Forum Post: An important question.
Posted 12 years ago on Oct. 31, 2011, 12:59 p.m. EST by TH3W01F
(180)
from Ottawa, ON
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
What happens after OWS?
As I witness history unfolding before me, I ask myself that question. What will happen after OWS?
And what I mean by this, is what will the protesters do after the marches are done. To many, they came out to vent their anger against an unfair system, but to others, it is the first step towards a societal change.
The question is, now that we got the ball rolling, how do we keep it rolling? And in what direction?
My concern about this movement is like many movements, is the failure to see past the protests. Sure, getting clobbered by cops and ranting against the system is nice, cathartic even, but it doesn't mount to a hill of beans if there isn't any vision put forth.
I like the concept of the Grand Assembly. It's like an offline forum where ideas can be brought forward. And the methods used to discuss the matters at hand, while rough on the edges, are sound.
But the question remains, where do we go from here? Where do we go to improve our Nations?
TH3 W01F
Location: Canada
It is all about knowledge. Change to a problem solution process. List the problems, put them into a priority order. Suggest solutions. Discuss the pros and cons of the solutions. Use the web to build a popular consensus. It will be an on going process. Democracy on the web. The leaders will follow if enough people agree to the plan.
The idea is to change the two parties from within.
What next.....OWS'ers will return home and smoke more pot.
What next.....OWS'ers will return home and smoke more pot.
I've heard it mentioned on this site many times and agree with most comments. Wildfire: The Legislation that Ignited the Great Recession would be a great handbook regarding where we go from here.
For those wondering...
http://www.amazon.com/Wildfire-Legislation-Ignited-Recession-ebook/dp/B004TNGTYA
Thank you, I neglected to post the link. Really a good one though. have you read it?
No I haven't. But I will be.
Very cool, you will not be disappointed.
As far as Afterwards? I have yet to encounter any sort of revolution, no matter how minor, that happened according to some sort of plan..... We'll just have to wait and see for now. Ill be happy if we can just get more planning into the protests, so that people should be a bit more protected.....
The bulk of protesters are a bunch of uneducated teenagers living in a winter campground. Do you think these are the people that can change American and lead it in an entirely new direction? They're currently worried about a urine disposal system. They don't have time to think about politics, never mind a world altering system.
shutup you idiot
Interesting, and how do you suggest we help them?
We could suggest they give their $500,000 to critical thinkers who can write a book or create a political movement. The campers themselves should go home and read books for a few years.
And what books would you recommend?
All types of books on philosophy, politics, etc... At this point, they can start with simple books so they can learn to read. Later, they need to accumulate enough general knowledge to understand when they are repeating the past.
Any specific titles that come to mind? I agree on the education. Considering that education in the USA is somewhat a bit of a farce and the curriculum has gone to the dogs.
But I like the idea of having some professional policy makers working with the protesters. It could lead to some interesting results. Why not volunteer your time to this?
I recently read Upton Sinclair "The Jungle" I found myself thinking many times, wow this doesn't sound like it was written 100 years ago. IT is a pretty vivid accounting of how the lower income portions of society are unfairly treated
I'm not from US and I have so much on my plate at the moment that I unfortunately don't have much time to give for OWS. Perhaps in the future.
In terms of books, I still think the Republic from Plato is a must. It's old, but it's a good base as many books about democracy have been influenced by it. I think it's good to read from many different view points. Read a book from Kierkegaard, then read his critics. Always read the critics and debunkers, not only the original book. Read books on communism, then some on capitalism. The important thing is not to only read what you already agree with (or think you agree with), but to read all the different angles so you can make a better informed picture. Stay away from new age books and conspiracy theories. They're junk food for the mind. Also, stay away from religions. They're prisons for the mind. Read the French philosophers, Derrida, Foucault, etc... Just read anything that looks good, if after a few pages it isn't good throw it away and pick up another book.
My own recommendations would be "The book of the farm" by Henry Stephens (The way things are going we are going to need to re-learn how to farm our own food).
http://books.google.com/books/about/The_book_of_the_farm.html?id=WxhJAAAAMAAJ
I also recommend a video series "Patrolling with Sean Kennedy". I found his video series, especially the first season to be very useful.
http://rantmedia.ca/patrolling/
Another recommendation? Any "Books for dummies". While they are not the best books for certain subjects, they are useful!!
Those are good ideas. I agree Books for dummies are useful. They cover a lot of ground and point to different directions if you want further more in depth reading.
I recommend http://www.amazon.com/Wildfire-Legislation-Ignited-Great-Recession/dp/1617392839/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1295880272&sr=1-1 its super relevant and gets right to the message.
I could actually point out, how different is that then a bunch of Teenagers doing the same thing, but with Musket's, wondering if the Red Coats are going to attack them on the next eve, or if the farm three hills over will have enough food they can borrow/raid to feed them for the next week? And yet, we rid ourselves of the british.....
Good point Falcus, are you of the same opinion as I that the "1%" is nothing more but a re-hashed aristocracy?
I don't know that I would go so far as to try to label them. They're human, subject to the same flaws as the rest of us.... Some of the things ive seen and heard about the ultra wealthy really just boggles my mind that anyone could choose to be so ignorant, or allowed to live that way. I just know that I haven't much liked what people with more money have been doing to affect people with less money.....
Oh yes, the opulence is mind boggling, if not just disgusting. If someone wanted to know how the French Aristocracy lived, look no further than your average CEO.
Myself, I get a mixture of revulsion and yet pity. Some of them are good people, trapped in a really bad system. Notice I say "some".
I think that gr57 would approve more if ows was packing heat instead of drums.
An armed revolt is totally unnecessary. In Quebec we had a revolution that never required one bullet.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quiet_Revolution
True and they are just realizing that the winder wonder land of thier playground is about to hurn into a hell an Earth becuase not one of them though of winter when they decided to move into outdoor New York and are about to realize that on the list of things to bring, blanket should have been above the drum, weed, and thier I-Phones
With all do respect sir, I think none of us thought that this protest would reach this length or this intensity.
lol I didn't either but not becuase I thought they would "win" in a matter of weeks. I just thought they would give up. Apparntly I was wrong but if they thought they would be in for the long haul, they should have prepared.
So are you giving them credit for their persistence? And you cannot fault them, if you read enough history books, revolts aren't prepared, they just "happen".
Sure I'll give them credit for thier effort but not for thier long term thought process. But this isn't a revolt. This was a planned protest. They weren't just carrying their tents on the street, run into eachother and decide to protest on that spot. They planned it befor.
Also, once a month had gone by, they should have realized that this isn't going very fast, prehaps we should plan for the future and what they might need/
I guess the logistics of it should be considered. From there, a good foundation could be established and the movement could indeed take on some political weight and have seasoned individuals who are trained to be leaders.