Occupy : Still Very Much Alive

Something I just put on tumblr, thought I'd add it here too for those interested in what's going on with Occupy. Both quotes are from the link in the first line. :

Have just read an article from Occupy Wall Street, Reports of Occupy’s Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated, and I think it makes total sense. It's about the mainstream media and their obsession with declaring the Occupy movement dead. Also their obsession with always trying to manipulate the history of things, and make their version of events, one that's usually full of all types of fabrications and agenda driven pieces of information, the one that huge parts of the population see as the real story.

Since the eviction of the protestors at Freedom Plaza last November, it’s become a media cliché to report on the “Death of Occupy.” Articles pop up all over the web, blithely reporting on the failed second wind of Occupy, this lackluster “American Spring,” and the May Day general strike that didn’t quite shut the system down.

It should be no surprise that the mainstream media is eager to report on Occupy’s supposed demise. Even ignoring the fact that the corporate-owned media has a strong desire to never see social movements such as Occupy succeed, the media, as a rule, generally needs to put a dramatic narrative to everything it reports. To them, every story ought to have a captivating story arch with a beginning, middle, and an end.

The Tea Party movement probably shouldn't be forgotten here either. The media seem to love making out like they're completely different from Occupy, because the bigger the divide between the two, the easier it is to play them off against eachother. That and the fact that many groups of people with their own interests really seem to want the Occupy movement either over, or something that they can use to tarnish the reputation of so many protesters out there that are gathering in the streets to raise issues that a lot of others should really have a think about, then research further into. (as long as they're not thinking that checking a Fox news article is going to provide them with all the info they need, of course. If that's the case they may as well just skip the idea altogether.)

The mainstream media can't just discredit it so that it goes away, the police can't just cause hassle until they look like a bunch of violent people and that's all it's reduced to. The FBI, if they did, can't just frame them with bomb plots and other types of madness in the hope that the whole movement will suffer from it until it's over.

Instead it's a worldwide movement, and one that isn't going away any time soon, because there's a lot of intelligent and informed people that are part of it, people that have valid arguments, and also the ability to promote and help create real change over time. Not your average fake-politician change that never materialises.

I still think the Tea Party and Occupy should try some type of merger, because when it comes down to it, if they do, it'd be the one thing the mainstream media and those out there with the agenda to see these movements fail wouldn't want to see : a complete reversal of their divide and conquer tactics. The same tactics that keep the world in such a mess every single day.

Shrugging off Occupy as a momentary fad or a leftist pipedream is to do a disservice to both Occupy and our collective yearning for a more legitimate community. When Occupy began, there was a feeling in the air that another world was not only possible, but that it was possibly inevitable.

Our isolation and alienation no longer seemed like an unbridgeable gap:

“Separations are broken down. Personal problems are transformed into public issues; public issues that seemed distant and abstract become immediate practical matters. The old order is analyzed, criticized, satirized. People learn more about society in a week than in years of academic “social studies” or leftist “consciousness raising.” Long repressed experiences are revived. Everything seems possible — and much more is possible. People can hardly believe what they used to put up with in “the old days.” (Ken Knabb, The Joy of Revolution)

Since those days, over 7,200 Occupy protestors have been arrested in the United States. Many have been beaten and tortured. The media has been strong-armed into not reporting on Occupy except in an unfavorable light, and non-participants (but potential sympathizers) are encouraged to sarcastically roll their eyes at those silly protestors who just don’t seem to get it.

So they're not over, not dead, not nearly at that point. It's the opposite in fact, they're still very much alive. Still doing things, still planning things, and the longer they do, the more serious people will have to take them. Especially as they create more change within such a manipulated system that's covered by an increasingly biased and fake mainstream media.

Occupy will live on as long as there are police cars in need of having a dump taken on them. But seriously, it is a useless movement that has been controlled from the start. Someone versed in Revolution stated "the best way to control the opposition is to lead it" and that is what is being done with the Occupy movements. If one sprouts up that is independent it will not stay that way. A very well organized and funded and quite sophisticated intel apparatus is set up to spur and control these movements.

Originally posted by Numbers33four
A very well organized and funded and quite sophisticated intel apparatus is set up to spur and control these movements.

