I am embarking on what will likely be one of my least popular [as if anyone reads this Blog anyways], and most actively hated Blog Posts. I am about to strongly criticize the Occupy Wall Street "Movement." I have already made small forets into this dark World in Posts that I have made on Facebook. The response to those Posts was anything but positive, so I realized that I had to write a deeper criticism of OWS on my Blog!
Are the Occupy Wall Street participants just warmed over "Hippies"? In many ways, they actually are. While many in the United States romantically recall Protests and Sit-Ins from the Decade of the 1960s, some of us look back on that time as a time of lots of noise with few results. Aside from the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and President Lydon Johnson's "Great Society Programs," little good came from that Era. There was the escalation of a War, and the Election of one of the worst American Presidents in History, but somehow many find that to be a cause for waxing sentimental.
Did the Protests of that Decade actually contribute, in a tangible way, to improvements in the quality of life for Poor and/or Suffering? While there is no way to know for certain, I would suggest that the Election of Richard Nixon SHOULD be a rude wake-up for those who long for a return to those days. If the Hippies, and their Protests were a call to reach the Hearts and Minds of the Nation, they failed. Nixon won the Election, and the Nation has been moving further and further towards the Political Right ever since.
A lot has happened since the Sixties. We started a number of new Wars [I would also mention finishing them, but that would not be entirely accurate], quietly turned the clock back to the racist practices that existed prior to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and bought into the Anti-Taxation rhetoric - IN A MAJOR WAY. Many of the Two-Fisted Corporate CEO's of the 21st Century were the Hippies of years past. The late Chinese Slave Labor employing Steve Jobs is an excellent example of what many Hippies evolved into. Many of the OWS iPad/iPhone toting "Occupiers" were deeply saddened by the death of this Techie Icon. Some of us might have found it more fitting for him to have taken a "Header" from one of the oppressive factories in China where iPads, iPods, and other Apple Products are made. So much for that famous Hippie Altruism.
How does the Hippie Movement of the Sixties compare to the Occupy Wall Street Movement of the 21st Century? For the most part, they compare well. For starters, while many former Hippies credit themselves with "Ending the Vietnam War," there are some more relevant facts that might impact that idea.
If you read the Article carefully, you will see that while President Nixon took note of the Protests at home, there were numerous other reasons for the departure from Vietnam. Most of them centered around Geopolitics and Domestic Economics, with Public Disapproval arguably only marginally in the mix. The War was bankrupting the Country Politically and Financially. The Protests were more a symptom that an actual motivator. But, many persist in their beliefs that THEY turned Nixon around. That would be the same Nixon who bugged the Democrats at the Watergate Hotel, in violation of a number of Laws.
In the intervening years, the Nation saw the rise of Religious and Right-Wing extremism. Jimmy Carter, whom many of us believe was one of the greatest Presidents that the United States has ever seen, was given only one term as President. Many of the same Hippies who had Protested in the Sixties became the "Reagan Democrats" of the 1980s. Reagan deregulated everything he could, which spurred a Mergers and Acquisitions orgy that has actually been going on nonstop since that point. But, at least the Hippie Soccer/Hockey Moms could afford Volvos and Minivans now because they were paying fewer Capital Gains Taxes. Reagan snuck up Taxes on the average person, while lowering them for the Richest of Americans and Corporations, however. In the end, the Hippies morphed into Yuppies, who morphed into Greedy Rat-Bastard Corporate Types, who . . . well . . . control the World.
Fast forward to September 2011, and the start of the OWS "Occupations" of locations in New York City. While it took a lot [actually years worth] of effort in the Sixties to get the Media to actually pay attention to the Protests, in relative terms, OWS got Global attention in a short matter of weeks. The "Occupations" spread to cities across the United States, and ultimately around the Globe.
