Name: Anonymous 2010-04-28 5:07
Looking for good ways to oppose ones government.
Situation:
I live in one of many european countries where looking out for the people has been replaced by segregation and oppression, where human rights are infringed on behalf of media propaganda intentionally spreading public hysteria in order to sell.
The media is controlling the government by now, and the media wants the public to fear, because when the public fear, they want to read as much as possible about the threat, and they do things worth writing about.
Strained under the pressure to please their new master, the government has failed to sustain proper public education, proper public healthcare, and even proper law enforcement. We have a puppet government in the hands of the media, who in turn doesn't care.
My prefered method:
It's complicated to oppose ones government with civil disobediance in a way that won't cause it to adapt to me by making an example out of me, statistical or otherwise.
Let's for example say I start a criminal career. Then the media will pick up on "the safety of our nation" being threatened, and propagate for more funds being spent on law enforcement. They will try to use anything I do against them, to their advantage. Courts and police stations are already more or less being built as medieval castles in order to withstand attacks.
They adapt! Don't let them!
Personally, I find refusal to work a good method. There is nothing they can say about that:
If you go to a segregated school or class, you can get depressed. It's not your fault if you do. The media can't write headlines along the lines of "21 year old loon gets depressed by school" without making you look better than the school.
You can seek help for this depression, but you can refuse to take the prescribed "cure-all" medication. Again, proper public healthcare SHOULD have actual therapy for you, but it's failing, so the media can't go "21 year old loon doesn't take his meds, requesting proper therapy" without making you the hero.
You are exploiting the flaws of the system, without being unethical. All you have to do is to surrender your "work ethics", by remembering that this is the states only income (taxes), and that you will not pay for government oppression. They can't outlaw not feeling proud.
...so you retire due to health reasons. You can live a confortable lifestyle in my country, while instead of paying the government, you are actually costing money. You are defeating the government financially. It's not as much as jailtime costs them, but if people end up in jail, the media can spin that to create even more fear.
This might be a weak method, though. What do you consider to be effective (realistic) methods?