Wall Street Protesters have a point

Wall Street has been corrupt for years, with Enron, Madoff, BP, Goldman Sachs, Haliburton etc. Plus it's been proven that the banks & wall street have been in bed with each other. I think they are right, despite everyone calling them hippies or w.e. what do you think?

Occupy a job.

@Clinkz said:

Occupy a job.

Can I officially turn "occupy a X" into an insult to anybody?

This is going places.

Occupy Drum Circles.

Some believe the government did the wrong thing in bailing out Wall Street. They think that true capitalism would have let them fail. The Bush administration started it by bailing out quite a few big dealers. The Obama administration followed suit.

@Clinkz said:

Occupy a job.

I laughed.

You do realize, well I guess not, that 2 of those aren't wall street companies. Their biggest problam is they are in the wrong spot. Most of what you call corrupt or in bed isn't illegal, you need to change the system not the people making money.

@Clinkz said:

Occupy a job.

Work 10x as hard to get 1/100th of the money, benefits, tax shelters, rights, opportunities, legal protections, and potential/upward mobility. Clearly a perfect system in practice. Nothing needs to be changed.

Whether you agree with the protesters or not, the current economic situation, and capitalism in America as a whole is like a rigged Carnival game these days. They give you the illusion that you can succeed, when really the people behind the game are the only ones who can win. The bank bailouts were the perfect example of this, as is their ability to give themselves raises and bonuses, and the fact that their salaries have increased tenfold over everyone else in their company over the past 40 years, and that companies like GM use loopholes to avoid paying their fair share of taxes. The rich get away with whatever they want, and this has been shown a number of times in the past few years. If you don't think the system is broken and that everyone that's poor or unemployed are just lazy or shiftless, you're really not paying attention.

That said, a lot of the protesters are doing more damage to their cause than good, but there is no easy way to peacefully combat the people who hold all the cards.

What is this I'm seeing in my head regarding this thread?!

The Hindenburg, the Titanic, Chernobyl... what does it all mean?!

EDIT:@MentalDisruption: Except you. That was pretty funny. You can stay.

Yeah but until they can actually conclusively prove someone of doing something illegal, or make a specific demand that's actually doable and not something like "Oh fix the economy, make more jobs" then people will pay attention to them. Look at the civil rights movement, they had very specific demands and eventually they got what they wanted. That's a successful movement.

@XII_Sniper said:

Yeah but until they can actually conclusively prove someone of doing something illegal, or make a specific demand that's actually doable and not something like "Oh fix the economy, make more jobs" then people will pay attention to them. Look at the civil rights movement, they had very specific demands and eventually they got what they wanted. That's a successful movement.

Agree with all of this.

I actually supported the movement at first and even considered actually joining in but then I started watching protesters blocking off of streets and of people getting to their jobs, the constant narcotic use, rapes, and that bullshit "Fuck the Police" rhetoric that your supposed to stop doing when you turn 18...... yeah I changed my mind very very fast.

Agree with what they're saying, but the day I heard a bunch of guys my age at the protest in SLC complaining about paying off student loans... Yeah I gave up on it.

Other than that yeah I think the rich should pay a few more taxes, not the middle class.

Of course they do, but the media is going to give all the camera time to incoherent trustafarians. Self absorbed dumbasses are going to see that on tv and go DURR GET A JOB HIPPIE I NEED TO SEE COVERAGE OF CELEBRITY WEDDINGS. Everything is garbage and the average person is too stupid and self-absorbed to care, gg human race.

@MentalDisruption said:

Awesome!!!

If you think you're doing something worthwhile it's worth doing right. They are not doing it right

Maybe I'm just out of it, but I think the occupy protesters need to be more focused. I can't really tell what they are protesting against... except you know... corporate greed or whatever.

@4cool said:

Plus it's been proven that the banks & wall street have been in bed with each other.

What do you even mean by this? The banks are wall street, and that's what a lot of protesters consider to be the root of the problem.

And BP ... Haliburton?

You are clearly confused.

Be angry with the people handing out the money, not the ones picking it up.

HOW MANY ROADS MUST A MAN WALK DOWN

BEFORE YOU CALL HIM A MAN

HOW MANY SEAS MUST THE WHITE DOVE SAIL

BEFORE SHE SLEEPS IN THE SAND

YES'N HOW MANY TIMES MUST THE CANNONBALLS FLY

BEFORE THEY ARE FOREVER BANNED

Dylan aside, I feel like the OWS movement lacks a clear focus. The Civil Rights Movement had people like Dr. King and Mario Savio letting you know exactly what was up. I'd be more willing to support them if they didn't seem so unfocused and arbitrary.

