Killing The Voice: One Year On, Occupy Is In Disarray: THE SPIRIT LIVES ON!

Originally posted by Hefficide
Did they try to tackle too many problems at once, thus diluting the message?

It was an experiment, an organic movement that revolved around the problems created by economic disparity. I think there were a lot of young and idealistic people involved, and that everyone had a different gripe. They may have all been problems that arise from the economic disparity that plagues all of our nations, but including subjects of animal welfare, communism, education, women's rights... that's all too much for people to deal with. They should have focused on the primary message first - that the economic disparity is a direct result of a capitalist system that has failed because of corruption.

Originally posted by Hefficide
Did they pick a fight with a foe too large to conquer?

Partly, possibly. But there are many ways in which they could have made a greater impact. If they had focused on the primary problem of economic collapse while these rich people are getting richer, then they would have gained a lot more support from the ignorant masses.

People don't read voluntarily, the masses are stupid. They need to be fed bite-sized chunks of truth. Occupy could have done a lot more if they focused on one message from the start and hammered at that over and over with a consistent voice.

Originally posted by Hefficide
Were they infiltrated and misled from within?

I think they were, because we know that there were PR companies being hired by the biggest corporations and banks, using their media shills to discredit. We also know that there were a few Republican bloggers and fanatics in there deliberately causing dissent and trying to stir up racism and xenophobia to film for their propaganda efforts. These people were outed numerous times in various states.

Originally posted by Hefficide
Were they wrong?

No. People who are capable of reading statistics and facts know that the vast majority of the points raised by the Occupy movement are correct. This is now being discussed more in the mainstream, and people are digging for that information themselves and actually pointing it out.

You could say that Occupy Wall Street has moved into Occupy The Media.

Originally posted by Hefficide
Were they right?

Yes. As stated, anyone who can read and investigate the facts for themselves can see that the movement was right about plenty.

Originally posted by Hefficide
Is their movement the blueprint for future forms of protest and change?

Absolutely. Occupy might have vanished from the street, but it's moved into the board rooms, the universities, collaborations, the political sphere, the media... there are a lot of other protesting groups around the world where the views of Occupy are now echoed.

Originally posted by Hefficide
Did they accomplish anything?

Anyone who thinks they didn't, while commenting here, is an idiot. Clearly they did accomplish a great deal. Millions of people woke up to some startling facts about corruption, failed capitalism, banking and government. If nothing else, it was shown that the police are just as corrupt as the banksters. They are their paid goons, a private army working to protect the corporations.

There is a lot of discussion going on that would otherwise not be, if it were not for Occupy.

Originally posted by Hefficide
Did they speak for us or just for anarchy?

They spoke for me. I agree with a lot of what they protested for. The system has failed, there is a lot of corruption, our governments do not work for us, they work for their corporate sponsors. There are a minority who just want a fight, but in the millions of people who protested, only a very tiny minority actually caused any trouble.

Originally posted by Hefficide
Is Occupy an irrelevant historical side note or just the beginning?

It's just the beginning. As the economic collapse continues and more people are made destitute, college degrees become worthless, pensions evaporate and the costs of living rise, more and more people will become angry at a situation they didn't cause.

We could argue that Occupy isn't responsible for future protests, but I can almost guarantee that many more protests will flourish with the idea of Occupy behind it.

The protesters might be gone from the park in NYC, but the movement has not ended.

The movement failed because it had no demands that could be addressed.

They protested because they didn`t have enough money, that was it.
Did they have any demands for corporate or bank reforms/regulations? none that i ever heard about.
Did they have any demands for wage and employment regulation reforms? none that I ever heard about

They basically just cried and had a temper tantrum because they didn`t have enough money, so they decided to go sit in a park until their bank accounts would mysteriously fill with money?

The whole thing didn`t make any sense to me at all.

Forgive me if I tend to stray a bit. My real life week from Hell got a bit worse today. Earlier I laid down because I was not feeling well. I created a joke thread about sneezing 16 times in a row, in fact, on BTS. Now the whole picture has coalesced. I awoke with a massive cold/flu thing going on. So I'm a bit out of it.

I asked several rhetorical questions in my OP. Some that contradicted others. This was so that all points of view, on this issue, would have a place to begin.

For my money, I think that the Occupy movement began in sincerity and with integrity. I think many true believers later joined and continued the fight. But I also think that the movement got derailed by opportunists, fringe elements, agent provocateurs, and even a policy of media marginalization.

But, still, even now... our local news runs a story every few weeks about an old woman being foreclosed on, after 50 years in the same house, or a person getting their water turned off ( You'd have to Google to understand. In Atlanta water bills can end up being thousands of dollars, in a single month, for a low income customer. It's a terrible scam and shame here.) and quite often members of the Occupy movement show up at the homes of these in trouble people - and they force change.

Banks will stop foreclosure proceedings and renegotiate once Occupy shows up.
The water department will forgive unreasonable past debts and restore service.
The local power company will negotiate instead of disrupting service to elderly or sick people.

So, in my eyes, even if the movement did go astray somewhere and began "too big to succeed" (Ironic how that works) - they are still doing good things.

~Heff

reply to post by Hefficide


THOUSANDS of dollars a month for a water bill in Atlanta! Woah. My water bill is usually about 20 bucks. It was 23 dollars last month and I was bent out of shape and got pissed because they added 3 dollars for "drainage fees". I know Atlanta is a LONG way from Houston but it makes me wonder how on earth there can be THAT much of a difference.

reply to post by billy197300


It's corruption in Atlanta - something we have huge issues with here. I live half an hour away from Atlanta - in the outskirts- and my water bill runs about $30,00 a month - and I use a LOT of water. But here is a link to a CNN story covering it.

~Heff

reply to post by Hefficide


So, if I am understanding the article right. This is due to faulty meters and they know it but the company responsible is denying it? Why not just go back to the manual meters and be done with it? Can they do that? It also seems that it is not just in Atlanta, it's happening all over the place.

"While similar complaints about huge water bill spikes have popped up in Cleveland, Ohio; Charlotte, North Carolina; Tampa, Florida; and Brockton, Massachusetts; it appears that the issue has lasted the longest in Atlanta."\

Somebody really should do something about this!

What has Occupy Wall Street accomplished?

They have got people talking about the corruption and the "2 Party" fake system we have owned by Wall Street.
Never before then have I seen so many people on many forums across the internet talk about our fake 2 party system. The forums are not all conspiracy forums either, but range from political, economic and general shared interests. This is not capitalism we have in this country anymore, but an oligarch run by the top elite.

What would people think they could have accomplished when Wall Street is in the back pockets of both parties?

Do you seriously believe that the Wall Street Banksters and their chums in politics are going to relinquish that control and power and give it back to the people of this country. Dream On.

As it is now, many people are paying attention and talking and getting very angry as the Banksters continue to get bailed out, while the rest of the country goes in the crapper.

We'll see where that leads down the road. What OWS has learned, is that protesting is a dead end road, when the Banksters and Globalists have no intentions of relinquishing control as they continue to destroy the country.

I agreed with OWS in principle but not in their delivery.

Too many Socialists, Communist, Nazi's, Whatever was on the burner etc etc etc
No clear agenda, No clear message, No leadership, no responsibility for their actions etc etc etc.


I even questioned it's longevity from the beginning...

Enjoy
OWS DOA or Simply Misdirected?