Occupy Wall Street (1 Viewer)

[Reaper]

See? Moronic. Not only do you still have no idea what the goals here, are, despite boo-hooing incessantly, but you also fundamentally misunderstand why this protest is effective, while everything else that's been done since...oh, 1900 or so...has been masturbatory. The very things you cite as weaknesses are the reasons this thing continues to swell, even though the media pundits have been insisting it's on its deathbed for weeks. You're dying for it to be as simpleminded as the Tea Parties were, but it's not. This isn't a political movement. It's a cultural one. Cultural movements don't make unified demands. They don't go away quietly. They don't have leaders that can be bought off. They don't waste their time butting heads against lobbyists.

They change ####. They put the dice back in the can, and give it a shake. This one's going to change ####. I'll agree if your premise is that the way it's going to change #### likely ain't going to be pretty in the short term, but that's a necessary precondition to any meaningful change. You don't make an omelet without sucking a little teargas.

You've got a system with millions of people in despair. Millions, and growing daily. And all the while, they get to tune into any channel and watch as criminals are rewarded, seven...eight...nine zeroes at a time. That's culturally unsustainable, plain and simple. It may be your idea of capitalist survival of the fittest, but you failed to sell that dream to the people taking to the streets all around the world for the last year or so. It was never going to last.

I'm just interested to see what comes next, culturally. This go around lacked inspiration.

Bloom -- Do you see why some of us find OWS funny?

I never expected anything but a reaction from some that dismisses OWS and latches on to whatever qualities or people in the movement that match pre-conceived notions as predicates for that dismissal. The fact that so many spend so much breath dismissing it is a sign that it is working. If it was really as pointless and full of people who don't matter as some say, then why spend so much time opposing it?

I have found the flaw in your line of thinking. Let's illustrate by applying your train of thought to another topic:The fact that so many spend so much breath dismissing Rebecca Black is a sign that she is a great singer. If she was really as pointless and doesn't matter as some say, then why spend so much time opposing her?

yeah but people stopped talking about Rebecca Black about a week after her song came out... here we are two months after OWS started... the best way y'all will convince me to stop caring about OWS is if y'all stop caring about it.

Some of us live near by and it's pretty much a story when one of the freaks claims he's making a bomb to blow up Macys and they all have some great plan to shut down the subways....

Again, "THE SOLUTIONS" and "COMPLAINTS" of OWS aren't being talked about much IMO, not from what I see so, your theory is correct - people aren't talking about it!!!!

- what we are talking about is a bunch of Numbnuts messing with other peoples lives in New York City and creating a potential riot situation.

 

[Rayderr]

See? Moronic. Not only do you still have no idea what the goals here, are, despite boo-hooing incessantly, but you also fundamentally misunderstand why this protest is effective, while everything else that's been done since...oh, 1900 or so...has been masturbatory. The very things you cite as weaknesses are the reasons this thing continues to swell, even though the media pundits have been insisting it's on its deathbed for weeks. You're dying for it to be as simpleminded as the Tea Parties were, but it's not. This isn't a political movement. It's a cultural one. Cultural movements don't make unified demands. They don't go away quietly. They don't have leaders that can be bought off. They don't waste their time butting heads against lobbyists.

They change ####. They put the dice back in the can, and give it a shake. This one's going to change ####. I'll agree if your premise is that the way it's going to change #### likely ain't going to be pretty in the short term, but that's a necessary precondition to any meaningful change. You don't make an omelet without sucking a little teargas.

You've got a system with millions of people in despair. Millions, and growing daily. And all the while, they get to tune into any channel and watch as criminals are rewarded, seven...eight...nine zeroes at a time. That's culturally unsustainable, plain and simple. It may be your idea of capitalist survival of the fittest, but you failed to sell that dream to the people taking to the streets all around the world for the last year or so. It was never going to last.

I'm just interested to see what comes next, culturally. This go around lacked inspiration.

Bloom -- Do you see why some of us find OWS funny?

I never expected anything but a reaction from some that dismisses OWS and latches on to whatever qualities or people in the movement that match pre-conceived notions as predicates for that dismissal. The fact that so many spend so much breath dismissing it is a sign that it is working. If it was really as pointless and full of people who don't matter as some say, then why spend so much time opposing it?

I have found the flaw in your line of thinking. Let's illustrate by applying your train of thought to another topic:The fact that so many spend so much breath dismissing Rebecca Black is a sign that she is a great singer. If she was really as pointless and doesn't matter as some say, then why spend so much time opposing her?

yeah but people stopped talking about Rebecca Black about a week after her song came out... here we are two months after OWS started... the best way y'all will convince me to stop caring about OWS is if y'all stop caring about it.

Really? CNN just had a story on her 2 days ago.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

See? Moronic. Not only do you still have no idea what the goals here, are, despite boo-hooing incessantly, but you also fundamentally misunderstand why this protest is effective, while everything else that's been done since...oh, 1900 or so...has been masturbatory. The very things you cite as weaknesses are the reasons this thing continues to swell, even though the media pundits have been insisting it's on its deathbed for weeks. You're dying for it to be as simpleminded as the Tea Parties were, but it's not. This isn't a political movement. It's a cultural one. Cultural movements don't make unified demands. They don't go away quietly. They don't have leaders that can be bought off. They don't waste their time butting heads against lobbyists.

They change ####. They put the dice back in the can, and give it a shake. This one's going to change ####. I'll agree if your premise is that the way it's going to change #### likely ain't going to be pretty in the short term, but that's a necessary precondition to any meaningful change. You don't make an omelet without sucking a little teargas.

You've got a system with millions of people in despair. Millions, and growing daily. And all the while, they get to tune into any channel and watch as criminals are rewarded, seven...eight...nine zeroes at a time. That's culturally unsustainable, plain and simple. It may be your idea of capitalist survival of the fittest, but you failed to sell that dream to the people taking to the streets all around the world for the last year or so. It was never going to last.

I'm just interested to see what comes next, culturally. This go around lacked inspiration.

Bloom -- Do you see why some of us find OWS funny?

I never expected anything but a reaction from some that dismisses OWS and latches on to whatever qualities or people in the movement that match pre-conceived notions as predicates for that dismissal. The fact that so many spend so much breath dismissing it is a sign that it is working. If it was really as pointless and full of people who don't matter as some say, then why spend so much time opposing it?

I spend time in lots of threads and comment on all sorts of stuff. For whatever reason, this is one of the more entertaining threads going right now. It reminds me of the Wisconsin / Scott Walker thread.

Edit: I don't think I had posted in this thread at all up until a couple of days ago. To be honest, I was aware of OWS's existence, but I hadn't paid much attention to them. Then the police cleared people out of that park in NYC and folks in this thread and elsewhere made it out to be some sort of convex combination of Selma and Kent State, which I think is what made it more interesting.

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

That's not what I see at all.... I see people spending time mocking and discussing THE METHOD of the protest, THE OCCUPATION over the real Issues.I'd say most people have sympathy and can relate to a lot of what we think OWS is about, but, many also think this is just plane stupid, dangerous and costly. That includes the likes of Jon Stewart who would be ALL-IN if this thing was done the right way.IMO, there are smarter and more effective ways to get your point accross in todays climate.This whole thing has moved away from debating the politics of the movement and SOLUTIONS to stories and videos about Tents, Boobs, Taunting, Mace, Rats, Disease, Assaults, and the ironic Class system that quickly developed in this community.

