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Forum Post: Goal of the Movement?

Posted 11 years ago on April 12, 2012, 4:55 p.m. EST by jhagendorn89 (3)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement

To be upfront with everyone from the start; I am a scholar performing a case study on the Occupy Wall Street movement. In the course of my research I keep running into the same question. Adbusters, who originally conceived of the Occupy Wall Street protests stated in their first call to action:

"we zero in on what our one demand will be, a demand that awakens the imagination and, if achieved, would propel us toward the radical democracy of the future … and then we go out and seize a square of singular symbolic significance and put our asses on the line to make it happen."

The question I keep running into is this: After a little over 6 months, what is that goal?

28 Comments

28 Comments


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[-] 2 points by jrhirsch (4714) from Sun City, CA 11 years ago

Occupy is waking the sheep, reminding them, encouraging them, pulling them back up on two legs, to again stand as all human beings should, without fear, walking hand in hand straight into the packs of wolves that have been our masters for too long. Sharp teeth no longer change our direction, they scatter before us in disarray, leaving behind once powerful costumes that lie limp in defeat.

[-] 1 points by Revolutionary (311) 11 years ago

The goal of the occupy movement is to change the sociopolitical and economic system of ones own country in order to save the humanity from all evils and the sadness.

[-] 1 points by Maria1211 (4) 11 years ago

To set up a new society model that excludes corruption and violation of human rights, that works efficiently for the realization of the following targets: (1) realization of each human creative potential; (2) improvement of natural environment; and (3) unity / oneness (at all levels of existance). Ps: this new society model is based on the principle of direct execution of power or free will, electoral democracy is a fiction / contradiction in terms that never worked. The new society model is made of its 14 core principles that set up mechanisms for practical realization of targets set up in the principles (see points 1-3 above). They now exist only in Russian at new-society-model.blogspot.com/ but shall be translated into english

[-] 1 points by JIFFYSQUID92 (-994) from Portland, OR 11 years ago

WOW there sure are a lot of inquiring resume-droppers showing up lately.

Tell us about your "Case Study" Mr. Scholar.

I am certain that the "goal" is to round up all the RW zombies and put them through intensive reprogramming camps, to avoid a multinational nuclear preemptive strike to eradicate our particular RW disease before it infects other countries. The preservation of America.

[-] 1 points by jhagendorn89 (3) 11 years ago

I thank you for your confidence in the academic system. I am actually a scholar of public relations and visual media theory at Northern Illinois University. In recent years there have been more and more calls for research in the field that are not from a functionalist, corporate perspective. In order to help fill that gap I am exploring the public relations tactics of activist publics.

[-] 2 points by geo (2638) from Concord, NC 11 years ago

Since this is a leaderless organization, you will probably find as many answers as there are members. There are many cross cutting issues, and all are valid as goals. Society has many ills to cure

Adbusters doesn't live here anymore.

[-] 1 points by jph (2652) 11 years ago

for me; the monetary system, the way money is created, how debt is not value. these things bother me. Occupy Wall Street seems to represent the people that have realized the game is rigged, the table is tilted, those on top have lead humanity to a rather interesting place. Not a good one, but with possibilities still..,

The situation shows that the old ways are broken and new ways must be found. perhaps it is unwise to hand the power of deciding over to corruptible 'representatives', this is a universal problem of all people using that old system.

What we need is a major redesign of our social structure. perhaps that sounds scary,. some people seem averse to change. what we been doing don't work, so change is a requirement. humanity is consuming and destroying the world at a failing rate, this will end one way or the other. makes more sense to make moves now to make the future more livable for our children.

[-] 1 points by April (3196) 11 years ago

The goal - to keep it's direct democracy in existance. And the higher the unemployment rate, the better. OWS would like hundrends of thousands more unemployed. Millions even. All the better to over throw the Republic, end capitalism and institute direct democracy and some sort of anarcho society.

Adbusters had ideas for demands (ending government corruption being a big one), but their anarchist friends that teamed up with them didn't agree. So now it's just all over the place. Good luck with the case study. I'm sure all this will make an excellent read someday.

[-] 1 points by epa1nter (4650) from Rutherford, NJ 11 years ago

Contact David Graeber and Cynthia McKinney. Additionally, on the title page there are links to the those in charge of press relations; they might be able to help direct you to credible sources. Attend a few GA's (at LEAST a few, especially in New York) and talk to those you find out are leaders. (The leaderless thing has fallen by the wayside.) If you are really serous, you should know that this website is NOT OWS; its participants range from participating activists to supporters to trolls.

Go to the source.

[-] 1 points by jhagendorn89 (3) 11 years ago

Thank you for the suggestion. The media link is the first place I looked. I was curious as to what the actual participants thought the goals of the movement were.

[-] 1 points by epa1nter (4650) from Rutherford, NJ 11 years ago

You mighty be surprised that this website gets very few participants posting their views. Most participants are out in the streets actually occupying. That's why I suggest you visit the GA's. As far as I know, there are posted announcements of meeting times and places linked on the front page.

