Could someone tell me what the occupy movement is about

Hey -- unfair!! 99% of baby boomers are not rich and powerful. And we are the first generation to realize that the system did not give us a fair chance to have a nice retirement. We are fucked, too.

 

it's a holiday camp for the unemployed.

 

exactly. My mom is a baby boomer and she certainly hasn't been doing any fucking....I've never met a bigger bleeding heart. Not to mention she lives in uncertainty every day because shes approaching retirement age but she doesn't have shit saved up and social security isn't going to be enough to keep up the house she has lived in for 40 years.

The occupy movement is fighting for people like my mom. The only baby boomers that are enemies of us are the ones that got rich AND (because being rich doesn't automatically equate to evil, although it certainly helps) use every possible measure to ensure that their workers remain poor while they get richer.

 

if people are truly invested in the economic issues they are up against

they'd be defending themselves against the future

rather than complaining about the past.

 

How much oil do you use?

 

I generally like your brand of logic, but when it comes to the occupy protests I'm finding you most disagreeable lol.

The right to peacefully assemble is one of the most basic tenants of a free world. Its understandable that not everyone is going to agree with the reason people choose to peacefully assemble, but some of your posts I've seen regarding the subject seem to be mocking it to the point where it undermines not just the reason but the basic right.

Not to mention its a little ignorant, considering not everyone protesting is unemployed and the majority of people protesting that ARE unemployed have degrees and worked their asses off to get them.

edit:

this, however, I agree with, although like I said, the majority of unemployed protesters have degrees. So they actually did what they thought was the best course of action to defend against and prepare for the future.

edit again: You aren't American, so this isn't really an issue for you, but not everyone protesting has a "woe is me" story either. Some people protesting may have secure jobs, food on the table, extra money for vacation, and are just protesting on the principle of the matter of a $700 billion dollar bail out for corporations that don't know how to manage their business properly.

That alone is the worst travesty to ever occur on American soil and should have sparked outrage much sooner than it did.

 

WHY do you think they're standing around with signs awaiting pepper spray and brutal arrest for exercising their first amendment rights?

I'll tell you this, it's not the past they're trying to change. But you can't do anything about the future if you forget the past.

 

I'm not sure what point you are trying to make, but to be honest I use a shitload of oil. I have to work. My job is 20 miles away, so I drive 40 miles a day. I can walk everywhere else so I generally only use my car to get back and forth to work.

If you REALLY want to know how much oil I use, my car probably gets between 20-30 mpg. So 40 miles a day, 5 days a week, at on average 25 mpg. You do the math.

I would happily give every cent I spend on gas, car taxes, and the upkeep on my car towards public transportation. However, the public officials in my city have not asked me to do so. Therefore, we continue to have a shitty public transportation system and I continue to pay Hugo Chavez and some rich Middle Eastern men a lot of money every week so that I can, you know, get to work and pay my rent.

I generally do try to buy my oil from Citgo so it goes to that south american asshole instead of those middle eastern assholes. I'm a fan of Chavez. He subsidizes oil on North American Indian Reservations. Thats something I can get behind.

 

That sounds your not just blaming the bankers!! You'll get into trouble blaming any ordinary normal people!

 

The news media, right, left, & center tends to report on that which is easiest to cover, that which is the most visible, and then summarize it into neat little sound bytes that often distort the facts.

Whenever I have seen things with my own eyes and then listen to how it is covered in the news they often get it wrong or at least miss the most important facts and skew the report toward the more sensational parts of the story.

On the other hand, our local newspaper is often the only way we can find out about some of the corrupt businesses and politicians in this area. The press, where it is still independent, can save democracy from thieves and dictators in the sense that they have the potential to inform and mobilize us to rise to action.
Because it is expensive to run a newspaper, that has helped limit print media to papers that have corporate sponsors, and typically they "guide" the editors to make sure they print the "correct" opinions.
So while I think a free printed press remains crucial to responding to the lies of the corporate media, there just aren't enough reporters to uncover the truth. In this area we also have a few consumer television journalists who catch thieves and liars redhanded, but not enough.