The method and occupation might not be perfect, but it has actually changed the national discussion and it has emboldened people to join it - it has gotten a foothold in the national consciousness and that success outweighs whatever flaws there have been in the method. If there are smarter and more effective ways to draw attention to the real culprits in our economic crisis and start a movement to change the conditions that allowed it, I haven't seen it yet. None of this stuff is clean and perfect - I think it was amorphous to begin with and then evolving by design - true open tent democracy is messy and there are definitely interests that want to present this as malcontent envious lazy people even though you and I know that there is more to it than that.

 

[BigSteelThrill]

See? Moronic. Not only do you still have no idea what the goals here, are, despite boo-hooing incessantly, but you also fundamentally misunderstand why this protest is effective, while everything else that's been done since...oh, 1900 or so...has been masturbatory. The very things you cite as weaknesses are the reasons this thing continues to swell, even though the media pundits have been insisting it's on its deathbed for weeks. You're dying for it to be as simpleminded as the Tea Parties were, but it's not. This isn't a political movement. It's a cultural one. Cultural movements don't make unified demands. They don't go away quietly. They don't have leaders that can be bought off. They don't waste their time butting heads against lobbyists.

They change ####. They put the dice back in the can, and give it a shake. This one's going to change ####. I'll agree if your premise is that the way it's going to change #### likely ain't going to be pretty in the short term, but that's a necessary precondition to any meaningful change. You don't make an omelet without sucking a little teargas.

You've got a system with millions of people in despair. Millions, and growing daily. And all the while, they get to tune into any channel and watch as criminals are rewarded, seven...eight...nine zeroes at a time. That's culturally unsustainable, plain and simple. It may be your idea of capitalist survival of the fittest, but you failed to sell that dream to the people taking to the streets all around the world for the last year or so. It was never going to last.

I'm just interested to see what comes next, culturally. This go around lacked inspiration.

Bloom -- Do you see why some of us find OWS funny?

I never expected anything but a reaction from some that dismisses OWS and latches on to whatever qualities or people in the movement that match pre-conceived notions as predicates for that dismissal. The fact that so many spend so much breath dismissing it is a sign that it is working. If it was really as pointless and full of people who don't matter as some say, then why spend so much time opposing it?

I have found the flaw in your line of thinking. Let's illustrate by applying your train of thought to another topic:The fact that so many spend so much breath dismissing Rebecca Black is a sign that she is a great singer. If she was really as pointless and doesn't matter as some say, then why spend so much time opposing her?

yeah but people stopped talking about Rebecca Black about a week after her song came out... here we are two months after OWS started... the best way y'all will convince me to stop caring about OWS is if y'all stop caring about it.

Really? CNN just had a story on her 2 days ago.

About her popularity, yes? Not about her singing prowess. Fensalks analogy was terrible.

 

[The Comedian]

See? Moronic. Not only do you still have no idea what the goals here, are, despite boo-hooing incessantly, but you also fundamentally misunderstand why this protest is effective, while everything else that's been done since...oh, 1900 or so...has been masturbatory. The very things you cite as weaknesses are the reasons this thing continues to swell, even though the media pundits have been insisting it's on its deathbed for weeks. You're dying for it to be as simpleminded as the Tea Parties were, but it's not. This isn't a political movement. It's a cultural one. Cultural movements don't make unified demands. They don't go away quietly. They don't have leaders that can be bought off. They don't waste their time butting heads against lobbyists.

They change ####. They put the dice back in the can, and give it a shake. This one's going to change ####. I'll agree if your premise is that the way it's going to change #### likely ain't going to be pretty in the short term, but that's a necessary precondition to any meaningful change. You don't make an omelet without sucking a little teargas.

You've got a system with millions of people in despair. Millions, and growing daily. And all the while, they get to tune into any channel and watch as criminals are rewarded, seven...eight...nine zeroes at a time. That's culturally unsustainable, plain and simple. It may be your idea of capitalist survival of the fittest, but you failed to sell that dream to the people taking to the streets all around the world for the last year or so. It was never going to last.

I'm just interested to see what comes next, culturally. This go around lacked inspiration.

Bloom -- Do you see why some of us find OWS funny?

I never expected anything but a reaction from some that dismisses OWS and latches on to whatever qualities or people in the movement that match pre-conceived notions as predicates for that dismissal. The fact that so many spend so much breath dismissing it is a sign that it is working. If it was really as pointless and full of people who don't matter as some say, then why spend so much time opposing it?

Oh, so this is how we can tell if OWS is working. I guess I was confused - I always thought OWS was about effecting some kind of change n the economic or political system, I didn't realize the goal was to get as many people to spend as much time opposing and ridiculing it as possible. I guess mission accomplished. Let's move on and play some Werewolf!

 

[Rayderr]

See? Moronic. Not only do you still have no idea what the goals here, are, despite boo-hooing incessantly, but you also fundamentally misunderstand why this protest is effective, while everything else that's been done since...oh, 1900 or so...has been masturbatory. The very things you cite as weaknesses are the reasons this thing continues to swell, even though the media pundits have been insisting it's on its deathbed for weeks. You're dying for it to be as simpleminded as the Tea Parties were, but it's not. This isn't a political movement. It's a cultural one. Cultural movements don't make unified demands. They don't go away quietly. They don't have leaders that can be bought off. They don't waste their time butting heads against lobbyists.

They change ####. They put the dice back in the can, and give it a shake. This one's going to change ####. I'll agree if your premise is that the way it's going to change #### likely ain't going to be pretty in the short term, but that's a necessary precondition to any meaningful change. You don't make an omelet without sucking a little teargas.

You've got a system with millions of people in despair. Millions, and growing daily. And all the while, they get to tune into any channel and watch as criminals are rewarded, seven...eight...nine zeroes at a time. That's culturally unsustainable, plain and simple. It may be your idea of capitalist survival of the fittest, but you failed to sell that dream to the people taking to the streets all around the world for the last year or so. It was never going to last.

I'm just interested to see what comes next, culturally. This go around lacked inspiration.

Bloom -- Do you see why some of us find OWS funny?

I never expected anything but a reaction from some that dismisses OWS and latches on to whatever qualities or people in the movement that match pre-conceived notions as predicates for that dismissal. The fact that so many spend so much breath dismissing it is a sign that it is working. If it was really as pointless and full of people who don't matter as some say, then why spend so much time opposing it?

I have found the flaw in your line of thinking. Let's illustrate by applying your train of thought to another topic:The fact that so many spend so much breath dismissing Rebecca Black is a sign that she is a great singer. If she was really as pointless and doesn't matter as some say, then why spend so much time opposing her?

yeah but people stopped talking about Rebecca Black about a week after her song came out... here we are two months after OWS started... the best way y'all will convince me to stop caring about OWS is if y'all stop caring about it.

Really? CNN just had a story on her 2 days ago.

About her popularity, yes? Not about her singing prowess. Fensalks analogy was terrible.

Actually the story was about how she still has so many haters. So, the analogy would still stand.

