Occupy Wallstreet - Introducing - Adbuster's Founder Kalle Lasn

First off my disclaimer:

I totally support the OWS movement. I have a good paying job, I have a nice home, and I have a nice car.

But I am still one of the 99%. I have friends who have lost their jobs, homes, and cars.

I have attended my local OWS in my hometown and have participated in the marches this last weekend.

It’s about letting everyone be heard. This is what democracy looks like.

Occupywallstreet is a campaign started by Adbusters.
www.adbusters.org...

The Adbusters Media Foundation is a Canadian-based not-for-profit, anti-consumerist, pro-environmentorganization founded in 1989 by Kalle Lasn and Bill Schmalz in Vancouver, British Columbia. The foundation describes itself as "a global network of artists, activists, writers, pranksters, students, educators and entrepreneurs who want to advance the new social activist movement of the information age."

The foundation was born out of their realization that citizens do not have the same access to the information flows as corporations. One of the foundation's key campaigns continues to be the Media Carta, a "movement to enshrine The Right to Communicate in the constitutions of all free nations, and in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights".

SO WHO IS KALLE LASN?

The protestors' demand will likely be focused on "taking to task the people who perpetrated the economic meltdown," says Kalle Lasn, the editor-in-chief of Adbusters.

"The demand could be some stupid lefty thing like 'overthrow capitalism,'" Lasn says. "We're hoping it's something specific and doable, like asking Obama to set up a committee to look into the fall of U.S. banking. Nothing extreme about that."

CNN Money Interview Sept 16, 2011

Kalle Lasn (born March 24, 1942) is a Canadian author, magazine editor and activist. Near the end of World War II his family fled Estonia and Lasn spent his childhood in a German refugee camp. He was then resettled in Australia. In the 1960s, he founded a market research company in Tokyo, and in 1970, moved to Vancouver, Canada. For twenty years, he produced documentaries for PBS and Canada’s National Film Board. He is the founder of Adbusters magazine and author of the books Culture Jam and Design Anarchy and is the co-founder of the Adbusters Media Foundation, which owns the magazine. Lasn currently lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Now, if you really want to understand who Kalle Lasn is is suggest you watch him here:



My impression is that Kalle Lasn believes we are over consumers which destroys our Planet. This video shows him trying to inspire graphic designers to be creative and work for themselves instead of for big corporations outputting what you are told to output.

THE CHALLENGES AND THE GOALS:

Culture Jaming:

"Culture jamming is the primary means through which Adbusters challenges consumerism"

The goal is to interrupt the normal consumerist experience in order to reveal the underlying ideology of an advertisement, media message, or consumer artifact. Culture jamming aims to challenge the large, influential corporations that control mainstream media and the flow of information. It is a form of protest. The term "jam" contains more than one meaning, including improvising, by re-situating an image or idea already in existence, and interrupting, by attempting to stop the workings of a machine.

Culture jamming is heavily influenced by the Situationist International and the tactic of détournement. The goal is to interrupt the normal consumerist experience in order to reveal the underlying ideology of an advertisement, media message, or consumer artifact.

Detournement

A détournement is a technique developed in the 1950s by the Situationist International, and consist in "turning expressions of the capitalist system against itself."

Wiki Link Adbusters

HOW IS THE OWS ORGANIZED?
NYC General Assembly

It’s starts with a General Assembly. This is a learning process for all of us. Because without this organization there can not be a concise message developed.

We are in the development phase of the message.

The protesters are mainly protesting against social and economic inequality, corporate greed, and the influence of corporate money and lobbyists on government.

The Demand is a Process



However, what happens in that process is there are SO MANY people who want to be heard. There are SO MANY different complaints about the government and corporations that it confuses people and the media and then you get the ridicule that this is just a bunch of homeless hippies with no jobs or clear message.

Let me assure you – that is far from the truth. But that is how the media is playing it. Hope you’re not watching the 6:00 news to find out what the message is!

Next comes CONSENSUS



NOW HERE IS WHERE I THINK WE NEED TO IMPROVE.

These protests need to be taken to the governmental bodies, like Washington DC and your State capitals. That is where the change needs to happen.

The only way I see it is:

We need a new President
We Need new Senators
We Need new Congressmen

The Two Party system is broken and we need to vote out both the dems and the reps and vote in “independants” to break up the “deadlock” in the house and senate. Those who are in agreement to OUR agenda.

But what is OUR AGENDA? This is what is currently in process. Go participate in your local OWS and voice your opinions – see what they are discussing, become part of the process. GET INVOVLED! This is your chance. This is about getting the VOICE of the public out because the politicians DON’T GET it and are not getting out OUR MESSAGE.

Which begs the next question – Where are our polititians in this growing debate? NOWHERE. I didn’t see anyone at our local march.

Who is willing to step out and support the people? (I was going to say, who has the balls, but then maybe it will be someone without balls). Right now, I don’t see anyone. But we have a while before election day, so who knows what might happen.

Be prepared for a lot of factions latching on this movement - there are alot of different unhappy groups out there.

Sources:
nycga.cc...
en.wikipedia.org...
www.occupytogether.org...

reply to post by Julie Washington


I don't care who started what, all I care about are results. I have a feeling the CIA started the OWS movement to be honest, along with the Arab Spring. Sometimes the CIA works in our best interest, most of the time.

Chew on that for a minute.

Good post!
Some of your videos are not working though,
Also, Change does not happen overnight. A singular organism has no spread to many many organisms, and it will only grow. That is my hope. Peaceful resistance against TPTB.

reply to post by BIGPoJo


Why do you think the CIA started it and what is their motivation?

I agree with you - I want results!

reply to post by AzureSky


Got the links and videos fixed.

Let me know if I missed one.

"Adbusters founder Kalle Lasn seems to hate all things American and love all things global. He openly endorsed “Not just a carbon tax, but a global across-the-board pricing system.” Adbusters also hosted a “One Flag” competition to design a flag symbolizing “global citizenship.”

takimag.com...

You need to understand the importance of who was behind this, their motives, and then follow the money trail.

Carbon Taxes and a push for a One world government is something I am firmly against. It would be unfortunate to see OWS being used as a pawn for these motives.

reply to post by Julie Washington


The core duty of the CIA is to protect America. Our current biggest threat is the funneling of assets out of America which is breaking our backs. The same thing is happening to other countries, its like the whole planet is in debt or at least 99% of it.