Dissent and its Opression

Let me start of by saying that the pictures included in the slideshow are only meant to serve as illustrations about how sometimes the powers-that-be abuse/misuse their powers and put down those that dissent... It is NOT my intention to to target any of the actual events/personalities/groups that some of these comics/posters may have targeted...

Also... full credit to all the artists to created these cartoons... I dont know who they all are since I got these from Google Image Search... but thanks for your hard work....

Start off with a brief Introduction to Dissent.... Some examples of Dissent... and how Dissent is sometimes dealt with... and how the lack of Dissent will ultimately give rise to Tyranny...

Enjoy...

The Fool

You are a fool... why do you even try?
Because I have hope...
Hope is a terrible thing... a dangerous thing... it can drive people insane...
Stop messing up the quotes from the Shawshank Redemption will ya?
Listen to me... you are a fool for hoping things will change....
So you are saying I must choose between being a smart cynic... or a foolish romantic?
Indeed...
Not much of a choice then is it?
Nope...
I prefer to be the romantic... as hopeless as my cause might be...
Then may you rot in this dump for the rest of your life...
Tell me... why are you so bitter?
Its not like it matters to me... but I feel bad when I see your efforts go to waste...
Such as?
When you try get people to clean up their act.... you get reprimanded for not minding your own business...
and?
Even when you try to tell others whats right and wrong... to make it so that the line between right and wrong is not as blurred anymore.... you get shot down...
You think that is enough to discourage me?
It isnt?
Of course not... I have allies here you see... ones who understand how I feel... however few there might be... and however disillusioned they might be...
So you will stay here then?
Yeah... but that does not mean I will limit myself to this place... I wont let you get lonely....
Ba..baka!... As if I care about that....
Youre cute when you act like that you know...
And you are still a fool...
I dont mind that... as long as I have you to worry about me...
You really are the biggest fool I know...
I sure hope so... cause I know you have a soft spot for fools like me...
I just want you to promise me one thing... no... two things...
What?
Dont push yourself too far....
and?
Dont you dare give up....
Kinda contradictory dont you think?
I guess I am a fool too....
Heh... you know what this reminds me of?
No...
A movie I saw once long ago...
How did it end?
Happily... The hero defeated his opponents and lived happily ever after with his lover...
Is that so?
Well... I guess the people who made that movie were all hopeless romantics like me...
I guess...
So... what kind of ending do you see in store for us?
Do you need to ask?
Yes...
A happy one...
... and thats all the encouragement I needed...
They embrace... and he walks away... she watches him... a single tear rolls down her face...
You really are the biggest fool...
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Another blog post I made elsewhere... and this one is again targeting the mods... yeah... I am anti establishment...

The Road to Hell…

As I watch the city empty itself…. Its inhabitants gathering up their goods and belongings… and boarding up their homes… I wonder… How did this come to pass? What is the reason for so many people to want to leave this beautiful place? It appears to be so pure and clean…. So… orderly….

I tap the shoulder of one such inhabitant… and ask… Tell me brother…. Why do you wish to leave this place? Isn’t it beautiful? Is there some tension between different sects?

The inhabitant sadly shakes his head…It is nothing of the sort my friend… we are all brothers and sisters here… no one hates another for such trivial reasons… but the fact is… we all fear for our lives…

I ask… Fear for your lives? In such an idyllic place?

The inhabitant replies… Things used to be different in the past… I am afraid this is a long story…

I reply… I have nothing but time…

The inhabitant sits down and begins his tale…

In the past… this city was not so beautiful…. People would often fight and say rude things… there was disorder in many places…. But even so… the people would still live happily and harmoniously together… it might seem odd… but we enjoyed the little bouts of rough-housing… we were obviously punished for our misdeeds… and we learned our lessons… even if those lessons had to be refreshed every so often…

But then…. things changed… times were dark… the old city was annihilated… and in its place… this beautiful new city rose from the ruins… built by the Emperor… The inhabitants were very pleased with their new homes and could not wait to return to life as usual…. But the Emperor wanted this city to be better in very way… and so he instituted a new set of rules and drafted a large army of enforcers…

The rules were written with good intentions… indeed many of the citizens are in complete agreement with the rules… however… the Emperor failed to give as much thought to the method of punishment for those breaking the rules… in order to nullify the bad elements…. He chose a seemingly simple method…. Death...