But it can't control them when they go worldwide and have enough creative people in them. They can only ever control them to an extent, and if it really is the case that it's been set up and controlled, there's probably going to be a lot of surprises around the corner for the manipulators.

And no it's not useless, not at all.

reply to post by robhines


The Tea Party has moved away from sign holding and is now into ELECTED OFFICE holding; you know, actually accomplishing something.

Maybe if OWS can clean one of their people up and round up a few bucks for a campaign they can get someone in office and actually accomplish something too.

Occupy is dead. The lazy got in the way of the motivated, and we moved on to spending our time doing something constructive.

Occupy is a joke.

reply to post by seabag


That's like telling a doctor that they can only cure the disease by contracting it.
Don't worry, you'll only feel a pinch.

Originally posted by seabag
The Tea Party has moved away from sign holding and is now into ELECTED OFFICE holding; you know, actually accomplishing something.

It's cool that the Tea Party are doing that, maybe Occupy could do well to try doing the same, so agreed in part. But it's absolutely false that Occupy haven't accomplished anything.

Originally posted by W3RLIED2
Occupy is dead.

Again, absolutely false.

People are just scared of movements that bring about real change in the established order of things. The Tea Party might change some things with some people in office, but they're still operating inside a corrupt and broken system that will probably allow them next to no chance of creating change. I hope they manage it though.

But yeah, as people start learning more about the corruption in the world as Occupy constantly raise awareness of the broken way things are, and you people sit around here telling everyone that they haven't done a thing, you're just going to look more foolish over time.

The police can manipulate things, so can the intelligence agencies, so can the governments, so can the corporations, and so can the naysayers all over the internet and elsewhere by avoiding mentioning anything about the very real and long term effects of raised awareness and the changes that will result from it, but you'll all fail if Occupy just keep steadily moving onwards. No need to be scared of change.

Nice coincidence that the Tea Party are darlings and Occupy are demonized so much too. If you want to talk about manipulation and control, there's some for you right there.

reply to post by robhines


The tea party got where they are because of money and political influence.... That is before they sold out the republican machine.

Occupy was doomed to fail as soon as all the little drama kids showed up and started making stupid rules about meetings, votings, marches.... It's a big stupid joke for homeless people and hippy kids.

It's dead. As in no one cares. As in nothing is going to change because some bum sleeps in a tent with a cardboard sign on it.

You would be better off trying to start your own movement, OP. stay as far away from occupy as you can if you want to keep your credibility in tact.

I'm still waiting to see Occupy actually occupy the homes of CEO's, politicians, etc. When they're standing in a publicly funded park, they accomplish nothing. When they smash windows of small businesses, they accomplish nothing. When they hold signs outside a Walmart distribution center where people are making $12/hr., they accomplish nothing.

reply to post by Kali74

That's like telling a doctor that they can only cure the disease by contracting it.
Don't worry, you'll only feel a pinch.

No it’s not.

What OWS wants is akin to throwing out our entire system of government because people don’t like the way things have been going.

“we have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion.”

“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

*JOHN ADAMS – Founding Father

The system isn’t screwed up…the people are! The system works fine. We just need to clean it up and get rid of the scum within. There is a proper way to accomplish this and that’s through the representatives we elect to do our bidding (which TTP is doing and OWS is not).

2012 is a make or break year…

Every movement that threatens the establishment will be sabotaged...

The problem with Occupy is not that it was hijacked in some cases, is not that the media reported the worse and never bothered to report properly.

The problem is that thousands of people looked for any ridiculous excuse not to get involved with it... Occupy was and still is a great way to network with other people in your community who want real change... yes it was hijacked by ppl who caused confrontation, the drunks/rapists/crazy that were directed there by authorities and the "get a job" dogma, the whole Soros thing is the most lame thing I have ever heard... why would a movement against the 0.01% make an exception for Soros?

If you really want change, if you really see the system for what it is, a ponzi scheme to benefit the rich then you would have gotten your butt to your local Occupy and at least spend sometime there to catalogue who the infiltrators, good people, drunk idiots and crazy nuts are... and then make your connections with those worth connecting with.

