I don’t usually get into politics on this blog because I find that it’s too divisive. People either believe or they don’t, sort of like religion, and trying to hold an intelligent conversation over a matter of faith is silly. Today I’d like to change that a bit. I’m going to talk about politics and the occupy wall street phenomena in particular. However, I’m going to avoid talking about the political opinions expressed and just focus on the actions. That is, I’m not trying to say whether the OWS movement is right or wrong, I’m simply going to look at how they’re conducting themselves.
First, a little background for those of you who might be reading this five years from now or who might have been living under a rock for the past five years. OWS is a bunch of folks who are camping out in a park near Wall Street in protest of the current economic situation. They have a variety of messages but most of the them revolve around the idea that current income distribution is unfair due to the fact that the top 1% of earners take home far more than 1% of the income. That’s fine and if that’s your belief, good for you. However, what actions are these people taking?
Actions Needs To Be Meaningful
OWS has expanded a bit to cities outside of New York and in some cities it’s turned into protests and marches but for the most part, this movement focuses on camping out in a park. Seriously? You think you’re going to bring about massive political and economic change by camping out in a park? No offense, but this is bullshit (excuse my language). Change doesn’t come because hundreds or even thousands of people camp out peacefully in a park. Change comes because you take meaningful action, legal or otherwise.
A Few Examples
- The American Revolution – They didn’t like the way they were being taxed. They thought it was unfair and meant to benefit a select few (sound familiar?). So they went to war over it and died by the thousands to achieve change.
- The Arab Spring – Hundreds of thousands of people confronted their oppressors because they were tired of a poor economic situation (and if you think the Arab spring was about freedom and democracy, you’re being naive. Revolutions aren’t fought over freedom, they’re fought over money and food). They too died by the hundreds and by the thousands but they achieved change.
- Protests in Greece – Whether you agree with austerity measures or not, there’s some folks over there who are very committed to making their point. They’re shutting down the whole government and clashing with cops on a daily basis.
Is Violence Necessary?
Let me make something clear. I am not saying violence is necessary for change. Yes, the folks during the American revolution, the Arab spring, the Greek protests and the French revolution did in fact end up in a war. People died, by the tens of thousands in some cases, but this is not always necessary. Look at the civil rights movement, a prime example of how change can be achieved by dedicated people who are using peaceful but effective tactics. Yes, violence was used in the civil rights movement, but it was used by the enemies of that movement. Folks like Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks achieved their goals through peaceful methods. They were in fact willing to risk their safety and lives in the name of change but their methods were non violent, and it worked.
The OWS movement by comparison is doing absolutely nothing. Who the hell cares about some folks camping out in a park and holding signs about economic equality? Other than the TV stations (the same ones making the trial of Michael Jackson’s doctor into a national news event) and a few politicians looking to pander to the masses, do you really think anyone cares? Do you think anyone in some bank’s executive conference room or senate committee meeting is thinking about the protesters? Hell no, these people don’t care. OWS means jack and shit to these folks because it has ZERO impact on them or their business.
Make Them Care
Do you want to make a difference? Then do something that matters. If you’re too scared to make these protests meaningful like the Arab Spring then stop protesting and do something more useful. And yes, there are a lot more useful things you could do. Here are a few easy things anyone can do if they really hate our current economic system:
- Take your money out of the big banks’ accounts and put it into a local credit union – Banks have to maintain a certain amount of capital in order to operate and removing this capital will hurt them. If enough of us do this, we’ll hurt them badly. In fact, where ever you can, stop doing business with large companies. I’ll go out of my way to do business with local, independent merchants, even if it means I pay a little more. In the end, I believe the cost is worth it because they bring back a lot more to my community.
- Stop taking on debt – That means stop using your credit card (even if you pay off your bills at the end of every month), stop taking out car loans, stop taking out mortgages and stop taking out student debt. This is how the big banks make money. If we don’t participate, they lose. And yes, even if you pay off your credit card bill at the end of every month, you are still making them tons of money through credit card fees.
- Vote against bond measures – Yes, I know that bond measure for schools looks awesome. Heck, who wouldn’t vote for more school funding? However, these bond measures are your city, county and state’s way of taking on debt because they’re too stupid to manage their own finances. And guess who underwrites and profits from these debts? Oh yes, it’s wall street.
