Occupy Handleman

Got a couple of interesting responses to my post on the Occupy movement.

Hulga said...

I definitely am down with the Occupy movement after watching our economic system get further and further out of sync with democracy. I don't want to wait for it to get so bad that the middle class is gone forever and the poor are even more desperate.

The level of corruption on Wall Street isn't clear (for good reasons) and so the changes that need to be made are murky and it's hard to point fingers at specific people and institutions. However, it is easier to point fingers at the protesters for being dirty, homeless, young or whatever. The mainstream, corporate owned media has definitely supported this position.

If you want to learn more about some of the demands of Occupy, here is a good place to start. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/nov/25/shocking-truth-about-crackdown-occupy

Also remember that Occupy just started in late September. It's going to take time to establish a specific agenda and leadership. Anyone who agrees with the basic philosophy that the corruption driving politics and banking has to end, needs to help create the necessary changes rather than passively sit back and criticize Occupy. Our collective future depends on it!

And:

Anonymous said...

"Let the smart people talk" is exactly how we got in this global financial mess. The poor, the marginalized, the uneducated, the homeless... they have no voice. Nobody gives a shit about them.

Including you. I guess if people want social and economic justice they should get a job and go buy it, right?


I guess the point I was trying to make was that if you continue to allow "the uneducated, the homeless" to talk on television, you are going to lose a lot of support from the masses. They are not good representatives to communicate the message, and thus, they are bad for the message.

As I wrote previously, I was watching a live broadcast from Occupy LA with a reporter randomly asking people questions. And it made me hate them. If you're really for the cause, I would think that you would recognize that that's not a good thing.

I also don't think it's helpful to be super defensive about it. I believe in a lot of what you are saying, but I also know that there are tons of idiots out there. I think it's fair to point that out.