 

[BigSteelThrill]

See? Moronic. Not only do you still have no idea what the goals here, are, despite boo-hooing incessantly, but you also fundamentally misunderstand why this protest is effective, while everything else that's been done since...oh, 1900 or so...has been masturbatory. The very things you cite as weaknesses are the reasons this thing continues to swell, even though the media pundits have been insisting it's on its deathbed for weeks. You're dying for it to be as simpleminded as the Tea Parties were, but it's not. This isn't a political movement. It's a cultural one. Cultural movements don't make unified demands. They don't go away quietly. They don't have leaders that can be bought off. They don't waste their time butting heads against lobbyists.

They change ####. They put the dice back in the can, and give it a shake. This one's going to change ####. I'll agree if your premise is that the way it's going to change #### likely ain't going to be pretty in the short term, but that's a necessary precondition to any meaningful change. You don't make an omelet without sucking a little teargas.

You've got a system with millions of people in despair. Millions, and growing daily. And all the while, they get to tune into any channel and watch as criminals are rewarded, seven...eight...nine zeroes at a time. That's culturally unsustainable, plain and simple. It may be your idea of capitalist survival of the fittest, but you failed to sell that dream to the people taking to the streets all around the world for the last year or so. It was never going to last.

I'm just interested to see what comes next, culturally. This go around lacked inspiration.

Bloom -- Do you see why some of us find OWS funny?

I never expected anything but a reaction from some that dismisses OWS and latches on to whatever qualities or people in the movement that match pre-conceived notions as predicates for that dismissal. The fact that so many spend so much breath dismissing it is a sign that it is working. If it was really as pointless and full of people who don't matter as some say, then why spend so much time opposing it?

I spend time in lots of threads and comment on all sorts of stuff. For whatever reason, this is one of the more entertaining threads going right now. It reminds me of the Wisconsin / Scott Walker thread.

Look outside your bubble, lawl, you cant miss it (I know, you're just feigning ignorance).

 

[Rayderr]

yeah but people stopped talking about Rebecca Black about a week after her song came out... here we are two months after OWS started... the best way y'all will convince me to stop caring about OWS is if y'all stop caring about it.

Really? CNN just had a story on her 2 days ago.

And did everyone come out to restate their problems with her and tell us their new set of issues with her? No, it's boring, no one over the age 15 really cares. CNN had stories on lots of things that don't matter 2 days ago.

As mentioned just a few posts above, the story was about how she still has haters, how people still trash her.

 

[BigSteelThrill]

See? Moronic. Not only do you still have no idea what the goals here, are, despite boo-hooing incessantly, but you also fundamentally misunderstand why this protest is effective, while everything else that's been done since...oh, 1900 or so...has been masturbatory. The very things you cite as weaknesses are the reasons this thing continues to swell, even though the media pundits have been insisting it's on its deathbed for weeks. You're dying for it to be as simpleminded as the Tea Parties were, but it's not. This isn't a political movement. It's a cultural one. Cultural movements don't make unified demands. They don't go away quietly. They don't have leaders that can be bought off. They don't waste their time butting heads against lobbyists.

They change ####. They put the dice back in the can, and give it a shake. This one's going to change ####. I'll agree if your premise is that the way it's going to change #### likely ain't going to be pretty in the short term, but that's a necessary precondition to any meaningful change. You don't make an omelet without sucking a little teargas.

You've got a system with millions of people in despair. Millions, and growing daily. And all the while, they get to tune into any channel and watch as criminals are rewarded, seven...eight...nine zeroes at a time. That's culturally unsustainable, plain and simple. It may be your idea of capitalist survival of the fittest, but you failed to sell that dream to the people taking to the streets all around the world for the last year or so. It was never going to last.

I'm just interested to see what comes next, culturally. This go around lacked inspiration.

Bloom -- Do you see why some of us find OWS funny?

I never expected anything but a reaction from some that dismisses OWS and latches on to whatever qualities or people in the movement that match pre-conceived notions as predicates for that dismissal. The fact that so many spend so much breath dismissing it is a sign that it is working. If it was really as pointless and full of people who don't matter as some say, then why spend so much time opposing it?

I have found the flaw in your line of thinking. Let's illustrate by applying your train of thought to another topic:The fact that so many spend so much breath dismissing Rebecca Black is a sign that she is a great singer. If she was really as pointless and doesn't matter as some say, then why spend so much time opposing her?

yeah but people stopped talking about Rebecca Black about a week after her song came out... here we are two months after OWS started... the best way y'all will convince me to stop caring about OWS is if y'all stop caring about it.

Really? CNN just had a story on her 2 days ago.

About her popularity, yes? Not about her singing prowess. Fensalks analogy was terrible.

Actually the story was about how she still has so many haters. So, the analogy would still stand.

That it proves she is great singer? C'mon, you are being intentionally obtuse. It proves she has great popularity (which was her objective).

 

[Rayderr]

See? Moronic. Not only do you still have no idea what the goals here, are, despite boo-hooing incessantly, but you also fundamentally misunderstand why this protest is effective, while everything else that's been done since...oh, 1900 or so...has been masturbatory. The very things you cite as weaknesses are the reasons this thing continues to swell, even though the media pundits have been insisting it's on its deathbed for weeks. You're dying for it to be as simpleminded as the Tea Parties were, but it's not. This isn't a political movement. It's a cultural one. Cultural movements don't make unified demands. They don't go away quietly. They don't have leaders that can be bought off. They don't waste their time butting heads against lobbyists.

They change ####. They put the dice back in the can, and give it a shake. This one's going to change ####. I'll agree if your premise is that the way it's going to change #### likely ain't going to be pretty in the short term, but that's a necessary precondition to any meaningful change. You don't make an omelet without sucking a little teargas.

You've got a system with millions of people in despair. Millions, and growing daily. And all the while, they get to tune into any channel and watch as criminals are rewarded, seven...eight...nine zeroes at a time. That's culturally unsustainable, plain and simple. It may be your idea of capitalist survival of the fittest, but you failed to sell that dream to the people taking to the streets all around the world for the last year or so. It was never going to last.

I'm just interested to see what comes next, culturally. This go around lacked inspiration.

Bloom -- Do you see why some of us find OWS funny?

I never expected anything but a reaction from some that dismisses OWS and latches on to whatever qualities or people in the movement that match pre-conceived notions as predicates for that dismissal. The fact that so many spend so much breath dismissing it is a sign that it is working. If it was really as pointless and full of people who don't matter as some say, then why spend so much time opposing it?

I have found the flaw in your line of thinking. Let's illustrate by applying your train of thought to another topic:The fact that so many spend so much breath dismissing Rebecca Black is a sign that she is a great singer. If she was really as pointless and doesn't matter as some say, then why spend so much time opposing her?

yeah but people stopped talking about Rebecca Black about a week after her song came out... here we are two months after OWS started... the best way y'all will convince me to stop caring about OWS is if y'all stop caring about it.

Really? CNN just had a story on her 2 days ago.

About her popularity, yes? Not about her singing prowess. Fensalks analogy was terrible.

Actually the story was about how she still has so many haters. So, the analogy would still stand.

That it proves she is great singer? C'mon, you are being intentionally obtuse. It proves she has great popularity (which was her objective).

By that logic then, Bush was a very popular president.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

I spend time in lots of threads and comment on all sorts of stuff. For whatever reason, this is one of the more entertaining threads going right now. It reminds me of the Wisconsin / Scott Walker thread.

