Happy Birthday: The Occupy Movement One Year Later
147 replies, posted
[QUOTE=Megafan;37691996]'They failed' is a pointless statement, because it implies that there was something the protesters could have reasonably done to succeed, when that wasn't really the case.[/QUOTE]
they could have done plenty more
[QUOTE=DainBramageStudios;37692008]they could have done plenty more[/QUOTE]
Do tell.
[QUOTE=DainBramageStudios;37692008]they could have done plenty more[/QUOTE]
any examples of what they couldve done?
[QUOTE=DainBramageStudios;37691952]dskdjbipoemdmngjkl im slapping my keyboard trying to be clever haha fuck ows[/QUOTE]
what do you mean "they failed"? they caused a worldwide movement that raised awareness of an imbalanced caste system in which the wealthy were capable of doing whatever they wanted without consequence at the expense of the working class. they sparked riots and protests around the world that grabbed the eye of the international community and brought important social issues to the forefront of the political stage, and have set the tone for a presidential race (at least in america) in which class warfare and corporate influence / regulation are cruxes of debate. i don't know what simple minded binary definition of "success" you have, or what you consider the qualifying conditions for success, but i'm pretty sure they did a good job at doing what they set out to do. unfortunately they don't have the power to magically change the entire structure of america's socioeconomic structure just by holding some protests, so sorry if they disappointed you
[QUOTE=Bobie;37692022]any examples of what they couldve done?[/QUOTE]
seize control of the means of production
[QUOTE=DainBramageStudios;37692008]they could have done plenty more[/QUOTE]
like what? sit around on the internet all day and make pretentious, self satisfied posts about how a bunch of people who camped out in a park and got shot at by police with rubber bullets, sound cannons, pepper spray and a barrage of other riot control techniques just for speaking their mind "weren't doing enough"?
[QUOTE=Sobotnik;37692046]seize control of the means of production[/QUOTE]
held public executions of the bourgeoisie
[QUOTE=Bobie;37692022]any examples of what they couldve done?[/QUOTE]
start kidnapping or assassinating CEOS and/or boards of directors for one thing
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;37688484]Not accurate? Kind of hard with photos like these:
[IMG]http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zwicbMr3WD4/TqVi3LTOkWI/AAAAAAAAAgs/380S7SqJcvk/s1600/Anti%2BCapitalism%2BOccupy%2BWall%2BStreet.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE]
Can someone explain to me how a job is a right? A company has a right to not hire you if they don't want to.
[QUOTE=Sobotnik;37692046]seize control of the means of production[/QUOTE]
Then they get arrested for seizing a company production facility.
[QUOTE=Kopimi;37692061]like what? sit around on the internet all day and make pretentious, self satisfied posts about how a bunch of people who camped out in a park and got shot at by police with rubber bullets, sound cannons, pepper spray and a barrage of other riot control techniques just for speaking their mind "weren't doing enough"?[/QUOTE]
well yes, a few less feelgood blog posts and a few more strategically placed bullets would have done the job nicely
[QUOTE=DainBramageStudios;37691952]show me a system where slavery actually benefits people on net over the alternative and I'll endorse slavery[/quote]
Pyramids were built with slavery, Rome was built on the backs of slaves. Ancient Greece used slavery as well. Hell, up until recently, the Americas used a ton of slave labor to benefit their "owner's" societies.
[quote]it wasn't taken by force. the worker voluntarily sold their labor, the transaction is complete, it is the business' money now[/quote]
But there is no alternative. It's either "sell your labor for a sustinance wage or die of starvation."
That isn't a choice, that's a threat.
[quote]ahahah the government is barely accountable to the people what are you smoking[/quote]
I agree, but barely accountable to the people is slightly more accountable than the upper class is in a pure capitalist system.
[QUOTE=DainBramageStudios;37692078]start kidnapping or assassinating CEOS and/or boards of directors for one thing[/QUOTE]
At which point they start getting shot at by police, and although this may seem perplexing to you, most protesters would rather not throw their lives away to confront corruption and income inequality.
[QUOTE=DainBramageStudios;37692084]well yes, a few less feelgood blog posts and a few more strategically placed bullets would have done the job nicely[/QUOTE]
is this a joke or are you seriously implying that shooting at a few CEO's would have changed anything
it would have only served as a motive to immediately break up OWS altogether and reinforce the idea that the upper class are victims of class warfare
[editline]16th September 2012[/editline]
you're a really shitty revolutionary
[QUOTE=yawmwen;37692086]Pyramids were built with slavery[/QUOTE]
actually they were built using farmers who had nothing else to do when the floods covered their fields
they were also one of the first people to hold a strike
[QUOTE=yawmwen;37692086]Pyramids were built with slavery[/quote]
no they weren't
[quote]Rome was built on the backs of slaves.[/quote]
and fell
[quote]Ancient Greece used slavery as well.[/quote]
"ancient" being the operative word
[quote]Americas used a ton of slave labor to benefit their "owner's" societies.[/quote]
the slave states lost, and the slave economies did poorer than the northern ones
[quote]But there is no alternative. It's either "sell your labor for a sustinance wage or die of starvation."[/quote]
okay, so?
[quote]That isn't a choice, that's a threat.[/quote]
it's both
[quote]I agree, but barely accountable to the people is slightly more accountable than the upper class is in a pure capitalist system.[/QUOTE]
you can buy from a different company
[editline]16th September 2012[/editline]
[QUOTE=Megafan;37692098]most protesters would rather not throw their lives away to confront corruption and income inequality.[/QUOTE]
this is the problem
edit
there isn't a difference between choice and coercion, it's a social construct
[QUOTE=DainBramageStudios;37692135]this is the problem[/QUOTE]
please Dain because you're such a brave revolutionary, feel free to go get a rifle and assassinate a CEO
see how things turn out
[quote]Pyramids were built with slavery,[/quote]
The people who built the pyramids were volunteers who were paid, fed, and treated better by their employers than most workers are today. I don't know about the other stuff you said, but this is wrong.
what these people need is a face and a name to rally against. seriously 'the 1%' is such a vague term.
