Opinion of "Occupy Wall Street"

[patrick1]

Sure are a lot of class warfare apologists in this thread (and I mean the class warfare that's actually happening, against the working and middle-class, not the other definition, of rich people whining that some people want to raise their taxes).

Political protests accomplish little beyond dragging in flocks or starry-eyed tourists that crowd the streets, ignore traffic lights, slow the public transportation, and wander around shouting inane slogans and making a mess of everything.  I feel sorry for the people of New York.  Go the f**k home and leave people alone.  I don't care what they're about, they're disruptive annoying grandstanding that wrecks ordinary city life.

Yeah, downtown is very annoying. You have a bunch of attention whores who are just in the way. Further. it is a drain on the police department's manpower and resources.

[Napoleon]

a useless and misguided street theater, centered on unoriginal, inane class warfare slogans.

Any Democrat who seriously uses the term "class warfare" should be banned from the party.

These protesters are morons who I wish were supporters of some fringe party.

[Lief 🗽]

Sure are a lot of class warfare apologists in this thread (and I mean the class warfare that's actually happening, against the working and middle-class, not the other definition, of rich people whining that some people want to raise their taxes).

Political protests accomplish little beyond dragging in flocks or starry-eyed tourists that crowd the streets, ignore traffic lights, slow the public transportation, and wander around shouting inane slogans and making a mess of everything.  I feel sorry for the people of New York.  Go the f**k home and leave people alone.  I don't care what they're about, they're disruptive annoying grandstanding that wrecks ordinary city life.

Ah yes, how dare people are momentarily inconvenienced! The buses are running five minutes slower today because people are demonstrating for a cause they strongly believe in... this is an outrage!!

[Napoleon]

Sure are a lot of class warfare apologists in this thread (and I mean the class warfare that's actually happening, against the working and middle-class, not the other definition, of rich people whining that some people want to raise their taxes).

Political protests accomplish little beyond dragging in flocks or starry-eyed tourists that crowd the streets, ignore traffic lights, slow the public transportation, and wander around shouting inane slogans and making a mess of everything.  I feel sorry for the people of New York.  Go the f**k home and leave people alone.  I don't care what they're about, they're disruptive annoying grandstanding that wrecks ordinary city life.

Ah yes, how dare people are momentarily inconvenienced! The buses are running five minutes slower today because people are demonstrating for a cause they strongly believe in... this is an outrage!!

Buses that the less fortunate rely on to get to work on time.

[TheDeadFlagBlues]

Sure are a lot of class warfare apologists in this thread (and I mean the class warfare that's actually happening, against the working and middle-class, not the other definition, of rich people whining that some people want to raise their taxes).

Political protests accomplish little beyond dragging in flocks or starry-eyed tourists that crowd the streets, ignore traffic lights, slow the public transportation, and wander around shouting inane slogans and making a mess of everything.  I feel sorry for the people of New York.  Go the f**k home and leave people alone.  I don't care what they're about, they're disruptive annoying grandstanding that wrecks ordinary city life.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_1968_in_France
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African-American_Civil_Rights_Movement_%281955%E2%80%931968%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Israeli_social_justice_protests
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Chilean_protests

These people would like to have a word with you.

I don't care if you're against the motives of the protesters but it's idiotic to dismiss all forms of political protest when it's accomplished social change and huge results in the past. If OWS can move Obama's rhetoric further to the left, shift the political paradigm somewhat and provide a great opportunity for politicizing the youth/dispossessed into organizing for the left, they'll have succeeded. 

[Napoleon]

These people are demonizing the financial industry.

[TheDeadFlagBlues]

a useless and misguided street theater, centered on unoriginal, inane class warfare slogans.

Any Democrat who seriously uses the term "class warfare" should be banned from the party.

These protesters are morons who I wish were supporters of some fringe party.

These people are morons?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornell_West
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Reich
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Jones
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie_Sanders

They all support Occupy Wall Street. Last time I checked, it doesn't matter how intelligent the protesters themselves are but how intelligent their leaders/goals/institutions that support them are.

[Napoleon]

a useless and misguided street theater, centered on unoriginal, inane class warfare slogans.

Any Democrat who seriously uses the term "class warfare" should be banned from the party.

These protesters are morons who I wish were supporters of some fringe party.

These people are morons?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornell_West
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Reich
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Jones
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie_Sanders

They all support Occupy Wall Street. Last time I checked, it doesn't matter how intelligent the protesters themselves are but how intelligent their leaders/goals/institutions that support them are.

I don't see the need or have the desire for most of what these protesters advocate and I find it antithetical to progress as well as a recipe for economic retardation and stagnation. Left wing tea party is indeed left wing tea party. A bunch of kooks and ideological demagouges.

[Sewer]

These people are demonizing the financial industry.

Why is that bad?

[TheDeadFlagBlues]

These people are demonizing the financial industry.

