Forum Post: Proposal to Occupy Christmas
Posted 13 years ago on Nov. 18, 2011, 6:19 a.m. EST by theDaniel
(47)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
11/24 Macy's Day Parade
11/25 Black Friday
11/30 Rockefeller Plaza
11/24-12/25- Occupy all NYC parks with Christmas tree vendors
Occupy your self control and don't patronize the big box stores who ship goods from forced child labor camps so you can save a few $$$ and buy more useless shit. Buy less, buy American, or best yet, teach your children to appreciate what they have, and not to become part of the conspicuous consumption of Modern America. A few well chosen gifts from small local merchants helps your community and generates goodwill more than a faceless corporation and banks getting wealthier off your credit card debt.
Yes,Yes - choosing where your dollars go makes a big statement!! And saving... what a concept. Restraint another great one for the masturbationists.
theDaniel, thinking something of the same... a time for focus but also reflection. Why would OWS ignore Black Friday? OWS already has shown a spirit of thanksgiving; why not make the holdiay an opportunity for joy, spirit, and serious education. Does not matter if thousands amass. No one gets angry when music, puppets, theater present challenging ideas ala Bread and Puppet.
ikki5, the idea would not be to ruin small businesses, rather to support... buy local, make local. The idea is not to ruin any holiday, rather to reflect and teach personal non-corporate ways of celebration.
Yes, absolutely, well said. In cynical terms, to co-opt the holidays in a similar fashion to the way Macy's and Coca-Cola have co-opted the holidays.
Alternatives to typical Thanksgiving Day & Black Friday doings would be really potent as education of visiting tourists. Thinking of alternative parades & music, puppet, dance, eating events... a give-back day!!! Black Friday events to focus on re-educating... perhaps not caustic protest, but serious events to get New Yorkers and tourists thinking. Lighting an alternative holiday OWS emblem...
The only ones who would be alienated would be 1% who want to promote more outsourced merchandise for christmas and wouldn't that be a good thing. 99% needs to be noticed so that idea doesn't sound bad. I just hope law enforcement would realize that they should be in support not against OWS. I guess it will take them to have more cutbacks...
The only ones who would be alienated would be 1% who want to promote more outsourced merchandise for christmas and wouldn't that be a good thing. 99% needs to be noticed so that idea doesn't sound bad. I just hope law enforcement would realize that they should be in support not against OWS. I guess it will take them to have more cutbacks...
Sure. The Occupy Movement can get involved, but not disrupt the actual parades. We certainly don't want to unnecessarily alienate people. The Occupy Movement is not central to Christmas, but can have a supporting presence there. We could raise donations for the poor, etc.
Too late,you've been alienating people from the start.
Sure. Some people won't like various aspects of the movement. You can't please everyone. Plenty like us though. :)
[Removed]
how about the rockefeller plaza christmas tree lighting ceremony? and the elves stage a picket line going on strike!!! i am sure there is more!!! how about "occupy wall street" santas
Yesterday I passed an inflated rat and workers picketing unsafe conditions and very low pay at a construction site in Midtown. OWSs joining the picket outside on the street would be a principled use of our growing power and make it absolutely clear what side we're on. There are plenty of opportunities to lend support to real people whose livelihoods (and money for the holidays as well as surviving!) are in jeopardy. Big unions can lend their support, and there's no way the media could mischaracterize OWS as spoiled brats. Plus, many of those low-paid workers who have to take dangerous jobs are illegal immigrants desperate to support their families. Supporting them shows OWS refuses to succumb to xenophobia and the trick by the 1% to divide and conquer the 99%.
I like it. All in favor?
"Today's the Macy's Day Parade. The night of the living dead is on its way, With a credit report for duty call. It's a lifetime guarantee, Stuffed in a coffin 10% more free. Red light special at the mausoleum.
Give me something that I need. Satisfaction guaranteed to you. What's the consolation prize? Economy sized dreams of hope.
When I was a kid I thought, I wanted all the things that I haven't got Oh. I learned the hardest way. Then I realized what it took, To tell the difference between Thieves and crooks. A lesson learned to me and you.
