Aging boomer, employed from high school to retirement (I hope). Homeowner with equity and retirement savings due to timing and luck.
When did you first learn about OWS?
I spend too much time on Huffington Post so I learn about such news as soon as it hits the papers. Whenever that was.
Are you involved in OWS?
I am not involved. I honk my support on the way home from work.
I honk my support because social justice seems to be their theme and because they are pointing out the disintegration of the middle class. And they are refreshing after so much Tea Party racism and stupidity.
Where do you think OWS will be in 5 years?
The movement will be gone in 5 years, but I hope some of the energy will morph into electoral change.
Criticism of the movement, of the individuals? I hear that there is a lack of focus and a missing demand list.
What do you think of the criticism of OWS?
My sense is that there are many individuals involved here, and that valid criticism would have to look at the individuals involved, not the group as a whole. The group is loose. There is no leadership.
There is energy but no hierarchy. So what can be expected of a group that has no group? I think the intentions are good and the organization is loose - so what's with the expectations?
Am I to be criticized if I spend time holding up a sign in a show of unity with the 99%? Should I hesitate to join because the platform is murky?
Is it important to you that the movement take a particular direction?
I just can't bring myself to prescribe where I think the movement should go. If it ends today we will all have been educated on some issues that we may have not thought about otherwise.
What interests me is whether the energy we see can be translated to votes. I have my doubts here. When elections come around the manipulation machines (what some call free speech) take over and emotional issues (usually regarding sexual practices, somehow) win the day.
What is good about OWS?
To sum up, I think OWS is and has been educational. We know stuff now that we didn't before. But lets face it, we are a racist, warlike people. We do stupid things such as Viet Nam, Iraq, Afganistan. How on earth did we talk ourselves into nation building in Afganistan??? Why did we think destroying Iraq would be helpful? We are stupid. We can be easily manipulated.
We can't solve our problems. We ignore history. We are idiots with guns, drones and bombs. We go to war casually, maim and kill our kids, blast away civilians all over the globe.
OWS is educational but so is the circus. Last night I saw another circus episode. They have all these clowns that jump out of a car, and they just keep on coming. And they are trying to decide whether Romney or Gingrich or Perry should be head clown.
What criticisms do you have of OWS?
I hold my criticisms for the clowns and the racist idiots that support them. And for the do-nothings that like to go to war if the kids are poor and not their own.
Posts
Marty, why are you obsessed with clowns? Clowns are very scary creatures.
ReplyDeleteYou say "Am I to be criticized if I spend time holding up a sign in a show of unity with the 99%? Should I hesitate to join because the platform is murky?"
Well frankly yes, I do think you should hesitate to join a group whose platform is at best murky, indeed sir.
What do you think of the rhetoric of the 99% vs 1%? Is it useful?
Did you know that Taco Bell meat is like only 70% meat? Or is it 30% meat? Its 70/30 or 30/70 I can't remember but its a good thing I don't eat meat.
I know that rhetoric is powerful. But must complex economic problems or any social or political philosophy for that matter be dumbed down into easily digestible sound-byte friendly numbers like this? Maybe its effective, I don't know, but personally I'm sick of seeing these numbers and long for a slightly more reasoned and seasoned conversation.
Just like I like food in my food.