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even though I have no idea what they want aside from some kind of fuzzy vision of a Utopian world that's probably impossible. Basic infrastructure investment (

even though I have no idea what they want aside from some kind of fuzzy vision of a Utopian world that's probably impossible. Basic infrastructure investment (high speed rail, broadband, healthcare, education) as economic stimulus, paying down deficits by raising the taxes on the wealthiest, a reintroduction of Glass-Steagall and other investment/banking regulations, a scaling back of militarism and empire, a crackdown on corruption and collusion between corporations and government (ie, hiring agribusiness ceo's to head government watchdog agencies), and a broadening of the debate. I realize that the media has not done a great job of making these demands known. These are not my demands (I'd choose something considerably more sweeping and radical), but I have a hard time considering them utopian or fuzzy. In fact, they're all so immediately doable, some countries have been at it for half a century. So, I get a little defensive when I hear that the Occupy movement is all pie-in-the-sky. It's actually a movement based almost entirely on low hanging fruit.

mindstab 15y ago
eeeh the problem is it's way to chaotic. I've head people of the generation who have gone out to the protests say it's about all kinds of things including "fair wages AROUND THE WORLD" for instance which to me means everyone in north america takes a hilarious pay cut 0_o so yeah, it's hard to see this huge group shouting so many different things, some a bit crazy and assign them any one sensical view point. Sure, some of them want more sane things like banking reform. And so do I. And I can empathize with that. But the group is larger than just that, and crazyier. So I get what the author means when he says he doesn't know what they want other than some utopic thing, because as a whole, it's pretty schizophrenic and nonsensical and impractical. There are too many people out there for too many reasons for it to be a clear and coherant movement. Which is it's strength and weakness. With no clear solid one true path/plan it can continue to draw people from all over the place and amass a much larger group of protesters than otherwise might be possible, which is good in so much as more people is more attention getting, but it's bad in that there is no clear voice or opinion. It means something different to everyone. So it's going to be hard to accomplish too much.

mindstab 15y ago

eeeh the problem is it's way to chaotic. I've head people of the generation who have gone out to the protests say it's about all kinds of things including "fair wages AROUND THE WORLD" for instance which to me means everyone in north america takes a hilarious pay cut 0_o so yeah, it's hard to see this huge group shouting so many different things, some a bit crazy and assign them any one sensical view point. Sure, some of them want more sane things like banking reform. And so do I. And I can empathize with that. But the group is larger than just that, and crazyier. So I get what the author means when he says he doesn't know what they want other than some utopic thing, because as a whole, it's pretty schizophrenic and nonsensical and impractical. There are too many people out there for too many reasons for it to be a clear and coherant movement. Which is it's strength and weakness. With no clear solid one true path/plan it can continue to draw people from all over the place and amass a much larger group of protesters than otherwise might be possible, which is good in so much as more people is more attention getting, but it's bad in that there is no clear voice or opinion. It means something different to everyone. So it's going to be hard to accomplish too much.