Forum Post: Any Supporters Who Aren't at the Occupation
Posted 13 years ago on Sept. 27, 2011, 12:30 p.m. EST by RedDread
(57)
from Bethel, CT
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
I have been carrying around flyers and stopping to talk to people while at work, while stopped at a stop light on my scooter, while shopping for groceries. I am trying to spread the message every day. The only way this movement will succeed is if the nation awakens to the reality that our country is controlled by the rich. And the only way they will open their eyes is if the message is brought to them.
ya what ideas are ther to fix this
Private message me your email and I can send you a PDF of a flyer I made. There are 4 per page so you can print 10 copies, cut them up and you have 40 flyers. This helps in spreading the message.
yes. but there is no fucking message! thats the problem!
There is a clear message that corporate interests control our so called democracy, and we want the government to work for the interests of the people, not the corporations.
agreed. now if everyone could get on that same page, maybe some progress could be made
Because, if you think about it, most of the demands, each of them is fought against by corporate interests. Healthcare for all is battled against by the insurance companies and big pharma. Free education is battled against by the private universities. So all in all, we are fighting against corporate control of our country and government!
yes. please spread that idea and shut down those who would distract from the core message.
The message is already clear: let's have a conversation about what society should (and could) be like, rather than simply despairing. The details are secondary in that respect. However, they must be the focus of the people, else the message will be lost.
that isn't a message. thats an idea to come up with a message. there are already those who are much smarter than you, or I, or anybody else on this forum who have considered these very questions. But because you crazy stoners know best, you refuse to seek out and learn from them. Well I'll help you out, watch this video and then tell me that we still need to discuss what to be pushing for. This is a speech from a Harvard professor and a well respected philosopher of our time. Please, spend an hour and learn:
http://fora.tv/2011/07/08/Michael_Sandel_Government_and_the_Common_Good
I have a degree (in physics). I think I am qualified to consider these issues. And quite frankly, I think that chefs are too. What about stoners? Well, they would be thinking... that's a plus, right?
yes thats true, everyone has a stake and therefore should have a say, but to assert that the right thing to do is invade wall street to get the discussion started is absurd. My point was and is, that these are not new problems, and its not as though no one has taken notice before. We have to listen to those who have made it their life's work to consider what is truely best for the majority, and stop listening to those who would distract from that message with statements like those made by our current leadership, the majority of those in the media, and by many people on this very forum. Seriously, watch the video the message that should be focused on is discussed in length by people who have put real thought into it for more than just a couple weeks. I am sorry if I was rude but I am very frustrated by the lack of direction that has emerged from the group of protestors.
I'll watch it later (I will). These aren't new problems (I agree). Direction is important (I agree). Leadership is however, not the answer. The point of the protest is not to propose some grand idea or theorem that will fix a broke system - if that idea existed, it would have been implemented already.
The point (as I see it) is to chuck an adult-tantrum (one that lasts as long as it needs to). The populus is not being listened to. So they have to shout. They all have something different to say (but share commonalities). Focusing on the commonalities is important... yes. But if that means neglecting the concerns of those on the fringes, then that is a problem.
Why? Often outlandish ideas, or uncommon viewpoints, when explored by the open-minded lead to the unveiling of a new information source.
PS: I was not offended by the suggestion of learning. I was taken aback by the derogatory comments made about "stoners." I know one guy who has long hair and wears sandals to university. He's straight edge (and Christian).
Then on that point we disagree, I believe the solution has been found, and it is achievable. But people are too focused on throwing that fit to sit down and think through the problems this country faces in order to offer up some constructive ideas on how to fix it. Democracy is suppose to be of the people, by the people, for the people, but if the people won't be mature enough to try and solve the problem, no progress will be made. We must once again make this a land of the free, a shining city on a hill, by undoing corporate personhood. And from that higher moral ground we can implement the changes nessesary to bring our government back in line with the will of the majority of the people..
The solution is in the people. A mechanism for change might have merit, but if the people aren't convinced, it won't work. People can't be convinced on this magnitude by any one book or video. They NEED to feel involved.
Example: ever explained the fundamental theorem of calculus to someone? They simply don't get it until they try it out for themselves.
If you feel so strongly about these ideas, then I suggest you promote them (but lose the "stop being a baby" attitude). You are already half way there.
I'm no advocating for following any particular video, though the one I posted about earlier is a very good explanation of what I think many of these people are driving at. I think if anybody really thinks through the problems we face they will arrive at a single root problem. Money in our political system. The "stop being a baby" attitude that I have is a result of seeing people talk about excusing educational loan debt, government owned free housing, and other senseless entitlements. People need to get serious about why they are there and stop detracting from the core issue. People across the world are waiting to see if we can make real progress, but without unifying behind a real solution, proposed by the people, there is no hope of affecting meaningful change.