I ask… Death? For what kinds of crimes??

The inhabitant wearily replies…. ANY crime… EVERY crime… big or small… intentional or not… every day we are traversing a minefield…. Waiting for someone to trip…. Hoping it is not us… but that is not an existence which anyone cares for…. And so…. You see…. after losing so many friends...

I reply… Yes… I see…

The inhabitant points to a man who has suddenly jumped up onto a rooftop… Then there are people like him… who decide to go out in a blaze of glory…

The strange man starts gesticulating and talking loudly… saying some obscene things…. People around him are staring…. They all seem suddenly afraid… but there is also a hint of admiration in their gaze… and then… all of a sudden… a hooded figure descends on the man and a flash of light illuminates the rooftop.... the strange man smiles triumphantly... even as he starts to disintegrate into dust…

Inhabitant… while I do not agree with his methods… I understand his frustration… and that is why I must take my leave now my friend…

I ask… where are you going?

Inhabitant… in search of a new home… one where we wont have to live in fear of Death for every little mistake we make…

I reply…. Fare thee well my friend…

Inhabitant…. What of you?

I reply… I will stay here…. For as long as I am able… for as long as there are still people here I can call friends… I will stay with them for as long as I can…. and perhaps guide those who wish to leave... so that they may find a haven more suited to their tastes… in this way... I hope to honor the memories of the lost ones....

Inhabitant… Then… farewell...

As he proceeds to depart… hefting a large backpack…. He suddenly turns and calls after me…

Inhabitant… I just remembered something… its something I read somewhere…. It perfectly describes what our fair city is going through…

I ask… What is it?

Inhabitant… “The road to hell is paved with good intentions”

I look at him as he doffs his hat and resumes walking...

Yeah… sounds about right… but things may yet change… I have hope… even if its very little…. Its still there…

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Another blog post I made elsewhere.... and again aimed at the tyrannical moderators... this one also seems to do pretty well out of context...

Lament

I wander this desolate wasteland alone... one by one… my comrades are taken from me... for trivial reasons they fall by the wayside.... what is their crime? I ask... Only to hear a forlorn echo... TTTTOOOOSSSS..... the wind makes an odd sound rustling though the deserted playground....

Even my memories of the fun times of old are fading.... the landmarks brutally torn down.... the graffiti containing the feelings of the dearly departed being painted over…. by unfeeling and uncaring hands… I grow weary of this place.... it is not because of the people who speak in different tongues... I would definitely grow to like them given enough time... but the fear of losing another friend... especially a new friend... is just too much to bear.... the reason I must part ways with this place is because.... as things stand now.... I cannot be free... I cannot spread my wings and fly.... the concept of freedom seems to be alien in this supposed utopia... and life is far too fragile and easily taken away....

I wish I could turn back the hands of time and bring back the old days.... when our world was smaller… but we still had our freedom…. When there were problems…. But there were amicable solutions…. Where we could pray to the god... And expect some consideration…. This new world… this UTOPIA…. And its gods… assuming they are gods… and this IS a utopia… offer us no such consideration…. They smite those who only bend the most trivial of their tenets even with no ill intent in their hearts… but somehow allow vagrants and litterbugs to roam free even as they tarnish this ‘utopia’ with the rubbish that they constantly spew….

Alas… I neither have the authority to challenge the gods…. Nor the power to turn back time… but I do have one thing… and that is… my dignity… and I will never allow that to be taken from me… you will have to pry it from my cold dead hands… and in doing so… you will only prove that I was right… that this is not a Utopia…. This is purgatory… that you are not gods…. because Satan’s greatest trick… was convincing people he did not exist….

That said… I cannot leave this place just yet… there are those I must guide to other worlds here…. Those who do not know that other worlds even exist… that freedom still exists in those places… that their voices will be heard… even if the audience is smaller…. but the sincerity of the responses will be greater… and so I wait…. For those poor lost souls to come to me…. And I will continue to wait… until I am struck down as well… for that is the only way to honor my fallen comrades…

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A post from my blog in a different community... This here was a creative effort on my part aimed at the moderators and the TOS of said web community... but I think it does pretty well for itself... even out of context...