I remember the occupy protest in my town, some people had signs up in the town square are were playing bob marley music. Then a police officer walked up and asked them how the protest was going and they all flipped out and were very rude to him. They kept calling him a nazi pig and that he was destroying the country and he just shook his head and walked away laughing.
#OCCUPYWALES
[QUOTE=Mon;37692206]what these people need is a face and a name to rally against. seriously 'the 1%' is such a vague term.[/QUOTE]
its been accurately defined a million times over, if you don't understand what "the 1%" represents by now its your own fault
YEAH YEAH GLOCK 9 IN HAND REVOLUTIONARY OF THE 21ST CENTURY YAUHHH DIGG
[media][URL]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDJMjuKt-gc&feature=relmfu[/URL][/media]
SHOOT DA PO-PO
(killing people would defeat the entire purpose of the OWS movement. it's not about revenge, it's about equality)
(immortal technique also has a very nice flow)
[QUOTE=RainbowStalin;37692211]I remember the occupy protest in my town, some people had signs up in the town square are were playing bob marley music. Then a police officer walked up and asked them how the protest was going and they all flipped out and were very rude to him. They kept calling him a nazi pig and that he was destroying the country and he just shook his head and walked away laughing.
#OCCUPYWALES[/QUOTE]
wow at first i suppoted OWS but after reading this dramatized possibly fabricated anecdote i'm with you brother, fuck protests
[QUOTE=Kopimi;37692187]please Dain because you're such a brave revolutionary, feel free to go get a rifle and assassinate a CEO
see how things turn out[/QUOTE]
because I'm not a revolutionary
i can however critique other "revolutionaries"
[QUOTE=DainBramageStudios;37692230]because I'm not a revolutionary
i can however critique other "revolutionaries"[/QUOTE]
wtf is wrong with you
"these guys are out protesting? fucking pussies why dont they kill someone"
"who me?? oh.. no no i.. i need to play my video games.. i can't kill someone no.."
[QUOTE=Sobotnik;37692126]actually they were built using farmers who had nothing else to do when the floods covered their fields
they were also one of the first people to hold a strike[/QUOTE]
From what I've read, Egyptian peasants were basically forced into "civic service" by government. That sounds quite a bit like slavery.
If I'm wrong, feel free to correct me.
[QUOTE=DainBramageStudios;37692135]no they weren't
and fell
"ancient" being the operative word
the slave states lost, and the slave economies did poorer than the northern ones
okay, so?
it's both
you can buy from a different company
[editline]16th September 2012[/editline]
this is the problem
edit
there isn't a difference between choice and coercion, it's a social construct[/QUOTE]
Well, I disagree. Coercion is not a choice, coercion is leaving no choice except for the one that benefits the coercer.
[QUOTE=DainBramageStudios;37692230]because I'm not a revolutionary
i can however critique other "revolutionaries"[/QUOTE]
What kind of critique even is it and how can you hope to call it reasonable? Are you saying that in order to genuinely campaign for change you need to start killing people?
[QUOTE=Megafan;37692269]What kind of critique even is it and how can you hope to call it reasonable? Are you saying that in order to genuinely [B]campaign for change[/B] you need to start killing people?[/QUOTE]
this is the problem
they set out to try, they didn't set out to do.
[editline]16th September 2012[/editline]
[QUOTE=Kopimi;37692240]wtf is wrong with you
"these guys are out protesting? fucking pussies why dont they kill someone"
"who me?? oh.. no no i.. i need to play my video games.. i can't kill someone no.."[/QUOTE]
why are you assuming that i agree with what ows is doing
[QUOTE=Bobie;37692221]YEAH YEAH GLOCK 9 IN HAND REVOLUTIONARY OF THE 21ST CENTURY YAUHHH DIGG
[media][URL]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDJMjuKt-gc&feature=relmfu[/URL][/media]
SHOOT DA PO-PO
(killing people would defeat the entire purpose of the OWS movement. it's not about revenge, it's about equality)
(immortal technique also has a very nice flow)[/QUOTE]
Immortal Technique is an expression of anger. As you can see, he's not exactly going out and murdering CEOs or anything.
Also, this song is pretty dope.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeE3-rOG7i4[/media]
[QUOTE=Kopimi;37692226]wow at first i suppoted OWS but after reading this dramatized possibly fabricated anecdote i'm with you brother, fuck protests[/QUOTE]
Well ok I wasn't trying to do that but whatever I just thought posting about my local occupy protest would be a good idea but clearly that was a bad decision.
Sorry
[quote]you can buy from a different company[/quote]
This is bullshit and I'm sick of hearing it. To win an election, a politician has to get more votes than his opponent. You can't vote against a corporation; as long as they have enough customers to make a profit, they can and will do whatever the fuck they please if it makes them more money. That means essentially 0.1% of the people have to "vote" for them and they stay in business. Often companies will have a monopoly as well, or will attack other companies to drive away competition.
If a corporation offers something other corporations can't and it does it through terrible, unethical means, "voting with your money" won't mean shit because enough people won't give a fuck that they'll still do it. That's the WHOLE FUCKING REASON we have laws.
Saying that corporations are more democratic than the government is downright moronic.
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