Jump a brief few months later, to January of 2012 [the last year of existence for Mankind, if you believe the hype related to the end of the Mayan Calendar]. Four months into the Occupy Wall Street "Movement," and there are still no major lists of "Demands" for tangible changes that have come from the OWS "Occupiers." Here is an example of what is passing for actual Demands:
If these Demands are not met, they will maybe possibly conceivably tentatively produce more . . . if they all agree on that concept. In the meantime, they form Drum Circles, have Meetings, and urinate in local Businesses. So, while OWS people appear to be more than willing to quit their Jobs and "Occupy" different locations, they apparently ARE NOT all that anxious to volunteer to work for direct relief organizations. Even the OWS ability to keep people interested in their Organization appears to be lackluster as well.
Most of the numerous organizations that have worked to provide Food, Housing, Medical Services, Help with Mortgage Payments, and so on, have not noted any visible increase in the number of Human, Financial, and/or Political Resources flowing in to their organizations as a result of the OWS "Occupations." While not publicly criticizing OWS supporters' apathy, many of the Senior Members of prominent relief and assistance organizations have been strongly urging OWS supporters to jump in and get involved in direct action through their respective organizations. There has actually been a slight increase in donations by Billionaires in the last couple of years, but the overall rate of cooperation with relief organizations has decreased, in spite of the OWS Media coverage. I doubt that OWS is all that anxious to say that they appeal most to Billionaires, either.
Read that page very carefully. It actually does not announce any truly tangible accomplishments on it anywhere. Unless your notion of "accomplishment" includes getting people to sleep in tents, have never-ending meetings, and play the drums on discarded plastic containers, there is little to get excited about on that page. Oh, and don't forget Texting. The OWS "Occupiers" did a lot of Texting, Tweeting, and Facebook Posts. They DID shut down a few Seaports on the West Coast for a period of time - although that was more accurately credited to Labor Unions rather an OWS - which actually may have caused some Governmental and/or Corporate Leaders a moment or two of consternation. Aside from that, there was nothing that would really give the Corporations reason to fret in the long term. Well, at least the OWS Art Work is "Cool."
If OWS is so inconsequential, then why were they shut down? For the same reason you do not want crowds to linger after the Riots whenever the Los Angeles Lakers win a National Basketball Association Championship: Crowds are a problem for Businesses in the area. No Business wants a bunch of out of work people hanging around outside their Business while they attempt to sell us crap that we don't need. If they are also using the toilets without buying anything, and littering up the streets, then are more nuisance than threat. Sadly, that is what many of the Wall Street Leaders have publicly identified Occupy Wall Street to be, a "nuisance."
"Do you, Jeffrey the Zen Chimp see the OWS 'Occupiers' as 'Bad Guys'?" Not really. I see them more as unthinking and foolish than actually "Bad." While they are drawing attention and resources away from the organizations actually DOING THINGS to directly change our circumstances for the better, other organizations are suffering the loss. The Dollars given to OWS have actually accomplished little or nothing. Groups like Habitats For Humanity actually build Homes for those in need, and Food Banks actually collect Food that Feeds people. And, as far as I know, neither group sponsors any regular "Drum Circles."
For those wishing to create "Positive Change" in the World, I could [and might in the future] produce a list of really wonderful organizations that are providing direct services to those in need. For those of you who really want to ADVOCATE, there are groups that are far more effective and organized than OWS out there that you might support with your time and money. For those of you motivated to do this, PLEASE contact me via email or comment, and I will give you information on such groups specifically relevant to your wish to "Change."
In the meantime, and please do not take this the wrong way [this will likely piss some readers off], but I am honestly sick of seeing the "Occupy" moniker everywhere. Unless they are ready to start a "War on Poverty" [instead of the War on the Impoverished that we currently have now], I am not interested in that Movement all that much. At the point where they start DOING THINGS that create clear and tangible change, I will take an interest in them. As long as they remain without true organization, or clear goals, or functional methodologies, I really find them no more interesting than warm water evaporating on Venice Beach, and even less useful. If you disagree, let me know with hateful comments. Peace and Compassion to you.
Jeffrey
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