"you insulated elitist fools"

[kpete]

Gulf Coast residents continue to express their anger towards BP (Erika Blumenfeld/Al Jazeera)

THE RUDE PUNDIT (perfect pitch)

An Inarticulate Articulation of Why Occupy Wall Street Doesn't Need to Articulate a Damn Thing:

Oh, shut the fuck up, mainstream media. You know exactly what the Occupy Wall Street (and dozens of other places) protests are demanding. Everybody knows, even dunderheads who pretend not to. They are demanding what every truly great social movement has ever demanded: the right to have a say, to have power in a nation where the majority of people are disempowered. Yeah, you can narrow those into a list of specific goals, as the General Assembly at Zuccotti Park are attempting or as others from the protests or even some in the media have laid out, but so what?

They all come down to the same thing, the same thing: power, specifically of the economic sort. The United States government has allowed corporations, whether its oil companies, banks, pharmaceuticals, or whatever, to have the power in the nation under the lie that their rising profits are the key to economic salvation. Now, after decades of corporate-friendly policies, mostly to the detriment of the individual worker, the lie has been made plain.
http://rudepundit.blogspot.com/2011/10/inarticulate-articulation-of-why-occupy.html

[annabanana]

1. kicking. . . n.t

[xchrom]

2. recommend

[malaise]

3. Rudie nails it

as usual

Rec

[MiddleFingerMom]

4. k&r n/t

[Amonester]

5. Truly, the 'eliti$t$' now live in a parallel univer$e...

where 'looking forward' while not 'seeing' the finite limits of this planet to sustain life is okay...

[unblock]

6. the message is clear: we want a system that doesn't serve the interests of only the top 1%.

[JuniperLea]

13. that boils it down nicely

i think there is a long grocery list of individual and specific complaints that would make for good signs, but the collective frustration and anger comes from that one basic fact.

[lunatica]

7. The message is also that the system is corrupt

We like to think other government and countries are corrupt. Now we're seeing our own for what it is.

[JoeyT]

8. Even if I disagreed with the content, which I don't,

I'd kick and rec this just for being the first time I can remember the word elitist being used correctly in politics.

[mod mom]

9. The United States government has allowed corporations...to have the power in the nation

Our government has failed the people for the almighty profit!

[mmonk]

10. Excellent.

[Wind Dancer]

11. Rude nails it again.

K&R

[fascisthunter]

12. the whole concept of elitism is based on delusion

[DinahMoeHum]

14. The Rudester's assessment of the Teabaggers is spot-on. . .

(snip)
"...If the Tea Party had not been racist and gun-toting and stupid and easily manipulated from the start, it would have had the same message..."
(snip)

[Carolina]

15. K&R K&R K&R K&R K&R!!!

[ellenfl]

16. K and R! gotta love rude. eom

[On the Road]

17. I Have to Say I Vehemently Disagree

The OWS movement is indeed inarticulate, and unless it gets a definition it is going to evaporate without much of a trace.

If all it is an expression of anger at income inequality, that is understandable to most Americans, even many of the affluent. But expressing anger by itself it does nothing. There has to be some proposed action at the end of the process.

If the protests were in support of Obama's proposed tax increase, they might have more traction and make a difference in getting it passed. If they angry about executive compensation, there has to be a means to do that -- so far I haven't seen a good one.

Some of the descriptions of the movement say it was inspired by the Arab Spring. That suggests that a change in the system of government is the goal. I am not on board with that and I don't even think most of the protesters are either.

[Nostradammit]

23. I guarantee you that a change in the system of government is the goal.

Virtually ALL of the protesters are on board with that notion.

[On the Road]

37. Well, That's Too Bad, Then

Because it's pretty much useless. Successful revolts are rare, which is why the Arab Spring has been so surprising. Even the massive widespread anger in Europe in 1844 didn't turn governments out. And this isn't 1844.

It is a shame. Look how much has changed politically, socially, and economically in the 220+ years of US history, and how many times it's been recreated. There is a lot more to be gained by trying to recreate the US again to lower the extremes of wealth than by trying to overthrow it.

[Nostradammit]

53. Yeah, but in this one we have no choice. The elite are out to kill us

and if we don't disarm them we are dead.

This one shall not fail.

[On the Road]

84. Yes, But That is Not Enough

There is a choice of tactics, goals, and communication.

Poverty and injustice can continue for centuries unabated, and few protest movements and revolutions are successful. Those that are have certain things in common -- some combination of factors such as clear achievable goals, massive popular support, a charismatic leader, and a universally acknowledged moral high ground. Not all of them are needed, but it is critical to have some of them.