Look outside your bubble, lawl, you cant miss it (I know, you're just feigning ignorance).

What does this even mean?

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

Oh, so this is how we can tell if OWS is working. I guess I was confused - I always thought OWS was about effecting some kind of change n the economic or political system, I didn't realize the goal was to get as many people to spend as much time opposing and ridiculing it as possible. I guess mission accomplished. Let's move on and play some Werewolf!

Getting the attention of those in the institutions that run the economic and political system is one of the first steps in affecting that change. There was a chance for this to fizzle out and never really impact the national discourse, but that went away when the NYPD antagonized and arrested 100s on the Brooklyn Bridge a month and a half ago - and every time they decide to try to break up the movement, it seems to draw more attention to it and increase the resolve of those in the movement, so in a real way, the increase in the intensity of the opposition to OWS is fuel for its growth. It's almost like Bloomberg is secretly pro-OWS because his moves follow the playbook of the way OWS needs to paint the 1% to a tee. Those that wanted to dismiss OWS from the beginning can't see it, but there is another reaction by people that disturbed by what they are seeing.

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

yeah but people stopped talking about Rebecca Black about a week after her song came out... here we are two months after OWS started... the best way y'all will convince me to stop caring about OWS is if y'all stop caring about it.

Really? CNN just had a story on her 2 days ago.

And did everyone come out to restate their problems with her and tell us their new set of issues with her? No, it's boring, no one over the age 15 really cares. CNN had stories on lots of things that don't matter 2 days ago.

As mentioned just a few posts above, the story was about how she still has haters, how people still trash her.

And the energy and breath those haters expend keep her relevant ironically - I still think it is a fraction of the energy spent to discredit the OWS movement and certainly a fraction of the energy spend hating her when she first hit the scene.

 

[Reaper]

I have found the flaw in your line of thinking. Let's illustrate by applying your train of thought to another topic:

The fact that so many spend so much breath dismissing Rebecca Black is a sign that she is a great singer. If she was really as pointless and doesn't matter as some say, then why spend so much time opposing her?

That doesn't mean she is a great singer... was never her objective... it means she got an absolute ton of hits and publicity.Her objective was "look at me" and she was phenomenal at it. Oh, and she scored over a 100,000 dollars.

** corrected the extra 0 in dollar amount.

Sounds Exactly like OWS...

"The Voice" no longer matters - It's all about the Shock Value.

 

[BigSteelThrill]

See? Moronic. Not only do you still have no idea what the goals here, are, despite boo-hooing incessantly, but you also fundamentally misunderstand why this protest is effective, while everything else that's been done since...oh, 1900 or so...has been masturbatory. The very things you cite as weaknesses are the reasons this thing continues to swell, even though the media pundits have been insisting it's on its deathbed for weeks. You're dying for it to be as simpleminded as the Tea Parties were, but it's not. This isn't a political movement. It's a cultural one. Cultural movements don't make unified demands. They don't go away quietly. They don't have leaders that can be bought off. They don't waste their time butting heads against lobbyists.

They change ####. They put the dice back in the can, and give it a shake. This one's going to change ####. I'll agree if your premise is that the way it's going to change #### likely ain't going to be pretty in the short term, but that's a necessary precondition to any meaningful change. You don't make an omelet without sucking a little teargas.

You've got a system with millions of people in despair. Millions, and growing daily. And all the while, they get to tune into any channel and watch as criminals are rewarded, seven...eight...nine zeroes at a time. That's culturally unsustainable, plain and simple. It may be your idea of capitalist survival of the fittest, but you failed to sell that dream to the people taking to the streets all around the world for the last year or so. It was never going to last.

I'm just interested to see what comes next, culturally. This go around lacked inspiration.

Bloom -- Do you see why some of us find OWS funny?

I never expected anything but a reaction from some that dismisses OWS and latches on to whatever qualities or people in the movement that match pre-conceived notions as predicates for that dismissal. The fact that so many spend so much breath dismissing it is a sign that it is working. If it was really as pointless and full of people who don't matter as some say, then why spend so much time opposing it?

I have found the flaw in your line of thinking. Let's illustrate by applying your train of thought to another topic:The fact that so many spend so much breath dismissing Rebecca Black is a sign that she is a great singer. If she was really as pointless and doesn't matter as some say, then why spend so much time opposing her?

yeah but people stopped talking about Rebecca Black about a week after her song came out... here we are two months after OWS started... the best way y'all will convince me to stop caring about OWS is if y'all stop caring about it.

Really? CNN just had a story on her 2 days ago.

About her popularity, yes? Not about her singing prowess. Fensalks analogy was terrible.

Actually the story was about how she still has so many haters. So, the analogy would still stand.

That it proves she is great singer? C'mon, you are being intentionally obtuse. It proves she has great popularity (which was her objective).

By that logic then, Bush was a very popular president.

Perfect comparison, though I know it wasnt how you intended.Bush got millions of hits (mostly negative) on youtube (and many other places) and all that negative press is to mean (according to fensalk) that it proves he was a good President. No. It means that he was good at drawing a reaction and getting people to talk (even if hate). So yes he had massive notoriety* (negative and positive, mostly negative).

The better word to use is notoriety. As popularity... can get twisted to popular, which gets twisted again into being "good".

 

[Parrothead]

Wall Street was brought to their knees..

Bank of America closed their doors..

Congress is drafting new legislation as we speak...

The wealthy 1% are sending the 99% a check..

Congratulations!!

 

[Fensalk]

I have found the flaw in your line of thinking. Let's illustrate by applying your train of thought to another topic:

The fact that so many spend so much breath dismissing Rebecca Black is a sign that she is a great singer. If she was really as pointless and doesn't matter as some say, then why spend so much time opposing her?

That doesn't mean she is a great singer... was never her objective... it means she got an absolute ton of hits and publicity.Her objective was "look at me" and she was phenomenal at it. Oh, and she scored over a 100,000 dollars.

** corrected the extra 0 in dollar amount.

I didn't claim she was a great singer. I was applying Bloom's train of thought to Rebecca Black, to illustrate why it is wrong.

 

[Fensalk]

Perhaps the key element Bloom is missing is that AWS is not popular. People are paying attention because they are making fun of it, and it keeps providing fresh material to mock. Its like Rebecca Black, or Sarah Palin, or George W. Bush.

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

Perhaps the key element Bloom is missing is that AWS is not popular. People are paying attention because they are making fun of it, and it keeps providing fresh material to mock. Its like Rebecca Black, or Sarah Palin, or George W. Bush.

Perhaps from your perspective it is not popular but what I can see in my circles (educated middle-class 30somethings with families and steady jobs) it continues to gain steam.

 

[Fensalk]

Perhaps the key element Bloom is missing is that AWS is not popular. People are paying attention because they are making fun of it, and it keeps providing fresh material to mock. Its like Rebecca Black, or Sarah Palin, or George W. Bush.

Perhaps from your perspective it is not popular but what I can see in my circles (educated middle-class 30somethings with families and steady jobs) it continues to gain steam.

Have you looked at the polls?

Public support for the Occupy Wall Street movement is down and opposition up sharply in a new national survey taken by the Democratic-leaning firm of Public Policy Polling.

In the latest survey, 33 percent voiced support for Occupy Wall Street, down from 35 percent in a previous poll, while opposition to the movement climbed from 36 percent to 45 percent. Twenty-two percent were unsure.