The Internet in most of the world is a free avenue for freedom fighters to bypass the power brokers and censors. While you have to do due diligence to watch for people who post rumor as fact, as long as you do so, you have access to far more unfiltered news than our parents generation did.

There will always be those who listen uncritically to the right wing on radio and television describing the Occupy Movement "dirty hippy masses led by communists and anarchists". Right wingers want to hear this and there are radio personalities happy to perpetuate the lies.

Has enough of the general public lost their job or house to realize that the Occupy Movement does have a legitimate grievance and that the vast majority of Americans shares that grievance? I hope so.

I hope that enough people will deep deeper and get the facts and then vote as if our future is affected by those we put in office. We are now reaping the bitter fruit of the last wave of Republican corporate lackeys brought into power by people impatient for reform. The Democrats did not do enough (although they were admittedly hampered by the Republicans remaining in power) so rather than giving them more "go ahead" to press the reforms further, the misguided voters brought back the same corporate sell-outs that ruined our economy in the first place.

The Occupy Movement got America's attention, but now a lot of people are asking, "how do we put their dreams into action?"
The reforms don't have to be invented by the Occupy movement. Reformers have been here all along, but struggling with lack of recognition and inadequate funding.
I hope that they can benefit from the publicity generated by Occupy street activists.
The infrastructure for reform already exists. I am so grateful for Occupy volunteers who have endured so much on the cold streets so that all could have a better life.

 

okay... the recession happened because of bankers

who were offered unaffordable deals to the consumer

who were the ones who defaulted.

there's shared blame.

but then why did the banks have the opportunity to give stupid people the chance to do stupid things???

the government lowered regulation to ridiculous points.

why????

because people demanded it.

here in the u.k we were left bankrupt - sold our gold reserves

because labour were spending for votes

people voted for them accordingly.

to reiterate - stupid people :frown:

now they are angry because the silver spoon has been removed - it was never sustainable

so they get angry - wave their little picket signs

all the while the problem will not change - it is based on envy

bankers account for such a small proportion of a countries wealth

even if they are paid colossal amounts - it amounts to nothing.

jealously.

in my country people have decided to take upon themselves your barmy

adhd fueled rant

we could have removed ourselves from the e.u but rather no one was interested

correct protesting could have potentially saved a ton in the united kingdom

literally save the tax payer millions

instead people slept in tents - had a lye in.

the problem is people do not realise the 2007/08 recession was nothing

what is happening in europe - which americans obviously don't give a fuck about

will destroy everything.

some of the biggest economies in the world are at risk of a downgrade - loans equating trillions are spoken of

this sort of money does not exist.

when all this happens - people will complain

likely on this forum

about how hard life is.

get out there and make a difference.

i believe it's all about sustainability - every man for himself

instead we're allowing a united, almost new world order like political system

i've waffled about this for months on hipforums - i've been negged and slandered

turn on the news... it's all happening exactly as i said it would.

your funeral.

 

i have a degree in finance and actually work in the field

how am i illogical??

 

"Every man for himself" is not sustainable. You are forgetting the tragedy of the commons. A typical failing of those on the extreme right.

Tragedy of the Commons

 

isn't that what people are doing?

 

I don't think you are illogical, and your above assessment was intelligient and spot-on.

I just don't understand your attitude towards people who are trying to make their voices heard.

You mock them for taking to the streets. Then you mock them for staying on internet forums.

 

if you have to take it literally - then forget it.

otherwise

what i mean is we should not invest any more money into saving the european economy

let it fall.

the expense would be less since it is going to anyway.

your thinking generally again.

 

Oh, OK, I guess I misunderstood you. Sorry.

 

because it stops people like me being heard.

 

yes - but they are complaining about the banks

europe is falling because of government debt

i wonder why they are in debt??

past vs. future once again.

 

i have to go anyways - nice converse people

always find it stimulating.