Forum Post: Friendly advice from someone who usually disagrees with you.
Posted 12 years ago on Oct. 10, 2011, 11:29 p.m. EST by Phydeaux2
(19)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
Look, we don't all agree on 100% of anything. In the interest of being transparent, I have not voted anything but Republican since 1988. Having said that I am proud of you.
What a right winger proud of OWS? Listen, anyone who served in the armed forces, as I have and millions more besides me, have to accept that what you are doing is what we fought for or served for, even if it was peace time. (Lucky us)
Some advice from a friendly antagonist;
Get you manifesto, demands in order, the world is watching. How can I support something which is not clear?
If you really represent the 99% do not let yourself be co-opted by the left or the right.
The majority doesn't agree with the extremes of either. Watching the far left fall over themselves, to court you and claim your approval will NOT help you. Do not let them do it. Look at Obama's top advisers Vs. Bush's. The same roll call of Financial CEO's and their ilk. Stand strong, be clear, don't let them pigeon hole you for their own gain.
You have a unique movement, get a front person/persons from both the left and the right to represent you. If you want a clear message that will stop the way the media and all attack you, don't let Michael Moore, Nancy Pelosi, be your spokes person. This is a wide country and accepting their ilk, (Who court you for their own gain) will only hurt you.
Keep religion out of it. At least 90% of Americans believe in a type of Spiritual higher being, do not let them draw you into a flying Spaghetti monster discussion. You will lose.
Keep your focus, Getting rid of financial corporations influence in politics. A strong state side government vs. the Federal one. Making the corporations that make up BOTH sides top donors a thing of the past.
Focus on what you can accomplish with the right and left agreeing. Because if you do not, you are lost. Let them paint you as a far left, communist organization and you are doomed.
Stop the trolls on this board, stop looking like unwashed masses on TV. The world is watching. Police yourselves so the media does not have the excuse to paint you as liberal weirdos.
You have so many people, ask them to sign a monetary agreement. What? Ask them, if they want to be part of the movement to not please endorse, Bank of America, Exxon etc. Use the ones your research tells you. Money hurts them. You sitting on a street using your blackberry and I-pad to text does not.
Why did the bus lines cave after Rosa Parks? Because they were enlightened? Of course not! It was because the spending power of the marginalized black man was part of their economic survival! Vote with your wallet! Be part of an awesome spending block and watch things cave when you withhold a great % of what they are used to. You complaining about corporations but buying their crap does nothing but make them laugh. Time to put your money where your mouth is.
If I may add one piece to you manifesto, take oil off the speculation market. If you have to ask why, you have no reason to be protesting.
Be strong, I support your right if not your intent at this point. Get it together and rock the world. Don't let them corrupt you, they are already trying. Fight to really support the 99% and many others will follow. Give me your goals, and I will give you my power. Until then shake off both sides.
Phydeaux2 from New Jersey
Look what you have done! Be proud! Now make it count. The world knows you are here, tell them why.
I do not envy your leaders, taking a grass roots movement public and all of a sudden the world looks at you. I mean THE WORLD!!!!!!!!
Get it together. I hate to say this but there are many in the Tea Party who agree with you. We hate the way the federal government is trampling our rights.
There will be a hundred things the media will tell you we can not tolerate in each other, but for now, for the good of the 99%, lets focus on what we agree on. Get the support, get strong then we can bicker. Let them lead you into this now and we all lose.
I will be honest, I am almost embarrassed to be posting here. I have worked to stop the far left from changing America as I see it. But you know what? I read, I made up my own mind. As far as I can tell none of you have three heads and devour kittens as an appetizer despite what I have been told.
Let's fix this, let's work together. We can really change things!
Amen!
We the People not We the Party!
Amen, brother.
I am glad to hear there are people in the Tea Party who also want to get the corporate monied interests out of government. I suspect 99% of Americans do agree on this, so big money will work hard to stop us from joining together in our common interest in this issue.
Well originally that's just what the tea party was about. unfortunately it was usurped by the likes of Michelle Bachman and Sarah Palin for their own political gain. I think if you take off the liberal colored glasses you'd find that the core of the tea party, the ones that were there at it's inception, would agree with what you all are doing.
RichardGates, I make NO qualms in telling you I am right wing. I am sorry, if what I said seemed to make one side worse than the others. Perhaps it is an inborn flaw I do not meant to. If you want me to list Bush's flaws I will.
For the first time, I feel energy in something. But it is like watching a train wreck in slow motion. Unless you change the direction I actually fear for your movement.
Look if this will make you happy, Bush grew government and the deficit. He tried to legalize illegal immigrants, which right wingers claim to hate. I am from NJ and I was born in may in a year that you were probably not born yet. I am a white christian right wing male.
Stop looking for hidden meanings, If you need to hate me, than do it. If not take my advice or not. I am only telling you that if you divide the 99% you are going to fail.
There's a video by a conservative named Michael Ostrolenk that I've posted here before. He advocates "Transpartisanship" - people from all over the spectrum working together on issues where they find common ground.
If this movement could narrow it down to one or two core issues like they had in mind in the beginning, the percentage of the 99% who would get involved in this movement would grow.
Thank you LetsGet.. I really want to endorse you, but until it is clear which direction you intend to go, I find it hard.
We agree, that things are broken, lets get together to fix them.
Thank you for a very reasonable post and for some advice that in my opinion is excellent!
Excellent advice. Please keep posting. Your voice is needed here.
Awesome, just don't want this to be lost in the flood.
