As far as I'm considered this protest is 3 years too late. Did people suddenly have epiphanies and realize that capitalism isn't such a great thing?

Written by ß on 06.11.2011 at 03:43
Did people suddenly have epiphanies and realize that capitalism isn't such a great thing?

That's probably exactly what happened actually.

Written by Troy Killjoy on 06.11.2011 at 04:05

Written by ß on 06.11.2011 at 03:43
Did people suddenly have epiphanies and realize that capitalism isn't such a great thing?

That's probably exactly what happened actually.

Yo Troy, have you read the Canadian side of things? I was reading the Occupy Vancouver demands and they get pretty ridiculous. Essentially, they demand more public spending and lower taxes for lower income people. That just does not fucking work. The basic concept of taxes is to pay for the public sector, primarily. Lower income households (I include myself in this category) generally are in such a low tax-bracket it really doesn't matter how low my taxes are, even if I wasn't taxed at all it really wouldn't make all that much of a difference. Collectively speaking, a couple million people like myself actually do make a difference.

People get so fucking over excited over a bit of chump change in their pockets from slightly lower taxes that they fail to see the big picture.

Further evidence that this whole protest is fueled by consumer envy; a few months back when Stephen Harper ignored the demands of the Canada Post union and put them on what was basically an illegal lock out for about 3 weeks (so they couldn't get strike pay), aside from Jack Layton, the general public seemed completely apathetic. Suddenly people decide the government isn't giving them enough hand outs, and they throw a goddamn protest. While less than a year earlier workers rights were being shit on and barely anyone raised their voice. If this protest was the humanitarian effort that these pompous wankers make it out to be, you'd think they would have started with events like that.

I said it before and I'll say it again; I consider myself a democratic socialist, yet this whole protest makes me ashamed to call myself leftist.

It also makes me ashamed to be part of this "me" generation.

I'm with you on that for sure Doc; I've always considered myself a leftist (not extreme, but still) and my family has always voted Liberal. Yet, that does bring a bit of shame now apparently as a result of these moronic protests.

There was a time when kings just used to tax the fuck out of people and nobody could bitch about it without being guillotined. I say we have it pretty good and people need to wake the fuck up and realize we aren't a third-world nation, our public spending is appropriate given the amount the people are being taxed, and our socialist services wouldn't exist without said taxes.

We all want capitalist lifestyles by socialist means. Problem is, that doesn't work.

Written by Troy Killjoy on 07.11.2011 at 20:25

I say we have it pretty good and people need to wake the fuck up and realize we aren't a third-world nation

You're right. America is nothing like a third-world nation... except when it comes to income inequality. Income inequality basically refers to the percentage of wealth the top one percent owns in any given country, and the income inequality in America should disgust any rational person. This is the CIA's factbook concerning income inequality throughout the world. The higher the number, the higher the income inequality. As the numbers show, we're worse than Pakistan, we're worse than Egypt, we're worse than Mongolia, we're worse than Vietnam, we're worse than Mali, we're worse than China, we're worse than Russia, we're worse than Kenya, we're worse than Nigeria, we're worse than Cambodia, and we're worse than Iran. America has the highest income inequality in the developed world, and this has been going on for decades. That is fucking disgraceful. If anything, you should at least demand that the top one percent of Americans pay their fair share.

I don't mind the whole "we want the rich people to pay more" thing. It's the other demands that are absolutely ridiculous that make this entire movement worthy of nothing more than a laugh.

Written by Troy Killjoy on 08.11.2011 at 05:04

I don't mind the whole "we want the rich people to pay more" thing. It's the other demands that are absolutely ridiculous that make this entire movement worthy of nothing more than a laugh.

When you say that the Occupy movement is worth nothing more than a laugh, you have shown that you have failed to see the changes it has already caused. The Occupy movement has already changed political discourse in America. Before it began, the mainstream media only talked about deficits, budget cuts, and the debt ceiling. Now they're talking about jobs, jobs, income inequality, and jobs. They also led the general strike in Oakland, first general strike since 1946, which, by coincidence, also happened in Oakland. And in only one month, one million people moved their money out of the control of the big banks and into local banks and local credit unions. That's more transfers in one month than what occurred in all of last year. People once thought the civil rights movement was worth nothing more than a laugh. People once thought women's suffrage was worth nothing more than a laugh. Like all the other naysayers and critics and cynics throughout history, you will be proven wrong.

Written by Troy Killjoy on 08.11.2011 at 05:04

I don't mind the whole "we want the rich people to pay more" thing. It's the other demands that are absolutely ridiculous that make this entire movement worthy of nothing more than a laugh.

Yeah, there are some pretty radical/extremists out there, and the extremists always yell the loudest. (that ridiculous thread bitterc0ld linked for example). I personally think that as a whole, the general themes are things that could be at least considered and discussed.

Yet more fucking violence thanks to the cops....

Written by Guest on 08.11.2011 at 05:17
you will be proven wrong.

Uh, okay. What is being proven to me? I didn't say this movement won't result in change, I didn't say this movement is meaningless. I said it's worth a laugh. As in I think it's laugh-worthy. Well, I guess I think it's more annoying than funny. You guys are all overly concerned and emotional with it, and that's okay. We need people like that too.

Written by Guest on 08.11.2011 at 06:29

Yet more fucking violence thanks to the cops....

Those motherfuckers. Oakland seriously needs to fix its police brutality problem.