The poll asked: “Do you have a higher opinion of the Occupy Wall Street movement or the Tea Party movement?” Forty-three percent opted for Tea Party, 37 percent for the occupiers.

“These are rough numbers for Occupy Wall Street. The particularly painful part is falling behind the Tea Party,” Chris Bowers wrote on the dailykos.com website. Dailykos.com has been outspoken in its support for the occupiers.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

That it proves she is great singer? C'mon, you are being intentionally obtuse. It proves she has great popularity (which was her objective).

By that logic then, Bush was a very popular president.

Perfect comparison, though I know it wasnt how you intended.Bush got millions of hits (mostly negative) on youtube (and many other places) and all that negative press is to mean (according to fensalk) that it proves he was a good President. No. It means that he was good at drawing a reaction and getting people to talk (even if hate). So yes he had massive notoriety* (negative and positive, mostly negative).

The better word to use is notoriety. As popularity... can get twisted to popular, which gets twisted again into being "good".

I don't think you get how this "argumentation" thing works.

 

[BigSteelThrill]

I have found the flaw in your line of thinking. Let's illustrate by applying your train of thought to another topic:

The fact that so many spend so much breath dismissing Rebecca Black is a sign that she is a great singer. If she was really as pointless and doesn't matter as some say, then why spend so much time opposing her?

That doesn't mean she is a great singer... was never her objective... it means she got an absolute ton of hits and publicity.Her objective was "look at me" and she was phenomenal at it. Oh, and she scored over a 100,000 dollars.

** corrected the extra 0 in dollar amount.

I didn't claim she was a great singer. I was applying Bloom's train of thought to Rebecca Black, to illustrate why it is wrong.

He saying that those opposed to it have spent way too much time fighting against it (mock, ridicule, gnashing-of-teeth ad nauseum) to just be something of small funny nature.You are lending credence to it by your very incessant behavior towards it...

If it was really as pointless and full of people who don't matter as some say, then why spend so much time opposing it?

... then came rebecca.

 

[Fensalk]

I have found the flaw in your line of thinking. Let's illustrate by applying your train of thought to another topic:

The fact that so many spend so much breath dismissing Rebecca Black is a sign that she is a great singer. If she was really as pointless and doesn't matter as some say, then why spend so much time opposing her?

That doesn't mean she is a great singer... was never her objective... it means she got an absolute ton of hits and publicity.Her objective was "look at me" and she was phenomenal at it. Oh, and she scored over a 100,000 dollars.

** corrected the extra 0 in dollar amount.

I didn't claim she was a great singer. I was applying Bloom's train of thought to Rebecca Black, to illustrate why it is wrong.

He saying that those opposed to it have spent way too much time fighting against it (mock, ridicule, gnashing-of-teeth ad nauseum) to just be something of small funny nature.You are lending credence to it by your very incessant behavior towards it...

If it was really as pointless and full of people who don't matter as some say, then why spend so much time opposing it?

... then came rebecca.

I'd argue that AWS had pretty much dropped off the front page until they held their event thursday to remind everyone how much they dislike it. If they keep supplying fresh material to mock, of course people will continue to make fun of them.

 

[Joe T]

See? Moronic. Not only do you still have no idea what the goals here, are, despite boo-hooing incessantly, but you also fundamentally misunderstand why this protest is effective, while everything else that's been done since...oh, 1900 or so...has been masturbatory. The very things you cite as weaknesses are the reasons this thing continues to swell, even though the media pundits have been insisting it's on its deathbed for weeks. You're dying for it to be as simpleminded as the Tea Parties were, but it's not. This isn't a political movement. It's a cultural one. Cultural movements don't make unified demands. They don't go away quietly. They don't have leaders that can be bought off. They don't waste their time butting heads against lobbyists.

They change ####. They put the dice back in the can, and give it a shake. This one's going to change ####. I'll agree if your premise is that the way it's going to change #### likely ain't going to be pretty in the short term, but that's a necessary precondition to any meaningful change. You don't make an omelet without sucking a little teargas.

You've got a system with millions of people in despair. Millions, and growing daily. And all the while, they get to tune into any channel and watch as criminals are rewarded, seven...eight...nine zeroes at a time. That's culturally unsustainable, plain and simple. It may be your idea of capitalist survival of the fittest, but you failed to sell that dream to the people taking to the streets all around the world for the last year or so. It was never going to last.

I'm just interested to see what comes next, culturally. This go around lacked inspiration.

Bloom -- Do you see why some of us find OWS funny?

I never expected anything but a reaction from some that dismisses OWS and latches on to whatever qualities or people in the movement that match pre-conceived notions as predicates for that dismissal. The fact that so many spend so much breath dismissing it is a sign that it is working. If it was really as pointless and full of people who don't matter as some say, then why spend so much time opposing it?

For the record, I'm actively encouraging OWS to continue. I need more skits from the Daily Show and the Colbert Report on this to help me make it through my day.This thing is a comedy act more than anything else. Some of the funniest stuff I've seen in several years.

Kudos to OWS. Please keep this going.

 

[Reaper]

See? Moronic. Not only do you still have no idea what the goals here, are, despite boo-hooing incessantly, but you also fundamentally misunderstand why this protest is effective, while everything else that's been done since...oh, 1900 or so...has been masturbatory. The very things you cite as weaknesses are the reasons this thing continues to swell, even though the media pundits have been insisting it's on its deathbed for weeks. You're dying for it to be as simpleminded as the Tea Parties were, but it's not. This isn't a political movement. It's a cultural one. Cultural movements don't make unified demands. They don't go away quietly. They don't have leaders that can be bought off. They don't waste their time butting heads against lobbyists.

They change ####. They put the dice back in the can, and give it a shake. This one's going to change ####. I'll agree if your premise is that the way it's going to change #### likely ain't going to be pretty in the short term, but that's a necessary precondition to any meaningful change. You don't make an omelet without sucking a little teargas.

You've got a system with millions of people in despair. Millions, and growing daily. And all the while, they get to tune into any channel and watch as criminals are rewarded, seven...eight...nine zeroes at a time. That's culturally unsustainable, plain and simple. It may be your idea of capitalist survival of the fittest, but you failed to sell that dream to the people taking to the streets all around the world for the last year or so. It was never going to last.

I'm just interested to see what comes next, culturally. This go around lacked inspiration.

Bloom -- Do you see why some of us find OWS funny?

I never expected anything but a reaction from some that dismisses OWS and latches on to whatever qualities or people in the movement that match pre-conceived notions as predicates for that dismissal. The fact that so many spend so much breath dismissing it is a sign that it is working. If it was really as pointless and full of people who don't matter as some say, then why spend so much time opposing it?

For the record, I'm actively encouraging OWS to continue. I need more skits from the Daily Show and the Colbert Report on this to help me make it through my day.This thing is a comedy act more than anything else. Some of the funniest stuff I've seen in several years.

Kudos to OWS. Please keep this going.

So, What you're really saying is.... It's Working!!!!!!