- Stop spending so much – I don’t give a damn about all those economists who say we consumers should finance the recovery by spending more. That’s how we got into this mess in the first place and all the money we spent ended up going to those 1% who we are now protesting against. If you need to buy something than buy it but stop throwing money out the window and then complaining you have none. You don’t need a brand new car, a used one will be fine. Your daughter does not need a brand new cell phone, she’ll be fine with a crappy old one. Your wife doesn’t need a pair of new diamond earrings, she’ll be happy just to have you around more. You don’t need a fresh latte every morning, water is just fine and healthier too. You don’t need a cable subscription, television is rotting your brain anyway. Your kids don’t each need their own bedroom and bathroom, I grew up just fine sharing a bedroom with my brother. Stop throwing away your money on what popular culture tells you is “necessary and cool” and start spending time and money on what’s important.
- And finally, stop being such a fool when it comes to elections – Start paying attention to the fact that both sides suck. Stop assuming that someone is wrong simply because they disagree with you. Start demanding change and back it up with funding for your favorite candidate. In fact, how about you actually run for elected office, even at the local level, and start doing something about the mess we’re in rather than blaming everyone else for it?
You Think I’m Mad?
Yes, I am angry. The country I love, the country I made my home and the country I hoped my children would love as much as I did is going to hell and my friends are too busy camping out in a park to do anything meaningful about it. So yes, screw you OWS, you’re worse than nothing. You’re a distraction at a time when we need meaningful action and not just childish stunts. Grow up already and start taking all of this seriously, because the rest of us adults need your help.
What would do if someone came to you and asked if you’d like to play some poker? Ok? Great. Oh, by the way, this deck has secret markings on the backs and I’m the only one who knows how to tell what every single card is, simply by looking at the back of the card. Would you still want to play? Of course you wouldn’t.
Yet, that’s what the American public is being asked to do every single day, 365 days a year. And every day you get beat down yet one more time. How about after a year? How about after 30 years? Would you still want to play then? Well, jeez, it’s been so long now, I forgot the deck was even marked. Maybe I was just unlucky. Maybe i’ve lost 30,000 times in a row due to bad luck. Maybe tomorrow I will finally win–if I just play a little better. Or maybe I’ll even get lucky and win.
No. It’s time for a new deck of cards. This stacked deck is unbeatable. No matter how well we play, we always lose.
The US Government no longer represents the people of this country. They are ALL owned and operated by corporations and special interests. So the people are taking matters into their own hands. WE own this nation, not corporations or special interest groups. Thing is, is that it’s been controlled for so long now by a select few that they think they own the damn place. Well, they don’t. Let’s see what happens when a mass of humanity reigns down upon their ivory towers. Let’s see what a nation of pissed off Americans can really do. We have everything to gain and nothing to lose.
It’s time for a new deck of cards.
Don’t play poker
OWS,please don’t try to raise taxes on people like us that create jobs. Stop fucking giving banks more money(If you are concerned that they make too much). Stop using your credit card. Every time you swipe it, the bank gets paid. Don’t borrow any more money. Pay cash for everything. Get off the government system. JP Morgan makes a profit from processing ebt cards.
As far as I’m concerned, OWS are a buch of useless idiots. They have no solutions and ARE part of the problem.
Raising taxes won’t fix anything.
Being independent, self reliant, and voting out every sold out politician is the solution.
@Tom
I have no problem with your stance and in fact, I agree with it. I just believe OWS is doing nothing to change the game. To continue your analogy, we’re playing poker against someone with a stacked deck and OWS is saying “until you change your way I’m going to play you with my shirt off! So there!!!” It’s seems a bit useless to me when there are much better ways to fix this rigged game.
@M
Language please…
Otherwise, 100% agreed.
sorry, that was out of frustration…..I’ll bite my tongue
No worries, I was kidding
My first draft of this article included a few swear words too. I think I’ve removed most of them but hey, if a few slipped through, I’m not too worried.
I’m 23, I work full-time, I attend school part-time – I’ve been attending since 2007, I’ve accumulated just over $4000 in student loans, which I began paying off this last October in a reasonable increment – I will graduate December 2012, I likely will have the same job and make a similar wage.
I live comfortably within my means. I have no credit cards and see no reason to have one, I get paid via direct deposit into a credit union that I’ve been a part of for over a decade – I have little savings and I own a stash of Sterling silver and numismatic coins that I would sell for the precious metal if anything atrocious happened.
I take pride in the history of this great nation, but I’m often taken back by the blithe and ignorant who run their mouths. I don’t care about your pathetic plight. Not in the slightest. You aren’t a starving child, you aren’t someone afflicted with a terrible ailment, nor are you someone who is uneducated – You are so privileged, that the suffering of the world around you is nonexistent. American Spring? How can you compare the USA to a country that’s been run by a brutal junta? Where someone who is outspoken against the government, ends up a red smear.
