Forum Post: My name says it all
Posted 13 years ago on Oct. 29, 2011, 10:36 a.m. EST by IDontUnderstand
(16)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
Someone help me to understand what these protests are really about. Someone tell me clearly and definitely what the end game is. Someone tell me that all the people involved in this "movement" have a common goal.
Every time I think I finally understand what these protests might be about and what the goal is, I stumble upon a website or forum such as this one that seems full of contradictions and leaves me questioning what the hell this is really about.
If I were a state, i would be the "State of confusion". Somebody help, I really want to understand why so many people want to spend so many hours talking seemingly in circles with no real goal.
I came here looking for the same answers. Posed an opposing point of view - next thing I know, I was deleted from the site. All I see here is people wanting to fix the entire worlds problems, let's form a new government, redistribute wealth, cancel student loans, re-instate Glass-Seagal, Antisemitism, Bigotry, Violence, and other people trying to promote their website (blog, product, etc.) and/or agenda. On the GA site, All I see are people who are trying to re-invent the wheel. Educating people on hand signals, where to do the laundry and securing the funds to do it, need of shelves, etc. There is nothing cohesive, no purpose.
Get those hand signals down.
this will help:
http://occupywallst.org/forum/its-time-for-a-million-people-march-to-capitol-hil/
Thank you.
your welcome
people wanting to fix the entire worlds problems
Sorry, typo - not enough coffee. fix the problems of the whole world. I have read some interesting posts, some very well thought out and intelligent posts. But, I haven't seen any sign as to what OWS is trying to accomplish. I don't deny that there are things that need to be changed here. We have control of government, but election after election the same people get voted back into office and nothing changes. Implementing change takes work, how many people actually want to do the work? Most accept the status quo and go on about their business. There is an opportunity for change and it is slipping away.
Here is what a friend of mine on Facebook thinks the movement is about
The Occupy movement is not protesting the creation or purchase of goods. It is protesting that people who commit fraud are not held accountable for it if they are 1) rich or 2) belong to a corporation. The problem with the corporations is the non-existent product. i.e. offering families mortgages that they have no hopes of paying, somehow selling shares of this to other companies and gambling that the people will have to claim bankruptcy. Fine, the people shouldn't have gotten a mortgage they can't afford but that is why governments make REGULATIONS, because unfortunately without them bad things happen like the collapse of the world ecomomy.
Or fine. Don't have regulations. But then the CEOs that turn their trillion dollar banking corporation into a cluster fuck don't get to make billions of dollars in salary and bonuses and their 'floundering' companies don't get 700 billion dollars in bailouts from the government.
According to this, most everyone I know and most people that have responded to this post fall into the top 1 - 5% so all I can say is "SHAME ON YOU 99% PRETENDERS!!"
http://www.globalrichlist.com/how.html
uhmm,. it is clearly stated,. press the big 'ABOUT' button of the top of the page.
"#ows is fighting back against the corrosive power of major banks and multinational corporations over the democratic process, and the role of Wall Street in creating an economic collapse that has caused the greatest recession in generations."
could not be much more clear,. could it?
Explain this than smart ass "About
OccupyWallSt.org is the unofficial de facto online resource for the growing occupation movement happening on Wall Street and around the world. We're an affinity group committed to doing technical support work for resistance movements. We're not a subcommittee of the NYCGA nor affiliated with Adbusters, anonymous or any other organization."
Look around dude, even if only throughout this one thread at the contradicting responses to this simple question
democracy is messy, people all have varying opinions and ideas,. this is a forum open to the public to comment,. that is what makes it beautiful. The main points you hear over and over "get money out of politics" "reverse the concentration of wealth and power" "hold Wall St. criminals to account" these form the core of this movement,. and really you don't me oar anyone here topoint this out,. you are straight up trolling., .
If you are expecting one single uniform opinion, without questions, or dissenters then find a monarchy and pledge fealty to the king. I bid you good day sir.
can you read signs?
Yes, I can read signs that say "we are the 99%". If there is something more to that that I'm just not getting but is painstakingly obvious to you than flipping well explain it instead of coming in here and making off the cuff remarks that don't explain a goddam thing
Oh PS I am still employed and sometimes bad choices are the only choices you have just to keep up. Still making payments.
Corporate greed. Example: I have a discover card balance. The current interest rate is 28 percent. The balance of the 10,000 dollars. I have not used it for over 2 years. Monthly interest is 250 dollars. Monthly minimum payment is 266 dollars. I requested ed interest rate reduction. I was told no they would review my account in 6 months. The financial industry was bailed out. It will take me 96 years to pay off. Do I file for bankruptcy? That would only hurt me and economy even more.
Why would you sign up for such a stupid deal? Did they force you to sign up? Sounds like you made a bad, uninforned financial decision - all of those terms are in the contract. Should you not be accountable for your own actions? Should you spend money that you don't have? I sure don't. But it's not Wall Street's fault - it's yours.
Did not sign up for the stupid deal. The terms were 8.9 percent for the life of the debt. Then reform happened.
My problem with this is that apparently no decision has been made, every one has their own reason for protesting. In my opinion, the protests should have a clear, unified purpose BEFORE they start setting up shop in the squares.What do you want to happen because of these protests? Every interview I've read, every post I've read, every person I've talked to has a different reason. If it's not unified it won't have any effect other than provoking bad reactions from both sides. The only responses to your question have been links to posts by individuals. Their opinion of what the movement is about. The closest thing I could find to an official goal is http://www.adbusters.org/blogs/adbusters-blog/occupywallstreet.html, the original call to action. "The most exciting candidate that we've heard so far is one that gets at the core of why the American political establishment is currently unworthy of being called a democracy: we demand that Barack Obama ordain a Presidential Commission tasked with ending the influence money has over our representatives in Washington. It's time for DEMOCRACY NOT CORPORATOCRACY, we're doomed without it."
