I have been wanting to write this diary for a while to capture the key lessons learned about the Occupy Movement and busting the worst myths that have been created around it. My first excuse for not writing this sooner is that I had to wait for a while to see how things shook out. Second, I am not a prolific diary writer, at least not lately, as I find my talents lie more in the short commentary genre, or what my grade school teachers would have called "smartassery." That does explain my longtime signature line:
Just doing my part to piss off right wing nuts, one smart ass comment at a time.
But, the time has now come to write a diary about the lessons and myths of the Occupy Movement, including those from the Right, the Left, and various points in between.
However, before the fold, let me lay out my main point about the worst mischaracterization I have seen so far about OWS: That we are angry at Wall Street because we envy them or resent what they have. False! Let me address this very clearly:
I do not envy you, Wall Street. I do not want to be like you. I do not even want all the ill-gotten money you have.
Follow me below the squiggle for a fine and furious rant where ALL shall be explained...
I am angry about corruption. I am angry because greedy plutocrats have taken over our Democracy and rigged the system against working people by buying politicians and the media.
I am NOT angry because I want to be a greedy plutocrat. I do NOT envy what you have. I do NOT want to be you!
I know you have a massive ego, Wall Street, and you think everybody wants to be you, but really...no really...I do not. I just want you to stop ruining this country, and trashing the planet while you're at it. I want an end to the corruption. I just want fairness.
You see, I really believe in Democracy. I believe in working hard and getting ahead. That is what I have done my whole life. I just want a fair chance. That is what I always thought America was all about. Now I see my friends and neighbors out of work and losing their homes, through no fault of their own, because you wrecked the economy with your deregulation and outright fraudulent trading of derivatives and credit default swaps. I want it to stop.
I want OUR country back. I want the American Dream. I do not think that is too much to ask, but apparently you disagree. So, I am not asking anymore. I am demanding it!
General Myths and Lessons
So, what are the other key lessons and myths about the Occupy Movement? I will start with the general category and then go on to talk about specific issues associated with the Right Wing, Left Wing, and the Police.
In the category of general myths, the first award goes to, surprise, our corporate media, who are all hearts-a-flutter to slap simplistic labels on OWS, such as CNN's Jim Acosta, who wrote an article entitled:
"Occupy Wall Street: The tea party of the left?"
Even if one were to make the assumption that there was some grass roots movement behind the origin of the Tea Party, and it was somehow not just an astroturf front group for the Koch brothers, its actions consisted mostly, if not entirely, of conventional political rallies. You know: Come to an event and hear a couple hate-filled loonies compare Obama to Hitler and wave around a few misspelled signs. They had donations from day one to pay for the rallies and parades, so that means they had real audio systems, not the "human microphone" used by OWS, and of course, real media coverage from the corporate media, who often covered their events so zealously that reporters outnumbered the actual Tea Party protesters they were supposedly there to talk about.
OWS is not just about people on the Left. It is not about a single group or a single party. It is about people who have a common cause because they have suffered severe consequences from the actions of Wall Street. OWS is a global movement, reflecting the global consequences of Wall Street's criminal enterprises, which created not just a Great Recession in the US, but all around the world. There is also a clear sincerity in the ideas coming out of OWS. The ideas do not appear to be scripted or imposed by an outside group. What's more, the ideas actually make sense, unlike the famous Tea Party line "Git the Government out of my Medicare!!!" There is also a high level of personal commitment from OWS participants, who stay day after day, and are obviously in this for the long haul. Tea Partiers were often just angry, white males who showed up to yell one day, and who knows what happened to them after that. So, I will consider the myth about the Tea Party of the Left to be OFFICIALLY BUSTED.
Right Wing
From the beginning, the right wing has cried class warfare. If we are angry that rich, corrupt plutocrats have taken over the economy, the government, and the media, then obviously we must just be angry about the success of other people who are just naturally better than us. You know, those brilliant masters of the universe who are so much smarter and harder working than everyone else...yet, wasn't it those same geniuses who crashed the world economy?
Well, in the right wing parallel universe, of course, the crisis was not caused by Wall Street at all. It was caused by poor people and minorities who somehow got sub-prime mortgages from Fanny and Freddie, because Barney Frank made them do it (it's got to be the gay guy's fault, right?). The only problem with that is that Fanny and Freddie do not do sub-prime loans. Fanny and Freddie were the victims, not the culprits of massive lending scams by the private banks. There were problems at Fanny and Freddie, including the fact that they bought many mortgage backed securities, and then took massive losses, like every other investor. However, they did not originate the loans. Barney Frank did not make them do it. They relied on corrupt ratings agencies, which now claim that they cannot be held liable for swearing that a pile of crap was a pile of gold, because that was just an opinion, and opinions are covered by free speech, (seriously, this is the actual legal argument they use).
Other sundry arguments insults that right winger hurls at OWS include the claim that they are a mob of lazy whiners who are looking for handouts and that they are dirty hippies who need to get jobs.
