Would you consider Occupy Wall Street as a political cause?

[Bandit]

Personally I think it is more about economics then it is about political ideology... I do understand the Republicans side with Wall Street over the American people but this particular protest just doesn't resonate as a political protest, at least to me anyway...:shrug:

[HappyMe]

1. No, I don't think of it as a political cause. nt

[flamingdem]

2. Of course it is a political cause, did you ever read DAS CAPITAL? nt

[MineralMan]

3. In many ways, everything is political.

Economic issues are always political. Perhaps they are the most political issues of all.

[Cirque du So-What]

10. I concur

Every war that has ever been fought has its roots in economic conditions - even the so-called 'religious' wars.

[StandingInLeftField]

4. Semantics, really

I believe everything is political...and at its core are personal values and beliefs.

edited for grammar

[mmonk]

5. A lot of times they are interchangeable.

The whole rightwing movement got to where it is making Reaganomics (a political economic theory) a cult and they support it in a forceful or dictatorial way.

[polichick]

6. Sure, Goldman Sachs runs this government - no matter which party is in power.

[xchrom]

7. Yes, it's very political. Nt

[MilesColtrane]

8. What is its cause again exactly?

I know it started with anger at Big Finance and overt corporate influence.

However, the protestor's unofficial "one demand" list now includes:

Ending capital punishment is our one demand.

Ending wealth inequality is our one demand.

Ending police intimidation is our one demand.

Ending corporate censorship is our one demand.

Ending the modern gilded age is our one demand.

Ending political corruption is our one demand.

Ending joblessness is our one demand.

Ending poverty is our one demand.

Ending health-profiteering is our one demand.

Ending American imperialism is our one demand.

Ending war is our one demand.

----------------------------------

It seems like past successful protests were focused on one issue and were specific about remedies.

[Warren Stupidity]

15. This is at least the second time you have posted your edited version.

I wonder why you won't post the original?

Here:

This is the fifth communiqué from the 99 percent. We are occupying Wall Street.

On September 21st, 2011, Troy Davis, an innocent man, was murdered by the state of Georgia. Troy Davis was one of the 99 percent.

Ending capital punishment is our one demand.

On September 21st, 2011, the richest 400 Americans owned more wealth than half of the country's population.

Ending wealth inequality is our one demand.

On September 21st, 2011, four of our members were arrested on baseless charges.

Ending police intimidation is our one demand.

On September 21st, 2011, we determined that Yahoo lied about occupywallst.org being in spam filters.

Ending corporate censorship is our one demand.

On September 21st, 2011, roughly eighty percent of Americans thought the country was on the wrong track.

Ending the modern gilded age is our one demand.

On September 21st, 2011, roughly 15% of Americans approved of the job Congress was doing.

Ending political corruption is our one demand.

On September 21st, 2011, roughly one sixth of Americans did not have work.

Ending joblessness is our one demand.

On September 21st, 2011, roughly one sixth of America lived in poverty.

Ending poverty is our one demand.

On September 21st, 2011, roughly fifty million Americans were without health insurance.

Ending health-profiteering is our one demand.

On September 21st, 2011, America had military bases in around one hundred and thirty out of one hundred and sixty-five countries.

Ending American imperialism is our one demand.

On September 21st, 2011, America was at war with the world.

Ending war is our one demand.

On September 21st, 2011, we stood in solidarity with Madrid, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Madison, Toronto, London, Athens, Sydney, Stuttgart, Tokyo, Milan, Amsterdam, Algiers, Tel Aviv, Portland and Chicago. Soon we will stand with Phoenix, Montreal, Cleveland and Atlanta. We're still here. We are growing. We intend to stay until we see movements toward real change in our country and the world.

You have fought all the wars. You have worked for all the bosses. You have wandered over all the countries. Have you harvested the fruits of your labors, the price of your victories? Does the past comfort you? Does the present smile on you? Does the future promise you anything? Have you found a piece of land where you can live like a human being and die like a human being? On these questions, on this argument, and on this theme, the struggle for existence, the people will speak. Join us.

We speak as one. All of our decisions, from our choice to march on Wall Street to our decision to continue occupying Liberty Square, were decided through a consensus based process by the group, for the group.
https://occupywallst.org/article/a-message-from-occupied-wall-street-day-five/

Now you go figure out why these are all part of the same one demand.

[MilesColtrane]

21. "I wonder why you won't post the original?"

That was because i was specifically pointing out the demands.

"Now you go figure out why these are all part of the same one demand."

No help, hunh?

If you're unwilling to explain that to someone who is actually sympathetic to most of these demands, do you really think you're going to impassion the average citizen?

[Warren Stupidity]

29. I sincerely doubt the sincerity of your sympathy.

And no, the communique speaks for itself, unlike your edited version.

[MilesColtrane]

31. You have a nice day, then.

:hi:

[nadinbrzezinski]

17. 'cause them aren't connected.

:sarcasm:

<------- early days of Wisconsin.

