Showing posts with label Occupy Wall Street. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Occupy Wall Street. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

2-months into the new revolution – Part 2

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In yesterday’s post, we defined revolution and its relationship to a social movement, both of which involve beginnings that emphasize what is wrong, rather than dwelling on the solution.  As Robert Reich said: “Every social movement in the last half-century or more, it started with moral outrage…and the actual lessons, the specific demands for specific changes, came later.”  It seems to me that we first have to spend time determining what is not right, finally placing what we have found in priorities, that then becomes the basis for demands.

John Hirschhorn says, “…the Occupy movement in the US offers the possibility of being seen, eventually, as the seed of a successful Second American Revolution…”  Since he is convinced this is needed to fix a “…corrupt, dysfunctional and unfair government, political and economic system,” the question remains just what happens next.  Although the bulk of the Occupy Movement may not know it, they have essentially followed the correct parameters to induce social change.    

History reveals that violence against the uprising almost always becomes necessary for the overthrown of a “Hated” political system.  Then comes the time period involved in cleaning up the mess and making the necessary changes.  All of the factors discussed so far have been integral parts of the Occupy Movement, including the violence displayed by police against protesters in Oakland and elsewhere.  Although there is no measure to determine the success of the movement, the fact that one-third of the country is destitute due to an avaricious Wall Street and an inept Congress, is enough to keep things going.



Pew research has asked the question of Americans, “although our people are not perfect, but is our culture superior to others?”  Only 49 percent agreed recently compared to 60 percent in 2002, the first time this question was asked.  This flies in the face of conservatives who regularly wave the flag over U.S. “exceptionalism.”  And the young ages 18 to 29, were lower in their opinion of our country compared to young citizens in Germany, Spain and Great Britain.

Poll after poll finds that Americans are convinced their country has declined in its place in world powers and an NBC News/Wall Street Survey recently discovered the public no longer thinks the U.S. is a world leader with the pessimistic view that neither the President nor Congress can do anything about it.  But many analysts see the Occupy Movement as a means to change.  James B. Stewart’s article, “An Uprising With Plenty of Potential,” is a good example. 

Stewart ends his article with a statement from Cornel West, a Princeton professor who has emerged as a prominent voice of the movement.  It said that he didn’t know where the movement was going, but “you can’t evict an idea whose time has come.”  In Hirschhorn’s article, he wonders if the Occupy Movement is truly the seed capable of producing a Second American Revolution.  As the saying goes, only time will tell.

Read more here, here and here.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

2-months into the new revolution

Occupy Movement demonstrations went all-out on Thanksgiving Day to celebrate the two-month anniversary of the start of the “new” revolution.  At the same time, cities have become more aggressive in cracking down on protesters, issuing ultimatums to disperse in some instances…or else.  As an example, 20 people were arrested in Los Angeles, in Chicago, they made historic Grant Park off-limits for encampments, and 17 people were arrested in Dallas.  But Oakland was relatively quiet.

A Berkeley student tried to explain why the occupiers continue to do what they do in the face of opposition that says the movement doesn’t know what it wants.  He quoted Robert Reich’s recent speech from Sproul Plaza: “Every social movement in the last half-century or more, it started with moral outrage…and the actual lessons, the specific demands for specific changes, came later.”  Kevin Gorman, a student writing in The Berkeley Daily Planet, says Occupy, with its explosive growth and no top-down direction, which he thinks is proper for the time being, needs no explicit goals now.



Business & Government greed
The question arises, is this “social movement,” as described by Reich, actually a social revolution of sorts that could change the business and political makeup of this country?  For the better.  Balance the economic inequity on the backs of big business CEOs and an incompetent government.  Wikipedia defines revolution as a “fundamental change in power or organizational structure that takes place in a relatively short period of time.”  Aristotle gives us two types:

·       1. Complete change from one constitution to another
·       2. Modification of an existing constitution

I don’t think anyone wants a new constitution, just some tweaks in the current one, reserving the major changes for the greedy ones who are presently running the corporate world and Washington.  Joel Hirshhorn says, “…the Occupy movement in the US offers the possibility of being seen, eventually, as the seed of a successful Second American Revolution…”  He goes on to indicate that many “…believe {it} is desperately needed to fix our corrupt, dysfunctional and unfair government, political and economic system.   

Hirschhorn is the author of Delusional Democracy - Fixing the Republic Without Overthrowing the Government.  His op-eds have appeared in the Washington Post, New York Times, Baltimore Sun, and Chicago Tribune, and he writes for several progressive websites such as The Progress Report.  The main point of his article emphasizes the fact that in the beginning of a “movement,” it is almost completely about what the demonstrators are against.  Fighting a tyranny that has been advanced against the common folk.

