. When Debs was released from the Atlanta Penitentiary, the other prisoners sent him off with "a roar of cheers" and a crowd of 50,000 greeted his return to Terre Haute to the accompaniment of band music.

[@satum__]

Woodrow Wilson is top 2 worst presidents of all time. Completely scarred this country along with Ronald Reagan

[@ivankolinic5679]

Damn, didnt know Mark Ruffalo was chill like thaz

[@aaronberns8485]

The Russia Ukraine war is happening, and this speech is still stunningly accurate.

[@ОльгаКнягиня-ж6ч]

👏👏👏No war!! I'm Russian but I scream everywhere No war! Stop the war! Stop Putin! Нет войне!!Я русская но я кричу везде Нет войне!Остановите войну!Остановите Путина!

[@julianadeau7494]

Damn... get's me every time!

[@cinephilefromhell]

I could imagine Ed Harris as Eugene V. Debs in a film.

[@MostHighEmperorPalpatine]

Over 100 years later and nothing what so ever has changed...

[@ImperiaGin]

History repeats itself

[@jeskayeah]

The 30 dislikes are all from Jeff Bezos.

[@domapusic]

this speech rings so true as if it was made yesterday not a 100 years ago

[@Brigadier42]

Eugene V. Debs is my personal hero...HE was the greatest American...

[@darleneelkins1999]

Powerful, poignant, and still relevant. It's time for us to stand up again and say no to war. This has gone on too long as it is.

[@HeavenandHell1776]

We need a Eugene Debs in these times

[@l_ndonmusic]

Wouldn’t that be like Bernie Sanders or something?

[@sulasaurus]

@@l_ndonmusic bernie isnt left enough, sadly the american 2 party system has pushed him towards less leftist policies and views.

[@coffinspired3092]

@@sulasaurus While true. Look how even THAT went. Couldn't even run on a SocDem platform in America without complete backlash from the Media and Establishment, and I'm talkin' the Libs...not Fox News.

[@thomasduncan5522]

Brilliant words beautifully read.

[@Achcautli69]

Excellent video Eugene Debs is my Heroe!

[@theobonin9137]

nice profile pic

[@LMvdB02]

Handsome Georgian lad

[@jondoe753]

This reminds me, a lot, of Smedley Butler's later speech and pamphlet "War is a Racket" - the message is very similar and equally as stirring. Note, also a reenactment / performance, link does not contain Butler's actual voice. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fGTCdounf52ZY5I

[@totallynotalpharius2283]

I kinda wish Butler had taken up the offer from the Business Plotters and then just used the army to arrest them lol

[@ben9975]

That’s crazy this shit still rings so true

[@UtopiaMinor666]

A man who was so open for racial equality (im black american) in his time, and a man who spoke for the people's empowerment is a man i readily believe in.

[@Jordan-uz9me]

Eugene Debs, you are my hero.

[@imnotsam]

Debs was an interesting cat. Cool to see this video of Mark reading his speech.

[@johndeclefpineiro7372]

What, if anything, has changed? Are workers forever destined to be the expendable pawns? Who, today, should die or be wounded or maimed or damaged, in any way, for someone else's profit? Those who lose their minds and give up their consciences to others belong to those others to do with as THEY wish. Is that why you were born, is that all you are good for? Are you really just a pawn? (JdeCP)

[@ili626]

Greetings from 2020 - We’re still getting our asses handed to us

[@ffinfinity1]

Beautiful, just Beautiful.

[@poshnosh1917]

Sweetness itself. And how relevant.

[@patrickroe2240]

It's an excellent speech. It's just a shame they couldn't have found someone to actually practice it and deliver it with the respect it deserves.

[@ronwidelec7258]

Mark Ruffalo certainly tried... but did not deliver it well.

[@industrialborn]

Glad to see mark on the adult side of history

[@lonefir]

The master class has always declared the wars and the subject class always fights them..

[@xyzsame4081]

when there was a growth of the population (because of good circumstances think the medevial warming period) those in power could more easily afford to start wars. There were enough left to work in agriculture. Most people back in the day worked at farms (even 150 years ago). Wars had the advantage that it would keep the most active part of society - young able bodied males who had little to loose - busy (and war would kill enough of them).

[@cooldude6651]

@@xyzsame4081 ah yes the great advantage of... [reads further] killing young people

[@sunkintree]

@@cooldude6651 Nice strawman. Couldnt argue against the real point? Had to make one up easy enough to defeat?

[@cooldude6651]

@@sunkintree wasn't exactly arguing. But let me compare. Statement I responded to: "wars had the advantage that it would keep... young able-bodied males... busy (and war would kill enough of them)" My "strawman": "ah yes the great advantage of... [reads further] killing young people" Please google what strawman means or alternatively if you already know the definition actually read the posts you reply to for more than a microsecond

[@abby495]

Long live the memory of Eugene Debs a great man. Humanism is the only way.

