Forum Post: times square::: times square::: times square::: times square

If we are attempting to break the stranglehold that corporations have on public policy, and their influence on the way we make decisions about what we buy and who we elect, we have to remember to begin in the house, in the apartment, in the warehouse loft, filled with the products, accessories, and conveniences which are often produced at the material expense of some developing country, and to the detriment of our own country’s jobs market, since we allow these companies to outsource their work.

There are several advantages to going to Times Square.

We are acknowledging that—although it was Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Goldman Sachs, and the laundry list of others who may have acted as the catalyst for the ’08 Crash—and even though it was the foolishness of Congress to bail the Bastards out, and the foolishness of the American Public to let them and to think that it would affect any good at all—it is the unrestrained power and seduction of multi-national corporations that we must address.

We could begin with trying to pass legislation that would tax the wealthy and create jobs.

But if you have forgotten, we have taken over a park…. using direct action.

Yet, this is not on par with the riots in Greece, or this year’s Arab Spring. And if it were, we’d be a lot more pissed off. They were aided by technology to upload videos to the internet, which served a real purpose: Dissent was virtually outlawed, and in rare instances where it cropped up, its existence was denied by State-controlled media.

The situation facing us is not so much a physical threat, but an abundance of abstract thought, involving the violence of various interworking Spectacles and their ability to level real progress. We must not become so captivated by ourselves with that all meaningful action gets lost in narcissistic reflection.

The riots in the East took place in the city’s center to disrupt everyday life. Taking over a park, in a part of town where no-one (except tourists and well-wishers) goes after 5pm is not disrupting everyday life.

Times Square is not only the epicenter of epicenters for phenomenological investigation, it is, simply, the most densely populated few blocks in New York City. We have the benefit of having a center… actually many of them… several in any given neighborhood. Most places in America do not have this… dare I say… luxury?... and in this way their protest is almost guaranteed to fail.

People don’t want to leave their house in the suburbs and drive to what used-to-be the center of town.

Let’s take advantage of city planning and occupy the physical and ideological space of Times Square. Surely there are more dissenters than LED Screens. Certainly, we look better and we shine brighter.

We needed to increase our numbers and the labor unions & Democratic Party responded. Unfortunately, for us, we shouldn’t want anything to do with the labor unions or the Democratic Party, or any other party for that matter. Thanks for the publicity, Michael Moore and the other millionaires who didn’t bother to show up until we had “gained legitimacy” in the media. But we don’t have much in common with you. Perhaps we share a mutual distrust of the government, but so do the Republicans and the Tea Party.

If we go to Times Square, we won’t need to convince people to go out of their way. Times Square is constantly brimming with people.

We don’t need to recruit or enlist or appeal to anyone.

Bystanders are welcome.

All trains lead to times square.