Forum Post: Egyptian protests and free speech
Posted 13 years ago on Nov. 21, 2011, 12:08 a.m. EST by RedJazz43
(2757)
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Besides the violence in Egypt, what is going on politically is quite interesting The demonstrators are calling to postpone the elections on the grounds that they are phoney and will only put in office dupes of the military regime. Might we try the same approach here?
This is an OWS forum. Naturally I am talking about what OWS might do. Regarding American elections, recent more assertive street actions have prompted recall movements. Most prominently right now Scott in Wisconsin. But I was speaking of the possible disruption of the election in various ways. Occupying the election headquarters of the various candidates. Occupying debates and preventing them from speaking unless they addressed issues which the 99% care about.
The occupations are extremely important for a number of reasons. Having a visible public space occupied 24/7 gives people a place to go to any hour of the day or night to find out about the movement. It provides a place for the homeless to live that is a real community. It is a national community unlike anything that has existed in this nation since the days of the Populists. Of course people are grungy. Who wouldn't be after sleeping in a tent for several weeks with only an occasional shower. I'm 68 years old and as cynical as the next guy, but the love one feels after spending several hours at an occupation is truely life changing. At an occupation you can find a place to sleep. You can find good food that costs whatever you care to pay for it. If you have nothing it's free. You can find great conversation with like minded people and develop truely intimate friendships almost instantly. Every occupation I have been to has a superb library and there are teach ins and lectures every day and night. On top of it all, whether you are a PhD or a junkie, everybody is an equal. People are really working hard trying to build a model of the kind of society they would like to live in. Above all there is much love, joy and happiness and virtually no fear except of the cops surrounding us. Of course it is not perfect and there have been real conflicts, but the occupations work hard to work this stuff out without punishing anyone or being judgemental about anyone. The adversaries of the movement go out of their way to inflate these difficulties. I've spent many nights at occupations and I've seen an occasional fight break out, but in every instance the adversaries were surrounded by loving understanding a the conflict was nonviolently de-escalated. Of course that is just my personal experience, but I can only report what I have personally seen.
by here do you mean the OWS movement or in america in general? we have been having regularly scheduled elections every 4 years, thats not going to change. the best way is to get people out to vote for the people that you want in office. instead of complaining. go make a difference. vote in the people who will accomplish your goals. I do not agree with the OWS goals but i do think they could go about this better. honestly i find the protests and camping laughably ineffective. use your vote to change the world
Occupy should shape itself for the American socio-political reality. It should not focus so much on other protests, especially not those who exist for entirely different reasons.
We all exist for the same reason. Read what is says above, right under Occupy Wall Street. It says The revolution continues worldwide! Ours is a revolutionary movement in solidarity with other revolutionary movements worldwide, though is is true that a lot of liberals have attached themselves to OWS, undoutedly as the result of a misunderstanding and not reading what very few statements that OWS has put out very carefully, which is another liberal tendency.
We all exist for the same reason, but we all have different socio-political situations and histories. It's important to realize that one solution doesn't work in all contexts. OWS should start tailoring itself for the American reality.
All kinds of people have all kinds of ideas about what OWS "should" do. They are "shoulding" all over OWS. But OWS endures. It was started as a revolutionary organization by revolutionaries and it continues to be a revolutionary organization despite the misconceptions of liberals who have attached themselves to it.
This has nothing to do with liberalism. Occupy could be much better, and it's OK to criticize the movement. Criticism is good, it sharpens ideas.