As I said, people here represent a range of views from ardent support to qualified support to outright hostility. I'm not sure that you will be able to glean anything substantive about the core of the movement here, certainly not anything you would be able to quantify with any level of confidence.

[-] 1 points by gnomunny (6819) from St Louis, MO 11 years ago

Adbusters original intent and OWS' ultimate goals are two completely different things. No true OWSer that's not completely insane would advocate the bloody overthrow of the US government, something hinted at by the Adbusters crowd. Just out of curiosity, have you been following this forum long?

[-] 0 points by PresidentialCampaign (2) 11 years ago

Please visit Matthew's Campaign Website and learn about the monumental changes we are going to bring to America:

Copy and Paste full link:

Campaign Website: www.wix.com/usa2012/campaign

Matthew hopes to gain the support of all the Occupy Wall Street Protesters. If you all stand united under this one cause, Occupy will have been successful

[-] 0 points by hchc (3297) from Tampa, FL 11 years ago

Disrupt.

[Removed]

[-] -2 points by MikeInOhio (13) 11 years ago

There has never been a goal, that is the problem. Six months ago everyone said it was an "organic" movement that didn't need leaders or demands.

Liberals believe that all the world's ills are all caused by wealthy puppeteers manipulating the stage for their own selfish purposes. Conservatives understand that human nature is the root of most social problems. You simply can't legislate people to be honest and smart.

The OWS wackos lost interest when King Obama failed to deliver.

[-] 2 points by JesseHeffran (3903) 11 years ago

So if you critical thinkers have it all figured out, that it's human nature that is to blame, then why would you not want to police human nature? If those with most of the money use their wealth to bastardize our democracy, then why the fuck would your party want to give them more? To me, what you wrote seems tripe at best. If it is human nature to be greedy then shouldn't the majority put checks on human nature, kinda like civilization did with murder. But then again, you do hail from the party that suggests the best way to fight crime is to give everyone a gun. Wow, for a party that thinks they are so smart, you silly twits really don't have a clue.

[-] 1 points by jhagendorn89 (3) 11 years ago

What, then, is your solution? What is your goal?

[-] 2 points by JesseHeffran (3903) 11 years ago

Well, i'd agree that human nature is to blame; therefore, for the best function of society, It is imperative that those with all the money get some of it re appropriated. You know, un like you rich worshipers, I have a different take on our society. It is not the smartest and most hard working that float to the top, It is the most ruthless and exploitative that bully their way to the one percent. It takes special sorts of people to spend their whole life playing the game of monopoly. Though I know you will never agree with me, I am of the opinion that supply side economics is a licence to steal, and most Americans don't want to see those license revoked because like Mike from Ohio said, it is human nature.

[-] -1 points by MikeInOhio (13) 11 years ago

First of all, "tripe" is the stomach or intestines of a sheep, cow, or pig. You were looking for "trite". I think you are the silly twit.

Obviously you have some beef with society. That's fine, but blaming people with money doesn't solve the problem.

I've owned a gun for over 40 years and I have somehow managed never to shoot anyone. Have you ever noticed who the idiots are that shoot each other? 95% of them are Democrats!

[-] 2 points by JesseHeffran (3903) 11 years ago

Well, actually It has been my understanding that those who have guns and spend most their time polishing them, are scared little children who have never been in hostile situations but are glued to their televisions cowering in a corner.

Thanks for the heads up on my spelling error. What can I say, It sucks not being perfect.

And actually, those that go around shooting each other probably don't spend much time in the ballot box. Your arrogant connotation that only poor thugs vote Democrat shows once again a twit in action.

[-] -1 points by MikeInOhio (13) 11 years ago

I'm sorry, but it's true (see below). I don't read much about suburban republicans shooting each other.

I haven't polished my shotgun in 2 years. Thanks for reminding me.

Yes, thankfully the idiots who shoot either other don't tend to vote often. I'd like to offer you a virtual bet- what percentage of ex-convicts voted for King Obama? I bet it is over 95%.

[-] 1 points by shoozTroll (17632) 11 years ago

95% are democrats???

What are you trying to say?

Do you have proof?

[-] -1 points by MikeInOhio (13) 11 years ago

I'm saying that the idiots who shoot each other come from areas that are 90%+ Democrat. It's the same in every city in the US. Where do you live?

[-] 1 points by shoozTroll (17632) 11 years ago

I asked for proof, not your opinion. You already gave that.

Where's your proof?

[-] -1 points by MikeInOhio (13) 11 years ago

I'm sorry, you are correct. I just checked and 95% of shootings are perpetrated by suburban republicans.

[-] 1 points by shoozTroll (17632) 11 years ago

Just spit it out. You know you want too.

Why beat around the bush?

[-] 0 points by MikeInOhio (13) 11 years ago

What am I supposed to spit out?

[-] 1 points by shoozTroll (17632) 11 years ago

You do get lost easy.

You're supposed to provide proof of your supposition, instead of an opinion.