CoffinTramp

99anon:

I’m so tired of hearing about “thoughtless activism” and “lack of one cause”, especially from those who agree that the system is fucked up. Stop your cynicism and contribute to the cause. What do YOU think should be the issues? What do YOU think are the solutions to the problems the country world faces? People are complaining that they’re not doing enough at #occupywallstreet, but they’re doing more than most are. They recognize it’s all messed up and they’re drawing attention to it.

Dig a little deeper and you see they’re doing more than that. This economic mess is far too complicated for any single person to totally understand. Thus, there are going to be different people with different views who want different outcomes. But ultimately, we want to make the world a better place.

As Arun Gupta points out, we’re not just talking about ousting a dictator. That’s easy enough. It’s like saying by taking out Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, we took out “terrorism”. It doesn’t work like that. There’s no one target. There are multitudes of complex issues at play, none of which I totally get, many of which I am clueless about, some of which I have tried to educate myself about but got bogged down and totally bored, and some of which I have a decent idea or at least a general understanding about with some ideas for reform. Pretty sure most everyone’s like that.

Again, as Gupta notes, this is about creation. It’s not some magical thing that just springs from the ground. The seed is being planted. It is being tended to, watered, and cared for. The ideas are coming, but people don’t understand this because they’re used to other people just making the ideas (laws) and going along with them, without thought, without consensus. We’ve become too used to our voices not being heard. This isn’t about what’s best for a few people (who hold a lot of wealth). It’s about what’s good for HUMANITY. Considering that’s a new concept in itself, yeah, it’s going to take some time to flesh out.

If you’ve got ideas, contribute them! But if you’re just sitting there criticizing people because you haven’t taken the time to educate yourself as to how they are operating, YOU aren’t doing anything to bring about social change either (and if you are, it’s likely on a severely limited scale, unlike what this movement is about). In fact, you’re doing the very same thing you (wrongly) accuse the movement of doing: criticizing without any ideas for positive change.

So please: get out of the cynicism and the working-within-the-system ways you’ve been taught, and start thinking outside the box… and tell us your ideas, no matter who you are, no matter where you are. This is your movement too. We need your input, not your negativity.

Edit:

Their systems are not ultra-sophisticated but they are impressive for a week’s worth, for something that was planned very loosely on the Internet. They have a power source and wireless Internet access in the square, a media team huddled around laptops all day long making sure the word gets out, keeping in touch with supporters around the world. They’re making long-term plans, testing ideas, building community.

“It’s a space where a community can form,” Holmes, who recently returned from a trip to Egypt, where she was documenting the rebuilding after the revolution, said. “Tahrir Square was a space for organizing, for building a community of resistance. Even though the targets are different, the message is different, we’re creating a similar space. We’re all affected by neoliberal economics, the stratification of wealth.”

They understand that this is a fight for information. As Matt Taibbi pointed out at Rolling Stone, “[D]emonstrations could be very important just in terms of educating people about the fact that there is, in fact, a well-defined conflict out there with two sides to it.”…

The protesters have been criticized for not having concrete goals or a coherent message. Their movement does have many targets, one of which is the surveillance state itself, the apparatus of security developed and honed since 9/11 (“Operation Anti-Security” indeed) and tested first and harshest against American Muslims.

The group down in the square at Liberty and Broadway call themselves the Other 99 percent—one protester held up a sign that said “Cops are Also 99%. Join Us.” That’s their message to the country and the world—most of us are not being helped by the system as it is.

As Matt Taibbi pointed out:

“I would imagine the end game of any movement against Wall Street corruption is going to involve some very elaborate organization. There are going to have to be consumer and investor boycotts, shareholder revolts, criminal prosecutions, new laws passed, and other moves. But a good first step is making people aware of the battle lines. It sounds like these demonstrations have that potential.”

The continuing protests are a question to us all. Which side are you on? [source]

fralcon:

“A couple of my buddies work on Wall St (Goldman and Barclays offices), and the feedback I’ve been hearing from them is hilarious. This isn’t nearly as much of an issue as it’s being made out to be, there’s back ways into these offices and the inconvenience isn’t the worst distraction from volatility. I don’t know what they intended to do, but it’s not really working.”

Pretty much right on stereotype for finance types to assume that the protests are about them personally and whether or not they are inconvenienced.

Woooooow. I cannot say that I am surprised, but I am still appalled. Way to think the world revolves around them… 

downlo:

I don’t know why people seem to be confused on this point.

The main impetus behind the Occupy Wall Street protest seems to be that more and more middle classed folks are struggling to keep one step ahead of financial disaster. They’re doing all the ‘right’ things to have a good (not fabulous, just good) lifestyle, but the system that used to reward you for following the ‘rules’ (e.g. getting an education) is now screwing you over for doing the same things (e.g. massive student loan debt).

Meanwhile, the wealthiest 1% in this country keep doing better and better. And their cronies in the government keep doing all they can to ensure that the wealth gap keeps widening.

Yes, the college students at the protests and bloggers covering it may be privileged with regard to most of the world, but the context of the protest is not global (at least, not at the moment); it’s domestic. It’s about how incredibly unequal things are in this country. It’s pointing out that we are rapidly shifting from a multi-class society (poor, middle class, rich) to a two-class society (poor, rich). It’s pointing out the exponentially increased difficulty for have-nots to become haves these days.

The fact that more middle classed folks are feeling the pinch of unjust economic and corporate policies is important here. The very poor don’t have the numbers, resources, or political clout to mount an effective campaign against the powers-that-be—they need the working and middle classes to be involved too.

That’s why the Wall Street protestors are calling themselves “the 99%”, not “the bottom 10%” or “the middle 70%”.