Written by Guest on 08.11.2011 at 18:27

Written by Guest on 08.11.2011 at 06:29

Yet more fucking violence thanks to the cops....

Those motherfuckers. Oakland seriously needs to fix its police brutality problem.

Agreed. I can understand they don't want another out of control protest, but this is peaceful so far.

Written by Guest on 08.11.2011 at 01:23

Written by Troy Killjoy on 07.11.2011 at 20:25

I say we have it pretty good and people need to wake the fuck up and realize we aren't a third-world nation

You're right. America is nothing like a third-world nation... except when it comes to income inequality. Income inequality basically refers to the percentage of wealth the top one percent owns in any given country, and the income inequality in America should disgust any rational person. This is the CIA's factbook concerning income inequality throughout the world. The higher the number, the higher the income inequality. As the numbers show, we're worse than Pakistan, we're worse than Egypt, we're worse than Mongolia, we're worse than Vietnam, we're worse than Mali, we're worse than China, we're worse than Russia, we're worse than Kenya, we're worse than Nigeria, we're worse than Cambodia, and we're worse than Iran. America has the highest income inequality in the developed world, and this has been going on for decades. That is fucking disgraceful. If anything, you should at least demand that the top one percent of Americans pay their fair share.

Ironically nations which every politician will list you with the least freedom are way lower than the USA on that list, like Iran, Pakistan, Belarus, Uganda, China, Venezuela, Nicaragua... in these supposed "Commie" or "Islamic Republic" countries the wealth distribution is more fair than in the USA.

I agree with ya man, the Gini coefficient for the USA is absolutely completely absurd. I know that Bulgaria has tons of problems with corruption and inequality, just like Romania used to until a few years ago. To think to extrapolate this to a country 70 times that size and with a population 40 times that big is absolutely fucking insane. Taxing the super-rich wouldn't fix this though, they'll just relocate their assets to somewhere else. But taxing that too would work, if they didn't already have "acquaintances" high up in government.

On a related note, the USA could be the world's biggest welfare state, only they're too busy with military and war-on-drugs spending (which imo are the two biggest problems the US is facing now, something i've never heard of in this protest ironically)

The hypocrisy in this protest imo is, that 47% of americans have not paid any taxes in the past year, yet some still complain that the system is doing them wrong. The problem is if you don't contribute to a system, don't expect to have a say in how it works.

If anyone is interested there is an article in the new York post today titled the real 1 percent. If you google it it should be the first thing that comes. Lots of facts that I think most people are not aware of. Also there is another story about a business owner who is being terrorized by these supposedly peaceful protestors. This is one of many stories I have read about businesses being destroyed in the city.

Written by brapp32 on 08.11.2011 at 22:56

If anyone is interested there is an article in the new York post today titled the real 1 percent

New York Post. You mean the same New York Post responsible for making this?

Yeah, I can already tell that the article is bullshit.

Did you read it or just post a stupid cartoon from their page 6 entertainment portion of the paper? I would think that the same statistics they gave in the paper aren't fabricated and are real statistics. I guess all the horror stories of the shit that has gone on during the protests are bullshit to. The guy that wrote the article isn't even a writer for the post. His name is Michael D Tanner. He's written articles in everything from The New Times,The Washington Post,L A Times and USA Today. I don't think he's just gonna make a bunch of stuff up.

I LIEK KFC

I saw that picture on break.com the other day. Funny shit.

In all reality this bullshit about being the 1% and 99% is pretty dumbed down. Really the only people who are the 1% are the people defending this country. And metalheads.

It's just the people who are relying on government handouts. They're creating a bad stigma for the general protesters who mean well.

Does anyone here think following the status quo (a symbolic term for doing something society accepts as normal) is mindlessly following a life that is prepared for you?

Written by Introspekrieg on 11.11.2011 at 09:00

Does anyone here think following the status quo (a symbolic term for doing something society accepts as normal) is mindlessly following a life that is prepared for you?

Basically Religion?

Michael Bloomberg issued a media blackout and evicted everyone in Zuccoti Park. Can anyone say Mayor Mubarak?

Written by Introspekrieg on 11.11.2011 at 09:00

Does anyone here think following the status quo (a symbolic term for doing something society accepts as normal) is mindlessly following a life that is prepared for you?

I don't think so. For some people, yeah it might be. But, just because you like the way the society is currently run, doesn't mean you are mindless. But that also doesn't mean that anyone who goes againts the status quo is mindlessly doing so. I think it's situational.

I just wish people would stop bitching about the violence, the same people bitching are the same people breaking the laws asking for it.

I support the general movement, although it's unfortunate that many people that have showed up at the camps are just there to party. Still, I find it amusing to watch Fox News clips every now and then see how much they exaggerate their misdeeds to try to discredit the movement.

Written by Empty Spaces on 21.11.2011 at 07:08

I support the general movement, although it's unfortunate that many people that have showed up at the camps are just there to party. Still, I find it amusing to watch Fox News clips every now and then see how much they exaggerate their misdeeds to try to discredit the movement.

Read this hilarious article about Fox News
http://slatest.slate.com/posts/2011/11/21/fairleigh_dickinson_publicmind_poll_shows_fox_news_viewers_less_informed_on_major_news_stories.html

now seriously i think that these protests are internal matter of USA but they would have my philosophical support once they survive this winter ...just to show more "I mean it!" attitude...

That's an awesome picture.