The civil rights movement is instructive. Their broad goals were racial equality, integration, voting rights and economic improvement for black people. To support those, the movement involved itself in a number of highly specific activities, from the Montgomery bus boycott to voter registration drives to the Memphis sanitation workers' strike. Those disparate actions were recognized as part of the same movement because these were clear overriding prinicples. Every voter registered, piece of legislation, or integrated establishment was another small victory.

What is particularly impressive about their achievement is that it stayed on message, maintained a high moral tone, and appealed to people's better nature. The last one is critical.

On the other hand, no one knew what the black power movement stood for or what its attitude was to violence. As a result, while it inspired some folks on the left, it scared and confused a lot of people and never established a record of achievement.

Right now, the OWS protest resemble the black power movement rather than groups like the Southern Christian Leadership Council. That's the point I am making, and it is intended to be constructive rather than destructive. There is still time to get this together.

[Shining Jack]

63. Yeah! People should have stayed home and mind their own business...

Back in 1776.

[Blue_In_AK]

26. I'm totally in favor of a change in the system of government.

Our govenrment, as it stands, has failed.

[nashville_brook]

30. i see -- if OWS supported Obama, THEN it would be effective.

b/c it was the Arab Spring's support of politicians that made it so successful.


that was all about Obama, if you recall.


:rofl:

[On the Road]

35. It Has Nothing to Do With Obama

it has to do with standing for some sort of set of specific actions or proposals. Anything. In anyone's mind.

If they were protesting for marijuana legalization, the numbers and press coverage could have an impact on state laws or federal attitudes to state laws. If they were against the death penalty, it would register on the public consciousness. If they were protesting to bring the troops home from Afghanistan, it might in some way influence the timetable. What is registering now is bewilderment.

I heard a segment on NPR Financial News this week discussing the protests in which two of the three hosts expressed sympathy with the protesters and the anger that they are registering, but in the words of one of them, it had been 'cartoonish.' This is what's coming across. It is the downside of having a leaderless movement fueled by social media with no public voice, no experience, and no road map or political strategy.

At first I thought the protests were directed towards the financial industry, but it seems they are more concerned with the growing extremes of wealth in the US. That is a very worthy subject, but it has to take some form other than "banks suck" and "I hate rich people." I mentioned the proposed tax changes because they are the only thing on the political table now which addresses that disparity of wealth in some way.

This is not the Arab Spring. You do not have a country where political activism is persecuted and the population is unified but afraid to speak out. In Libya, 90% of the population wanted Qaddaffi gone. There was no question of the goal -- it was just a matter of the population rising up in unison and organizing. You don't think that describes the US, do you?

If you support the goals of the OWS protesters, you should not be rolling on the floor laughing. You should be crying. Because a month from now, the weather will be colder, the press will have lost interest, and everyone on the streets now is going to be walking back with their tail between their legs not having accomplished a thing. Why? Because they couldn't even form a coherent message.

[U4ikLefty]

36. thanks for your concern

[On the Road]

39. OK, and Thanks for Not Jumping All Over Me in Return

the ROFL smiley just bothered me and I thought it was misdirected.

But seriously, think about this: say several months from now, which changes can you envision coming about as a result of the OWS protests? Is there going to be new legislation, is there going to be an armed revolution, are different local candidates going to be elected?

[rhett o rick]

47. Ok so what do u suggest? Fuk the status quo. nm

[U4ikLefty]

71. Why do you care?

You obviously have not been there repesenting, so why pretend that you care?

[On the Road]

82. I Care Because Poverty is an Issue That Badly Needs a Voice,

and because I've been there in the past, am surrounded by it now.

No one who is 'representing' appears able to 'communicate' the goals, philosophy, and methods of the OWS movement. The Arab Spring it is not. So what kind of movement are we talking about: anti-IMF, civil rights, black power, French Revolution, Solidarność? It makes all the difference in the world.

I'm glad that churches and unions are getting involved, because they might actually lend some seriousness to be movement. It badly needs it.

[TalkingDog]

40. As I have learned tonight, this movement is now SACRED. You MUST NOT OFFER CRITIQUE

even if it is meant to be constructive and helpful. This is VERBOTEN. You MUST embrace the amorphous yet humble and honest nature of the protestors as a shining symbol of the everyman.

