occupy (enter city name here)

Any thoughts on any of this? There's one that started tonight one city over from me called occupy norfolk. I went to just check it out and get a feel for what everyone is protesting about and what not. I feel like this could go somewhere.

I think I'm going to the one in Victoria BC. Not too sure, yet, though.

I'm am healthier than whole, but not as much as skim. I am the 2%

sorry, I'll let this be a serious discussion now.

Here's a good article about what the Wall Street protesters are so angry about.

I think it's ridiculous in a couple ways. I'm sorry, I'm all about protests, but it's been over a month. Mad at banks? STOP BANKING AT WELLS FARGO. Mad at corporate greed? GO SHOP LOCALLY! Mad at gas prices? RIDE A FUCKING BIKE! And if riding a bike is too big of a hassle, or you still need your banks to survive, then obviously you don't care enough anyway.

I realize i'm taking the extreme here, but I hope you see my point. I hate the banks, I hate the greed, I think they need to be held accountable, we need a systems overhaul here. I'm all about moving forward. But you need to make a statement. There are better ways to do this then just sitting outside Wall-Street being homeless.

I'm sorry, I don't want to peeve anyone off here, I realize most of us are young and want a better future, so do I....I just think these "protests" are ridiculous. We can do better.

Its just a matter of the system being shitty, and these people are voicing their grievances with it. You can stop using a bank and a car, but you will still need money and the government will still be taking almost half of your paycheck. There is still rampant unemployment and thousands of people who cant afford health care. It's not exactly easy to mass together thousands of people and make your collective voices heard but at least these people are trying. People are just taking aim at Wall Street because of the ridiculous influence that money has in politics. As a private citizen there is not a whole lot you can do beyond writing letters every day. At least these people are getting noticed. Our country is 14 trillion dollars in debt. Banks fuck up their business but get bail outs that we pay for. Who bails people out when they fuck up? We are wasting money every day in 2 wars and nothing is changing, all you see in congress are republicans yelling at democrats and democrats yelling back and nothing getting done.

I know WHY they are doing what they are doing. I am ALL for protests and voicing your opinion to our shitty system, which needs an overhaul. But there comes a point when in America, everyone stops listening. It's been over a month. Now, to the average person, it just looks like a ton of homeless people out there. I am against the greed as much as anyone. There is a different between a protest and this crap I think. In recent years, since about 2006, our congress has done SHIT. They haven't gotten anything done. We always talked about that in our Poli Sci classes. They have always disagreed, but at least always got something done. In recent years, that hasn't been the case. I am against all this corporate greed, but our whole system needs an overhaul if anything productive for society is going to get done. Our politics are fucked so bad.

What do you suggest people do to air their frustrations then? What other way is there for the average American to really let their government know they are not happy?

Pants wrote:

I know WHY they are doing what they are doing. I am ALL for protests and voicing your opinion to our shitty system, which needs an overhaul. But there comes a point when in America, everyone stops listening. It's been over a month. Now, to the average person, it just looks like a ton of homeless people out there. I am against the greed as much as anyone. There is a different between a protest and this crap I think. In recent years, since about 2006, our congress has done SHIT. They haven't gotten anything done. We always talked about that in our Poli Sci classes. They have always disagreed, but at least always got something done. In recent years, that hasn't been the case. I am against all this corporate greed, but our whole system needs an overhaul if anything productive for society is going to get done. Our politics are fucked so bad.

Well maybe you ought to consider why nothing is getting done.
Special interests (insurance companies and corporations) are dominating political discourse in this country and preventing anything from passing Congress that will actually improve the lot of those of us who aren't blessed with a high socioeconomic position. Why did the healthcare bill fail so miserably? I mean I know it got passed but it wasn't what everyone wanted for sure, and that's because corporate interests did their damnedest to doop the American people into thinking that a public option was communism and it was in our best interest to just let them all keep taking from us and refusing treatment.
I'm not really against or in favor of the occupy Wall Street movement because I don't know enough about it, but I am glad to know that at least some people in this country have figured out who it is that's really fucking us, rather than listening to these awful astroturf organizations and going out to tea party rallies.

Also, what does it having been a month have to do with anything? Progress is slow and it takes time. And if you think our system needs an overhaul I can't imagine why you would think that protesting it was such a bad idea. I mean, I know you say you're all about protests but it sounds like by protests you mean those day long marches that don't ever get coverage from the media (unless they're tea party rallies) and don't change anything. We're not going to overhaul the system by going about our daily lives and voting every election. Especially not when in order to run for office you have to be one of those people at the top or at least take contributions from them.
Shopping locally and riding a bike are not actions that are going to fix unemployment or end corporate greed. Laws need to change and the mentality and gullibility of the American people need to change. It's easy for someone to say things like that if they have the ability to do those things and they're comfortable, but it's just not as simple as that.

