Occupy Wall Street Protests

I don't think they have a clue what they're asking for, and neither do they, so I'm just kind of watching with detached amusement at the whole thing.

They do have one point: the wealth gap in the US has gotten to the point it ranks below that of a good number of third world countries, and it's hard to argue that isn't a problem for long-term economic stability.

what i find amusing is that you can rarely get a straight answer for what they are protesting other than "greed"

what SPECIFICALLY did wallstreet do to make these people have student loans or how is it there fault that the guy complaining about his 7 dollar an hour job is only making that much?


**edit**

on a side note i think a lot of them are just because they want to be like the hippies in the 60s and protest something not because they are actually trying to change anything, they just want to complain and protest.

It might just be me, but Students protesting just to be edgy really annoy me more than anything.

I mean... They have no idea what they're fighting other than the 'system'.

Too many sociology classes, with a hippy professor.

I seriously doubt anyone in that group is saying to themselves, "I want to be like the hippies and complain about something for the fun of it."

Yeah, a lot of "hippies" protested back in the day. But do you know what all for? One thing that comes to mind is America's use of Agent Orange on Vietnam's crops to dry their food supply up. The sprays even ventured into Cambodia(the country that struggled to remain neutral in the conflict, and with whom we were not at war).

Additionally, through Henry Kissinger, we managed to bomb and kill ~600,000 Cambodian civilians.

Those seemed like pretty important things to protest if you ask me.

Ah perspective - Some of Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge days of running Kampuchea (oh yes.. formerly Cambodia)

Yep Pol Pot - Leader of Cambodia whose regime resulted in the genocide of an estimated 2 million Cambodians by Cambodians..

Not exactly sure what you're trying to state here.

Are you saying that it was ok for us to kill civilians since they did it to themselves years later with Khmer Rouge? Also, Khmer Rouge very well could have been blow-back from the US involvement.

So.. A capitalist country(US) is bombing your neutral country(Cambodia) while at war with a communist regime(Vietnam/Soviets). Is it strange to think that the people of that country(Cambodia) would mount up a communist regime out of sheer hatred of the US? I don't think it is. And given the evidence...


The events of Khmer Rouge occurred nauseatingly close after the US bombings. And understandably so:


Cause and effect.

If that's not what you're saying and if I misinterpreted you, then sorry.

The reason you arent going to get a straight answer is because most people cannot fully grasp what's going on yet they feel small pieces of the puzzle affecting them in their daily lives. Be that higher gas prices, a paycheck that stays the same as everything zooms up in price or mounting (student) debt closing in from all sides.

It isn't that simple to merely bundle this as one "problem" when people protesting have a wide variety of issues bothering them from unemployment (relevant) to "the jews did it!" (hateful diatribe that should be ignored).

The recent national "debt crisis" which amounted to nothing more than huffing and puffing from both sides of government did nothing more than show how dysfunctional both parties in this country are. The Republicans have written off any attempt to fix our US problems until after the '12 election and the Democrats are spectacular in their inability to get things done due to the obstructionism and division within the party.

While the populace suffers, pointless debates on saving money has led to further unemployment, shrinking benefits, the potential of a double-dip recession (partly due to Europe) and overall detatchment of the government to the plight of their citizens and who could blame them?

Have you seen any politicans lament about their financial futures recently? No, cause they're set and their families are set.

Turn your head to Wall Street where many of the decisionmakers routinely buy and sell our leaders to further their own aims. The politicians need money to feed those campaign coffers you know and that money comes with implication of doing what best serves the companies. Corporations have gone from legal entities to having the same rights as citizens of this country and any sense of accountability is shirked off to the taxpayer when push comes to shove.

My company is failing? Just cry 'too big to fail', mention how many jobs will be lost and hope the government writes you a check to keep things afloat. Now, now im only joking.

I am not going to make the bold statement that all corporations are out to screw over citizens as there are numerous who are willing to pay their taxes, turn profits and give back through charitable donations BUT there are companies out there who want to hijack the government, use it as an extension of their power and only the people can stand up and say enough is enough.

