Ideology & Citizenship - The Orange Revolution"On election day, numerous allegations of election fraud, voter intimidation, multiple voting and the burning of ballot boxes in areas of strong Yushchenko support. Yanukovych was declared the winner of the election. Nov. 22 – the following day massive protests erupted against the election results. On November 22nd 2004, one million citizens poured into the streets of Kyiv wearing orange (Yushchenko's color)and took up residence there. They marched in protest and formed human barricades around government buildings, paralyzing all state functions. Restaurants donated food, businessmen sent tents, and individuals brought blankets, clothing, and money. At night, rock bands energized the protesters. It lasted 2 weeks, eventually a new election was held and Yushchenko won. A group of ordinary citizens engaged in extraordinary acts of political protest. Through the eyes and in the voices of the people in Ukraine, Orange Revolution tells the story of a people united, not by one leader or party, but by one idea: to defend their vote and the future of their country." The Orange Revolution made a huge impact and set an example of how people, who are robbed of their right to vote, can protest and put an end to dictatorship. Ukraine is a key part of Europe. The democracy founded during the revolution sets an example. These individuals that took part in the protest had the same views towards the Ukrainian government and the political parties. They made a choice and stood together to better their society. This peaceful protest led by citizens made history, and changed the history of an entire country. Authoritarianism - Fidel Castro"Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz was a communist and politician who governed the Republic of Cuba as Prime Minister from 1959 to 1976 and then as President from 1976 to 2008. Castro established the first communist state in the Western Hemisphere after leading an overthrow of the military dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista in 1959. He ruled over Cuba for nearly five decades, until handing off power to his younger brother Raúl in 2008. During that time, Castro’s regime was successful in reducing illiteracy, stamping out racism and improving public health care, but was widely criticized for stifling economic and political freedoms. Castro’s Cuba also had a highly antagonistic relationship with the United States–most notably resulting in the Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis. The two nations officially normalized relations in July 2015, ending a trade embargo that had been in place since 1960, when U.S.-owned businesses in Cuba were nationalized without compensation." Human rights in Cuba are under the inspection of human rights organizations, who accuse the Cuban government of systematic human rights abuses, including arbitrary imprisonment and unfair trials. It's also said that Cuban law limits the freedom of expression, association, assembly, movement, and the press. This statement being presented goes to show that the government actions are not justified if they are causing harm to the citizens of Cuba. The cuban government has not given any justified reason as to why they are treating their citizens so poorly. Rise of Extremism "Extremism is is an example of a response to the rejection of liberalism. It may advocate action that are considered socially or morally unacceptable, such as the violent targeting of innocent civilians. Sometimes the mainstream absorbs extremist views, however, and views that were considered extreme in one era become conventional in another - for example: women’s right to vote and desegregation).The judgement of “extremist” depends entirely on one’s point of view - There can be extremist views on both sides of the right and left political spectrum. Some terrorist groups claim that in a world of injustice where military, political, and economic power is concentrated in the hands of a small group and used to keep others powerless, extreme measures are the only way to arrive at justice. While attacks by and inspired by ISIS continued throughout the world in 2017, a noted terrorism expert said this year has been a real “wakeup call” about the dangers of right-wing extremism -- a threat he says Canadians have been all too complacent about. A shooting at a mosque outside Quebec City on Jan. 29 killed six people and injured 19, making it the second-most deadly right-wing act of terrorism behind the Air India bombing in 1985." Social media. It would be quite a stretch to state that social media causes extremism, but it does contribute to it. Social media enables individuals. Right-wing extremism isn't ideally an ideological movement, but more so a social one. Individuals can express their ideologies in 140 characters or less. Right-wing extremists talk about violence way more than they actually engage in it, but all that talk leads up the expectation that "everyone is doing it, so it's okay." Right? Extremist violence seems to be almost celebrated on social media, thereby encouraging status-seeking violence. Right-wing extremists have benefited from social media's capacity to turn everyday lives into dramatic performances. If the ability to become an instant celebrity from one viral act can inspire livestreamed rape, torture, even murder on Facebook Live, it certainly can inspire violence in the name of hate. Let's take our outrage offline and stop feeding the beast. Let's stop being the audience the extremists want. If we walk out of the show, the extremists might be forced to close the curtain.
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