Iconic Protesters

[stewstewstewdio.livejournal.com]

I saw courage both in the Vietnam War and in the struggle to stop it. I learned that patriotism includes protest, not just military service. - John F. Kerry

As I had threatened, another Occupy Wall Street post. November 17, 2011 is the 2 month anniversary of the nascent movement. As of last month, most Americans lacked an opinion of OWS, which is why it is still important to get their message out.

Neda Agha-Soltan was one. So was Mohammed Bouazizi. As was Khaled Mohamed Saeed.

They were the people that were iconic symbols of their protests in their Arab countries. Neda Agha-Soltan was killed in Iran during the 2011 protest there. Mohammed Bouazizi was a street vendor that lit himself on fire in Tunisia. Khaled Mohamed Saeed was allegedly killed by police in Egypt. The mere mention of their names united a population to the point where their brothers and sisters were willing to put themselves in harm’s way for their cause.

I believe Scott Olsen will represent that for the Occupy Wall Street movement. This is his Google+ post:

For those not familiar with the name, Scott Olsen suffered a fractured skull from a tear gas canister fired by an Oakland police officer. Despite the Oakland police department’s reputed fervor; I believe this was a purely unintentional and unfortunate accident. However, from the comments I have seen on his post in Google+, he has become a rallying point for the movement.

There are even comments in his Google+ page from supporters from Tunisia and Egypt. Considering America’s capitalist reputation around the world, I would be very surprised if this is not being portrayed in some countries as America’s Tiananmen Square in principle.

Although I believe in working within the political system for change, I support the opinions championed by the Occupy Wall Street movement. However, I feel the system has been put in an unfortunate position within these protests and are neither responsible for nor the target of these protests.

The Zuccotti Park occupation was taken down on November 15, but I very much doubt this is even close to an end of this protest.

Comments

[notmrgarrison.livejournal.com]

As of last month, most Americans lacked an opinion of OWS

From: http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2011/11/occupy-wall-street-favor-fading.html

The Occupy Wall Street movement is not wearing well with voters across the country. Only 33% now say that they are supportive of its goals, compared to 45% who say they oppose them. That represents an 11 point shift in the wrong direction for the movement's support compared to a month ago when 35% of voters said they supported it and 36% were opposed. Most notably independents have gone from supporting Occupy Wall Street's goals 39/34, to opposing them 34/42.

Voters don't care for the Tea Party either, with 42% saying they support its goals to 45% opposed. But asked whether they have a higher opinion of the Tea Party or Occupy Wall Street movement the Tea Party wins out 43-37, representing a flip from last month when Occupy Wall Street won out 40-37 on that question. Again the movement with independents is notable- from preferring Occupy Wall Street 43-34, to siding with the Tea Party 44-40.

[stewstewstewdio.livejournal.com]

The Occupy Wall Street movement is not wearing well with voters across the country

That's why I included the Gallup Poll (which I consider the gold standard of polling) from last month. This movement is still new, emerging and not very well understood while the Tea Party movement has been around for a while.

That is also why the message has to continue to get out. If the message fails, the movement will die. If not it will flourish.

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

It's interesting that the polling for OWS has plummetted after this guy got shot with a rubber bullet. The message is getting out, and more and more people dislike it.

[surferelf.livejournal.com]

Actually, it was a teargas canister, not a rubber bullet. If it was a rubber bullet he would probably be dead.

I find it interesting that the Tea Party and OWS have roughly the same support in polls when you consider that cable news coverage of OWS has been all negative, whereas the TP was basically created by cable news.

[notmrgarrison.livejournal.com]

It might seem negative because of all the things negative things they do that make the news, but the media is being very sympathetic to them.

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

Actually, it was a teargas canister, not a rubber bullet. If it was a rubber bullet he would probably be dead.

My error, I thought this was the guy who got shot.

Even stranger, then, that a freak accident would become a focal point, but hey.

I find it interesting that the Tea Party and OWS have roughly the same support in polls when you consider that cable news coverage of OWS has been all negative, whereas the TP was basically created by cable news.

I see the coverage as the exact opposite, with the caveat that OWS wasn't created by any cable news (but neither was the Tea Party).

[nevermind6794.livejournal.com]

I don't think the bad poll numbers for Occupy Wall Street reflect Americans being unconcerned with wealth inequality. Polling we did in some key swing states earlier this year found overwhelming support for raising taxes on people who make over $150,000 a year. In late September we found that 73% of voters supported the 'Buffett rule' with only 16% opposed. And in October we found that Senators resistant to raising taxes on those who make more than a million dollars a year could pay a price at the polls. I don't think any of that has changed- what the downturn in Occupy Wall Street's image suggests is that voters are seeing the movement as more about the 'Occupy' than the 'Wall Street.' The controversy over the protests is starting to drown out the actual message.