Surely. But that's not saying that a whole bunch of them didn't really enjoy random sex and drugs raining from the sky, either.

Hello ah.com. Its been awhile since I've seen you guys ^^

Bart, It's pretty obvious there are severe political and economic flaws in our current system right? Well, its all a matter of perspective. If you are part of the group that currently benefits from the system I doubt that you have many complaints.

But the real problem is that the number of people benefiting are very few, while the vast majority of people are bound and taken advantage of by the system.

Should people that are at a disadvantage be content to just conform and stay in line, or should they use the options that are available to them to try and better their situation?

For the common person who lacks power and great wealth, what other option do we have other than vocal and physical protest?

Get a job - Really? This cannot be a valid argument in our current situation.

Vote - Not viable. The system as it currently operates does not allow for actual change to occur in this way. We can only choose from the candidates that are presented to us. To be a candidate you have to campaign. To campaign you need vast amounts of money. To get vast amounts of money you need to be in bed with big business or be big business yourself. Since a great many of the flaws we currently face are due to the marriage of politics with big business, this does not lend itself to being a viable option.

That leaves protest and that is what people are turning to. Some think that people do not have the right to protest if they do not fully understand what they are protesting against. I disagree. The situations we face are cloudy for a reason. But, people can sense that something is not right, they can see that what they are being told and what is happening in front of their eyes are not the same. Throughout history people that have been under the foot of other people eventually lash out. America is no different. Deception can only be sustained for so long.

People will make their voices heard. History shows it will happen one way or another.

That all makes great sense, except that isn't protesting something you don't understand a lot like a tired baby crying? They know something isn't right - but not exactly, nor what to do about it.

On top of that, in (some cases) their naivety makes their protest totally off base. "DOWN WITH CAPITALISM!!!" posted to twitter via iphone doesn't really make them credible in a lot of people's eyes.

I think it's ok to be upset based on a general feeling that things aren't well, something has to change, but it doesn't look like it will. But taking any action based on that alone is... something I don't know a word for.

What do we want!!!!???? - "I DON'T KNOW!!!!"
When do we want it!?!?!? - "NOW!"

The problem is that vast swaths of people cannot find the work to then move up the social ladder. Let's assume everyone isn't a college student with family support and you'll easily see a problem emerge - how are you supposed to go "re-educate" yourself when expenses are rising, you have mouths to feed and time is torn between the low-wage jobs (if you get one) and taking care of your life?

Im not saying that it's impossible to go to college/trade school but that requires a financial investment many people just don't have. Unless you live in a town like the one being mentioned in North Dakota where an oil company has hired the entire town to work for them, unemployment is an issue and depending on which circles you talk to it can be a major problem.

Most people are happy with middle-class existences but in todays current political and social spheres, this is becoming less of a reality. Do people need to learn to cut back and live more responsible lives? Yes, but many people have been doing that since the recession hit and cost of living is still going to drag them under. Fees, fees everywhere.

So where is our leadership? Both parties could care less about the citizens so long as those campaign contributions come rolling in and we continue to vote them in come election cycle. The greatest test of handling a crisis has been in the last 4 years and most of that has been squandered on party bickering instead of doing the job the people elected them to do.

It's obvious that at this point the government has wholly detached itself from the plight of its people.

The American dream isn't to make everyone a winner but these days it sure seems like the same people people keep losing while the same few people keep winning, winning and winning to new heights.

Much like the Tea Party (the ideological mirror of OWS), you're going to have alot of people who are there because they're mad yet they can't really put their finger on what it is. Everyone isn't a scholar-king but people do have a universal detector for when they are being screwed and the current economy screams "you're being screwed" to many.

To be fair, most of the politicians we've sent to Washington don't even fully understand what's going on because so many forces are at work here. Jobs are being sent overseas, localities have had to cut back vital programs, gas prices are high enough to impact wallets, prices for everything are going up and the people feel disillusioned from the "American Dream" that you might one day have some wealth to pass onto children or grandchildren. Guess what constitutes most of an average persons wealth? A house.

