Forum Post: The Origins of Occupy Wall Street and the Way Forward
Posted 13 years ago on Nov. 6, 2011, 8:01 a.m. EST by thomasmiller
(163)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
Some people believe this wasnt planned...but it was planned...some people believe there are no leaders...but there are leaders...some people are not sure of the future...but the future is mapped out well ahead. OWS wants to re-invent the Democracy in America. This article describes the past, the present and the future.
http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1081425
I am not against some of the ideas which OWS is putting out. To be honest, I am angry about all that has happened in the last few years and I have indeed lost money over it. My quality of life is obviously not what it was prior to 2008 and I have struggled emotionally over it.
However, I do not want to see the "government wheel" reinvented. I do not want to see Capitalism and Democracy as we know it go into the garbage. I do not believe for one second that by sitting on the steps of a bank, stopping traffic, shutting down ports, blocking traffic on a bridge or any of that will help the situation. In fact, I think its hurting the situation. Imagine that poor guy on a bridge trying to get to his job and he lost money that day because he couldnt get to his job.
Let me put it this way. We all go through problems and troubles from time to time. We have our best years and then we have our worst years. You cannot stop bad times...they just happen. However, when the bad times do happen we have to work like a team to get things going again. Civil disobediance is not teamwork. Reinventing the "government wheel" is not teamwork. None of what you are doing is helping.
You can believe what you want and say what you want, but please do not block me from going to work. Do not smash the windows of the building I work at or prevent my movement coming or going. Stand outside with your signs, sing to your heart's content, but please do not try to impose or force your ways upon myself. I enjoy the concept of freedom of speech. I love it, I get it, but I want to live life on my own terms...not yours.
Thank you for reading.
You make some good points. The problem is when you say "We have our best years and then we have our worst years. You cannot stop bad times...they just happen."
Actually, there are lots of alternatives, including a "basic income". But discussion of them has been systematically discouraged; see: http://www.responsiblefinance.ch/appeal/ "The authors of this appeal are deeply concerned that more than three years since the outbreak of the financial and macroeconomic crisis that highlighted the pitfalls, limitations, dangers and responsibilities of main-stream thought in economics, finance and management, the quasi-monopolistic position of such thought within the academic world nevertheless remains largely unchallenged. This situation reflects the institutional power that the unconditional proponents of main-stream thought continue to exert on university teaching and research. This domination, propagated by the so-called top universities, dates back at least a quarter of a century and is effectively global. However, the very fact that this paradigm persists despite the current crisis, highlights the extent of its power and the dangerousness of its dogmatic character. Teachers and researchers, the signatories of the appeal, assert that this situation restricts the fecundity of research and teaching in economics, finance and management, diverting them as it does from issues critical to society."
A deeper issue is that the 99% are complicit in creating all these problems. See: http://occupywallst.org/forum/from-bullies-to-buddies/
First we demand resignations of any officials connected to the 20 trillion dollar worldwide bailout..Printing money backed by no goods and services,bailing out and giving bonuses to the very people that bankrupted the world economy..Arrest House of Rothschild,Rockefeller, Bush1,2 and any known accomplices..Market manipulation,mass murder,torture,genocide,bribery,extortion,crimes against humanity,and nature,war profiteering for generations amassing a fortune estimated in excess of 500 Trillion dollars..We seize these assets,disable their operations,Distribute the wealth to all people of the world,the ones these transnationals stole it from..To put it in perspective,divide 500 trillion dollars by 7 billion people of the world..I came up with 71 billion dollars per person..We could probably get by on a lt less than that.. We could have a public slush fund for Earth Regeneration/ Restoration Projects alternative energy and sustainablity..
So...we should divide 500 trillions dollars, by 7 billion people. And we'll all be..billionaires?
You fucking moron. You really spend time thinking thoughts like that?
your intelligence is showing,go back into hiding,or finish high school,immature name calling sounds just like gradeschool..
no, we could be millionaires and have a Trust Fund for Earth Restoration Projects,solar,wind,self sufficience..