Part 2 next.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Is “Occupy Wall Street” making its point?

The Occupy Wall Street movement has moved out of New York and has reportedly spread to as many as 1,500 cities worldwide that have either already started demonstrations or are in the planning stages.  In the U.S. they have now reached Denver, Seattle, San Diego, Washington, Orlando, Atlanta, Detroit and Phoenix, as well as others.  What is not encouraging is the fact that several people have been arrested in the process.  I also just watched a video from New York showing possible police brutality. 

When the company owning the property on which the protests are being held decided to “clean up the park,” they were flooded with threats from NY city officials who wanted them to wait.  In the process, announcements were made of the plan to remove the crowd.  This led to chaos.  Mayor Bloomberg is investigating the situation.  From pictures of the demonstrations I have seen so far, the group seems to be neat, which is an endorsement of their organization.



Some have compared the “Occupy” movement with the Tea Party, which I abhor.  One TP wacko commented that “Occupy is no Tea Party,” primarily referring to the size of crowds.  Of course there are less people at this stage.  With the TPers’ mentality, many at a double-digit level, all Glenn Beck has to say is follow me to Washington, and he is immediately connected to the hook in their noses.  The Occupy folks are able to think for themselves, naturally putting more thought into their participation.

But seasoned activists say there is a “difference between an emotional outcry and a movement.”  Andrew Young who worked with Martin Luther King commented that the difference is organization and articulation.  I can see why Young would see the departure from articulation due to the number of demands being made by the protesters with no apparent central theme like integration.  But you have to be at least somewhat organized to achieve coverage of at least some 1,500 cities in a movement barely over a month old.

Others adding their input were Rev. Al Sharpton who thinks the Occupy group does have a central theme and it is economic inequity.  The Rev. Jessie Jackson said, “…the protest was a growing success,” adding the, “…protest could become a powerful movement if it remains disciplined, focused and nonviolent — and turns some of their pain into voting power." 

Turning out the vote will be a key measure of the accomplishments of Occupy.  That applies to both the former young non-voters and the apathetic progressives.

U.S. Representative Jim Clyburn of South Carolina is the third-highest ranking Democrat in the House and he firmly believes the movement will produce political change.  He also disagrees there is no meaningful theme and likened the Occupy protests with the civil rights era where he commented, "They all knew something was wrong."  It’s hard to put into words your frustrations, Clyburn remarked, which seems to have been mirrored by the look on many faces seen in pictures of the Occupy demonstrations.  But most feel that time will galvanize this into the progressive revolt that is necessary to rid Washington of an incompetent Congress and clean up the corporate world.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Is “Occupy Wall Street” the real revolution for the real people?


The “Occupy” movement has been called the progressives’ answer to the Tea Party.  There is no comparison between the two factions, obviously in philosophy, but also in substance and intellect.  From some of the TP videos I have witnessed, those poor clods are definitely dealing with double-digit IQs. 

Look at the Wall Street folks and then look at the gun totin’, dimwitted, racist bigots that have been captured on You Tube of the Tea Party demonstrations.  Although not universally representative, this bloc has not been officially rebuked by the organization.  The young, and older, people at Liberty Plaza in New York would make TPers look like boneheads. 

So now that we have this dissimilarity established, what do these people want?  They aren’t quite sure yet but then, the movement is only around a month old.  The one thing they are sure of is they want the power of Wall Street and the financial community diluted.  Some signs screamed "Less is More" and "Capitalism is evil."  Sounds like candidates for a Social Democracy.

But there is a clear-drawn comparison here, and it is with Independent voters.  Not in philosophy but rather in the momentum of the movement.  Independents don’t lay down a partisan creed, but rather stand for a multitude of ideologies.  Today they represent 40 percent of the voting population and they are growing on a daily basis with crossovers from Republicans and Democrats. 

“The group's lack of specificity serves a purpose because it invites outrage over a full spectrum of societal grievances,” says Bill Dobbs, another activist from the 2004 Republican National Convention demonstrations.  But “Occupy’s” thrust is without question directed at the greed of Wall Street and corporations and their accountability.  And they are willing to put their freedom on the line: 700 people were arrested on the Brooklyn Bridge.

Some did voice their specific concerns.  One said it was “corporate influence in politics;” another wants the money to be spent on “meeting people’s needs.”  Similar demonstrations have already been planned or carried out in Los Angeles, Chicago and Boston.  During the day Sunday, I heard one news report that shows the “Occupy” concept has gone worldwide.  It will be very hard to contain this movement if the White House and Congress don’t act quickly.


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