I don’t think that I’ve ever seen anything like this before in the USA (at least in my life time). I caught this image that was tweeted by Michael Moore and taken by Matt O’Brien (@mattohyeah) from a Business Insider’s story. Blows your mind, doesn’t it?
It has been a fluctuating time in Oakland as violence has been transformed once again into people uniting peacefully against a single cause. In a country that has been split for decades between the incessantly mindless liberal vs. conservative catfight, it’s clear that the majority are tired of the endless rhetoric that only serves up more destruction. Oakland may only be one city, but it’s the first time in a long time that a large mass of US citizens have stood up to status quo in such a manner as this. No matter which side of the occupation you stand on, it’s clear that these various occupation groups and their supporters around this country and around the world are forcing this much-needed dialogue for change on those who just want to continue with the endless disagreements and no substantive progress forward.
When a company chooses to close down a store (or chooses to only accept cash transactions), and a city chooses to close down its institutions in support for a city-wide strike, then it’s clear that people are finally starting to hear the message. It’s not about the 1% vs 99%. It’s about the significance of their portrayals which has led to where we stand today: LOST. No, not the reality tv show, but the reality of a country that has lost its way because of a hindered vision. Yes, capitalism is necessary and no one is arguing that fact. But they are arguing about how capitalism is being recklessly pursued with limited motivations (like short-term profits). Hubris is a word being tossed around nowadays when describing the elite who are running this country and its various institutions. I personally think that it’s too polite a word to describe our true situation.
Here’s a bit more of the increasing news coverage on the Oakland November 2 strike of 2011:
p.s. People are still arguing about the legitimacy of the protesters’ actions while using their own individual perceptions of appropriateness. What’s appropriate or legitimate about how our society runs? And it’s interesting to note that the violence that people continually worry about are actually being perpetrated by those “peace” officials as dictated by their institutions. If one has to pass judgment on this movement, then one also has to pass judgment on our institutions because they are the ones who are continually failing every morality test we throw at them. Just a thought…
In closing, I really do hope that something’s changing in the USA. Because this continued moral social and institutional corruption is too much to bear, and there are thousands who agree with my sentiment. This is our first painful step towards actually fixing these problems that have plagued us for too long. The end result will be worth the initial struggle, as long as we stay true to our original intent for a peaceful march towards change. We have to keep believing that so we can move forward. Instead of backwards, as we’ve been doing for too long.
C, agree wholeheartedly with your comments, however, let’s hope that the “action” is not a clever ploy to get consumers to “friend” a retailer to boost sales. I really hope not. Many of the comments on the links above show tons of the cynicism that is mostly bread from living life in the capitalist machine.
Yeah, Ralph, I hear you about the cynicism. It’ll be a hard thing to overcome as people are so used to ulterior motives. I too am tired of the bickering in the comments sections online everywhere. We all really need to get serious about engaging on the proper reconstruction of our system. After all, it seems as though it’s up to the people to make the good changes happen. The other approach failed….MISERABLY!