Forum Post: An explanation of the OccupyWallStreet movement
Posted 13 years ago on Oct. 3, 2011, 6:41 a.m. EST by LaMar
(6)
from New York, NY
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
Have you ever played monopoly ?
The object of monopoly is to build up your wealth empire by buying properties to rent, hotels, public services like the water company and railroad services and slowly squeeze out your opponents until they can no longer afford your rents.
Monopoly starts with a limited amount of funds in the bank and eventually one person has so much of that cash that even the bank has to borrow from that person to pay out others collecting their pay for passing go or the whole game ends.
There is only one winner in monopoly and that person ends up with everything while all other players are slowly drowned in debt until they give up.
Our US economy is a lot like that monopoly game!
Only in monopoly everyone starts out with the same amount of cash and through the luck of the dice and some desire to defeat everyone else one player gets ahead.
In real life we don't all start out with the same cash to start life. When we are born most of us (middle class) have pretty much the same starting funds but the wealthy have the advantage on us because they have been playing a long time and have passed their wealth on to their kids and grand kids etc. and we are now playing against them and their collective wealth.
Just like in the game of monopoly the wealthy have used their inherited and collective wealth to buy up all the property, hotels, and public services that the new players need to survive and they rent these to us to increase their wealth.
The wealthy also own the majority of banks, corporations and businesses that produce the food we eat, clothes we wear, and goods we use every day too survive.
In America our monopoly game of an economy has now resulted in just 1% of the people having 90% of the wealth!
These wealthy people have played the game well and now control just about everything including the government through lobbyists.
They now have so much wealth and power that if they decided to stop the flow of funds to banks and businesses they could very effectively destroy our economy and probably most of the worlds economy that is tied to ours.
Now these wealthy people are not stupid and they do not want people to stop playing the game (revolt) so they pretend they are helping you using a fallacy called the trickle down effect and through the threat of taking away the services and goods you need to survive.
The wealthy will tell you they create the jobs you need and all the goods you need and without them you would not be able to survive so if you will leave them alone and not tax them they will trickle down the jobs you need and goods you need.
Occasionally one of the players will start to get ahead by challenging the wealthy for their wealth by starting a new business the wealthy do not own but the wealthy are quick to buy these up to add to their wealth or push them out through lawsuits and laws designed by their lobbyists to suppress new businesses that threaten their wealth.
The biggest fallacy of the monopoly game economy that the wealthy use to stay in power is that they help others to build wealth. They build support for their power by making people believe that their survival depends on them for their jobs so the majority of players willingly support these wealthy because they fear losing their jobs, homes and toys that they believe would go away without the wealthy.
These serfs of the wealthy are the majority of American people which have made their lives so dependent on the wealthy that they will fight tooth and nail to keep them in power through political movements to keep any government action of the people from taking away the privileges of the wealthy through higher taxes and regulations.
The wealthy also know that only by suppressing the people can they maintain their power so by using their lobbyists and political connections they try to take away any public services provided by taxes and privatize them under their ownership so that they can rent these services to the people.
It even becomes more dangerous as the wealthy can now also control the military and law enforcemnt by controlling the government and military contractors that can be used to suppress anyone that speaks against them and directed to an agenda of world domination (ever played the game of risk).
For this purpose they would end public schools, universities, college loans and grants, social security, medicare,medicaid, and anything that helps the middle class to survive because then these people that use those services become fully dependent on the wealthy for everything.
We are now faced with a monopoly board that is completely controlled by the wealthy and anyone joining the game is at a complete disadvantage.
Our only option is to stop playing the game. Put all the play money and pieces back in the box and try something new that respects all people.
This can only happen when the majority 99% around the world refuse to support the 1%.
How you do that could be by refusing to use their services, refusing their handouts, staging protests, filing lawsuits, and making a general nuisance of yourself that draws attention to what they are doing.
If every person that in the world that is in the 99% just stopped working and buying and using the services of the 1% for just 1 week Wall Street would collapse and the 1% would be forced to recognize the power of the 99%.
That is what we need and it must be organized. Occupy Wall Street is just the beginning!
It's not about taking something from somebody else. It's about everyone having equal and fair access to the pie. We are workers; we don't want or need a handout. We simply want fairness in the rules, so that, despite one's name, or color; or one's 'class', or gender; despite any demographic difference, we have the same opportunity to prosper. The government has worked tirelessly for the interests of corporations and the wealthy, giving them unfair advantage for far too long. The people want their interests represented. We want a future for ourselves and our children which doesn't include being debt slaves to the powerful of the world.
No one is suggesting taking from the rich- just don't make them richer!
"If every person that in the world that is in the 99% just stopped working and buying and using the services of the 1% for just 1 week Wall Street would collapse and the 1% would be forced to recognize the power of the 99%."
Sounds like your a socialist, over simplifying the economy with a monopoly game reference to sway people to your way of thinking is pathetic. Don't have a job? Want something to do; protest people who have jobs and money!! Life ain't fair don't cry about it. The American dream is real and shutting down wall street is not how you are going to live it. Do something productive not detrimental. The ends do not justify the means.
I own my own business and employ 3 people. You will find that many that are protesting have jobs.
You sound like one of the serfs I described "These serfs of the wealthy are the majority of American people which have made their lives so dependent on the wealthy that they will fight tooth and nail to keep them in power through political movements to keep any government action of the people from taking away the privileges of the wealthy through higher taxes and regulations."
Sounds like to me that you are just a hater, offended that someone would be willing to take a stand against our masters; afraid they might not throw any more scraps or crumbs from the table, if they are challenged in any way. I am a worker, and am discouraged by your implicit indictment of reason because of the fear in last place aversion. The reason life isn't fair is because the game is rigged. True equal opportunity, with a game that is not rigged from the beginning, is really all anyone wants, the OP, included. Fairness is something that can be easily achieved, through sheer will.It is not a fairy tale; that's just what they want you to think. And asserting one's first amendment rights is not an offensive undertaking, to be scorned as a detriment and unproductive. You do understand, I should hope, the importance of our Bill of Rights; how it protects us from a tyranny of the majority; how it allows the government to be accountable to the people. Perhaps you should reevaluate your confidence in your understanding of what being an American is really all about.
Government handouts like the programs you want are the tools of your enslavement. The Federal Reserve is the enemy more than the banks.
Who asked for government handouts ?
"How you do that could be by refusing to use their services, refusing their handouts, staging protests, filing lawsuits, and making a general nuisance of yourself that draws attention to what they are doing."
I absolutely AGREE and SUPPORT what you are doing. BUT how do we get the 99% to support and back Occupy Wall Street to make this happen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!??????????? Diane Gracely of Ocala, Florida
Most people are the "serfs" I described and will only support the movement when they see overwhelming evidence that it is being successful and the risk is outweighed by the benefit.
The more ordinary working folk that join will encourage more to join.
Good post