Pages

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Occupy Wall Street: Raising Awareness or Apathy?

One of the claims I hear from OWS participants is that they are raising awareness and they're really proud of how much awareness they are raising. Bringing the conversation to the table. Putting the conversation on the front page. A movement spreading like wildfires.

A November 21 USA TODAY poll  suggests that 6 out of 10 people don't care. 56% of people surveyed feel indifferent. Not angry or hateful towards OWS. They don't care. Take it or leave it, either way, its whatever.

Bello cites English Professor (WSU) T.V. Reed, who besides having two interesting first initials, claims that well, you see, these things take time. "The Occupy strategy is not going away".

Okay, first of all WHAT STRATEGY? Of annoying people to the point of apathy?

Secondly, okay can't argue with that - only time will tell if its going away or not. But that doesn't reconcile the fact that people claim to be raising awareness of issues and that is not verified by hard evidence - I really challenge anyone who isn't already an OWS supporter to name 5 five specific complaints (because in addition to the demands, that's really what they are, not suggestions: suggestions are often specific and don't say solutions are out there, suggestions suggest the solution, complaints on the other hand...have no such responsibility).

The movement needs to be about more than this, and the way you are doing it is ill-conceived. You should have a lot more in store than civil disobedience, and some sort of actual tangible goal you aim to produce with your civil disobedience, not just "attention" (again making you sound like children) especially since its the wrong sort of attention. Your "civil disobedience" demonstrations need to be thought through much more. You need to have the goal in "raising awareness" of not just getting on television.. but also in thinking of how to present your message and what the messages are.
What are you up against? Apathy. 
If you think that isn't a big enough problem, and it is, you are also up against massively skilled rhetoricians and propagandists.
You will not be around for a long time, you will not get anything tangible done, and you will not make a difference unless you change your game-plan and change it now. You define the discourse, you consider the rhetoric, you shape the message. Do it now, or it will be done for you.

You will not succeed without realizing what you are truly up against and it is naive to think you can survive much less succeed in this way. You will be crushed like a bug, like a fairy swallowed whole by the trolls under the bridge, if you don't really and truly act, with courage and conscience, now.

Trolls and Fairies

Trolls and Fairies
On my right are trolls (and maybe even clowns, you might say). On my left are fairies. Fairies cannot wage war against trolls. Everyone knows this. Fairies must learn to fight tougher.

Someone recently asked me why I spend so much effort extolling the weaknesses of this do-gooder movement and don’t focus my energies on bankers and corporate greed.
As if they shouldn’t be held accountable for their rhetoric, actions, and claims because they’re all such cuddly wuddly widdle polar bears? Don't imprison me in false dichotomies. I am perfectly well within my means to critique both corporate greed and economic disparity, and weak-minded chaos that disrupts working people for no particularly good reason with no means to an end or end to a means.

People. It is exactly this attitude which makes people sneer at you, this holier than thou attitude. You know how the worst of Republicans are hated for their deceitful, aggressive, misinforming, win-at-all-costs, ethically hypocritical, talking points attitude? Well people can’t stand the liberal attitude of smug moral superiority of anyone who disagrees with them especially when it’s other liberals.

I think it’s important to critique and reveal the flaws, hypocrisies, weaknesses, and sheer stupidity of a so-called movement so that they can better prepare and organize themselves. I’ll be frank and share something with you. I’m a teacher. It is in my nature to point out errors and hope the errors will be rectified. I’m not writing to merely mock what are clearly some pretty ill-conceived aspects of these protests, but in hopes that people will get their damn shit together.

They’re Never Going to Like You

Alright, so the misguided “Occupy” slogan is embarrassing enough with its imperialist connotations and pointless focus on occupying physical space. (Someone defend this need to occupy physical space, please, I’d love to see it). Then we have the rhetoric of “encampments” and “demands.” All of which reveals the attitude people are picking up on who disagree with you: entitlement. This rhetoric (and your actions) make you sound like a whiny bunch of white imperialist campers insisting on getting what you feel entitled to (you aren’t sure exactly what but you’ll enjoy the party while it lasts until the big bad conspiracies of law and order to try to remove you for public safety so people can go about their jobs).
That is what you sound like. And I’m essentially on your side. So think of how you sound to everyone else. Okay, so “occupy” “encampments” “demands” etc. wasn’t bad enough (and do not tell me that words don’t matter or that you didn’t choose them - you all claim to be raising awareness so yes you are responsible for the popular rhetoric and discourse on your movement. Yes you  are).

Now we have posters about SUGGESTIONS? Oh for the love of Christ.

              “We Don’t Make Demands So This is a Suggestion.” Could you BE more wimpy?

               “Solutions. They’re Out There.” Solutions They're Out There? What, like Extra-
               Terrestrials? Are you kidding me? Is this a joke? Are you TRYING to be lame?


Seriously. Are you. Trying to. Be lame. Are you trying to be vague and airy, non-committal. They’re out there? Well how about you come up with them and do something and quit whining and start showing.
 
Your intentions mean nothing. Your actions mean everything. Stop trying to get people to like you. Do the right thing. Fight. Argue. Talk. Act.

Take it To The Mattresses

You’re not going to convince anyone that disagrees with you or who has power you want changed that they should do so because you’re whispering some suggestions like a fairy dancing in the dewy morning mountain grass. 

It's not personal, its business. So its time to go to the mattresses. And please hire some PR people because rhetoric and action are married and you, OWS, are acting like the child of divorce. 

Now look, I applaud this list of poster-ideas. But quit putting up tents and posters. JUST DO IT as that corporation says so well. Democracy is not storming into courts and shouting or insisting on being able to live as a vagrant in a park. You want to do away with corporate personhood? God love ya. Alright then. I support you. Then get someone to DO IT. With a policy. An action. Make a plan. Get a stamp out, do the deeds, and stamp that baby "done."

Besides, quit LYING. You do too make demands. Everything about this movement so far has been a demand. Its just been a vague one. "We get to stay here as long as we want and do what we want" is a demand and its a demand that is not helpful, changing public perception for the negative, totally unrelated to your actual supposed concerns, and is in itself a lie. It is the entitled whine of people who are angry and frustrated and throwing a tantrum.

Fights must be fought. You’re going to fight politics? Fight them with a great knowledge and craftiness in viable and concrete policy change. You’re going to fight corporate corruption? 

Fight them with a great sense of better business practices and ethics. 

I really feel that OWS individuals don’t want to think, they just want to complain. They don’t want change, they just want to be a protestor. They don’t want to do anything they just want to feel good about themselves. And bad about other people.
 
Disagree with me? PROVE IT.

Followers