The strategy by the labor union leadership was said to be based simply: "how do we bring down the stock market, how do we bring down their bonuses, how do we interfere with their ability to, to be rich?" Simple, right?
Formally announced a few months later with an article titled "#OCCUPYWALLSTREET A shift in revolutionary tactics," Adbusters suggested the formula: "we zero in on what our one demand will be, a demand that awakens the imagination and, if achieved, would propel us toward the radical democracy of the future ... and then we go out and seize a square of singular symbolic significance and put our asses on the line to make it happen."
And that they did. On October 1, 700 people were arrested on the Brooklyn Bridge, including children. The initial protest began September 17 and rapidly expanded in size and scope - many cities across the US are now organizing their own OWS protests. The protests are receiving significant support from unions. Hell, even Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke can't blame them.
Adbusters, who posted the original article, describe themselves as "a global network of culture jammers and creatives working to change the way information flows, the way corporations wield power, and the way meaning is produced in our society."
The political system is so broken that civil disobedience was predictable. Even Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia admits our political system is 'designed for' gridlock. The protesters have plenty of complaints in a list that continues to grow, and so it's hard to zero in on any one most important demand. Some commentators have described their demands as "too vague and heterogeneous." Ironically, the originally proposed demand was "that Barack Obama ordain a Presidential Commission tasked with ending the influence money has over our representatives in Washington." But when it comes to corporatism, Obama is one of the ideology's biggest supporters. He's Mr. Bailout. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you. Asking government to correct the problems that they, themselves, created probably isn't a good strategy. In fact, if you look at the stock market's volatility, you can see that the swings are based on whether or not the government discussed some sort of stimulus or bailout. Stocks don't move based on future revenues and cash flows anymore - they move on government intervention.
As one of the organizers in Baltimore put it, "Clearly, we don't have a specific set of goals." To wit, some have started creating a list of demands. But as Occupy Wall Street doesn't have an official, centralized organization, there isn't one official source that speaks for everyone. At least at this point, this isn't about making demands. It's about sending a message: we're mad as hell.
Which issues do you share with the Occupiers? Do you see it as a problem that there isn't a formalized set of demands? Does Occupy Wall Street need a formal strategy? Do you think these protests will change America? Considering the banks couldn't have done what they did alone, are they protesting against the wrong enemy? How likely is it that this civil disobedience will grow into what we saw in Greece, Spain, or Egypt? Is it positive that people are finally taking to the streets? Are these "the times that try men's souls?" Is it time to start considering extremes in order to push positive change? If the protests came to a city close to you, would you participate? Are you mad as hell?
DISCUSS!
Original posting by Braincrave Second Life staff on Oct 10, 2011 at http://www.braincrave.com/viewblog.php?id=655
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