[@falstaffswims]

One self-defeating sad person has disliked this. There will always be self-loathers, among the oppressed, because it makes them feel vicarious participation in the power of their oppressors. Pity them, and educate them. And, against the most privileged, corporate class: FIGHT BACK MERCILESSLY!

[@SiVlog1989]

3:01 the most important truth of Debs' speech, it's true, the leaders declare war, not the ordinary people on the street

[@zenferg]

Thank you!

[@sambringit7859]

Mark Ruffalo is a pure genius

[@Clone012]

this is true

[@fazma1076]

Surprisingly relevant

[@AcolytesOfHorror]

They better be careful or Mark might hulk out

[@damageinc1531]

great speech could be a speech for today

[@Keith-zu4tz]

Hulk smashes this speech!

[@njanovic1980]

@ffinfinity1 After WW I General Pershing was quite outspoken in his criticism of the Treaty of Versaille. Saying that it would leave Germany in a state of permanent bankruptcy and poverty and as a result we would end up fighting another war in 20 years. What a pity no one listened for he was exactly right.

[@kalamity72]

Very true every word !!

[@juencitoify]

I found this because I put Mark Ruffalo voice, I just love his voice.

[@ChanceSherwood]

what the fuck in october of THE YEAR OF THIS SPEECH (2008) he discussed the downsides of fracking on the rachel maddow show. same year, december, his younger brother is execution-style murdered. i'm just getting this from the wikipedia article. do your own math, people. the coal bosses became oil sheiks are now petro-oligarchs. same people, same families, just occasionally changing hats. he was out of the public, political eye for *seven years* after the hit on his brother. organized crime, when effective, is blatant and public. holy shit. much love, ruffalo.

[@agent7641]

"Who controls the issuance of money controls the government!" Nathan Meyer Rothschild

[@alohagrace2225]

🔥🎯🔥

[@grapentine739]

Wow I didn't know Mark Ruffalo is a Social Democrat. I thought he was alright before now i love him.

[@tomasbermea]

this speech is just as true today, as it was during world war 1, maybe that's why i like it so much and have watched it more than 5 times already lol

[@PrisonerNumber9653]

a great American hero!

[@jennyworman]

Wall Street then, Wall street now

[@gentrelane]

💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯

[@CrazyShip42]

Im a republican and he still goes down as one of my idols

[@judoyodan]

Still a Republican?

[@TheBigGetEven]

Class consciousness has clearly been surgically removed from the discourse of his country. Only when you realize what it is can you look at the space where it should be and realize its always been missing. Its as creepy as the Fermi Paradox. Honestly makes me want to be quiet about certain things, sit back and enjoy my privileged existence. I remember my history teacher in high school covering some of this, but I don't remember Debs being emphasized. I do remember the tone from the teacher about freedom of speech was off. Maybe i'm imagining this, or misremembering it, but it was like he was saying, yes they say we have the freedom of speech but do you really think we have that? But we didn't focus on Debs we focused on the example of a Nazi's parade in a Jewish town.

[@cliffordbrowne9791]

What do we need to do in order to get someone like him for today's world? Bernie?? Yes, but we need young blood . Even Bernie would agree 👍 ✊️✊️✊️✊️✊️✊️

[@docerskine5]

a ten year sentence for exercising freedom of speech? A true political prisoner.

[@TrenElZombie]

Hulk giving his speech un Avengers

[@mns8732]

See Jimmy Dores take on this actor. It eye opening

[@kjajames]

@fartman120 So what does that have to do with anything? I think you may have missed the point of this speech. The speech was to signify that war is never in the genuine interest of the population, but rather the interests of those who benefit. Besides, what you are arguing could still simply be attributed to the despair living conditions of war.

[@korearabin9905]

He's wrong about the feudal lords of the Middle Ages. They *did* in fact go to war against one another - Richard III, anyone? That aside, go Eugene!

[@brendaschouten-beckett6448]

I think they stood up on a hill and watched.

[@hunterthompson587]

All class struggles are political struggles.Class againgst another class will dominate capitalism until its demise. Then true class equality will rise up and the people will then control there destinaty and not the the aristocrats who determine there fate now.Long live the likes of Debs and Guevara.

[@Gurra88]

Feel like uploading it?

[@alecolson1075]

Id advise everyone to read "The World Must Be Made Safe for Democracy" by Pres. Woodrow Wilson. Not saying I am in favor of a particular side to this argument, but it shows a good opposition to this argument.

[@xyzsame4081]

ah Wilson the imperialist.