[Marrah_G]

23. I think it all combines into the desire for socioeconomic justice.

[MilesColtrane]

25. That's such a broad (and worthy) cause.

IMO the protestors need to focus on one or two things and offer specific remedies.

Successful movements in the past did just that.

[Marrah_G]

34. It needs time to build and grow.

Right now I see alot more chatter due to this on FB, from people I would not think would pay any attention. YOu have alot of college kids with no job prospects. Like those before them, they will lead the way and the movement will learn and grow ( hopefully)

[Warren Stupidity]

30. if you think for him he will never think for himself

[Marrah_G]

35. Or perhaps I can help him ponder things in a different way.

[LanternWaste]

28. Civil Rights movement had no less than seventeen specific issues.

Civil Rights movement had no less than seventeen specific issues.

[EFerrari]

9. It goes right to the heart of American politics. n/t

[valerief]

11. Politics sends people to death (war, no healthcare, no home, pollution).

Politics affects everyone who don't have the money to escape it.

[HereSince1628]

12. So then... " let them eat cake!" was a bakery issue?

[Warren Stupidity]

13. no it is a reality tv show

:wtf:

[Luminous Animal]

14. How do you separate the political from the economic in the U.S. these days?

[Bragi]

16. They need to focus on Wall Street relevant demands

- Demand an end to theft by bankers and brokers who pay themselves astronomical sums to do routine financial transactions;

- Demand that bankers and brokers be investigated and forced to give back the money stolen in their 2008 heist; and

- Demand new punitive taxes to tax away any motivation for future theft by Wall Street bankers and brokers.

Needless to say, these demands are political. They are also demands that the Wall Street protesters can and should be making of the White House and Congress.

[backscatter712]

18. Politics and economics are inseparable.

Of course it's political. It can't not be political.

[salin]

19. It is a counter narrative to the Tea Party

with the twist that this is not "all about them(selves)" (teaparty) and rather about what our economic and political systems could be in terms of improving society for all. I think in that sense it is political. I think it is also about raising attention - that we don't have to just suck it up and be thankful for ever dwindling crumbs that are being tossed out to us. I think that, too is political in nature - not in the sense of supporting a candidate or single issue/policy. Just my two cents.

[Marrah_G]

20. I think it's more an economics thing

Sooner or later the havenots get sick and tired of the haves and decide enough is enough. It happens over and over in history.

[EFerrari]

24. What is more political in this country than economics?

Whoever Wall Street adopts in any presidential election takes office.

[Marrah_G]

36. I mean that people are coming to it due to economics

I think You have people there from all walks of life, from different parties or no party at all, what brought them there is the economy and the thievery. They may end up political, but I think many didn't start that way.

[OHdem10]

22. It is just as political as any other issue. The Guardian, UK had

a good article the other day, explaining after interviewing
and spending time with the young people down there, they
learned these are mainly young people from working class
backgrounds "taking back their country".

Is that not what we sometimes aspire tO.

At least they are going straight to the heart of the
problem of what is wrong in this country.

[CrispyQ]

26. Wall Street took the global economy to the brink & our government bailed them out.

Sounds political to me. Politics is one of the vehicles for how we define our collective behavior.

E Pluribus Unum

We were making progress, but we're off course again.

[saras]

27. Nearly all legitimate politics is about economics. The rest is petty moralism.

[Overseas]

32. Trickle Up Economics has definitely been a political process. Deceiving the electorate to vote for

stupid platitudes that distracted them from reality when the Democrats were trying to introduce the concepts of sustainable development, recycling, conservation and alternative energy to prepare for the future. Trickle Up Economics came rolling in as part of a dreamy, flag waving campaign in which Ronald Reagan shoved aside all those Democratic naysayers with their dismal facts in favor of

Morning in America, in which a "rising tide lifts all boats," and "tax cuts for the rich will create millions of jobs," and "the free market (a.k.a. Republican-friendly corporations) can do better,"

and if you believe in all that Jimmy Carter stuff about limits to growth then you're just not a true American like us and our darling Ronald Reagan the movie star.


It has definitely been a political process-- sending lobbyists to dismantle as much of the New Deal as possible, and to deregulate mass media to make it simpler to push the whole national dialogue to the far right and dumb down the citizenry so they'll continue to accept the stupid platitudes like "the free market can do better" even after the facts come in again and again against those premises.

And after the Bush Crash was a landslide of evidence against their "supply side" economics, the thieves encouraged "bipartisanship," telling Democrats they needed to "move to the center," long after "the center" had been moved to the right by Reagan's union busting and Democrats who agreed to vote in NAFTA and the financial deregulation.

[TBF]

33. Politics=Economics

Anyone who forgets that does so at his/her peril.

[sabrina 1]

37. Yes, absolutely.

It reflects the total failure of the political system in this country to address the needs of the people. These people are very informed about how the money in politics has corroded the political system to such an extent that the people no longer have a voice in their own government.

That is one of the goals of the protests, to get the money out of politics and out of all of our institutions.