 

[guderian]

The method and occupation might not be perfect, but it has actually changed the national discussion and it has emboldened people to join it - it has gotten a foothold in the national consciousness and that success outweighs whatever flaws there have been in the method. If there are smarter and more effective ways to draw attention to the real culprits in our economic crisis and start a movement to change the conditions that allowed it, I haven't seen it yet. None of this stuff is clean and perfect - I think it was amorphous to begin with and then evolving by design - true open tent democracy is messy and there are definitely interests that want to present this as malcontent envious lazy people even though you and I know that there is more to it than that.

We had the 'national discussion' about the issues raised by OWS over a month ago. If you look back through this thread as an example, you'd have to go back 40 pages to find the last meaningful discussion on the 'issues'--and both the pro and anti OWS folks ended up agreeing on a lot of things (reinstating Glass-Steagall, for instance). None of what OWS has done has changed my opinion that they wouldn't be there if we weren't having the ####tiest economic recovery on record. However, the last 40 pages have been about the anti-OWS crowd mocking OWS and chastising the methods they're using. The pro-OWS crowd has been mostly been out-raged by their treatment by a wide variety of authorities. I think that matches the national perception. For my perspective, this thing came along at the perfect time--just near the end of the Jersey Shore season and satiates my need to mock morons. At this point, the antics of OWS have done little to continue a meaningful debate anymore than Snooki and J-WOW.

 

[guderian]

Llink

In the middle of thousands of protestors yelling and chanting — some kicking and screaming – CBS 2’s Emily Smith found little school kids trying to get to class. Nervous parents led them through the barriers on Wall Street. The NYPD helped funnel the children, anything to ease their fears while some protestors chanted “follow those kids!”

“These guys are terrorists, yelling at little kids,” one father said.

“For them it’s horrible. They’re afraid of all the crowds. We’re not even able to get through. They’re just, he’s … very afraid now,” a mother added.

One protester followed a father and his little daughter all the way down the block.

Real cogent message here...let's all rally to their cause.

 

[kentric]

NYPD reporting 32k+ in NYC today.

Link to this NYPD report of 32,000 protestors?

It's from police scanners, no verified news report yet, but helicopter shots seem to jive with the number

I only work downtown, but if what we have seen down here is any indication, there is no way there were anywhere near 32k in the city. Maybe if you include the 24k who stood around just to see what was going on you can get to 32k, but otherwise....

 

[StrikeS2k]

The method and occupation might not be perfect, but it has actually changed the national discussion and it has emboldened people to join it - it has gotten a foothold in the national consciousness and that success outweighs whatever flaws there have been in the method. If there are smarter and more effective ways to draw attention to the real culprits in our economic crisis and start a movement to change the conditions that allowed it, I haven't seen it yet. None of this stuff is clean and perfect - I think it was amorphous to begin with and then evolving by design - true open tent democracy is messy and there are definitely interests that want to present this as malcontent envious lazy people even though you and I know that there is more to it than that.

60 minutes made more of an impact on the national consciousness in 15 minutes Sunday night than the national Occupy movement has in over two months, with a lot less destruction and loss of life.

 

[bueno]

See? Moronic. Not only do you still have no idea what the goals here, are, despite boo-hooing incessantly, but you also fundamentally misunderstand why this protest is effective, while everything else that's been done since...oh, 1900 or so...has been masturbatory. The very things you cite as weaknesses are the reasons this thing continues to swell, even though the media pundits have been insisting it's on its deathbed for weeks. You're dying for it to be as simpleminded as the Tea Parties were, but it's not. This isn't a political movement. It's a cultural one. Cultural movements don't make unified demands. They don't go away quietly. They don't have leaders that can be bought off. They don't waste their time butting heads against lobbyists.

They change ####. They put the dice back in the can, and give it a shake. This one's going to change ####. I'll agree if your premise is that the way it's going to change #### likely ain't going to be pretty in the short term, but that's a necessary precondition to any meaningful change. You don't make an omelet without sucking a little teargas.

You've got a system with millions of people in despair. Millions, and growing daily. And all the while, they get to tune into any channel and watch as criminals are rewarded, seven...eight...nine zeroes at a time. That's culturally unsustainable, plain and simple. It may be your idea of capitalist survival of the fittest, but you failed to sell that dream to the people taking to the streets all around the world for the last year or so. It was never going to last.

I'm just interested to see what comes next, culturally. This go around lacked inspiration.

Bloom -- Do you see why some of us find OWS funny?

I never expected anything but a reaction from some that dismisses OWS and latches on to whatever qualities or people in the movement that match pre-conceived notions as predicates for that dismissal. The fact that so many spend so much breath dismissing it is a sign that it is working. If it was really as pointless and full of people who don't matter as some say, then why spend so much time opposing it?

While the movement itself is pitiful, there is an inherent danger when you have a bunch of leaderless people with no apparent direction looking for a way to release their frustration. Other ugly movements have arisen from such a situation, as the leader that eventually emerges is often less than desirable. We have plenty of examples of this from Napoleon through Stalin to Ayatollah Khomeini.So while the group is laughable, one must be aware of history and hope that it stays that way. The western world is in big trouble economically right now, and no telling what spark might result in a conflagration. This is one of those possible sparks. It is in everyone's best interest if this group stays marginalized. They make the Tea Party look like a bunch of Rhodes scholars by comparison.

 

[bueno]

See? Moronic. Not only do you still have no idea what the goals here, are, despite boo-hooing incessantly, but you also fundamentally misunderstand why this protest is effective, while everything else that's been done since...oh, 1900 or so...has been masturbatory. The very things you cite as weaknesses are the reasons this thing continues to swell, even though the media pundits have been insisting it's on its deathbed for weeks. You're dying for it to be as simpleminded as the Tea Parties were, but it's not. This isn't a political movement. It's a cultural one. Cultural movements don't make unified demands. They don't go away quietly. They don't have leaders that can be bought off. They don't waste their time butting heads against lobbyists.

They change ####. They put the dice back in the can, and give it a shake. This one's going to change ####. I'll agree if your premise is that the way it's going to change #### likely ain't going to be pretty in the short term, but that's a necessary precondition to any meaningful change. You don't make an omelet without sucking a little teargas.

You've got a system with millions of people in despair. Millions, and growing daily. And all the while, they get to tune into any channel and watch as criminals are rewarded, seven...eight...nine zeroes at a time. That's culturally unsustainable, plain and simple. It may be your idea of capitalist survival of the fittest, but you failed to sell that dream to the people taking to the streets all around the world for the last year or so. It was never going to last.

I'm just interested to see what comes next, culturally. This go around lacked inspiration.

Bloom -- Do you see why some of us find OWS funny?

I never expected anything but a reaction from some that dismisses OWS and latches on to whatever qualities or people in the movement that match pre-conceived notions as predicates for that dismissal. The fact that so many spend so much breath dismissing it is a sign that it is working. If it was really as pointless and full of people who don't matter as some say, then why spend so much time opposing it?

That's not what I see at all.... I see people spending time mocking and discussing THE METHOD of the protest, THE OCCUPATION over the real Issues.I'd say most people have sympathy and can relate to a lot of what we think OWS is about, but, many also think this is just plane stupid, dangerous and costly. That includes the likes of Jon Stewart who would be ALL-IN if this thing was done the right way.

IMO, there are smarter and more effective ways to get your point accross in todays climate.

This whole thing has moved away from debating the politics of the movement and SOLUTIONS to stories and videos about Tents, Boobs, Taunting, Mace, Rats, Disease, Assaults, and the ironic Class system that quickly developed in this community.