That's what I see anyway. Pockets of the populace are starting to realize that they may never get their shot at the American Dream and that it is unfair that the uber-rich haven't suffered one bit during the recession and seem to only grow more powerful with each passing year.

Personally, I believe the solution lies with jobs and I don't mean security gigs or $7.15 flipping burgers.

Not exactly. I think your baby analogy is slightly inaccurate. They baby knows what it wants, it just lacks the ability to communicate it.

I do think the protesters are similar in this regard though. IMO what I think people are most angry about is that we are losing opportunity. Most people are not looking for a handout. I don't think the protesters are looking for lifelong handouts as is portrayed, but rather opportunity in life.

The option to make ourselves and our lives better. Right now it seems that chance is being taken away. So yes they will cry, what else can they do? If a baby is hungry you dont expect it to just stay quiet and starve.

People dont know what to do, so they will do whatever they can do. I cannot begrudge them for this.

How does a group organize itself and clearly define its anger at a loss of opportunity? Protesting concepts is more difficult than an actual thing or place. I suppose Wall Street is as good of a symbol of their frustration as any.

It's a huge problem that would require huge changes to address it.

A. The de-globalization of America's economy
B. A forced separation of business and politics
C. Anti-trust laws expanded by a large degree

Obviously there are thousands of more issues, but IMO these would be a good start.

I look at it like this. When I grew up in the 80's, my father had a $40,000 a year salary, and my family of six was able to live comfortably off of this and have savings for the future without my mom working. We weren't rich but we enjoyed a good life and got to spend time together as a family to grow and become responsible and intelligent adults. I currently am single, with a little over $30,000/year salary. The money I make is barely enough for me to afford housing, electic/water/phone, car payment/insurance, with enough left over for some entertainment (cable internet and ffxi) and groceries.
I'm not complaining about my current state. I am content with where I'm at and enjoy a good life for myself. What concerns me is people with families living on the same amount of money as me. I see tons of single parents struggling to make ends meet. I see two parent families where both parents work so much in order to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table, that their kids are stuck in daycare and rarely spend time at home with their parents, learning about them and their family values. This makes me so sad because the breakdown of American families, is to me what's causing the breakdown of America's real strength and structure. Our teachers can only teach so much and if parents are working so hard that they can't take care of their children, things are going to continue to get worse as the next generation is not only dumbed down, but they also have a lesser sense of family and the unconditional love and bond that goes with it.
What's different now compared to then? Well cost of living has gone way up while wages have remained the same or gone down. Food, travel expenses, medical expenses, and many other standards of American living have continued to climb in price while wages have remained stagnant. There a lot of reasons for this, but the most obvious one, the one that these protestors are going after, is the system that allows this to happen and the people behind it believed to be currently pulling the strings.
I won't say that there's not a little class envy behind it. Everyone wants a better life for themselves. But people on here saying that the 99% are just a bunch of young hippies that want a hand out are not right. They are fighing for the future of the working class in this country to not be manipulated farther down into poverty while there is plenty of wealth being indulged by those on the opposite end. There are varying ages, religions, races, financial standings, locals, and political ideologies gathering behind one cause.
If you work hard for a living, if you love your family and your friends, if you care about a better future, if you are tired of left vs right, R vs D, C vs L, black vs white politics, then stop arguing why your side is so much more right than any other playing right into the norm of politics. Start listening to what others are saying without just thinking about the next cynical comeback to make them feel bad and make you feel good. If you agree, say so, if you disagree, kindly explain why you see things differently and open up discussion on how to make the differences work for as many people as possible.
Those of you who think that this is the left's version of the tea party, I suggest you go to a local occupy event and participate in it. You will see that is not the case. There are all types of people working together. Don't let the media and politicians distract you away from that so that you don't see it for yourself.

We don't live in a free market capitalistic economy.

The fact the government bailed out the banks as well as many big corporations proves we are a socialist country, as if the existence of programs such as Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, and public assistance didn't already prove that.

I was listening to a radio interview where Sean Hannity was blasting an 18 year old girl for not understanding what she was even protesting. He asked her, "What business is it of yours if somebody on Wall Street gets a $3,000,000 bonus? Shouldn't he be able to earn a bonus if he earns his company a huge increase in profits? What's wrong with that?"

