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Occupy <Your Town>

I'm not sure I'd say my opinion is 'negative'. Certainly one of apathy and general disinterest. I'm not that fussed if people want to camp out as a form of protest. I just am unclear what the message is supposed to be, and therefore I don't think the exercise has been particularly effective.
 
Just out of curiosity, how does one go about finding a job and fixing their own life whilst living in the filth that is an "occupy" locale?

Interesting thing to put on a resume. When applying for a job with whatever company, do you put "spent X months protesting your company" on a cover letter?
 
The Central Scrutinizer said:
Yes. Given that it is a skeptics forum, populated with critical thinkers, it's really no surprise.
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He has a point. I guess, for most people on this forum, the idea of being able to express first amendment rights, and the idea of getting the corporate money out of our government is magical thinking and something that can't/shouldn't happen. Of course, all revolutions have been filled with and led by charlatans and liars and thieves, very similar to the church. The idea of democracy certainly is right up there with Santa Claus.
 
sillyhead said:
He has a point. I guess, for most people on this forum, the idea of being able to express first amendment rights, and the idea of getting the corporate money out of our government is magical thinking and something that can't/shouldn't happen. Of course, all revolutions have been filled with and led by charlatans and liars and thieves, very similar to the church. The idea of democracy certainly is right up there with Santa Claus.
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That sound you heard was the entire thread flying over your head.
 
Antiquehunter said:
I'm not sure I'd say my opinion is 'negative'. Certainly one of apathy and general disinterest. I'm not that fussed if people want to camp out as a form of protest. I just am unclear what the message is supposed to be, and therefore I don't think the exercise has been particularly effective.
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I agree with almost all of this. I have no issue with the Occupy Melbourne group peacefully protesting and I also don't think they have a clear message or are effective. However, I have a negative opinion of them because from what I've seen, Occupy Melbourne has done more harm to our community than good. I regard the group as very selfish, putting their own need to start a commotion ahead of general community enjoyment.

When they "claimed" city square - a public place - local community groups (i.e. the 99%, not the 1%) that had planned to use that area for festivals and the like has to make alternate arrangements. From memory there was a Jewish event and Indian event that were told to go elsewhere. On the first weekend of their occupation of city square, they brought traffic and trams to a standstill when they decided to all just dance on the road. After they were evicted, they did the same thing. What was the purpose of standing on the road? No idea. I got stuck in the protest and saw a huge group of people just chanting "Occupy, occupy, occupy". I doubt that event disrupted many of the 1%, but it disrupted thousands of the 99%

When they "claimed" treasury gardens, a local newspaper did a report on a couple who had planned to take their wedding photos at the site and were nervous that they might have to choose somewhere else. The paper interviewed a spokesman for the Occupy movement that essentially said "well, they can take their photos here if they want, but they'll be sharing it with us. If we end up in their wedding photos well that isn't a big deal is it, they'll have enduring memories of our important and revolutionary politicial movement" - great way to help your cause, buddy. For the record, the couple were from a suburb not far from me. Nobody who lives here earns anywhere near enough money to be part of the 1%.

Just the other day, they entered a Coles (groceries) store and essentially shut the store down while they protested. People who just wanted to buy food, couldn't. (Note, they didn't go to Coles' head office which is only a ~20minute trip away where they could inconvenience executives it's more fun to inconvenience ordinary people)


They say they're the 99%, but the problem is I haven't seen them really have any impact on the 1%. They have inconvenienced and disrupted the lives of plenty of the 99% though.
 
The Central Scrutinizer said:
The Occutards in St Louis could sure use your enthusiasm:

Sad tards are sad. :(
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Meanwhile, at Occupy Cal:

http://i.imgur.com/JFzuC.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/KZV9G.jpg

It's really disgusting to me that you would post disingenuous garbage like this right before advocating skepticism. It doesn't matter to me if you agree or disagree with the movement--that's the nature of politics, and I'm used to blind partisanship from these boards. Please refrain, though, from making fallacious arguments while claiming it's in the name of skeptical thought.

There's occupy protests with 4 people (Birmingham), and there's occupy protests with thousands of people (Cal). Picking out just one that supports your worldview and trying to present it as if it's representative of the entire situation is disingenuous and frankly insulting to this board's intelligence.


edit: linked images since they're enormous
 
For those keeping score at home:

Photo #1: Ground Zero for OWS (must be an off day)

Photo #2: Dandy Don Meredith (does anyone hear someone singing?)
 