So, to sum: Even if you agree with what they are doing, you must not offer any criticism what so ever. In fact,you should personally drive up there and hand each of them a "I Participated!" Sticker, so nobody's feelings get hurt.

[rhett o rick]

48. It is not helpful to simple say that they are wasting their time. If that's all you have to say,

forget it. We voted in Obama for change, now we are in the streets for change. It may not work, it probably wont work but what do u suggest?

[TalkingDog]

65. You have 2 choices, you can overturn the power structure from the top down

or the bottom up.

Top down includes violence. I don't condone that.

Bottom up is less bloody, but more difficult. The message being put out by the MSM is that this movement has no goals, no direction. We understand that it has goals and a direction, but if it is actually going to succeed, we need more people on board than those currently "in the know". We need to convince people who would normally brush off this type of action to join us.

Martin Luther King wanted much more than the first blush of Civil Rights movement indicated. But he started with the most basic thing that would get him there - Equal Rights for oppressed minorities.

He was working for the African-American populations. And his message was not so specific to exclude other oppressed minorities, but not so broad as to be vague. As a result, white women saw the correlation between the powerless position of African-Americans and the powerless position of women and knew that the underlying message could be applied to them too.

The message here isn't reaching that "other", unlike us, but like us group. And the media has no plans to let it.

So, what do I suggest?

Craft a message that is succinct and flexible. Find alternate ways to spread it.

So far, the only way I know what the OWS members want is by reading this board. How far do you think that is going to get them?

[rhett o rick]

68. Sorry, we are done with the status quo.

Your suggestion is: "Craft a message that is succinct and flexible. Find alternate ways to spread it. " That's pretty vague.

[TalkingDog]

78. So you are admitting you (and OWS) lack the will, intelligence and creativity to carry it off?

Because if the ML King example of how to craft a succinct and flexible message was too vague for you, that's exactly what you are suggesting.

I'll offer a few others you may have heard of (or perhaps not, since history obviously begins and ends with you): Henry David Thoreau, Ghandi, Mandela, the Dahlia Lama.

OWS are not doing anything new or unique. Stop acting like they are. Learn from other people instead of trying to reinvent the wheel. That's a great way for those who want to oppress you further to gain the upper hand. Because, trust me, they aren't going to stand around and wait for you to figure it out. They have been planning and acting since the first 70 or so people showed up in NY.

Edited to add: (at least somebody on this board gets it)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x2085606

[rhett o rick]

88. Why dont you "craft a succinct and flexible message" and use whatever your magic is to

get the word out. It is easy for you to sit back and criticize. Like I said before, plez just get out of the way.

By the way, are you John Stossel? If so, we dont want you anywayz.

[rhett o rick]

89. Sorry to accuse you of being John Stossel. I just read Eric Cantor's comments re. OWS and he sounds

like you.

[99th_Monkey]

57. Unlike

[TalkingDog]

66. And I care?

Grow up and stop using childish retorts for a very serious conversation.

If you don't care to contribute to the conversation in a constructive way, you are just wasting everybody's time.

[U4ikLefty]

73. Yeah, like post #40 wasn't a childish load of crap.

give it up

[bemildred]

79. +1. nt

[99th_Monkey]

81. O-O-O-O-Oh. My. touchy touchy. nt

[rhett o rick]

46. It has everything to do with Obama. He was to bring change, yet he brought

his conservative friends. He surrounds himself with conservatives. That isnt going to bring change. We are sick of being told to be patient, to work within the system when the system is flawed. The OWS dont have to be specific about their demands, the oligarchy knows what we want.

If you aint with us, plez step aside.

[Flatulo]

77. I think a worthwhile mission statement would be to simply reform the tax code.

It's doable, and it would have the added benefit of actually making a difference in the vast majority of peoples' lives.

[JDPriestly]

42. Look, this is about the fact that everybody in the 99% below the 1%

is fed up -- Teabaggers, students, working people, taxpayers. Everybody is fed up with the corruption, the waste, the fact that the rich don't pay their share of taxes, the wars, the injustice. Some think taxes are too high. Some think they are too low. And our government is not representing our interests but rather those of the extremely wealthy and of the corporations.

We are ruining our environment yet ordinary people have more debt than assets and their incomes do not cover their debts.

Something has to change. These demonstrations are putting people on notice. You mention the attempts to change European governments in the 1840s. But think of it, the attempt to change the French government in 1789 and our successful American revolution brought change. Each was preceded by all kinds of discontent similar to that we see today in our country and in Europe.