The girl, who obviously was educated in the US public school system, couldn't give Hannity a straight answer. She basically said that it was greedy and he shouldn't be taking that money for himself when there are homeless people on the streets, including small children.

Hannity then asked her if she supported the ideas of Karl Marx, without identifying whose ideas they were. She said yes, and he said, "You're a communist!"

I wish I could have responded to Hannity because I'd have told him this-

Anybody working on Wall Street doesn't deserve a bonus unless the company they worked for took no bailout money and/or their company has paid the government the money back in full.

Speaking of the bailouts, how many of you are aware McDonald's received bailout money? Can you say "federally-subsidized Dollar Menu"?
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-01/fed-crisis-borrowers-ranged-from-bank-of-america-to-mcdonald-s.html

http://www.hollywoodrepublican.net/2011/06/mcdonalds-got-hundreds-of-millions-in-bail-out-money/

McDonald's was given $203 million, or $556,164.38 for every day of a year. To put it into perspective, McDonald's received $15854.42 per restaurant.

Was this part of Bush and Obama's job program? Are McJobs really that vital to our economy?

National health care is being brought to you by the same government that subsidizes fast food restaurants, one of the leading causes of health problems in the United States.

Spoken like a true politician!


I agree with this point, there needs to be a CLEAR message. I think the tea party protests communicated their message better.

These people are a joke, I bet if anyone offered any single one of those people a 100k/yr job they'd drop their signboard instantly take up resident as the evil 1% they so fully despise. Meanwhile they are are trashing the place and full of hatred.

This is "community organizing" at its finest. Funded by union money and interests. I never knew left wingers were so jealous of "tea partiers".



I really think that they don't hate the "bailout nation", they just want their OWN bailout.

Agreed, since their early protests were mainly unrealistic and directionless anti-government/anti-taxes anger, until the corporate money moved in to back them.

I haven't been paying attention to the whole thing much. My facebook people are getting really riled up over it though. I've seen a couple people get in fights over it. One of my pals posted this:

Error displaying youtube video.

Which seems to not be what the people protesting are demanding...? I don't know. I'm afraid that I'm too busy living my own life to notice what's going on for the protest. And I suppose that's half the problem in America-- people are too busy living their own lives to focus on other peoples' problems, then they become everybody's problems.

;; I'm a problem.


Well, since the youtube tags box isn't behaving, here's just the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qI_P3pxze5w

I was against the bailouts and still am.

I don't think borrowing in excess of $2 trillion dollars from China to bailout corporations such as McDonald's was the best decision we could have made as a country.

Nausi,
How else would you expect them to get their message out? Contrary to some of the signs, the idea behind this isn't to bring down corporations completely. It's to tell corporations that we're here, we've been buying your products as loyal consumers and building up your profits, how about a little return on that loyalty. How do those companies plan on surviving when the largest consumer driven market in the world can no longer afford the items they sell?

And 100k/year hardly qualified a person for the top 1%. In today's economy that is considered middle of the middle class. At the Occupy Tampa rally, a good amount of people there were tea party members who understood that as long as we are divided, our country will continue to lose.

Everyone should protest naked obviously. Your picture is interesting btw, why don't you point out where all of those products were made? No need, we know not a single one was produced here in the US.

Trashing the place? Full of hatred? I know you haven't been down there because the protests have been quite peaceful and there has been no destruction of private property. You want an unruly mob but you aren't getting one.

Union money? While some unions have been down there, most people are there of their own accord since you know.. unemployment is still ranges from 3-25% depending on where you come from.

People don't want a bailout. They want jobs, opportunity and a sense of leadership from the leaders they elected to serve in congress. Instead, what they have been given is dysfunctional government where both sides are but lap dogs to their corporate donors.

But who am I kidding, these people should go home and simply accept the fact that the wealth gap will continue to grow and there is nary a thing they can do about it.

(P.S - All corporations aren't "bad", contrary to the idea you believe all leftists share)