Occupy Wall Street
Oct. 18th, 2011 05:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
storytimewithjoeIs it just me, or is this whole movement the most useless, ill-defined form of protest in living memory?
Just in case any of you have been hiding under a rock, the Occupy Wall Street craze is like some sort of new flash-mob. OK, not really. It is less entertaining and much more lame. The movement represents the “99%” protesting against the “1%”. So… wtfdoesthatmean? That refers to the fact that the vast majority of wealth in this country belongs to 1% of the population while the remaining 99% represents the working class. And that working class is angry… angry about the economy… angry at lack of jobs… angry at the politicians who just bitch about the other party, point fingers, and tear apart progress.
OK, so we’ve established a legitimate reason to be angry. And, one could argue, that public demonstration is at least an effective way to get that anger out without causing harm or destruction to public property. But… is it effective in giving the protesters what they want? Well… no. Why? Because they really haven’t stated what they want. All I’ve heard is what angers them. Duh! We know you’re angry. But do you actually have a good and feasible solution, or are you just here to bitch? Just walking out with a sign announcing one’s anger does not accomplish much. The question is, what does the Occupy Wall Street protest wish to accomplish? They need an idea. They need a plan. They need some organization. And so far, they don’t seem to have one. To me, that sounds like the beginning of the “Tea Party” – another completely useless and embarrassing footnote in American history.
Let’s look at history, shall we?
The year was 1789. The French peasants bitched. They complained. And it fell on deaf ears. The people were starving. They weren’t happy. And they bitched. And they complained. And they were ignored. The 1% ignored the 99%. So did the French peasants decide to do an Occupy Wall Street protest? No. Instead they came up with a different plan – Occupy the BASTILLE. And the rest is, as the French would say, l’histoire.
Now please don’t get me wrong. I have no issue with public demonstration. You wanna stand up on a soapbox in front of city hall and tap dance your feet into a frenzy to call attention to the plight of genetically altered corn used in bird food which will eventually result in psychopathic tendencies in barn sparrows, go for it. But if you want to be more effective, you should really come up with a plan. Human beings are, by their very nature, lazy. It takes a lot of effort to get the politicians (or whomever) to pay attention to your plight. But when you finally get their attention, you need to do more than just bitch about how angry you are. You need to have a plan. And if they don’t want to join you in creating change, that is all the more reason for you to focus your energies into a plan.
Hell, it worked for the French!
Just in case any of you have been hiding under a rock, the Occupy Wall Street craze is like some sort of new flash-mob. OK, not really. It is less entertaining and much more lame. The movement represents the “99%” protesting against the “1%”. So… wtfdoesthatmean? That refers to the fact that the vast majority of wealth in this country belongs to 1% of the population while the remaining 99% represents the working class. And that working class is angry… angry about the economy… angry at lack of jobs… angry at the politicians who just bitch about the other party, point fingers, and tear apart progress.
OK, so we’ve established a legitimate reason to be angry. And, one could argue, that public demonstration is at least an effective way to get that anger out without causing harm or destruction to public property. But… is it effective in giving the protesters what they want? Well… no. Why? Because they really haven’t stated what they want. All I’ve heard is what angers them. Duh! We know you’re angry. But do you actually have a good and feasible solution, or are you just here to bitch? Just walking out with a sign announcing one’s anger does not accomplish much. The question is, what does the Occupy Wall Street protest wish to accomplish? They need an idea. They need a plan. They need some organization. And so far, they don’t seem to have one. To me, that sounds like the beginning of the “Tea Party” – another completely useless and embarrassing footnote in American history.
Let’s look at history, shall we?
The year was 1789. The French peasants bitched. They complained. And it fell on deaf ears. The people were starving. They weren’t happy. And they bitched. And they complained. And they were ignored. The 1% ignored the 99%. So did the French peasants decide to do an Occupy Wall Street protest? No. Instead they came up with a different plan – Occupy the BASTILLE. And the rest is, as the French would say, l’histoire.
Now please don’t get me wrong. I have no issue with public demonstration. You wanna stand up on a soapbox in front of city hall and tap dance your feet into a frenzy to call attention to the plight of genetically altered corn used in bird food which will eventually result in psychopathic tendencies in barn sparrows, go for it. But if you want to be more effective, you should really come up with a plan. Human beings are, by their very nature, lazy. It takes a lot of effort to get the politicians (or whomever) to pay attention to your plight. But when you finally get their attention, you need to do more than just bitch about how angry you are. You need to have a plan. And if they don’t want to join you in creating change, that is all the more reason for you to focus your energies into a plan.
Hell, it worked for the French!
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2011-10-19 01:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-19 02:16 pm (UTC)And, as much as I don't like them, the Tea Party has just as much credence as far as political movements go - a core group of people saw a need, started protesting, and eventually gave rise to a loosely-formed movement. There's nothing saying OWS won't do the same for a more progressive voice.
no subject
Date: 2011-10-19 02:35 am (UTC)