And I don't say that to you often.

 

[bueno]

That's not what I see at all.... I see people spending time mocking and discussing THE METHOD of the protest, THE OCCUPATION over the real Issues.

I'd say most people have sympathy and can relate to a lot of what we think OWS is about, but, many also think this is just plane stupid, dangerous and costly. That includes the likes of Jon Stewart who would be ALL-IN if this thing was done the right way.

IMO, there are smarter and more effective ways to get your point accross in todays climate.

This whole thing has moved away from debating the politics of the movement and SOLUTIONS to stories and videos about Tents, Boobs, Taunting, Mace, Rats, Disease, Assaults, and the ironic Class system that quickly developed in this community.

The method and occupation might not be perfect, but it has actually changed the national discussion and it has emboldened people to join it - it has gotten a foothold in the national consciousness and that success outweighs whatever flaws there have been in the method. If there are smarter and more effective ways to draw attention to the real culprits in our economic crisis and start a movement to change the conditions that allowed it, I haven't seen it yet. None of this stuff is clean and perfect - I think it was amorphous to begin with and then evolving by design - true open tent democracy is messy and there are definitely interests that want to present this as malcontent envious lazy people even though you and I know that there is more to it than that.

You weren't around in the late 60s? MLK down?

 

[bueno]

Bloom -- Do you see why some of us find OWS funny?

I never expected anything but a reaction from some that dismisses OWS and latches on to whatever qualities or people in the movement that match pre-conceived notions as predicates for that dismissal. The fact that so many spend so much breath dismissing it is a sign that it is working. If it was really as pointless and full of people who don't matter as some say, then why spend so much time opposing it?

I have found the flaw in your line of thinking. Let's illustrate by applying your train of thought to another topic:The fact that so many spend so much breath dismissing Rebecca Black is a sign that she is a great singer. If she was really as pointless and doesn't matter as some say, then why spend so much time opposing her?

yeah but people stopped talking about Rebecca Black about a week after her song came out... here we are two months after OWS started... the best way y'all will convince me to stop caring about OWS is if y'all stop caring about it.

Really? CNN just had a story on her 2 days ago.

About her popularity, yes? Not about her singing prowess. Fensalks analogy was terrible.

Actually the story was about how she still has so many haters. So, the analogy would still stand.

That it proves she is great singer? C'mon, you are being intentionally obtuse. It proves she has great popularity (which was her objective).

By that logic then, Bush was a very popular president.

Perfect comparison, though I know it wasnt how you intended.Bush got millions of hits (mostly negative) on youtube (and many other places) and all that negative press is to mean (according to fensalk) that it proves he was a good President. No. It means that he was good at drawing a reaction and getting people to talk (even if hate). So yes he had massive notoriety* (negative and positive, mostly negative).

The better word to use is notoriety. As popularity... can get twisted to popular, which gets twisted again into being "good".

Notoriety is a good word to use here. Wish I had thought of it. I'm trying to wrap my head around the concept of positive notoriety though.

 

[E Street Brat]

I fear for Tampa when the RNC gets here for their convention. These people are doing a real dis-service to their cause.

 

[JerseyToughGuys]

“If only they enforced bank regulations like they do park rules, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

Dumb quote.

You don't think that the practices that nearly brought down the entire world economy deserved a coordinated and decisive response, but a bunch a street protests did? I think that's the point here, we can see that when the powers that be decide a swift and strong response is warranted, we see action... so why have exponentially more protest members been arrested than those that perpetuated the practices that caused a worldwide financial crisis that still continues to this day?

It's a dumb quote because they are two completely unrelated things, and attempting to compare them this way comes off as a lame, stupid attempt at irony that doesn't make any sense. In that way it is a microcosm of the entire OWS movement. A lot of anger and resentment, but no ability to effectively articulate it.

Aren't the protests the thing that make them related? I think they are comparable in the way that any priority set and carried out by law enforcement is comparable. Perhaps the way the anger is being articulated seems ineffective on its face, yet the opposition to OWS is spending a lot of time trying to discredit it, so it has been at least effective at getting the attention of those that would be in opposition to its goals.

No, not really. You keep lumping everything into one body - "the powers that be," "law enforcement." That's an extremely simplistic view of the system. NY is breaking up the protests for NY-related reasons. The SEC isn't out there picking up tents. Different things are going on in Dallas, Portland, Boston, etc. There is no one law enforcement agency that's leaving a pile of white collar crime folders on its desk to go out and break up these protests. That's why it's a dumb quote.I don't think anyone needs to try very hard to discredit this movement now. It was interesting during the ascension, but clearly it's peaked, and now they're resorting to throwing themselves at police and attempting to screw up public transportation for some reason. I don't think there's a lot of 1%ers taking the subway, but that's just me.

NYPD reporting 32k+ in NYC today.

Every single OWS protestor I've seen interviewed comes off as a complete moron. You may be against many things going on in the system, as I am, but that doesn't mean that you need to take up this banner.

Every single whiner in this thread has come off as a complete moron, but that doesn't stop you.

As for goals, still not really sure what their goals are. The problem with OWS is that it started off as a grass roots, individualistic movement with as many different causes as there were members...and it stayed that way. There was no end game, no leadership, not even an answer to winter. Ultimately that's why in a couple years, this won't really be talked about all that much in a relevant way.

See? Moronic. Not only do you still have no idea what the goals here, are, despite boo-hooing incessantly, but you also fundamentally misunderstand why this protest is effective, while everything else that's been done since...oh, 1900 or so...has been masturbatory. The very things you cite as weaknesses are the reasons this thing continues to swell, even though the media pundits have been insisting it's on its deathbed for weeks. You're dying for it to be as simpleminded as the Tea Parties were, but it's not. This isn't a political movement. It's a cultural one. Cultural movements don't make unified demands. They don't go away quietly. They don't have leaders that can be bought off. They don't waste their time butting heads against lobbyists.They change ####. They put the dice back in the can, and give it a shake. This one's going to change ####. I'll agree if your premise is that the way it's going to change #### likely ain't going to be pretty in the short term, but that's a necessary precondition to any meaningful change. You don't make an omelet without sucking a little teargas.

You've got a system with millions of people in despair. Millions, and growing daily. And all the while, they get to tune into any channel and watch as criminals are rewarded, seven...eight...nine zeroes at a time. That's culturally unsustainable, plain and simple. It may be your idea of capitalist survival of the fittest, but you failed to sell that dream to the people taking to the streets all around the world for the last year or so. It was never going to last.

I'm just interested to see what comes next, culturally. This go around lacked inspiration.

l'ol wow

 

[Jules Winnfield]

As winter rolls in and temperatures drop below zero with windchills getting to -30 and more, I want to see how many of these people with no time on their hands keep protesting. Especially in areas where no tents are allowed

Who gets sued when someone freezes to death and the whiners of OWS are looking for a freebie?

 

[JerseyToughGuys]

See? Moronic. Not only do you still have no idea what the goals here, are, despite boo-hooing incessantly, but you also fundamentally misunderstand why this protest is effective, while everything else that's been done since...oh, 1900 or so...has been masturbatory. The very things you cite as weaknesses are the reasons this thing continues to swell, even though the media pundits have been insisting it's on its deathbed for weeks. You're dying for it to be as simpleminded as the Tea Parties were, but it's not. This isn't a political movement. It's a cultural one. Cultural movements don't make unified demands. They don't go away quietly. They don't have leaders that can be bought off. They don't waste their time butting heads against lobbyists.