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Here's a preview of what they did down here in Miami:

occupymiami436x360.jpg


I'm volunteering for Art Basil assembly later next week and have to pass through Government Center (where this pic was taken) on the way to that place. If I make it over, I'll post whatever I see.
 
NoahFence said:
Just out of curiosity, how does one go about finding a job and fixing their own life whilst living in the filth that is an "occupy" locale?

Interesting thing to put on a resume. When applying for a job with whatever company, do you put "spent X months protesting your company" on a cover letter?
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Thank for representing the voice of tunnel vision!



'Occupy London takes over empty UBS bank – live'

Protesters escalate demonstration with 'public repossession' a day after ignoring Corporation of London's demand for them to leave St Paul's.
 
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I want to see the eviction in London. As soon as one of them resists it's breach of the peace and the City Of Londons Police along with the Mets finest can go in and crack some heads in their inimitable style. After the summer Riots there won't be any 'gently gently'.

There was an interview on the Radio yesterday as I was driving back down from Aberdeen. Some guy in his late 20s has resigned from his job as his boss wouldn't give him time off to join in and given up the lease on his flat as he thinks he will be there for months.

What a dolt.
 
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Like many, I have mixed feelings about the "occupy" movement.

There's little doubt the financial and legal systems of most countries need fixed, but I can't see how camping out is likely to do that.
Beyond raising awareness of some issues, I'm unsure where they are going. I get the impression they're not sure either. Maybe the most important aspect is to find out whether a "leaderless" movement can actually work. Interesting social experiment.

It would be interesting to know how many of the protesters are undercover cops.
It would be hilarious if it turned out to be about 70%.
 
Captain_Swoop said:
I want to see the eviction in London. As soon as one of them resists it's breach of the peace and the City Of Londons Police along with the Mets finest can go in and crack some heads in their inimitable style. After the summer Riots there won't be any 'gently gently'.

There was an interview on the Radio yesterday as I was driving back down from Aberdeen. Some guy in his late 20s has resigned from his job as his boss wouldn't give him time off to join in and given up the lease on his flat as he thinks he will be there for months.

What a dolt.
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There's plenty of alternative accommodation available in London:

'Occupy London ‘repossesses’ multi-million pound bank offices'

Thanks for expressing your desire for more violence. What have the the summer rioters and the Occupiers got in common that would justify such police brutality?
 
The Occupy movement stands for nothing. They complain about everything, they offer no solutions besides sitting there in a tent.

It's time to do something or go home.
 
JihadJane said:
There's plenty of alternative accommodation available in London:

'Occupy London ‘repossesses’ multi-million pound bank offices'

Thanks for expressing your desire for more violence. What have the the summer rioters and the Occupiers got in common that would justify such police brutality?
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Not much in common but I can bet that when the Bailiffs and council workers arrive to evict them and remove their mess some of them will resist. That makes it Breach of the Peace even if it's 'non-violent'. Then the Police will move in to arrest them and then the ones who will turn up on the day for a confrontation will kick off.

After the riots and looting in August, and the trouble at the Student Fees protests earlier in the summer, and the complaints by MPs that the Police didn't go in hard enough at the start, there will be a huge crackdown.

there
 
Captain_Swoop said:
Not much in common but I can bet that when the Bailiffs and council workers arrive to evict them and remove their mess some of them will resist.
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What mess?

That makes it Breach of the Peace even if it's 'non-violent'. Then the Police will move in to arrest them and then the ones who will turn up on the day for a confrontation will kick off.
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Do you want to put some money on that?

You didn't say anything about arrests in your comment. You went directly to the Met "crack[ing] some heads in their inimitable style." I formed the impression that you think that this kind of State thuggery is as a rational, acceptable and effective solution to non-violent protestors in a democracy. Is that correct?

After the riots and looting in August, and the trouble at the Student Fees protests earlier in the summer, and the complaints by MPs that the Police didn't go in hard enough at the start, there will be a huge crackdown.


there
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There is no comparison between rioting and looting and peacefully squatting in tents on some slabs of stone while engaging the public in friendly dialogue in an attempt to address extremely important political issues.

Subjecting these people to exaggerated violence to compensate for some supposed "not going in hard enough at the start" deficit in Tottenham would lower the police to the level of out-of-control gangsters. Is that what you want?


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NoahFence said:
The Occupy movement stands for nothing. They complain about everything, they offer no solutions besides sitting there in a tent.

It's time to do something or go home.
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It appears that you have been cut of from all news media for the last few days!
 
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Injunction just came through in Vancouver. We'll see how many of the Stanley Cup rioters they can pick out of the crowd when they clear 'em off on Monday.
 
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