I participated in the 1st couple gatherings of my local Occupy chapter. We had a pretty good turnout, 200 on our side of the street, 50 Tea partiers accross from us. Media attention.
After that, I went on our Facebook asking if we would have a spokesman or 2, so the media would know who to go to for a sound bite. The media is lazy, if up to them they’d just grab the 1st hippie or mohawked person they could find and they might not give the best interview.
Idea was totally shot down, leaderless movement.
Next I said in order to grow the group and increase influence we need to find something local and political to stand for. Sit in at council and board meetings, work to influence city/county politics.
Idea shot down, apolitical movement.
At this point to me it seems like a circle jerk. The protesting is the beginning, middle and end. There is nothing beyond it. I think the movement has potential, but you need to put yourself out there and stand for something. Working to fix the problems within the confines of the existing political system. I still follow the group on Facebook and support there efforts, but I’m not getting out there just for a weekly rally, where people honk their horns, but the active members keep dwindling.
I know what they are complaining about and the potential is there for a broad base, there only goal right now is awareness. People are aware, the goal should be action. Until there is a roadmap for action, I won’t be getting actively involved.
The biggest problem with these “Occupy X” protests is they’re suffering the same math issues they’re protesting about.
1% of them are dedicated people who understand the issues at hand and possibly have a strategy and platform for their protest. The other 99% are hacky sack playing, dope smoking hippies who are there to hang out.
IMHO the people who have been adversely affected by the economy are not adequately represented at these protests. Why? Because they’re hard working people looking for work trying to provide for their families! They don’t have time to live in a tent and play the bongo’s while someone in the next tent is dying from a heroin overdose.
We want a more proportionate say in the design and enactment of economic policy. To be curt, we want to stop being shit on by bank-friendly financial laws that make the system extremely unfair for us.
We also want campaign finance reform that would stop the extremely wealthy special interests from having such a powerful sway in lawmaking.
One protester’s sign summed things up beautifully:
Those are good things to work towards. I don’t think any progress is going to be made by squatting in public parks and pretending that you have a right to be there and that The Man is in the wrong by telling people to get out of the damned park already.
I have not a clue - I suspect I could get behind some of it if there was a coherent message because I’m fairly lefty, but I have yet to figure out what that might be beyond “They have more shit than me and that’s not right.”
The city has allowed the local Occupiers to take over a block with tents and porta-potties. My last shred of sympathy went right out the window when I saw they were asking for "Food (Organic if possible)."That was just a tiny part of what they were asking for. Fuck me, that’s just stupid beyond belief.
If they are too dumb to realise the federal boondoggle that is certified organic food, then they can freeze and die on their corner as far as I’m concerned. I do admire youthful passion, even if it’s misguided, but not blatant ignorance and cluelessness.