They change ####. They put the dice back in the can, and give it a shake. This one's going to change ####. I'll agree if your premise is that the way it's going to change #### likely ain't going to be pretty in the short term, but that's a necessary precondition to any meaningful change. You don't make an omelet without sucking a little teargas.

You've got a system with millions of people in despair. Millions, and growing daily. And all the while, they get to tune into any channel and watch as criminals are rewarded, seven...eight...nine zeroes at a time. That's culturally unsustainable, plain and simple. It may be your idea of capitalist survival of the fittest, but you failed to sell that dream to the people taking to the streets all around the world for the last year or so. It was never going to last.

I'm just interested to see what comes next, culturally. This go around lacked inspiration.

Bloom -- Do you see why some of us find OWS funny?

I never expected anything but a reaction from some that dismisses OWS and latches on to whatever qualities or people in the movement that match pre-conceived notions as predicates for that dismissal. The fact that so many spend so much breath dismissing it is a sign that it is working. If it was really as pointless and full of people who don't matter as some say, then why spend so much time opposing it?

I don't oppose it. I just laugh at it because 99% of it is ridiculous.

 

[JerseyToughGuys]

OWS is the Tim Tebow of Protests.

Ill equipped and Unsustainable.

 

[Jojo the circus boy]

does anyone know the final arrest count for yesterday?

 

[Rayderr]

Nice going OWS! You just got 75,000 people laid off. All of them part of the 99%!

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- As protesters find new ways to "Occupy Wall Street", major financial firms have been busy handing out pink slips this week.It's the second week of what's expected to be a brutal season for job cuts as big banks have already announced that there will roughly 75,000 fewer people working at their firms.

 

[cr8f]

Nice going OWS! You just got 75,000 people laid off. All of them part of the 99%!

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- As protesters find new ways to "Occupy Wall Street", major financial firms have been busy handing out pink slips this week.

It's the second week of what's expected to be a brutal season for job cuts as big banks have already announced that there will roughly 75,000 fewer people working at their firms.

Protesters caused mass layoffs? Right

This is funny though. An 87 year old who can't get arrested.

NEW YORK — Among the hordes of Occupy Wall Street protesters, Frances Goldin stands out: the 87-year-old literary agent and activist has a tuft of purple hair and carries a sign that reads, "I'm 87 and mad as hell."

She may not look like the typical Zuccotti Park demonstrator, but Goldin, who has demonstrated for the rights of the disenfranchised for decades, believes in the mission to close the income equality gap and to promote social justice.

See video, read the original story about Frances Goldin at NBCNewYork.com

"I've been arrested nine times for civil disobedience; I want to be arrested 12 times," Goldin said Thursday. "And I was sure I'd be arrested today, but the cops were determined because of the bad publicity for them, to not arrest an 87-year-old woman."

"I've been arrested nine times for civil disobedience; I want to be arrested 12 times," Goldin said Thursday. "And I was sure I'd be arrested today, but the cops were determined because of the bad publicity for them, to not arrest an 87-year-old woman."

"I said [to an officer], 'What if I socked you in the eye?,' and he said, 'I'd give you a free shot,'" Goldin said. "'Well, what if I kneed you in the groin?,' and he said, 'No, you're not going to get arrested!'"

Captains of finance clueless about Occupy's anger

But more than 300 people did get arrested in the protests in New York City and other U.S. cities on Thursday.

Organizers had expected tens of thousands to turn out in New York after their camp in Zuccotti Park was cleared out by police overnight Monday, but the protests Thursday drew substantially fewer than that.

Eventually, the protesters marched onto the Brooklyn Bridge Thursday night, many carrying handheld LED lights. The crowd included many labor unions marching in solidarity. Among the 64 people arrested at the bridge for blocking traffic was Brooklyn City Councilman Jumaane Williams.

 

[Rayderr]

Nice going OWS! You just got 75,000 people laid off. All of them part of the 99%!

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- As protesters find new ways to "Occupy Wall Street", major financial firms have been busy handing out pink slips this week.It's the second week of what's expected to be a brutal season for job cuts as big banks have already announced that there will roughly 75,000 fewer people working at their firms.

Protesters caused mass layoffs? Right

My bad. I thought OWS was having an impact on the banks. Guess I was wrong.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Oh good -- cr8f is here. Now we'll get all of this sorted out.

 

[E Street Brat]

I'm here for the street pooping

 

[Zow]

These people are insufferable. That lady in cr8f's link is a great example. Civil Disobedience is being indifferent to being arrested for something you philosophically believe shouldn't be unlawful - like paying your taxes. If she punches the cop in the eye, she will be arrested for assault. Unless she believes it should be lawful to punch a cop for no reason, that's not civil disobedience.

Reminds me of a recent run-in with these guys outside the courthouse a few days ago. One guy had a bullhorn and was yelling stuff. Another guy had a sign with a picture of a youngish guy in a black suit and a briefcase. Sure enough, I walk by in my black suit and briefcase and the bullhorn guy sees me, points to the sign, and goes "that's you! I hope you can live with yourself." I point to my briefcase and inform him the logo on it stands for the Public Defender's Association and that they should actually probably like me. The bullhorn guy starts to yell back but his sign buddy stops him and tells him he thinks I may be right. I walked away as they argued about it.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

These people are insufferable. That lady in cr8f's link is a great example. Civil Disobedience is being indifferent to being arrested for something you philosophically believe shouldn't be unlawful - like paying your taxes. If she punches the cop in the eye, she will be arrested for assault. Unless she believes it should be lawful to punch a cop for no reason, that's not civil disobedience. Reminds me of a recent run-in with these guys outside the courthouse a few days ago. One guy had a bullhorn and was yelling stuff. Another guy had a sign with a picture of a youngish guy in a black suit and a briefcase. Sure enough, I walk by in my black suit and briefcase and the bullhorn guy sees me, points to the sign, and goes "that's you! I hope you can live with yourself." I point to my briefcase and inform him the logo on it stands for the Public Defender's Association and that they should actually probably like me. The bullhorn guy starts to yell back but his sign buddy stops him and tells him he thinks I may be right. I walked away as they argued about it.

I'm guessing these many of these people are going to become better acquainted with the public defenders office in time.

 

[kentric]

Nice going OWS! You just got 75,000 people laid off. All of them part of the 99%!

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- As protesters find new ways to "Occupy Wall Street", major financial firms have been busy handing out pink slips this week.It's the second week of what's expected to be a brutal season for job cuts as big banks have already announced that there will roughly 75,000 fewer people working at their firms.

 

[kentric]

Nice going OWS! You just got 75,000 people laid off. All of them part of the 99%!

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- As protesters find new ways to "Occupy Wall Street", major financial firms have been busy handing out pink slips this week.It's the second week of what's expected to be a brutal season for job cuts as big banks have already announced that there will roughly 75,000 fewer people working at their firms.

Protesters caused mass layoffs? Right

My bad. I thought OWS was having an impact on the banks. Guess I was wrong.

Oh. You were serious.In that case....

 

[pantagrapher]

Since it's all over the news this morning,