I can tell you , I can tell you . really I dont know but Iam enjoying here chatting with them they seem crazy . But really really they are too much funny . I come here just for laugh .
If I were a state, i would be the "State of confusion".
i cant believe anyone would actually write that...
Well believe it because I did. Now that that is aside, do you have anything to add to the discussion or are you just a lurker with no opinion of anything?
i'm gonna need an apology before we get into that.
apologize for writing that, you bastard.
You first bud, you first
taking control of the government
We're trying to change the world for the better! This is a kind of 'Brainstorming' session. The people are trying to build a consensus on the most logical strategy to improve the world. Many people don't see all the Propaganda, mental manipulation, and absolutely HORRIBLE things that have taken place in the last few years. Don't worry, we're watching out for you. Here's a link to my current opinion of a good Strategy. http://occupywallst.org/forum/fight-fire-with-fire/
Interesting. I like it....not the parecon system, I could spend all day ripping at the holes I see in that (not that the current Capitalist system isn't full of holes), but the idea of citizens taking responsibility for economic change and not just blaming their problems on the rich as Libertarianliving has so succinctly stated. His views an sentiments by the way are one I share based on what I've read and seen thus far, so he is not alone in those negative thoughts about the protests themselves and the people involved. I'm hoping this post and the future responses within will help to give me a more optimistic view on the protests. The idea that this is a "brainstorming" session though, is ludicrous in my opinion, getting 1000's of bodies that have no discernible goals or thought processes in 1 room and calling it brainstorming is crazy. If I am wrong though, this whole movement in and of itself would be a good test to some of the biggest holes I see in the Parecon system
Those negative thoughts about the OWS have been parroted by the propaganda machine. Rush Limbaugh and others have been started these rumors, so you may have heard them from close friends or family as well. I consider it a brainstorming session because many of the less logical ideas will be quickly shot down by the majority. The goal of the movement in my opinion, is to solve many problems. These problems have been expressed by many different people. There aren't enough jobs to go around, More people are falling into poverty and debt, People are dying in wars/ from lack of health care, etc. I agree that there are many holes in the Parecon system. I actually found that video last night. It was similar enough to my solution that i decided to post it so as to open up peoples' imaginations. I think the solution I talk about in Fight Fire With Fire is more sound with less holes than Parecon. IMO private business could exist along side my twist on the parecon system.
It is a bunch of people who made bad decisions in life and blame rich people for their misfortunes and feel that the wealth should be somehow redistributed. Or they are people who had things pretty good and unfortunately lost their jobs, and now feel they are entitled to have everything just like they did instead of being proactive and getting back up on their own two feet.. It is kind of like. "I had a great job and a beautiful home and great cars, and everything. I lost my job and there is no one hiring me to do the same exact thing for the same reimbursement and I DESERVE to have what I had before. It is someone else's fault I don't and they should give it back to me." That kind of sums it up!
My friend, you have been Lied to. Relax, things will become clear soon. The Propaganda networks will be exposed soon.
You spout that stuff off, but you have NOTHING to back it up. Nice bumper sticker slogans. NO SUBSTANCE! "Lied to"? By who???? I see what is in front of me and I dictate my life accordingly.
Do you Hate anything? If you do then research it! Don't accept anyone else's opinion without really knowing about it. Not your preacher, Not the news networks, Not even your family! Don't group people together in an all encompassing opinion like, "It is a bunch of people who made bad decisions in life and blame rich people for their misfortunes" This may be true for some of the protesters, but not all. I've had the same job for 7 years and am mildly successful. ASSUMPTIONS are not logical!
The pervasive negativity gets old. Just peruse the forum headlines; democracy in the US is a failure, capitalism has fallen apart, the 1 percent have ( fill in anything). The collective input is perceived as petty at best, and more often, contextualized within an ambitious Utopia. The reality is, the majority of the 99 engage in daily responsibilities to family, work, and living life as they see fit. We are an apathetic nation until something stirs our core...think 9-11. The apathy stems from the fact that we truly appreciate our station in life, a unique, shared American experience, unlike any other in the world. This translates into the majority occupying a "middle of the road" stance. This is not a pathetic failure as much as an appreciation of where we stand. No, the "system" is not perfect. No one ideology is perfect, yet, the US is unmatched in what is afforded.
this is a sentiment shared by most of OWS as the rest of the world.
when you figure it out, let someone know.
how about this?
http://occupywallst.org/forum/its-time-for-a-million-people-march-to-capitol-hil/
Practically speaking, "Actions speak louder than words".--------
Since the action invokes no laws that officials have the duty to act on, and is causing citizens to resent the assembly, causing police to shoot protestors with rublets and tear gas, it must be to burn out those that might protest and make the public resent anyone trying to make change outside of the voting both:) -
Clearly, common sense strategy is needed.
http://algoxy.com/ows/strategyofamerica.html
this should make it clear:
http://occupywallst.org/forum/its-time-for-a-million-people-march-to-capitol-hil/
Thanks howtodoit. I scanned the post, looks good, I will give the links therein a serious read
cool. thanks