1. I have never heard OWS demand any handouts. The corporate media keeps claiming that there is "no message" in the OWS protests (which is false), so where does the claim come from that they are asking for handouts? I think this goes back to my first point in the diary: They assume we want to be like them. A thief who has stolen a lot of money assumes you want his money. I do not want to be be like them, but I would not mind seeing some of them in jail.
2. As far a being lazy, it takes a lot of dedication on the part of protestors to stay at these occupations day after day. They are fighting for Democracy at great personal sacrifice to themselves in terms of time, energy, insults, injuries, arrests, and maybe even deaths.
3. As far as being hippies goes, right wingers seriously need to get over hating the 60's. My dad has an interesting theory about why right wingers still hate hippies 50 years later. His theory is that certain people back then (AKA the conservatives) were a little too cowardly to ever have any fun, try drugs, get laid, or do anything out of the norm. Most of them have always regretted that they missed their chance to do this, so they have kept talking ever since then about how much they hate hippies. I think my old man has a point. Regarding the "get a job" line, since 20% of the country is unemployed or underemployed, due to the recession caused by Wall Street, it is monumentally ironic to tell people to get a job. I know right wingers think everyone is lazy except for them, but seriously, do they think that suddenly 20% of the country just decided to become lazy bums, because they enjoy having their houses foreclosed upon?
The Police
Police have a tough job and they have a right to safety, but so do protestors, who are exercising a constitutionally guaranteed right:
"the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
Police safety does NOT require you to stand behind barricades, with armor and shields, shooting tear gas canisters, rubber bullets, bean bags, and concussion grenades at anything that moves...or happens to be laying on the ground and not moving. The weapons you have are for protection, not offense. You do not need to literally lob artillery and chemical weapons at not violent protestors. If you insist upon arresting protestors under the pretext of "park cleaning" or "lawn care," why do you not you simply walk up to the protestors and place them under arrest. You do not need to first bombard them chemicals weapons and munitions, as if you are fighting WWI trench warfare. Did I mention that they are unarmed...and non-violent?
As you must also know, none of your weapons are non-lethal. They are just LESS LETHAL. Please be very careful using potentially lethal weapons. Just because you have high tech gadgets, do not forget the brutality they inflict. How would you feel if your daughter had her eyes burned by pepper spray just because she was being "mouthy" or "not cooperating fast enough." What if your son was shot in the head by a rubber bullet when he was unarmed and non-violent? We are your sons and daughters, not your enemies.
You are also part of the 99%, so these protests are trying to save your union jobs...the ones that right wingers call "Big Government" and want to cut. Make your feelings known. If you do not agree with arresting peaceful protestors, try to get assigned to other duty. You should not have to participate in suppressing free speech.
Left Wing
My biggest concern so far about many of the lefties involved with OWS continues to be the end game. I keep hearing that "this is a movement, not a party." That's all well and good, but it needs to be a movement that moves and does things. Getting labeled is not the worst thing in the world. Failing to act and losing your chance to do so is. I am not saying we have to have all the answers. But, just having a discussion, or changing the conversation is not enough. It is a good start. But, it needs to be followed up with actions throughout society. It cannot be just about words spoken down at the tent in the park. It has to go beyond that. I think people realize this. But, more steps need to be taken.
I think one of the most critical overall goals of the movement should be campaign finance reform. Get the money out of politics. End the corruption. To do this, we may need to go big. Overturn the Citizens' United decision. Get an amendment to the constitution saying:
1. Corporation are not people
2. Money is not speech
3. All campaigns must be publicly funded (no exceptions)
Getting a constitutional amendment is extremely difficult. I highly recommend visiting movetoamend.org. We would need 2/3rds of both Houses to propose it, and ratification by 3/4ths of state legislatures. But, while it is a difficult goal, until we accomplish it, little will change among the political elite. They are dependent on corporate money, or fearful that their opponents will use that money against them.
In the near term, however, we can OCCUPY THE BALLOT BOX. We do not necessarily have to become a party. The Tea Party is not actually a party either. It is an interest group. But, we do know the Republicans are not friends of the Occupy Movement. So, we should work to make sure the Republicans do not control the House or Senate. We need candidates who care about average people, not the monied elite.
I know there is talk of a Winter Strategy for OWS. I think there are many positive things that can be done without having everyone continue to camp out all Winter long. I do not think it will be effective to try to camp out in cold climates during the Winter. Perhaps some people can continue doing that in some parts of the country. But, people need to ask where they can make the most difference. I hope everyone at OWS makes sure to vote, starting this November and especially next November. I think there could be regular rallies throughout the Winter. I think people could help with canvassing to get out the vote. I think there are many ways that the movement can occupy people's minds, even when it is not occupying the parks.
I would hate to see all the protests just end with exhaustion or arrests. It would be so much better to let them end in positive and well planned ways. My personal choice at this point is to shift to OBB (Occupy the Ballot Box). But, I know there are other choices too, and I hope everyone comes up with rational alternatives that work for them.