Give me something that I need, Satisfaction guaranteed. Because I'm thinking about, A brand new hope. The one I've never known Cause now I know It's all that I wanted
What's the consolation prize? Economy sized dreams of hope Give me something that I need Satisfaction guaranteed Because I'm thinking about A brand new hope The one I've never known And where it goes And I'm thinking about The only road The one I've never known And where it goes
And I'm thinking about A brand new hope The one I've never known Cause now I know It's all that I wanted "
Green Day
We need simple common goals we can all work toward, this is a start.
Heck yeah, we'll dismantle this machine one piece at a time if we have to.
The question still remains how such an act would affect public perception.
I cannot believe how out of touch some OWS activists are! The only way to change society is to WIN OVER the 99%! How in the world can a movement win by attacking the very group of people without whom you can't win a revolution! Xmas, Macy's Day--why not attack the Super Bowl? And while you're at it, why not attack the Christian and Jewish religions, because they're full of sexism and homophobia? Some, even well-intented activists, just don't get it.
Yes, organize food drives, toy drives, continue to protest Wall Street, continue to protest that people don't have anything to eat, any place to live and the holidays only make it more painful, more stark. It's a great chance to educate and win over. But do it somewhere other than where the message can be distorted to make it look like OWS is against the American people. PSYCHOLOGY!!!
The goal of food drives and toy drives wouldn't be to substitute for the state, as OWS, with great generosity and humanity, tried to do at Ziccotti Park. That would create the illusion that OWS can solve our problems without the wealth that's been stolen by the 1%. Such activities are symbolic gestures that could show solidarity and help out a few people, and clarify the message, Don't play into the hands of the 1%!
Christianity and Judaism full of sexism and homophobia? You don;t even know what your talking about. The OWS is against America. Their greatest accomplishments have been obstructing traffic and business. Their ideas of fair and equality will only hurt the real 99% The tactics of the OWS are that of a mob that only accounts for the ultra left wing idiots of America, not 99% of America. LOSERS!
Half of my family's Jewish, so I can say this without being accused of anti-Semitism: many religions reflect the values of the times they were created, and not our more enlightened, modern views. What do you think of the Jewish religion's view that women are unclean when they're menstruating?
The other side of my family was Christian, and what do you think of the Church's stand, supposedly justified by the Bible, against homosexuality?
Your views are hardly enlightened...
[Removed]
Rampant consumerism is on its way back to the mainstream television. I'm already seeing Christmas stuff in the stores, and TrickorTreat isnt even over yet!!
What are the plans to raise awareness of this? That millions of families are going to spend their money on useless crap?
Any ideas?
OccupyEverything
Macy's Day Parade, no one will care about your movement and will just get angry
Black Friday - Terrible Idea, if you do this, you risk having smaller business going under and possibly some big ones and these businesses both big and small, they are the ones that employ you
Other two - no idea, probably will just make people angry
Overall - Bad idea, you are attempting to ruin a holiday that many look forward to. I wouldn't be surprised if shots are fired at you over this. People want to be with family, relax and enjoy their holidays, they don't want to have to deal with the agony of people screaming outside their windows, making it nearly impossible to visit with friends and over all, will kill the joy of the holidays.
Why would anyone want to keep people from doing their Christmas shopping or spending an evening with the kids picking out that perfect tree to bring home? I think its time for the real desire of the OWS participants to tell us what they want. To me, since they are trying to block people from working, people that most likely are not in the 1%, it would seem that those protesting want to do a minimum level of work to enjoy the same social benefits of those that go out and work hard for 10 to 16 hours a day. This is not what the country was founded on. And our budget problems started long ago with the "New Deal" What is needed is not more social programs, but more programs designed to put people back to work to earn their own income. The National debt crossed the 15 trillion mark 2 days ago and is still climbing fast, the only way to correct that is to drop all spending not specifically designated in the constitution, and to either leave taxes alone, or raise them on everyone until that number comes back down to a reasonable level. What the OWS wants cannot fix the economy, it would only serve to accelerate the debt and in turn, we would become much worse off now than before.