The media covers the scary hippies, and people get scared. Same old story.

[notmrgarrison.livejournal.com]

Cheer up.

[prisoner--24601.livejournal.com]

Did you seriously just make a comparison between what happened in Tiananmen Square and what happened to this guy? Am I misunderstanding what you're trying to say? Because I gotta say, as someone who is watching from the sidelines and hasn't quite yet decided how she feels about the OWS protests, this kind of overblown rhetoric isn't helping your cause.

[stewstewstewdio.livejournal.com]

Did you seriously just make a comparison between what happened in Tiananmen Square and what happened to this guy?

No, I didn't. Did you seriously read the OP?

[prisoner--24601.livejournal.com]

Then what, exactly, do you mean by this?

Considering America’s capitalist reputation around the world, I would be very surprised if this is not being portrayed in some countries as America’s Tiananmen Square in principle.

Because I'm not understanding you - which is sort of a problem, as you're the one with a message you're trying to get across.

[blue-mangos.livejournal.com]

I think what he was saying, and he can correct this himself if I am wrong, is that a lot of foreign media, which often has an anti-American government bias, might be presenting this case as a turning point in the movement. Add into that countries that have had their own recent protests that led to change, with pivitol figures in most of them, and I can easily see them latching on to this as the American version.

[korean-guy-01.livejournal.com]

If this is the message that has to be heard, then it'd be best to keep quiet so the movement isn't viewed more unfavorably than it is now.

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

There are people who've been viewing the movement unfavorably even before it had begun, they've made their mind already and they won't change it no matter what. And this is valid on the flipside too, regarding those who view it favorably no matter what.

People are just too entrenched in their preconceived notions. I mean too many of them are. And that's counter-productive.

[3fgburner.livejournal.com]

The Owies in DC are about to commit a cardinal sin, this afternoon. They plan to block traffic.

This is the town where, when someone threatens to jump off the Wilson Bridge, people in the traffic jam get out of their cars and begin chanting "JUMP! JUMP! JUMP!".

When Tractor Guy parked his rig in the Reflecting Pool and threatened that he had a bomb, commuters came out of their offices at lunch time, approached the police cordon, and demanded to know why they hadn't shot the fucker yet.

SEIU, a few years ago, completely lost any credibility with workers in DC, by blocking bridges.

[paedraggaidin.livejournal.com]

Heh...during my DC internship, on the way home one day (on the now defunct N22 Navy Yard Shuttle line) traffic was stopped all over Capitol Hill due to some dumbass running around with a samurai sword. We spent about 45 minutes on that bus basically parked. Man, were people pissed.

[yes-justice.livejournal.com]

when someone threatens to jump off the Wilson Bridge, people in the traffic jam get out of their cars and begin chanting "JUMP! JUMP! JUMP!".

And then they jump. And then their kid gets pulled out of class and told their mother is dead. Then a while later the kid learns that people were cheering her on to jump.

Actually, there was one officer who was in tears telling me that he tried to stop her.

[3fgburner.livejournal.com]

The point being, that DC commuters get REALLY pissed about traffic blockers.

[devil-ad-vocate.livejournal.com]

Just heard on morning news that they plan to block subway exits in New York... not safe... and not a good way to make friends and influence people.

[telemann.livejournal.com]

Useless in a way, the cops will arrest them. And they are going to "Occupy the trains?" Heh, NYC handles millions of people during rush hour, what's a few thousand people on the trains to the MTA? The protesters could shut down the entire system if they just tweaked their plans a bit more, but I guess they're not doing it because of extreme danger and risk to themselves.

[sandwichwarrior.livejournal.com]

This will not end well.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

Hold on, the Obama Administration is equivalent to Arab world military dictatorships and what's happening in Oakland is even remotely comparable to the incidents in Tienanmen Square?

[sandwichwarrior.livejournal.com]

If they were serious they'd have at least a few corpses to show for it.

[blue-mangos.livejournal.com]

I think it's also important to note that it was not only the accidental harm done to Scott Olsen that makes him a figure for the movement, it was the police response at the time. Not only did they not move to help him when he was clearly lying on the ground injured, when the protesters noticed and moved in to help a police officer very deliberately fired another tear gas canister directly into the crowd trying to give aid.