I got involved with my Occupy which led me to meet other activists, now I am involved in various groups and my plan is to unite them all in day actions around the town to raise awareness of the problems and solutions we have.

We have had members wanting to get involved in Politics and represent Occupy but no one seems eager to support them (me included) because of the simple reason that they run the game... imagine is Baseball, we could get a Short stop representing us, but it still baseball and we are tired of it and those I speak to believe there are untested solutions worth trying... and no, please save the "ism" rubbish, communism, socialism are all apples off the same tree.

Regardless of how you feel about Occupy the fact is that our "economy" relies on infinite growth on a finite planet and there is no way to deny that, something needs to be done now and as long as the structure of power remains the same nothing will change.

Originally posted by W3RLIED2
You would be better off trying to start your own movement, OP. stay as far away from occupy as you can if you want to keep your credibility in tact.

Thanks, but I like them and think they've got a lot of smart people who can create change, so will stick with following what they do.

reply to post by seabag


Yeah, how are your buddies doing with their lobbyists? How's their voting records?

reply to post by Kali74


They’ve obviously accomplished more than OWS!

Even Obama admits that the Tea Party has held him back!!! He’s been spinning the truth to paint them in a bad light….which means they’ve been somewhat effective and have gotten under his skin.



Partial list of Tea Party accomplishments:

 Organized the 2009 Tax Day Tea Party events
 Organized the September 12th 2009, March on Washington
 Stalled the Health Care Bill for over 1 year
 Now fighting to Repeal the Health Care Bill
 Stalled Cap and Trade Legislation
 Helping thousands of local coordinators around the country to organize their own Tea Parties
 Keeping the Media Spotlight on the Tea Party movement
 Connecting and Informing Millions of Tea Party Patriots Across the Country
 Organized the Health Care Vote Opposition Tea Party on Capitol Hill (50K people attended)
 Organizing the 2010 Tax Day Tea Parties

link

In 2010, 32% of Tea Party candidates got elected…

I’ll bet that number will be bigger this year.

reply to post by seabag




Oh dear...

ETA thumbnail works even if it doesn't show :/
The candidates that got elected by the Tea Party, sold you guys out big time...how can you consider that an accomplishment? How can you deny that the system corrupts?

reply to post by Kali74


You bag on TTP but the reality is…I’m RIGHT. TTP has accomplished MUCH more than OWS.


If you want to talk about money why don’t you start calculating money spent repairing things after OWS leaves an area? OWS has done nothing but cost Americans money!

Meh…time to end this drug induced frenzy already!

reply to post by seabag


I actually don't bag on the Tea Party and you should know that by now, I think we have things in common but you're stubborn and irrational. Electing people failed you end of story. Both movements have had their successes and both their failures.

Now are you going to stop with the immaturity or shall I break out the toothless hillbilly and racist vids/pics? I won't actually but I think you get my point. I'm not your enemy and neither is Occupy so stop already.

Originally posted by seabag
reply to post by Kali74

 

You bag on TTP but the reality is…I’m RIGHT. TTP has accomplished MUCH more than OWS.


If you want to talk about money why don’t you start calculating money spent repairing things after OWS leaves an area? OWS has done nothing but cost Americans money!

Meh…time to end this drug induced frenzy already!

You really jump the shark with your dislike of Occupy regularly! That first pic for instance, so clearly Black Bloc. (I'm not even going to go into who might be behind the organisation of some of those Black Bloc groups, should be easy enough to figure out.) That's not what makes up most of Occupy, sorry. And drug induced frenzy, wow. Have got to admire your passion for hitting on them though, I suppose your support of the Tea Party explains a lot about why you paint them in such a negative light.

You also remind me of James Oberg, you find these Occupy threads as quickly as he finds the NASA ones in the Aliens UFO's forum!

Occupy and the Tea Party both need to continue to exist. The reality is that the government doesn't like either of them. As for those photos you posted, seabag; I do see a direct analogy between the Tea Party and Occupy (and the Right and Left in broader terms, politically) and the Alliance and Horde respectively, from World of Warcraft. That's the Horde way. It's not always pretty.

I am from Australia, but I will admit that there is no flag on the planet, which has ever moved me emotionally, to the same degree as the one below.