Forum Post: #OccupyWallStreet political roundtable discussion
Posted 13 years ago on Oct. 19, 2011, 8:50 a.m. EST by RossWolfe
(34)
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The recent #Occupy protests are driven by discontent with the present state of affairs: glaring economic inequality, dead-end Democratic party policies, and, for some, the suspicion that capitalism could never produce an equitable society. These concerns are coupled with aspirations for social transformation at an international level. For many, the protests at Wall St. and elsewhere provide an avenue to raise questions the Left has long fallen silent on:
- What would it mean to challenge capitalism on a global scale?
- How could we begin to undo structures of domination that affect every part of social life?
- Finally, how could a new international radical movement address these concerns in practice? Although participants at Occupy Wall St. have managed to organize resources for their daily needs, legal services, health services, sleeping arrangements, food supplies, defense against police brutality, and a consistent media presence, these pragmatic concerns have taken precedent over long-term goals of the movement. Where can participants of this protest engage in formulating, debating, and questioning the ends of this movement?
Raising this question already will stir up concern. Many who’ve been inspired by recent events have cautioned against the fragmentation of the movement. They warn that opening reflection on the political content of the protests will prove divisive.
To this, we in the Platypus Affiliated Society ask our public to consider the possibility that political disagreement could lead to clarification and further development and direction. Only when we are able create an active culture of thinking and debating on the Left without it proving prematurely divisive can we begin to imagine a Leftist politics adequate to the historical possibilities of our moment. We may not know what these possibilities for transformation are. This is why we think it is imperative to create avenues of engagement that will support these efforts.
Towards this goal, Platypus will be hosting a series of roundtable discussions with organizers and participants of the #Occupy movement. These will start in New York and Chicago but will be moving to London, Frankfurt, and Greece in the months to come. We welcome any and all who would like to be a part of this project of self-education and potential rebuilding to join us in advancing this critical moment.
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Please contact me with more info:
http://metapolitik.org/contact
OH so this is now only leftists? I thought OWS was not political in this way. I am now more convinced than ever George Soros money is providing this movemnet which has been compromised by George Soros via Moveon.org, adwatch etc. You really believe this is left wing only how sad to make this a farce.
You do realize this is an open forum correct? It allows anyone who registers to post, after all you're here.
I understand that some have tried to frame this movement in a "post-political" light, trying to overcome the binary of Right and Left. Nevertheless, I feel these terms (inherited from the French Revolution of 1789) retain their utility, and are crucial to any politics moving forward.
In terms of the organizations you mention, I would like to state my opinion that the Democratic Party and the various groups that support it (MoveOn.org, Adwatch, etc.) do not truly belong to the Left, and are at best center-right tendencies.
I think one of the things we want to problematize, or at least address, is the seeming absence of a coherent Left in the face of this current crisis.
The #Occupy phenomenon represents the first resurgence of popular anti-capitalist sentiment that we have seen in quite some time. Above all, it presents the Left with an opportunity. It tasks us to reflect on our historical moment, articulate a critique of the prevailing social order, and begin to imagine the possibility of a postcapitalist world.
I do not feel everyone in the movement is against Capitalism. It has been raped by the politicians. Capitalism works better than any other form. The corruption of it ..is the problem. To want socialism is just plain stupid.
A mixture of socialism and capitalism is the best mixture one can have in government. Highways get built and maintained, education of the populace increases, social awareness becomes standard. These are but three of the benefits of the mixture.
We also receive benefits in that the government can disperse funds to encourage innovation in many fields which are then returned to the public at low or no cost.
This is very, very short form but if one merely looks at the facts one sees that the two are not mutually exclusive. However, when one over takes the other chaos results.
At this time capitalism has over taken the socialism in this country by means of financial donation and debt occurrence of the elected officialdom of this country, the call for less or no regulation on capitalism and the elimination of socialism has at least in part been answered to the detriment of both.
You will notice that the description qualified that this anti-capitalist sentiment only held true "for some."
In my opinion, the problem we are currently facing is not simply the fault of "a few bad apples. I view the injustices and inequalities generated by our society to be a structural and not a merely moral problem.