Yeah, go ahead and complain about police brutality. You aren’t having hoses turned on you for just standing silently in prayer. Nor do you have KKK backed by the police firebombing your homes. lol @ police brutality – You can’t stand in front of a cop, yelling in their face, and think that it doesn’t constitute a reaction by the cop – You aren’t a cop, you probably never will have to deal with the possibility of an eleven year old pointing a gun at you, nor the pain when the eleven year old shoots at you, prompting you to return fire.
What about the public space? Well, do these clowns understand what public domain is? Or that the city has a right to close it’s owned parks, just like the city can set the hours of operation within the park – Because the city owns the public park – I mean, who maintains the park? Certainly not the public who claims “ownership”.
Whatever – I don’t support these nitwits, I won’t employ them, and I’m tired of them trying to sway me with half-baked ideas and the threat that big business is going to destroy my livelihood.
I just see a bunch of hypocrites.
Did you hear that OWS is now trademarked?
I hope that the OWS people do in fact resort to violence. They are already a bunch of lice infested thieves and rapists. This is not Europe and the real 99% that is struggling to survive will respond if they are threatened by OWS. The response will not be like the antiwar and civil rights movement because those had basis in reality. Later day Hippies getting stoned, defecating on the street, sexually assaulting women (and men) and destroying small businesses owned by other 99% members will not meet with support. When these losers break out with wide spread violence because the cities, states and feds do nothing the real people will. There are many people that would return a threat to their families with great and focused violence. Come to my house and threaten my wife and kids with your OWS shit and you will be leaving with fewer members I assure you. You can’t put us all in prison but we can put a bunch of them in the ground and there is no parole from that!
Heyward (and everybody else reading this post).
I realize this is a controversial topic and emotions will flare up. I am guilty of occasionally speaking from the heart when I should be speaking from the brain myself so I’m going to try to be understanding.
However, please be careful with what you say and how you say it. This site is meant to be one where people can hold an intelligent discussion without threats or extreme opinions. From now on, I will delete any comment that I believe is detrimental to that purpose. If you don’t believe that’s fair, that’s too bad. This is my site and I run it how I see fit.
Gal
I think what OWS, is proof that misguided, childish, disgusting people outnumber the wise, stable, and sane. Which is no wonder why things are so messed up, because the foolish outnumber the non foolish. This movement is looking more and more like the protest in the streets Hitler did when he was just a protester. Even more interesting, is the fact that while Hitler and his fascist stood hand and hand together with the Communist with the goal of over throwing the establishment…. Big surprise that the American Nazi Party, and Communist Party USA came out throwing support behind this movement; they’ve even got David Duke’s support. Now while the Tea Party did annoy me in ways, I can only imagine what would have happened to them, if they had ANP and CPUSA along with Duke’s support.
Its easy to get caught up in the anger towards the greed, as it is legit. Just as it was legit for the people of Germany to have anger towards the things going on in their country during the time, but it all comes down to the change you wish to bring. The change brought looked nice, but we all know the evil it brought. The things I’ve heard from the mouths of these people, and their actions that have at least followed the antisemitism that has gone on in this group, mirrors horrible stuff from the past. In Brooklyn we had these protesters set fires to cars, along with painting Swastikas in the neighborhood… Jewish neighborhood at that.
History repeats because people know less about it each day, and we have people who stand by and let it happen. Different people, different time, different face, same outcome over time.
When you’re making money, like I have in the past with three different business’, it’s far too easy to write off those that haven’t either had the chance or opportunity. I worked hard for every damn penny I earned. I held on to each penny with a tight fist and invested it in my future enterprises. When it all went away investing in new tech I got up of my butt and got going again. At some point it started to dawn on me that it was a fight I couldn’t win. I simply couldn’t put together enough capital to stay on top. For those fortunate few that break through and make enough to get the really big money, the sky is the limit. Don’t dismiss the OWS people, their message is not only for the poor. It applies to us all. I will never kiss some bankers ass to get ahead, just not in my nature. The banks need to get hung out to dry just like me when things didn’t go so well. I won’t stop but do understand their message. The banks must be held responsible and pay until it hurts like it hurt me!
OWS is the worthless, stupid, waste of human lives, skin, time, and space in this world. First they camp out in a park. What a waste of time. Then they go in to wal-mart, fill 70 shopping carts with stuff from wal-mart, give some crappy speech and leave and make they people restock the shelf. That’s just dirty. They have to throw that food out probably!