I want to have faith that this will succeed but then again....

[RadioRaheem84]

I don't have that much faith in the American public. Not because of the stereotypical fat, oafish American but because of the fear the system has over the populace. What most people outside of the US do not understand about the American populace is that on top of being over worked and stressed, Americans are afraid of the rapid deployment of force the US government can unleash to quell unrest. It's third world-ish the level of power the State unleashes on protesters. Not to mention the apathetic and cynical nature many have about change coming through protest, especially after the anti-War movement during the Iraq War.

And finally top it off with the fact that I just heard about this today and I actively keep up with alternative news sources.

So I have little faith that this will make much of a dent or that it will be the big news it hopes to be.

I also hope that I am DEAD wrong!



This demand seems to capture the current national mood because cleaning up corruption in Washington is something all Americans, right and left, yearn for and can stand behind. If we hang in there, 20,000-strong, week after week against every police and National Guard effort to expel us from Wall Street, it would be impossible for Obama to ignore us. Our government would be forced to choose publicly between the will of the people and the lucre of the corporations.


http://www.adbusters.org/blogs/adbusters-blog/occupywallstreet.html

Occupy Wall St. September 17th

[Susurrus]

There's a thread about this event already in Events.

[¿Que?]

Succeed in what? Igniting a socialist revolution? That's doubtful. But it may ruffle some feathers if the turnout is large enough.

[RadioRaheem84]

Succeed in what? Igniting a socialist revolution? That's doubtful. But it may ruffle some feathers if the turnout is large enough.

No, I was referring to their stated mission; to get Obama to address the issues concerning working people.

[Zav]

No, I was referring to their stated mission; to get Obama to address the issues concerning working people.
He has already publicly declared his allegiance to profit. Refer yourself to Drill Baby Drill, for example. No one that high up the power chain will ever simply cave to the will of the People. He'd lose his position, be cast from the top all the way to the bottom of American society, and create doubts about the status quo, thus getting he and his family assassinated by the big-wigs. Even if he wanted to make real change, he wouldn't.

[agnixie]

No, I was referring to their stated mission; to get Obama to address the issues concerning working people.

He will probably do some non-committal bullshit because he knows he wants that Teamster/UAW/etc money.

I'm not so much hoping it will spark a socialist revolution as hoping we can use it to mend old left wing networks, and to essentially have a way to showcase a left-wing platform on a sufficiently large case.

[RadioRaheem84]

He will probably do some non-committal bullshit because he knows he wants that Teamster/UAW/etc money.

I'm not so much hoping it will spark a socialist revolution as hoping we can use it to mend old left wing networks, and to essentially have a way to showcase a left-wing platform on a sufficiently large case.

I never once for a second thought that Obama was going to do something positive about the inequality, my point was that the Stated mission of the group to be so large as to get a response from Obama, no matter how non-committal, will not even happen.

I doubt it will reach a large enough scale to warrant the Prez's attention like the events in Israel.

[Lenina Rosenweg]

No, I was referring to their stated mission; to get Obama to address the issues concerning working people.

The purpose of any action such as this would be to raise class consciousness. The campaign is already off to a bad start "regardless of your politics, we have to clean up Washington...". Anybody from Ron Paul to Michelle Bachman to George Lincoln Rockwell could say this. Begging Obama to "address the concerns" of the working class further reinforces illusions in the "good czar".

Having said this it can be a productive action, tapping into rage against Wall Street. Revolutionary socialists have to use this for education and increasing class consciousness. I would not expect a lot at this stage but it can be a promising beginning.I think people are still too demoralized. Resistance often begins not when a crisis hits but a few years after, when people are more stabilized and feel secure enough to fight back. During the Great Depression resistance in the US peaked in 1934, a few years after the crisis hit.Admittedly we are 3 years or so into the crisis but people are still shell shocked and there's residual faith in the system. A year or two from now things will be different and the stage could be set for mass resistance.

[coda]

hmmmm. not sure if they are totally getting their message out. I live in NY and this is the first time I'm hearing about it. Now I've got a week to set up a tent kitchen on Wall st. and occupy if for a couple months??? I like spontaneous protests.. but perhaps actions like this need to be longer planned for them to truly succeed in the long term and make huge impacts.... ?

[TwoSevensClash]

I doubt that 20000 people will show up. ill check it out though

[RadioRaheem84]

A year or two from now things will be different and the stage could be set for mass resistance.

One can only hope.

[agnixie]

I never once for a second thought that Obama was going to do something positive about the inequality, my point was that the Stated mission of the group to be so large as to get a response from Obama, no matter how non-committal, will not even happen.

I doubt it will reach a large enough scale to warrant the Prez's attention like the events in Israel.

See this (https://secure.freedomdonations.com/ameripac/wallstreet/fax.php), that's ameriPAC going in panic mode, pushing for the defunding of... a group that gets no federal funds whatsoever and a group that doesn't exist. The longer version I got in my inbox has a list of groups they claim are ACORN's cells - I know some of them, if they get a dime of federal money I'd be surprised.

Deep down, I wish even just half of it was true. Anarchist and marxists with the power to topple the american government. We don't even have a budget of thousands.

As for the last bit, I don't give a fuck about the president, or not as much of a fuck as I should, maybe, idk. What my last point meant is... look we have Worker's World Party people actually doing stuff with anarchists, and while I'm pretty sure both sides were a bit irked by the idea, I'm sure we can get something out of it. The thing about a year or two down the line, it's the main reason I believe in that.

[ColonelCossack]

Lol in a hundred years they'll talk about America in 2011 like we do about medieval Europe...