The financial industry that has been protected by the government while the working poor and unemployed were largely ignored? The industry that continued to pay their CEOs and employees huge bonuses regardless of the political consequences? The optics of this situation are awful and I have no sympathy for them as these fools continue to be delusional. As far as I'm concerned they deserve to be demonized for having their head up their ass.

Demonizing the financial industry normally annoys me, especially because there's a good chance I'll work for a financial firm but this has the potential to produce long term and worthwhile results.

[TheDeadFlagBlues]

a useless and misguided street theater, centered on unoriginal, inane class warfare slogans.

Any Democrat who seriously uses the term "class warfare" should be banned from the party.

These protesters are morons who I wish were supporters of some fringe party.

These people are morons?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornell_West
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Reich
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Jones
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie_Sanders

They all support Occupy Wall Street. Last time I checked, it doesn't matter how intelligent the protesters themselves are but how intelligent their leaders/goals/institutions that support them are.

I don't see the need or have the desire for most of what these protesters advocate and I find it antithetical to progress as well as a recipe for economic retardation and stagnation. Left wing tea party is indeed left wing tea party. A bunch of kooks and ideological demagouges.

It's a broadly left wing protest that is too populist for my tastes but clearly they're against income inequality, against austerity measures and for another stimulus package. If you're opposed to these ideas, why would you bother having a red avatar?

[patrick1]

Sure are a lot of class warfare apologists in this thread (and I mean the class warfare that's actually happening, against the working and middle-class, not the other definition, of rich people whining that some people want to raise their taxes).

Political protests accomplish little beyond dragging in flocks or starry-eyed tourists that crowd the streets, ignore traffic lights, slow the public transportation, and wander around shouting inane slogans and making a mess of everything.  I feel sorry for the people of New York.  Go the f**k home and leave people alone.  I don't care what they're about, they're disruptive annoying grandstanding that wrecks ordinary city life.

Ah yes, how dare people are momentarily inconvenienced! The buses are running five minutes slower today because people are demonstrating for a cause they strongly believe in... this is an outrage!!

Set aside a day and keep your protests within a certain area.  They are now just being disruptive and draining an already strained city budget.  Downtown has a pretty big bulls eye on its back and this is just not helping.

[TheDeadFlagBlues]

Sure are a lot of class warfare apologists in this thread (and I mean the class warfare that's actually happening, against the working and middle-class, not the other definition, of rich people whining that some people want to raise their taxes).

Political protests accomplish little beyond dragging in flocks or starry-eyed tourists that crowd the streets, ignore traffic lights, slow the public transportation, and wander around shouting inane slogans and making a mess of everything.  I feel sorry for the people of New York.  Go the f**k home and leave people alone.  I don't care what they're about, they're disruptive annoying grandstanding that wrecks ordinary city life.

Ah yes, how dare people are momentarily inconvenienced! The buses are running five minutes slower today because people are demonstrating for a cause they strongly believe in... this is an outrage!!

Set aside a day and keep your protests within a certain area.  They are now just being disruptive and draining an already strained city budget.  Downtown has a pretty big bulls eye on its back and this is just not helping.

I agree to an extent that the tent/"occupation" part of the protest is unecessary but after witnessing what happened in Israeli, I can't blame OWS for trying to mimic a clearly successful demonstration tactic. This never would have picked up any interest to begin with if it was just a planned march.

[Napoleon]

Being from a wall street family I tend to take these stupid attacks and mischaracterizations very personally

[Napoleon]

a useless and misguided street theater, centered on unoriginal, inane class warfare slogans.

Any Democrat who seriously uses the term "class warfare" should be banned from the party.

These protesters are morons who I wish were supporters of some fringe party.

These people are morons?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornell_West
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Reich
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Jones
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie_Sanders

They all support Occupy Wall Street. Last time I checked, it doesn't matter how intelligent the protesters themselves are but how intelligent their leaders/goals/institutions that support them are.

I don't see the need or have the desire for most of what these protesters advocate and I find it antithetical to progress as well as a recipe for economic retardation and stagnation. Left wing tea party is indeed left wing tea party. A bunch of kooks and ideological demagouges.

It's a broadly left wing protest that is too populist for my tastes but clearly they're against income inequality, against austerity measures and for another stimulus package. If you're opposed to these ideas, why would you bother having a red avatar?

Wow can't believe you went there. I've called out Obama and Malloy both for being too right wing. Being too left wing is also bad.

[patrick1]

Sure are a lot of class warfare apologists in this thread (and I mean the class warfare that's actually happening, against the working and middle-class, not the other definition, of rich people whining that some people want to raise their taxes).

Political protests accomplish little beyond dragging in flocks or starry-eyed tourists that crowd the streets, ignore traffic lights, slow the public transportation, and wander around shouting inane slogans and making a mess of everything.  I feel sorry for the people of New York.  Go the f**k home and leave people alone.  I don't care what they're about, they're disruptive annoying grandstanding that wrecks ordinary city life.