The OWS is not a revolutionary movement. By no means. But the conservatives in the world had best take notice that not even their fellow conservatives are pleased with the situation as it now exists.

And when so many people are unhappy and no one wants to pay taxes to improve the country, to protect the environment, to educate the children, to provide for the healthcare of the elderly and poor, the country is falling apart whether there are demonstrations or not.

The demonstrations are a plea for our government to get to work and to find ways to fund the government and improve the lives of the people.

[rhett o rick]

45. So what are you "onboard" for. As if I care. The revolution is here. Get out of the way, plez. nm

[FedUp_Queer]

51. And there you have it.

Another DNC corporatist shill.

[Buns_of_Fire]

61. To remedy a problem, first you have to realize that you HAVE a problem.

That's where I see the OWS movement as it sits today -- in the "awareness" stage. Lists of specific goals and/or demands and/or actions, spokespeople, definition -- I think that'll come. A worthwhile movement doesn't all spring, fully-formed, from the brow of Zeus, unlike the teabaggers seemed to emerge from the anus of Armey.

[Odin2005]

85. The fact that you are asking people to support Obama proves you don't get it.

Obama is one of them, one of the 1%.

[haele]

86. The OWS movement is not a truly a means to an end, it's a warning to those in power -

If TPTB take notice and stop treating politics and finances as a game of priviliged one-upmanship, and start actually governing and investing fairly, OWS will have done it's job. If it continues to be business as usual, then OWS will be replaced by something darker and more distructive.
History tells us this. And unfortunatly, history also informs us that most times, TPTB has it's head so far up it's rectum, it takes a guillotine to remove it.

It's not going to be pretty so long as over-priviledged, insulated children, syncophants, sociopaths and outright psycopaths cling to power.

Haele

[Scuba]

18. K&R We have no shortage of evil forces to fight. n/t

[bvar22]

19. What happened to the much ballyhooed $20 Billion Dollar fund?

How much of that money actually Trickled Down to The People?
Has anyone seen a final accounting?



You will know them by their WORKS,
not by their excuses.

Solidarity99!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Donald Ian Rankin]

20. The first paragraph rather refutes its own point.

It first claims that the author knows what the protestors are demanding, and then makes clear that the author doesn't.

A demand is a form of communication - it's information one person passes to another as to what they desire. If you can't articulate your demands, you don't *have* demands.

> That message can be distilled to a simple, plaintive, two-word cry to our elected representatives: "Do something.

(quoted from the longer article).

I think that this is a good way of putting it; it also illustrates clearly why the protests are unlikely to achieve much.

[Nostradammit]

21. Tony Baloney! Different Tony Baloney than the NYPD one -

but a strange coincidence nonetheless. (Green sign in the background refers to Tony Hayward of BP, I imagine.)

[deutsey]

22. Huge K&R

:thumbsup:

[Fire Walk With Me]

24. Bravo. And I'd love to be able to read that sign in the background saying "Tony Baloney".

[Dr Fate]

25. Obama is not done with all these BP rats yet! He won't rest until they are all behind bars.

But first, he has to eradicate the scourge that is medicinal pot.

[Blue_In_AK]

27. Dr. Fate, in case I haven't told you before,

I love you. :loveya:

[RainDog]

41. add me to your list of fans

:hug:

[workinclasszero]

80. LOL I know right?

Please save us from pot for people dying of cancer!:sarcasm:

And please, Mr President and Congress, hurry and pass more "free trade bills" that send even more jobs overseas!:sarcasm:

I mean hell there are no jobs out here, meebe a few minimum wage with no benefits, a fuc*** DEPRESSION for the 99% that has dragged on for YEARS, no health care, unpayable debt of all kinds, 3 damn endless wars and no hope for the future.

But hey, don't worry about our little problems, Goldman Sachs and the 1% are so much more important eh?:grr:

[L0oniX]

28. K & R with gusto. n/t

[Gregorian]

29. But why does it always take 30 years?

Am I just some visionary kid? I doubt it. But it was so obvious to me that I expected revolution in the early 80's. I was shocked that not only did the drug war escalate, but no one even discussed what was happening. And meanwhile our stuff was being made in China and shipped to us to buy.

My mind boggles at just how slow and willing to put up with bs the American people are. I guess you had to be a pot grower to really feel the heat. I didn't seem to touch most people.

[nineteen50]

31. Russia fell

Because of corruption not reagan and America will fall not from terrorists but from corruption. Eyes tend to open in times of distress.

