Occupy Protests 2011

[nosaj]

Hey, this forum is usually quite vocal about world events. What do you think about these "occupy" protests?

What I like about it, is that it is another case of watching the bias in responses in the media and by pundits. Regardless of my personal views, it reveals where bias lies, yet again.

In fact, in Canada, a lot of people dismiss the "occupy" protests taking place in Canada as silly, because our government did not bail out banks. Yet, Google, "Canadian Bank Bailout", or some such variation, and you will find the claim contested around the issue of Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) receiving money a few years ago...a sleight of hand? I don't know.

Anyway, I find it all fascinating, a little surprising and don't have a concrete opinion at the moment.

Your thoughts?

[mosespa]

I think the entire thing is best summed up by a "demotivational" poster I recently saw:

A toddler, passed out face-down in the floor of his bedroom with a feces-filled diaper thrown in the corner and feces all over his hands and the furniture in the background from where he's obviously recently thrown a "shit-fit."

The caption underneath says:

"Done Occupying Wall Street? It's now time to rest."

I'm all for protest and corporations paying their "fair share," though my idea of what "fair share" is seems radically different from those of people I've discussed this with...but if you're going to protest something, decide what you're going to protest before you go and do it.

Some people were there to protest evil banks, some to protest marijuana laws...and, apparently all points in-between.

People were complaining about the cops arresting people...well...that's the price of "civil disobedience." You put yourself in the path of an arrest when you do it. Claiming "civil disobedience" does NOT give one a "Get Out Of Jail Free" card.

The US Constitution guarantees the right to "peacably assemble." These protests seem to be anything but peacable and so are not covered under the Constitution.

Protests are at their most effective when everyone is on the same page and everyone understands and accepts the risks of what they're doing.

The Occupy Movement has neither of those things going for it.

Just a bunch of collectivist morons trying to impose their Entitlement Mentality on everyone else is all that I see.

[J Ed]

how can they be collectivist morons if they cant come to consensus what theyre protesting?
sound more like anarchists to me, with all the usual problems anarchists have trying to organise a coherent plan

[nosaj]

Hmmm...I guess the EU must be a bunch of anarchists, given that they can't organise a coherent plan.

[danielcaux]

Just a bunch of collectivist morons trying to impose their Entitlement Mentality on everyone else is all that I see.

The problem with collectivism as a conceptual framework is that it excludes any other real alternative. You are either part of the collectivist collective or part of the non-collectivist collective

But yeah, although I agree with the "principles" behind these protests, most participants seem to me more like flash mob hipsters than real political activist or concerned citizens.

[mosespa]

how can they be collectivist morons if they cant come to consensus what theyre protesting?

They're still protesting together, right? That's all it takes.

That...and some vague, undefined "common good" to be acting together towards.

No one ever said that collectivism HAD to be organized.

[nosaj]

Well, I guess this one is not going to turn into an exciting discussion. I guess everybody should accept their lot in life, even if it means that the last 30 years has seen real wages for the average person stagnate while costs have risen. Let the market decide!!! Goodbye to the "West"...I think I will move to brazil!!!

[mosespa]

Doesn't matter where you go, man...the collapse is going to hit everywhere, eventually. *shrug*

[Hudini]

The only places that the collapse won't hit are the places that had already collapsed, in many different ways. The only collapse that could still hit the place I live in is that the earth swallows the whole damn thing.

[nosaj]

Well, my take on these specific protests is that they really do relate to the Tea Party, riots in England over tuition (Charlie Gilmour!!!), Greece, Middle East, etc.

I think that a lot of people around the world have a right to be a little pissed off. I just don't like how each one individually gets portrayed by bias. I also don't like how they eventually get co-opted by groups. Tea Party was probably quite ground up, but came to be co-opted by Republicans in a way. Egypt was non-secratarian, but now Muslims seem to be against Coptic Christians. These occupy protests will be co-opted by unions and fringes.

However, I think they all have a bit of that "99%" saying they are being screwed...but, it is all about the economy.

[my breakfast.]

The 1% have their back's covered far too well.

[davidjay]

this is what the "occupy" movement is all about. fox news be damned.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wK1MOMKZ8BI

[Damn!t]

...few yanks protesting about unfairness of kapitalism... Poor US people. They all live on the brink of poverty...
...take me to the vomiting room...

[Keith Jordan]

The bottom 1/4 are very poor indeed and the top 1/100 exceptionally rich beyond imagination. Perhaps those at the bottom of the pile deserve at least some sympathy?

[Flying pig437]

The bottom 1/4 are very poor indeed and the top 1/100 exceptionally rich beyond imagination. Perhaps those at the bottom of the pile deserve at least some sympathy?

Who's bottom of the pile though? In the US and this country people 'at the bottom of the pile' live better than Royalty did 1,000 yrs. ago and compared to a huge swathe of children in AFrica they er...well they just live.Period. If people had more money in the middle and working classes in this country they'd only spend most of it on consumerist materalistic crap they don't need...like The Immersion box set's.