[@xyzsame4081]

“I spent 33 years and four months in active military service and during that period I spent most of my time as a high class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism. I helped make Mexico and especially Tampico safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street. I helped purify Nicaragua for the International Banking House of Brown Brothers in 1902-1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for the American sugar interests in 1916. I helped make Honduras right for the American fruit companies in 1903. In China in 1927 I helped see to it that Standard Oil went on its way unmolested. Looking back on it, I might have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents.” ― Smedley D. Butler, War is a Racket: The Antiwar Classic by America's Most Decorated Soldier

[@xyzsame4081]

Around 1900 there was a lively debate whether the U.S. should continue its imperialistic course. Mark Twain was on the right side of the issue. (Sadly newspapers had realized that ongoing low-level war - elsewhere - was very good for their sales and profits. So the press supported those who wanted to exploit the workers in other countries and steal their resources - in 1900 it became increasingly hard to subject the U.S. workers to certain conditions. But they always could in poorer nations they only had to find an arrangment with the local oligarchs (south America or Philippines) or war lords or religious extremists (think Saudi Arabia - that was in the 1930s)

[@xyzsame4081]

Wilson got elected with the promise to not get the U.S. dragged into the war in Europe (which made sense why would Americans care if they had gone crazy on the Old Continent). Noam Chomsky: it was the first major success of propaganda (a word then used openly and as something positive) to turn public opinion around. btw: GWB also campaigned on getting the U.S. out of conflicts

[@xyzsame4081]

The World must be made safe for the U.S. (and other) oligarchs ....

[@marioriospinot]

Nice.

[@sawlovesyou52]

sorry about the previous comment as to your words .... you are right and your words speak about a spiritual war. With God's help in the name of Jesus Christ, it can be won. Jesus told us that the days of the end will be like that which the world has never seen before and will never see again.

[@sunkintree]

Fart noises.

[@zacwisnewski7223]

Kings often would often fight in wars lol

[@thanasis-_-]

So?

[@babers22]

Convict 9653

[@Awakeningspirit20]

Omg what was this guy my past life or something? This is literally how I would talk (and do talk) when talking politics! The Democratic Party of today really has a chance to bring this kind of stuff back, and the best news is that it's the rural people, especially in MAGA Country, who have the most to benefit through the policies of Social Democracy and/or socialism... they're just so proud of their own chains that they refuse to see it at the moment. Bernie came so close. He turned the audience on FOX to his side! And in my generation have been spawned thousands of Bernies to advance the world to come!

[@milalewis983]

... and yet, ironically enough, it was the Democrats who incarcerated Deps and a Republican administration under President Warren G. Harding, who pardoned him.

[@1mtstewart]

we do it every day for less and less

[@thequanto8555]

The original speech wasn't applauded in that court room.

[@pantherandme]

Ever so true today.....we the people CAN make the stop this war-hungry upper class!!

[@compudida]

RICH ACTOR CASHES IN ON GREAT SOCIALIST MOMENT

[@zombiesheep.whatsinyourhea9166]

If war is right? War can never be right. Violence must be forbidden and only love can be the response to those who threaten.

[@improcat1]

What's so amazing about this speech? This should be common knowledge to anyone with half a brain cell.

[@ImperiaGin]

Millions of individuals think war is good.

[@sunkintree]

Many people don't have half a brain cell.

[@side1981]

Hulk smash capitalism!

[@typeviic1]

And they call Debs a socialist. He sounded like a Patriot.

[@Nerdamania]

typeviic1 What is it that makes you think a socialist cant be patriotic?

[@brendaschouten-beckett6448]

typeviic1 Now would be a good time for you to review the lies you were taught in your Cold War education. This is how it feels to wake up.

[@Reminiscable]

Socialism to me is the egalitarian end of the spectrum of stances you can have on government policy on any given issue.

[@Roeplala]

Socialism propagates the solidarity between workers and poor people across borders. Being a patriot means you're still not aware of the ways you are exploited by those who for themselves acknowledge no borders. The word jetset is a reflection of this.

[@Reminiscable]

It is odd how some popular figures preaching nationalism are the same ones benefiting from exporting jobs and free trade between borders, while I get my PC smashed to irreparable pieces if I so much as ship it to myself.

[@artemis12061966]

100,00 Americans were killed in WW1 , who did not have to die .

[@totallynotalpharius2283]

That's the thing cap....I'm always agitating

[@djmadwax]

lol

[@ffinfinity1]

@artemis12061966 and 60 million died in WW2, as a result of WW1.

[@malekusef]

except Gaza today

[@rowanyo5031]

Hulks about to smash capitalism

[@bjarczyk]

It's a shame that all celebrities are reading out a "peoples" history of the us. But hey if that's what it takes to get people to read more zinn then whatever.

[@Safsaf13]

Even better. Debs was a Socialist. It's time we reclaim that tradition in this country and look to Debs for inspiration.

[@cjhunt9532]

Hulk is the only superhero I support

[@brandonpurvis4793]

That's because that's not what socialism is.