Taking on the Bull
12/1/12 06:21![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
stewstewstewdio.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
talkpolitics
There are always protests, whether you do something good or bad. Even if you do something beneficial, people say you do it because it's advertising. - Giorgio Armani
The Occupy Wall Street encampments have been disbanded. Although the movement still has an occasional flicker, it seems the fire has gone out of the movement and it appears that it is yesterday’s news.
I have said before that I didn’t necessarily approve of their methods. I do, on the other hand, support their message. I still have Scott Olsen, the injured Occupy Oakland protester, in my Google+ circles.
Many had criticized the Occupy movement saying that it lacked goals and demands. However, I’ve pretty much come to the conclusion that the Occupy Wall Street movement was never about goals or demands at all, but about raising awareness regarding the very real economic problems this country faces.
It seems one of the major ones would be the private sector’s lack of accountability to its consumers the same way that the government is expected to be accountable to its citizens. . There is no C-SPAN for the boardroom, and the filter of the information we get from business is basically the crock of shit they choose to feed us through advertising and company authored press releases. Unfortunately, a select enterprise-über-alles segment of our society is dining from the crock with outright passion.
This is why business needs to be balanced by government regulation. Much of the argument appears to be the line where that equilibrium needs to be applied. Business claims that there needs to be less control, but recent history of business practices illustrates otherwise.
Although the clamor of OWS has died down, the message is not completely lost. There is an ongoing effort online to continue resistance to the business-as-usual stance of our private sector economy. This is being done by an online organization called change.org. From what I have seen from their web page, they are committed to grass roots change through social and cultural means within the population as opposed to political change through Washington.
One of the successes listed are the elimination of the $5 monthly fee on debit cards from Bank of America. The internet is giving a voice like never before to those who wish their voices heard. This is widespread engagement with the private sector without intervention from government and a breath of fresh air from the superfluity of government and corporate astroturf organizations. Free market advocates should be thrilled. This is what grass roots progress should look like.
(no subject)
Date: 12/1/12 12:28 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 12/1/12 12:34 (UTC)I do liked latest South Park on that bubble "activity"
I didn’t see it. Is it on Hulu?
(no subject)
Date: 12/1/12 12:53 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 12/1/12 18:08 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 12/1/12 22:45 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 15/1/12 18:07 (UTC)(no subject)
From:(no subject)
Date: 12/1/12 12:47 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 12/1/12 12:57 (UTC)And while politicians are whores for the rich
But whoring is an American tradition that made our country worth a lot of $ and maybe some € and £. And everyone knows that is all that matters in America.
(no subject)
Date: 12/1/12 14:37 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 12/1/12 14:42 (UTC)worst elements of investment banking all wrapped up into under 30 mins and all of it was produced for a leading Republican presidential candidate
Yeah. I think Gingrich is pretty much spinning out of control at this point. This after pledging not to do attacks and running a clean campaign. I guess desperation can do this to someone.
(no subject)
Date: 12/1/12 14:46 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 12/1/12 14:52 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 12/1/12 15:02 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 12/1/12 13:34 (UTC)But they're all a bunch of damned hippies, by cracky!!!
(no subject)
Date: 12/1/12 19:35 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 12/1/12 16:46 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 12/1/12 16:55 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 12/1/12 16:58 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 12/1/12 17:05 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 12/1/12 17:08 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 12/1/12 17:10 (UTC)(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
Date: 12/1/12 18:48 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 12/1/12 19:21 (UTC)I read horrible stuff in the news today. You going to make another post about it?
(no subject)
Date: 12/1/12 19:55 (UTC)(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
Date: 12/1/12 19:37 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 12/1/12 13:57 (UTC)Saying "fix it" isn't enough. Would have been more effective if they listed who should go to jail.
(no subject)
Date: 12/1/12 14:08 (UTC)Would have been more effective if they listed who should go to jail.
I read a New York Times article on that a while ago. Apparently, since evidence wasn’t gathered at the time of the financial violations, the evidence was compromised.
Also, it seems a lot of the financial problems, especially with derivatives, were caused by unregulated financial institutions. It looks like prosecuting the players isn’t going to be an option.
(no subject)
Date: 12/1/12 18:49 (UTC)Would have been more effective if everyone who knows just how it would have been more effective would have lifted a finger to make it more effective.
(no subject)
Date: 12/1/12 19:14 (UTC)Would have been more effective if everyone who knows just how it would have been more effective would have lifted a finger to make it more effective.
Being a moderate, I don’t believe in revolutionary change. That’s why I included the link to change.org (http://www.change.org/), which is pretty much the gist of what the OP was about.
Expecting a sea change from a highly motivated, but realistically ineffectual, group like OWS is not practical. The seed has been sown. I expect we will see it grow with movements like change.org (http://www.change.org/).
(no subject)
Date: 12/1/12 19:23 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 12/1/12 19:44 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 12/1/12 20:03 (UTC)(I know, my point is that action is hard fruit to cultivate)
(no subject)
Date: 12/1/12 14:10 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 12/1/12 14:24 (UTC)(Don't listen to me, it's mostly TIC)
(no subject)
Date: 12/1/12 15:58 (UTC)DING!DING!DING!
Which BTW will make them much more effective than the tea party movement who raised the awareness that it was comprised of a bunch of yahoos who don't like taxation.
(no subject)
Date: 12/1/12 19:00 (UTC)I would be truly impressed if one could either a.) substantiate this with non-selective criteria, or b.) substantiate that OWS isn't worthy of the an equal charge but with 'wealth disparity' interchanged with 'taxation', also using nothing but non-selective criteria.
(no subject)
Date: 12/1/12 19:23 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 12/1/12 19:24 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 12/1/12 20:11 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 12/1/12 21:06 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 12/1/12 22:51 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 12/1/12 22:15 (UTC)This was bound to happen as simply expressing grievances without at least some kind of action plan is not and never will be enough.
As was stated in the post, the protest phase seems to be over and has brought some awareness of the economic problems of this country with some focus taken away from government.
Change.org (http://www.change.org/) appears to be taking it past the protest level with action at a grass roots level.