[formercia]

32. We are here, therefore we Articulate.......n/t

[unkachuck]

33. K&R....n/t

[Flatulo]

34. I'm not sure why the protests are directed at Wall Street and banks.

These institutions are only doing what they do best - make money and keep as much of it as possible.

The real people that need a wake up call are the politicians who've allowed this mess to continue.

[rhett o rick]

49. I agree. nm

[mackdaddy]

59. Good point, but Congress is a subsidiary of Wall Street, and the President seems to work for the Fe...

Sometimes you have to go directly to the boss.

[Amonester]

62. The politicians allow this mess to continue because...

the politicians do need a LOT of cash to campaign for public office.

It's as simple as that.

As long as the politicians will have to go ask the financier to 'invest' in their campaigns, nothing will ever change for better, but for worse.

[Flatulo]

75. That's really it in a nutshell. The bribery has to stop. 100% public funding

of elections, and not one cent of private or corporate money. But good luck with that one. Now that corporations have human rights, there will never be an honest election again.

I am not hopeful for the future.

[rhett o rick]

90. You will need a new SCOTUS before you can get that. nm

[uponit7771]

83. +1

[Charronxyz]

38. labor is superior to capital

"In the simplest Marxist terms, capital must be taught a lesson that labor is its superior in the power structure."

[Flatulo]

52. Labor has no leverage. Most jobs today can be done in China.

It's going to take government intervention to slow the outsourcing of jobs. Since China will not float their currency, we have to employ other mechanisms to make it more expensive to manufacture in China than here.

The protests need to be directed at congress, not Wall Street.

Just my opinion, of course.

[Charronxyz]

67. labour is superior as in...

"Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves the much higher compensation."

-- Abraham Lincoln, State of the Union message, 1861

[Flatulo]

69. Oh, I understood the reference. The thing is, the labor pool today includes

Chinese workers who will toil for 12 hours per day until they drop dead or leap out a window.

This is who the American blue-collar worker is competing against.

And if you're a white collar technical worker like myself, who used to easily command a six- figure salary, well, there are tens of thousands of Chinese engineers who will do my job for 1/5 of my rate. I know this because my job has been outsourced three times in as many years.

Life as we know it in the USA will be very different from here on out. The middle class is a quaint notion that is being replaced by a permanent underclass forever consigned to shitty service jobs.

That's why I suggested that the OWS protests are misdirected. The bankers and traders not only can't change the system, but they wouldn't even if they could because it benefits them so much.

[Charronxyz]

70. There are no short term solutions...

I believe this is more about normal Americans finding their voices, changing the corporate right-wing narrative the news medias imposes on us all, and what better place to illustrate the greed of the 1% than wall street! Hopefully this is just the beginning, middle America has just woken up, give it time...

my2cents

[Flatulo]

72. Agreed, we're in a thirty year downward spiral. It's worthwhile to let the bankers and traders know

that the status quo is not in their long-term best interests. An uprising among the lower class would go badly for them.

[lonestarnot]

43. , insurance companies, or whatever,"

[Overseas]

44. K&R. Well said.

[Raksha]

50. The Rude One nails it again! n/t

[NBachers]

54. What are we protesting against?

What are you not protesting against?

[pacalo]

55. "We love our country -- why don't you?"

These are not revolutionary concepts. It's not a call for the overthrow of the Congress or the President. It's not a call for all the bullshit constitutional amendments that the Tea Party has tossed into the trash heap of rhetorical history. It's a call to abide by the notion that we are a group of united states, not a bunch of demographics awaiting exploitation. Our division is what gives power to the corporations. Our division is what they demand so that we don't actually think about and discuss what's wrong and how it can be solved. They need our division. Our unity is a threat.

Perhaps one way to put this (for, indeed, there are and should be many) is "We love our country. Why don't you?"

Just beautiful!

[pacalo]

56. K&R!

[w0nderer]

58. kickety kick and reccity rec n/t

[mother earth]

60. Like the founding fathers, we want representation, our values,

not corporate or big monied interests...K & R

[Le Taz Hot]

64. This is gold:

"If the Tea Party had not been racist and gun-toting and stupid and easily manipulated from the start, it would have had the same message."

K & R

[workinclasszero]

87. So true

The banksters, Fox and the 1%ers on hate radio put a ring in the teabaggers nose and tamed those jerks. Now they are the lap dogs of Wall Street!LOLOLOLOL!:rofl:

[myrna minx]

74. Excellent. n/t

[BadGimp]

76. NAILED IT!