proof that romania is a free land.

coup, spontaneous movement, orchestrated, be that as it may, but in december 1989, hundreds of thousands of people throughout the entire country went in the streets to overthrow a regime that had deprived them of the most elementary human rights (too many to mention here), kept them hungry, thirsty and terrorized, and generally sunk them in darkness (both literally and figurately) for decades on end.

now, when romanians have food, drinks, free speech, free passage to other countries, access to pretty much everything, nobody really manifests. some hundreds of people for roşia montană, some thousands of people for bârlad (biggest street movement since the revolution, to be fair), some politically organised and paid demonstrations in front of the government that have pathetically failed in partying, some other hundreds of people freezing their asses off in the university square and ending by fighting with each other, vandalising or fighting with the police, and a couple of dozen people being taunted by televisions to keep shouting things that they didn't even understand - these are not national movements, and they have little-to-no power and influence upon our politicians.

do you know how to get one. how to drag people out. forget another communist regime, forget blatant abuse from the authorities, nothing like that would get romanians out of their homes and into the street. no.

try cutting the internet in romania for a week.