If you think Occupy is disjointed or incoherent, you clearly are paying attention to the wrong media outlets. This movement is about economic injustice, plain and simple. Our economy is broken, and the very institutions that are supposed to drive it broke it. The banks have too much power, and individuals have too little. When 400 people at the top control as much wealth as the 150 million at the bottom, something is wrong.

but in all seriousness, the occupy movement does have clear goals. its just not well thought out. i dont think the people complaining quite understand the intricacies in what the government would have to do to accomplish all that they ask for.

also im fuckin tired of hearing about it frankly. ive got a few friends who are way too into this and theyre really starting to alienate people who just dont really give a shit about it.

such as myself

The only thing good that came out of this occupy movement so far have been these memes in my opinion. but thats just me

@Wrighteous86 said:

@XII_Sniper said:

Yeah but until they can actually conclusively prove someone of doing something illegal, or make a specific demand that's actually doable and not something like "Oh fix the economy, make more jobs" then people will pay attention to them. Look at the civil rights movement, they had very specific demands and eventually they got what they wanted. That's a successful movement.

Agree with all of this.

Agree with none of this. When did Martin Luther King prove that what he was protesting was illegal? This isn't about criminalizing money. Blacks in the southern United States wanted a level playing field, so do the Occupy protesters.

Isn't there something about how they shouldn't be occupying wall street, but instead occupying congress?

@Clinkz said:

Occupy a job.

Can I officially turn "occupy a X" into an insult to anybody?

@Wrighteous86 said:

@Clinkz said:

Occupy a job.

That said, a lot of the protesters are doing more damage to their cause than good, but there is no easy way to peacefully combat the people who hold all the cards.

What would have happened if they had specific issues and tried doing this in July-August 2012 when every member of the House of Representatives, a third of the Senators, and the President are trying to get re-elected?

Want to make a statement? Occupy a voting booth.

@XII_Sniper

They have such an important point to make, but unfortunately both themselves and the media are keen to focus on superfluous issues. 

@Krummey said:

If you think Occupy is disjointed or incoherent, you clearly are paying attention to the wrong media outlets. This movement is about economic injustice, plain and simple. Our economy is broken, and the very institutions that are supposed to drive it broke it. The banks have too much power, and individuals have too little. When 400 people at the top control as much wealth as the 150 million at the bottom, something is wrong.

That's Capitalism, friend. Doctors, scientists, teachers, and artists don't make as much currency as politicians and stockbrokers, both causing unneeded problems such as war, debt, homelessness, and conflict. In short, we can't change a Capitalistic system. We have to remove it and replace it with something else, something we have never seen before as a species. It will be bumpy, but so do all social systems when they are established.

@Krummey said:

@Wrighteous86 said:

@XII_Sniper said:

Yeah but until they can actually conclusively prove someone of doing something illegal, or make a specific demand that's actually doable and not something like "Oh fix the economy, make more jobs" then people will pay attention to them. Look at the civil rights movement, they had very specific demands and eventually they got what they wanted. That's a successful movement.

Agree with all of this.

Agree with none of this. When did Martin Luther King prove that what he was protesting was illegal? This isn't about criminalizing money. Blacks in the southern United States wanted a level playing field, so do the Occupy protesters.

They had a plan, and specific goals.

@Tru3_Blu3 said:

@Krummey said:

If you think Occupy is disjointed or incoherent, you clearly are paying attention to the wrong media outlets. This movement is about economic injustice, plain and simple. Our economy is broken, and the very institutions that are supposed to drive it broke it. The banks have too much power, and individuals have too little. When 400 people at the top control as much wealth as the 150 million at the bottom, something is wrong.

That's Capitalism, friend. Doctors, scientists, teachers, and artists don't make as much currency as politicians and stockbrokers, both causing unneeded problems such as war, debt, homelessness, and conflict. In short, we can't change a Capitalistic system. We have to remove it and replace it with something else, something we have never seen before as a species. It will be bumpy, but so do all social systems when they are established.

We don't need to drop capitalism, we need to change the laws to stop the rich from writing laws that benefit themselves. The rich have rigged the system so it only benefit themselves and that is what people are upset about. Its impossible to fix the system until politicians can't be bought.

@4cool: It is totally stupid to protest something whilst having no alternative to it. You can say you want the banks to disappear all you want but until you come up with some other, better system to look after EVERYONES money, there isn't much point bitching about it.

Also you list a few companies that have done bad shit, and that's fine and all but what about all the massive corporations that are operating as normal and always have? It's not like a company needs to be dodgy to make money.

All that being said they have every right to protest if they feel it will somehow help things.

@EkajArmstro said:

Maybe I'm just out of it, but I think the occupy protesters need to be more focused. I can't really tell what they are protesting against... except you know... corporate greed or whatever.

You're not just out of it, well maybe you are, but regardless, they do need to be more focused. Problem is(at least with Occupy here in Vancouver) the people who actually had valid points and wanted to make a change are long gone by now. As soon as the hippies and weirdos started flocking in(which usually happens with protests), the real Occupiers tried to stop them, but couldn't, so they just left. Sad really... I'm not one to protest or whatever, but Occupy actually raised some valid concerns and issues within how things are run. If you look at newspapers from when Occupy first erupted, it wasn't a protest, it was a "movement". The press supported Occupy early on, but as shit got worse, they started to refering to it as "protesting" and "civil unrest". I can only go by what I have observed on my own and in school(journalism major), which is stuff like The Globe and Mail, The Vancouver Sun, The Atlantic, New York Times, Georgia Straight.

