PatsFanInVa

Why I like it
They have a correct rallying cry. The present system and its outcomes are extremist and unsustainable (you guys remember that word, right?)

The present state of affairs does not serve the 99% of the people, per their rhetoric. By the way, it's also very interesting how they didn't saw it off at 90%, but that's just a side-observation.

I also like the vagueness, in fact, the vacuum in leadership and in offering solutions. (See also "Why I don't like it.")

This is an important feature at the present stage, because this movement has identified overarching injustice that, while apparently without solutions, has been viewed for too long as precisely that (insoluble) and therefore something we should all shrug and walk away from. Huge props for consciousness raising regarding income and wealth gaps.

Why I don't like it.

Since there's a gap in leadership and in proffered solutions, anybody/anything can fill the gap.

I've seen everything from Ron Paul-style inveighing against the present system of currency and the Fed, to the commie and anarchist stuff that scares people on Patsfans.

I suspect that at their heart, most of the protesters like their levis and iPhones, and do not, in fact, insist on the destruction of the present order.

Yet, the fact remains that mass movements can be quickly polarized in a vacuum of leadership.

Where it's going.

We don't know. We do know that the predictable and apoplectic spasms on the right militate toward radicalization.

Discuss. I'm particularly interested in Darryl's POV, and anyone else that has gone down to an OWS-style protest, and has real thoughts to add (i.e., don't bother with "they're all communists/nazis about to drag you into the street and kill you" Beckian nonsense, please.

PFnV

DarrylS

What I do not like is their idealism in that they believe that their model does not need leadership and an and ever developing message. In this void, the anarchists step forward and take the "mike", which is not a good way to proceed.

My observations is that they are an offshoot of the peace movement, but when you peel away the outer layers the real message is economics, which often does not get across in all of the "noise"...

I think they need leadership and somehow control the message better.

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"Being the best doesn't mean you always win. It just means you win more than anyone else".. tweet from Kurt Warner to Tom Brady.

khayos

Why I like it

It shows that the populism behind the tea party has a much broader base despite media attempts to marginalize and destroy the tea party.

Why I don't like it

There's no coherency at all. Praising anger in and of itself can only lead to harm. There's also a serious hypocrisy in it's message, essentially "we like people who we like and don't like people who we don't like". Look at the praise for Steve Jobs, a 1% corporatist who (based on reports) did not give to chartiy and sent many jobs overseas. Look again at support of the unions who engineered government bailout in Detroit.

Where I think it's going

The fast start and publicity came from a coordinated need to cause the event with backers from the Canadian adbusters to Van Jones -- but they didn't know what to do with the people once they got there. I think they'll vanish with the winter and if they try to re-start in the spring, they'll have spent all their media goodwill. As an orchestrated act, it would have been smarter to actually start it next spring.

DarrylS

I also question the timing, fall, and thought they could be better served in the spring..

It does remind me somewhat of the peace movement during Viet Nam, initially there was a lot of anarchists making noise.. then it morphed into the convergence of the civil rights, peace and feminist movements.

IMO something like this may happen as well, and the convergence of this economic movement and the peace movement.. they could make a lot of noise in the spring.

__________________
"Being the best doesn't mean you always win. It just means you win more than anyone else".. tweet from Kurt Warner to Tom Brady.

IcyPatriot

If the Fed raised the rate high enough to keep businesses from borrowing at 0 and investing in government paper then the OWS might not be at it right now. The OWS can protest all they want ... the issue at hand is the Fed right now and their collusion with the financial industry. The Fed is an independent body - will they listen? Are they listening? Do they care?

Harry Boy

They are on the right track but the Crazies are going to move in and take them over then turn the whole country against them.

They should be protesting in Washington DC that is where all of America's problems originate.

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Harry Boy (Genius)

In The Absence Of Law And Order Society Will Surely Destroy Itself

patsfan13

The Obama numbers are collapsing they can't afford to wait that long.

__________________
"Some guys play in all-star games, some guys don't. I don't know who picks all those all-star teams. In all honesty, I don't know who picks the combine, for that matter," Belichick said. "How does (Miami-Ohio offensive lineman Brandon) Brooks not get invited to the combine? How did Vollmer not get invited to the combine? I don't know. We can't really worry about that. We just have to try to evaluate them the best we can."

DarrylS

The Obama numbers were collapsing before, cannot control the weather.

If you paid attention, OWS directs its vitriol against Obama as well as big business...

__________________
"Being the best doesn't mean you always win. It just means you win more than anyone else".. tweet from Kurt Warner to Tom Brady.