I was recently fortunate enough to have some 3' diameter pine logs to split. At 3' diameter, the bottom log (round) had 33 rings (young, prodigious tree). The wood was spongy, and the grain almost non-existent. I could whack on it as hard as I wanted all day, and all I would do is bury my maul.
But with enough wedges, I could break it into pieces. Each piece was much easier to move and split than the log, and in a few hours, the tree was cordwood. That is what has been done to the 99%, since long before America existed. If we cannot learn to avoid being divided, we are cordwood.
Tea Party, liberals, vegetarians, union members, cops, engineers, priests, ... all are part of the 99%. We share a common problem: corruption. Some would like to blame government, some would like to blame the mega-corporations.
But guess what, the ideological divide is a goose chase designed to prevent us from uniting. They are the same thing now (government and mega-corporations). Time for new approaches and new solutions. But a new approach means re-examining the problem, and perhaps formulating new questions. If OWS accomplishes that alone, none of this effort is wasted.
http://occupywallst.org/forum/a-moment-of-clarity/
To me, Occupy Wall Street represents unity and freedom. I hope to attain freedom when there is a separation of money from state, and when the next generation of mankind becomes more valuable than a bank's life. I believe these are fair goals.
Peace, Love, and Unity.
so right on so many points. i'm mostly supportive of the movement but find some of the same problems you do (ie, lack of clear goals, tendency towards allowing extremist elements to define the movement). hopefully, these issues will be addressed, and the movement will be able to affect changes in policy that will be beneficial to both us, in spite of our different politic views (assuming they're THAT different!).
And thank you for your service. i'm not only grateful to you for your service to this country, but for the fact that acknowledge and appreciate what it is you served to defend.
All the best!
I am probably what you would call "far left." I believe our planet is dying (and no I don't mean literally, I mean as a viable habitat for 7B people), and we need to make changes before it's too late, I believe people should have a degree of determination over their fate, and not be moved as pawns by the mindless forces of greed (nor by authoritarian police states, for that matter).
I'm not a socialist (more of an FDR-type progressive), I believe people should be rewarded for hard work, and that competition and profit (within reason) are positive forces. To me, capitalism is the only economic engine with the juice to power our way into a better future...
In short, I too don't think we are really as far apart as the elites would like us to believe. Social issues are of minimal importance to me. The culture war is history - I don't want to push anything on you, just as long as you're willing to reciprocate. I believe that basic morality and goodwill are very important, and my values are probably not so different from yours - I don't have a religious basis for them, but don't begrudge anyone theirs.
So, thanks for coming, thanks for posting, and thanks for being open-minded.
Well said friend. We face a tough road ahead. Organizing the various factions within, while avoiding external institutional influences.
And I wish I could upvote this.
we need a rating for topics to keep them at the top
we need a rating for topics to keep them at the bottom like the "Shit was so Cash" thread earlier
where is that? I missed it. We also need a search feature.
It was the one where some guy went "I and the other successful Americans will stomp on the rest of you wearing my Italian endangered species alligator shoes and we will find like minded people in other countries. LOOOSER!".
One commenter said "cool story bro".
All I can say is 'Thank You for the Post'. Many of us are paying attention to your suggestions.
I was glad to read this, I hope more people can start to see past the left and the right and find our middle ground. This can be big if we bring the actual 99% from ultra liberal - to social conservative. We all know that what's happening is wrong we just have to look past the smaller differences and focus on our big similarity.
bumping this for truth and to drown out trolls
You're thinking too much with the mindset of current system. You're trying to make it neat, clean and manageable. There's another way. And it's working. Here it is: http://occupywallst.org/forum/how-we-win-one-perspective-on-where-we-go-from-her/
Want to know what this movement is about? We're mad as hell and we're not going to take it anymore! We're human beings goddamnit and out lives have value!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juFSNpjbVN4
I think the biggest problem is this right here. Not only do we not have any leaders, but we can't even get a formal committee on here to vote on any fucking demands that aren't absurd! Not only that, but is there even a frigging mod on this entire board? The shit posts and trolls are really running rampant on here and no one is doing a goddamned thing about it! No work is getting done, no real,solid demands are being issued. Goddamn, as soon as my money is all in order, I honestly think I'm gonna leave the US for good and just watch this country collapse under the weight of its own stupidity,greed,anger/hate and selfishness. This cannot possibly be the "best country in the world".
Great posting!!!!!!!!!
Great idea about oil.
http://occupywallst.org/forum/imagine-a-revolution-imagine-liberty/#comment-58925
Like ^^
Very true, they need a decisive strategy, and although I'm all in favor of taking down today's ineffective and inefficient Top 10% Management Group of Business & Government, there's only one way to do it – by fighting bankers as bankers ourselves. Consequently, I have posted a 1-page Summary of the Strategic Legal Policies, Organizational Operating Structures, and Tactical Investment Procedures necessary to do this at:
http://getsatisfaction.com/americanselect/topics/on_strategic_legal_policy_organizational_operational_structures_tactical_investment_procedures
Join
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/StrategicInternationalSystems/
if you want to support a Presidential Candidate Committee at AmericansElect.org in support of the above bank-focused platform.
http://occupywallst.org/forum/occupy-wall-st-occupy-dc/#comment-58854
this is the far left
ok lol. you say choose no side then bash libs. sly but dirty.
LOL, I always think these guys are a little slick but this fellow has some good points too. The Tea Party needs to take its foot off the austerity pedal a little bit because right now that is being used to crush workers.