Could someone tell me what the occupy movement is about

what decides your vote?

 

these things aren't new.

i need to understand why people could get a job five years previously

and not at the time of the recession.

because if they couldn't find another job - then obviously the market had already faltered

businesses felt the pinch

so it wasn't those comfortable homeowners who brought the market down via default.

 

Exactly.....

My opinion, corporate greed and overzealous investors are the root cause of this. They didn't "feel the pinch", they just wanted more at the expense of others.... IE, the working class. On top of this, in this country the government being "bought out" by those mentioned above, or at least siding with the "fat cats" prolongs any possible recovery. (other countries may vary, but I would guess they are pretty much the same)

Man on the street is losing everything they once worked for, but check out wall street.... it's mostly recovered, the top investors are doing fine. There's something inherently wrong with this, and I don't think those foreclosed on are the problem, they are the result.

Yes, some people that should never own a house got loans above their means.... but they are not the only ones losing their homes and are probably not even the majority of those losing their homes.......

 

fair enough.

 

IB, please pardon my rudeness.

Here's my ultra-simplistic take on the movement;

We want to change from a 'dog-eat-dog' world to 'dog-help-dog' world ...

..any ideas that can further supported that goal are welcome.


ZW

 

that sounds spot on.

we just disagree with our ways and means is all.

 

I could just as easily insert: college, a house, food, health insurance, electricity etc. etc.

 

Vice sales never decrease during a recession. As for everything else, it is bad for everything. It is not just that people waste their money on frivolous purchases, its that our consumeristic culture fuels deeper problems. Stores like Wal-Mart buy cheap goods from China which they then peddle to entitled Americans. Americans buy these cheap goods, thus sending money back overseas and supporting a company that drives out small business and pays its employees shit in the process.

This applies to any large chain store, not just Wal-Mart.

Our society needs an entire paradigm shift away from its current culture before we'll see any lasting change. Its not just a matter of raising taxes on the rich or throwing a band-aid on the foreclosure problem. Even a thorough dusting of the current political system, an ending of corruption and cutting ties between government and the corporate world won't fix the problem if people continue to support a lifestyle that is simply not sustainable.

I was wondering this other day - I hope the supplies donated to the Wall Street protesters were all from small, local businesses.

I can't speak for the UK, but the political system in America is a fucking joke.
Look up the recent Republican debates.

Hopefully I will have the option to vote for Ron Paul in 2012, but more than likely the option will be Obama and Newt Gengrich. In which case I will not vote.

Voting is considered the most important civic duty one can do, but in order for voting to retain that importance, voters should have the option to choose someone that actually represents their interests.

You can ask what decides ones vote all day long, but the truth is the deciding factor is generally, "which one will fuck up the least?"

Voting is essentially irrelevant when the peoples' interest isn't represented by any of the candidates.

The time is ripe for a third party, but why have parties at all? Parties lead to politicians that only want to represent a limited viewpoint.

Perhaps a paradigm shift regarding our voting process is needed as well.

 

subjectively speaking - i say money talks.

 

And making all those people realize that would do what?
All those people who went to work day after day and their labor ended up making the 1% the wealthiest and most poweful people in history.

Making those Lousy, Thought-less Fools who worked hard all their lives and have nothing to show for it.
Making them realize that All That Hard Work That Was Stolen From Them, and that allowing themselves to be robbed FUCKED US (Yes, its was US they fucked.)

Making them realize that would do what?
Would it return any of that stolen labor to the those who labored. (should that be returned to US, or to those who fucked US by having their labor stolen?)
Would their realization make the 1% any closer to the rest of the 99%.

 

The recession was longer coming than even bush.

The recession started when american companies started selling cheap shit made in china.

It just took a while for the job market effects to catch up with the profit margins.

 

If we are heading for total economic collapse, there will be no democrats, no republicans, no government of any kind.

We will simply join the gang or militia group that shows the most evidence of conquering and maintaining control of our neighborhood. For those who are not strong enough for the battlefield, they will pay protection money to our gang and show loyalty in whatever way we require.

The rich will hide from us behind their high walls and hired guards until we amass enough fire power to knock them down and take everything they are trying to protect.

If other neighborhoods want to take over our turf, we will either negotiate terms of surrender or fight them down to the last man depending on how we perceive our odds.

This is how people live in many parts of the world. Why should the USA be any different?

 

*Reminder* - We've had some great discussion but this the Occupy Movement section and this thread is "Could someone tell me what the occupy movement is about?".

Let's please stay on topic and take the discussions which aren't directly related to the Occupy Movement to areas of the forum where they may be a better fit. (Politics, Conspiracy, Latest News, Etc.)

*Thank You*

 

Sorry for the drift, Aerianne, one question lead to the next.....

 

*This is a great discussion but it's starting to branch off in a couple different directions. The points will get lost in here if they aren't broken down and taken to more specific sub-sections of the forum.*

 

Without tying in my scenario about gangs and anarchy to the Occupy movement, I wandered way off and apologize. I guess I was trying to say that the Occupy Movement has a sense of urgency to it that bothers some people and inspires others.
There may be a few people in the public rallies who have their own agenda and if they grab a microphone and start telling a news reporter that the movement is about their agenda, then it does the 99% a grave disservice.
I share their sense of urgency about society's problems and I painted a scenario of what might happen if we ignore the true message of the majority of the Occupy participants.

I also agree that not everyone who on the streets and intuitively understands the depth of the problem is able to communicate their concerns effectively. That does not negate the truth or gravity of the problem we are faced with.

Since this is the biggest recession (or depression) since the Great Depression, the scope of the problem is big enough that most reasonable people should see for themselves that the Occupy Movement is right to sound the alarm.

I should have included all this in the worst case scenario I posted earlier.
If we do nothing and continue to mock the demonstrators, we do so at our own peril.

 

The politicians are going to have to come off being corporate puppets and start taxing the corporations that moved the factories and means of production overseas

The 1% are going to have to pay up for the privilege of making great wealth off the population while, not giving anything back. The politicians are going to have to start sending the wealth back to states in money for infrastructure building, education, small business and small farm grants.

They have to start dividing up the pie or the 99% will need to collectively cooperate to stop playing the capitalist consumerism game we call the Western lifestyle.

If they don't need our labor then we don't need their products. It has to become a two way mutual relationship.

We have many alternatives then being slaves to the corporation or govt. nanny state.

WE can start co-ops, barter goods and services, localize food and farm production, start public owned utilities. Even start our own universities and award our own degrees without supporting the corporate universities.

 

You're right, working class should get back to their shack and stop wanting things that rich people throw away by the boatload, and just hope those boats aren't dumped upstream from their shack.

Nevermind how we don't have a working OR middle class anymore, they're being consolidated with the poorest. But rich don't feel a damn thing.

 

Exactly.

Fix the rules, or we'll just make a new game with our rules.

 

Hey here is a thought, DON'T VOTE FOR MORONS THAT ARE FOR BIG GOVERNMENT. Why don't you protest at the source of the problem, DC?