Like I said, I don't know enough about the protests or demands of the protesters to really state whether or not I agree with them 100 or even 70%, but if you think we can do better , what would you have us do? Vote Green Party? Everyone can turn in their cars for bikes and ride to work that way? The unemployed can start communes and live off of the land? I mean, there aren't a lot of options for most people anymore, especially people who've been alienated from the job market.

I don't think protesting it is such a bad idea. I think there are better things to do than sit outside for a year. I think, that every single one of these people should pull all their money out of the banks. That sends a big ass message to banks. I have no doubt some of them have, but do all of them? That's my kind of protest. I think these people are on the right track, I just think this protest is becoming ridiculous. Just my opinion.

watch Keith Olbermann take an 8 minute shit on Mayor Bloomberg. (not literally. that would be gross.)

haha. great stuff.

live stream from New York
http://www.ustream.tv/TheOther99

My problem with the Occupy Movement (in my city not globally per se) is that they really have no goal. Most of them are protesting just to protest. They think it's cool to sit around a fire all day, make smores, smoke weed, and sing some sweet jams with a guy who doesn't quite know how to play an acoustic guitar. They're new-age hippies except their not going to accomplish anything close to what hippies in the 60s/70s did (not that hippies really accomplished anything anyway).

They set up camps in public parks with clearly set hours on land they do not own, violating city bylaws. Then they complain and resist arrest when the police try to arrest them for doing illegal activities (although I am far from supporting the police, they did some despicable things in New York and elsewhere but in Canada we have yet to see anything like that).

I get it, coporate greed is bad and the wealth of the world should be distributed evenly. But that's never going to happen unless we banish commerce, class systems and governments (ie Anarchism). Say what you want about Anarchists but at least they have a definable goal in mind.

cooljayhu wrote:

(not that hippies really accomplished anything anyway).

they did sorta contribute to ending the Vietnam war..

Cooljayhu, 100% agree with everything.

If anything, I'm starting to get annoyed by the Occupy movement.

Coolj put it pretty well. I cant really get into the Occupy moments because its just a bunch of new hippies taking up space. Then again i think this more effective then what usually happens in Europe with rioting, those guys love to riot.

Occupy Ft. Myers has their own lawyer...

^^True anarchy

In the words of Animal House!
"In this case I think we have to go all out. I think this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody's part. And we're just the guys to do it! Lets do it!"

Johnny99 wrote:

cooljayhu wrote:

(not that hippies really accomplished anything anyway).

they did sorta contribute to ending the Vietnam war..

Not really, that war dragged on for several years longer than hippies wanted to.

I wouldn't call the people occupying a 'bunch of hippies.' I don't necessarily agree with them but there's a pretty diverse group of people there so its sort of inaccurate to lump them all into the same category.

cooljayhu wrote:

I get it, coporate greed is bad and the wealth of the world should be distributed evenly. But that's never going to happen unless we banish commerce, class systems and governments (ie Anarchism). Say what you want about Anarchists but at least they have a definable goal in mind.

Improvements can certainly be made to the system here in the United States without 'banishing commerce, class systems and governments.' Simple campaign finance laws, regulations on the financial system and real healthcare reform and job building programs would be a significant improvement.

Though you're right, I don't think that the occupy movement has a clear objective. They do seem to be sort of in agreement about a few things though, such as getting rid of corporate personhood and ending wars and stuff like that. Still even if they did have a clear message (not that most protest movements do, with the exception of maybe the civil rights movement) they wouldn't be taken seriously by anyone who has any influence. Still, I feel like they're a big improvement over the tea party and maybe the next big protest movement will actually get something done.
Probably not though...I think things in the US will get a lot worse before they get better.

In NYC the police and the mayor are breaking laws. Shutting down press. shutting down free speech. shutting down assembly. and now monitoring religious houses of worship that are giving aid and shelter to protestors.
The fact that people are OK with all of this is fucking sickening. Can we stop calling it the land of the free yet?

Why should we follow the laws if they dont?

Try to change things, try to run for office without BANK. Good fuckin luck.

When the most wealthy 400 families in the country have more than the bottom 150 Million combined you have to realize there is something wrong.

Aint that a sight?

AMERICA!


These police are fucking disgusting.