@4cool: It is totally stupid to protest something whilst having no alternative to it. You can say you want the banks to disappear all you want but until you come up with some other, better system to look after EVERYONES money, there isn't much point bitching about it.

Also you list a few companies that have done bad shit, and that's fine and all but what about all the massive corporations that are operating as normal and always have? It's not like a company needs to be dodgy to make money.

All that being said they have every right to protest if they feel it will somehow help things.

I say we nuke USA...I don't know why but I think my life would be more interesting if there was complete anarchy everywhere. I would move with my girlfriend to a mountain, we would build ourself a little house and eat berriesand hunt rabbits to keep ourself alive...while the stupid world destroys itself.

Warren Buffet is class warfare, guise.

Their point is dull and needs to be sharpened.

@Krummey said:

@Wrighteous86 said:

@XII_Sniper said:

Yeah but until they can actually conclusively prove someone of doing something illegal, or make a specific demand that's actually doable and not something like "Oh fix the economy, make more jobs" then people will pay attention to them. Look at the civil rights movement, they had very specific demands and eventually they got what they wanted. That's a successful movement.

Agree with all of this.

Agree with none of this. When did Martin Luther King prove that what he was protesting was illegal? This isn't about criminalizing money. Blacks in the southern United States wanted a level playing field, so do the Occupy protesters.

They had a plan, and specific goals.

@Krummey said:

@Wrighteous86

@Krummey said:

@Wrighteous86 said:

@XII_Sniper said:

Yeah but until they can actually conclusively prove someone of doing something illegal, or make a specific demand that's actually doable and not something like "Oh fix the economy, make more jobs" then people will pay attention to them. Look at the civil rights movement, they had very specific demands and eventually they got what they wanted. That's a successful movement.

Agree with all of this.

Agree with none of this. When did Martin Luther King prove that what he was protesting was illegal? This isn't about criminalizing money. Blacks in the southern United States wanted a level playing field, so do the Occupy protesters.

They had a plan, and specific goals.

Well, sure. Their plan was: change public opinion through civil disobedience and non-violent protest. Occupy is exactly the same in that regard. If nothing else, they've got people talking.

Yeah but like I menrioned their goals were a hell of a lot more specific than OWS. It's not like the government can just say "Hey, remember all that money we gave you guys, give it baaaack". That's not realistic at all. Neither is "Hey make more jobs" or "Hey, fix this economy of ours, get on that". However, "Get rid of segregated schools" and "Employ us equally" is.

No, I do not think they are right. That is what I think. That they are not right. When they are right, I will think that they are right. Currently, they are not right. So I do not think they are right. GOT IT?

I don't have anything against the OWS movement, but fuck Jay-Z for trying to make money off it with his bullshit "OCCUPY ALL STREETS" t-shirts. I get that the dude is a mogul and an opportunist first, but for him to even try to say that he empathizes with the movement when all proceeds are going to Rocawear Corporation (Him) is really insulting. He knows exactly what he's doing and it sickens me. Either that or he's just that delusional.

@WilliamHenry said:

We don't need to drop capitalism, we need to change the laws to stop the rich from writing laws that benefit themselves. The rich have rigged the system so it only benefit themselves and that is what people are upset about. Its impossible to fix the system until politicians can't be bought.

You might want to read that over, because you outlined the one thing that prevents your goals from ever being implemented.

Fuck who's right and who's wrong. I just wanna throw molotovs at shit!

If all those protestors would have worked and distributed their revenues to the needy instead of camping out, than something would have bin accomplished.

@TheDudeOfGaming said:

Fuck who's right and who's wrong. I just wanna throw molotovs at shit!

Where is that video of the guy in Egypt getting hit by his own molotov when you need it..

@Krummey said:

@XII_Sniper Enforcing bank regulations and holding accountable the people that put us in this mess are separate from "hey, give us jobs". But part of the problem we're facing now, aside from greed run amok, is that corporations have TONS of money, but they aren't spending it. If fact, a Tea Party business owner tried to start a movement of her own. She said that she wouldn't hire anyone, even though she was able (and needed) to, until her taxes were lowered. How jacked up is that?

It is jacked up, but there's still no laws against hoarding money, or not hiring people. That lady's being a total bitch to be sure, she must have read Atlas Shrugged too many times or something. And how can you hold the bad bankers accountable without exact proof of their shady practices? You still need incriminating evidence and they do everything they can to cover their tracks. OWS is a hopeless and misguided endeavor that could have been handled a lot better, and people would have cared for it a lot more if the people behind it were a little bit smarter about it. It wasn't the race riots or the black panthers that changed people's minds about segregation. It was the people showing dissatisfaction in a more peaceful manner. Blocking bridges and clogging roads won't help anyone.