Yeah,, world full of multi billionares. Hey...who's going to work ? fuckhead
Noone is afraid anymore,we have found our collective voice,and we are acting in concert with all people of the world,We are the People, We Are The Power..We are the ones,collectively oppressed by the same transnationals,disguised as banks and giant companies..We will decide together,and we must clean our house,it is full of Rats..
Yes, very well said.
wow, you guys are really are scared of the people getting the power to vote on stuff, aren't you? Reinvent?, No, more like resuscitate Democracy, people have always had the right to decide what happens in our gov, it's only that we could not exercise it till now because of the internet. Well now we demand our right to vote on laws and create laws to make our world better: http://occupywallst.org/forum/i-demand-informed-direct-democracy-online-whos-wit/
and if that doesn't work, then we'll just start voting anyway, eventually, all people will be voting our corrupt politicians out of offices and into the work force, out of corruption and into public service, and voting on laws to stop the perpetuation and rewarding of greed in business. Vote here: http://openassembly.org gov for the people and by the people. Have you forgotten? We are the 99%.
The OWS has never claimed to support any political party or political view or politician. This is true and it is it's greatest strength. I believe we as a people can overcome tyranny and oppression together, we can come up with laws and vote on laws that the people agree will make the world a better place.
"Us guys" are not scared of the people getting the power to vote...we have the power to vote. There are elections held in this country every few years. It is not practical for each and every person of the 350 million citizens of the United States to vote on each and every topic. That would be what they call a "cluster fuck" as Clint Eastwood put it so bluntly. Therefore, we have the current system.
As for the current system, some say it is disfunctional and many are frustrated by it, but I hardly believe that making everyone vote on every single topic is the way forward. Actually, that would be laughable seeing you try to implement that type of system. Look at your own Occupy group in New York City which seems to be struggling with that system and they only have a few thousand people. Just imagine if you tried implementing that with 350 million people.
Let me tell you about a song
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Won't_Get_Fooled_Again
Eventually everyone becomes corrupt and the leaders under your new system will become corrupt eventually. We all have to work with what we have. Sure there will be bad times, but such is life. You just have to work through it the best you can. Replacing the current system with your system is no solution and please do not force that upon myself or the rest of the people of this good country.
right, elections where we elect either the corrupt blue candidate, or the corrupt red candidate. Then, if the 1% disagree with our red or blue choice, not that it matters which one we vote for, then they can always pull the electoral college trump card. When laws that give corporations world wide immunity and protection to legally rape other countries, the people don't even know it happens, much less vote on it. What kind of Democracy do we have right now? We have an oligarchy passed off as a Democracy, because no matter which way you vote, the corruption and power of the 1% grows, as the people lose rights, freedoms, education, benefits, happyness, their dreams, their homes, their food (everything is GMO now, that's not food, it's slow acting poison), etc. I'm sorry, we need to RESTORE and REPAIR our broken Democracy and give the people the power once again, this is America dammit, the land of the FREE, right? Gov for the people and by the people right? so go vote: http://openassembly.org Present your ideas in the open forum. See if others agree, that the OWS is actually trying to re-invent Gov - see what people say back, try it, you got nothing to lose.
There is a simple solution to all this...you have to form a political party and run for President or simply run as an Independent. I agree that we probably should have more then just two choices. I would welcome a third or fourth party.
The idea that changing the system to prevent people from losing rights, losing freedoms, losing benefits, houses, etc. is ludicrous. Under your new system you are stating that it wont happen. I believe we are smarter then that and no one here is going to simply believe that it wont happen under a new system.
There will be good times in life and there will be bad times in life. There is no system which will guarantee good times or prevent the bad. You have to take personal responsibility for yourself and that is the best way to protect from the bad times...
well, then just wait, don't worry about it then, if it's doomed to fail, it will not catch on, you have nothing to worry about. If people don't vote at the public online voting forums that exist already such as http://openassembly.org , then it will simply die and fade, so it can't do you any harm, why are you so bent on making the OWS look like we want to re-invent gov? It just isn't true, but we will fix it that's for sure!