Ah yes, how dare people are momentarily inconvenienced! The buses are running five minutes slower today because people are demonstrating for a cause they strongly believe in... this is an outrage!!

Set aside a day and keep your protests within a certain area.  They are now just being disruptive and draining an already strained city budget.  Downtown has a pretty big bulls eye on its back and this is just not helping.

I agree to an extent that the tent/"occupation" part of the protest is unecessary but after witnessing what happened in Israeli, I can't blame OWS for trying to mimic a clearly successful demonstration tactic. This never would have picked up any interest to begin with if it was just a planned march.

Most of the people working in Lower Manhattan are working class and middle class people.  People who just want to do their jobs and go home to their families. Five minutes of getting in the way, as Lief describes, can be a lot. You miss your train and have to hang around Penn or GCS for an hour and miss dinner with your family.

Marching on Police HQ because they dare to keep them restrained is another annoyance. Since killing Bin Laden, Al Awaki and the 10th Anniversary, lower Manhattan has been on a high alert.  The protestors are just making the departments job even harder. 

[Marokai Backbeat]

Napoleon is not a Progressive. Move on, people.

[Napoleon]

Napoleon is not a Progressive. Move on, people.

Not all of us see progress in finite terms. To me progress is just that. Progress. It continues. You can't claim to be progressive but support reactionary positions like tariffs and the war machine. The idea that progressivism is something that can be achieved is asinine. Repealing DADT is progressive. Embracing a high tech global economy based on capitalism and liberal democracy with social programs to serve as a safety net and to provide opportunities is progressive. Rebuking the idea that individuals can't make personal decisions within the sphere of their own life is progressive. There will always be conservative and reactionary forces that want to thwart progress to preserve their own power and pursue their failed ideas but I am here to standard in firm opposition to that. I know that in my lifetime everything will change for better or worse but what you do is adapt. One path to progress is blocked off and the best of us will create our own trail, and we will continue fighting for a better and more inclusive society. I don't know if you believe in progress so much as you just like the idea of sticking a progressive label on whatever you support.

Progress is a means to achieve a better society, not an end goal. The world changes daily. Progress must be dynamic. I'm not going to blame iPads for unemployment. I am going to be thankful that iPads provide fulfillment to those who enjoy them.

[dead0man]

Left wing tea party is indeed left wing tea party. A bunch of kooks and ideological demagouges.

Don't forget the occasional bigot and racist.  link

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

99% versus 1%? What statistical whiz came up with these figures? Are there 3 million Americans out there trying to destroy the rest of us?

[phk]

"The one thing we all have in common is that We Are The 99% that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%...unless it's Steve Jobs. By the way when is the iPhone 5 out?"

Lol, good one!

Overthrowing crony capitalism with iPhones and Macbooks.

[Lief 🗽]

"The one thing we all have in common is that We Are The 99% that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%...unless it's Steve Jobs. By the way when is the iPhone 5 out?"

Lol, good one!

Overthrowing crony capitalism with iPhones and Macbooks.

Wtf do you want people to do? Stop buying phones and computers? Live in the mountains as hermits? Just because someone opposes the inequality and corruption of neoliberalism doesn't mean they have to become Luddites.

[© tweed]

"The one thing we all have in common is that We Are The 99% that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%...unless it's Steve Jobs. By the way when is the iPhone 5 out?"

Lol, good one!

Overthrowing crony capitalism with iPhones and Macbooks.

it's called a dialectic, bro.

[Mechaman]

99% versus 1%? What statistical whiz came up with these figures? Are there 3 million Americans out there trying to destroy the rest of us?

Bigots often like to portray some minority as capable of destroying American civilization.

Back in the Civil War era many Democrats believed that pro-Civil Rights Republicans wanted to make all white men slaves to the blacks.  Likewise many Republicans believed that raging Hibernian hordes of papists were coming over to destroy American democracy.

Nowdays, it's a similar situation.  Many right wingers fear that them browns from the South are out take over our fine nation.  Likewise quite a few left wingers fear that a moneyed Jew elite is out to take over the world (though to be fair so do quite a few (if not more) right wingers also believe the same thing).

I guess what I'm trying to say is that there are racist and bigoted fools on both sides.  Not to give the Left too much credit but at least they are only marginally bigoted and reactionary compared to the completely and totally reactionary fearmongering rhetoric of the right.
Either that or the Left is just way better at covering up it's bigotry (thanks to an overabundance of love of the media created concept of political correctness) than the Right is.

I will now accept my accolades.

[Lief 🗽]

ITT, the Atlas forum is to the right of Ben Bernanke:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

http://opinion.latimes.com/opinionla/2011/10/ben-bernanke-capitol-hill-testimony-faltering-economy.html