It's Hard To Find Bedfellows When You Haven't Showered In Three Weeks
So at the hotel in the Central Valley delivered the USA Today. The front page includes a story headlined "Poll: 6 in 10 are indifferent about Occupy movement."
My brother wonders why more aren't indifferent, since it's difficult to have much of a view about any group that has literally no goals.
But I noticed something else interesting. The story says:
A USA TODAY/Gallup Poll conducted Saturday and Sunday found that 56% say they neither support nor oppose the movement or have no opinion. That's unchanged from a poll in mid-October.
Later we're told:
The poll found the biggest change was in the percentage of Americans who disapprove of the way the movement is being conducted: 31%, up from 20% in October.
So 56% neither support nor oppose the movement and opposition has increased to 31%. This means that even the vast majority of liberals aren't on board. I just find that interesting. I keep asking my friends who are exuberantly part of the movement why they don't think it's catching fire. They contest that it is, that it's spread globally. I admit that this is true and that literally dozens of campers are being found in cities throughout the world. Why isn't it thousands?
Why is this movement failing to resonate?
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Comments:
Apr '11
Re: It's Hard To Find Bedfellows When You Haven't Showered In Three Weeks
Why is this movement failing to resonate?
Because its message is utterly incoherent, perhaps?
Apr '11
Re: It's Hard To Find Bedfellows When You Haven't Showered In Three Weeks
Maybe its not resonating for the same reason I am more or less indifferent despite my best efforts to be outraged. It seems to be limited to a few coastal liberal cities, (hoist by their own petard) despite attempts to be a national movement. And those cities are important to the press and the "establishment" but not really to me. We had a small gathering in Houston which I think has long petered out. I find it entertaining to watch it mirror Animal Farm but mostly I 'm kinda bored and unaffected by it all. Or maybe that's Just Me.
Edited on November 22, 2011 at 6:14pmMar '11
Re: It's Hard To Find Bedfellows When You Haven't Showered In Three Weeks
I think it's failed to resonate because most Americans see that the dichotomy of the 99% vs. the 1% is a bogus one. Too many one per centers on the left are trying to pass themselves off as part of the 99%. Who is more part of the 99% than cops trying to do their job, or average people trying to get to and from work on streets shut down by protesters?
Aug '10
Re: It's Hard To Find Bedfellows When You Haven't Showered In Three Weeks
The idea that they have no message is false. Here is their message:
That's a pretty simple, straightforward, clearly-stated message that can find agreement among a very large proportion of the population. Considering how widespread the "1% vs. 99%" meme has become, one must conclude that OWS has successfully propagated its message.
However, what OWS doesn't have is a CALL TO ACTION.
If you generally support OWS' message, what is it that OWS would like you to do about it?
At the end of the day, OWS is not a means to an end. It is an end unto itself.
People cannot "support" or "reject" OWS because OWS doesn't ask for anything from people who are not already a part of OWS.
The only thing an individual supporter CAN do is physically join an actual occupation site. That's pretty difficult since they're now being evicted.
During the last round of congressional elections, the Tea Party made progress by electing Tea Party candidates to the House and the Senate.
In 2012, does anybody believe that OWS will be able to elect OWS candidates?
How would one distinguish a "OWS candidate" from a mainstream Democrat anyways?
Edited on November 22, 2011 at 8:50pmOct '10
Re: It's Hard To Find Bedfellows When You Haven't Showered In Three Weeks
instead of going after bankers and capitalism, they should instead focus their attention on government policies that are strangling the economy
Edited on November 23, 2011 at 5:15amApr '11
Re: It's Hard To Find Bedfellows When You Haven't Showered In Three Weeks
At this point it's like the hype over Obama's speeches: once they were exciting and new, but after hearing the same platitudes every day for 3 years he's overexposed and stale.
Where's the urgency to attend an Occupy rally when they are always going on...and on...and on? The left completely blew it. They could have held a weekend of rallies, let the excitement and momentum build and then hold some more rallies. Instead they dragged one rally out for months until the only "occupiers" left were scum and bums.
Did they expect "normal" people to drop everything and live like an animal in a park indefinitely? Heck, even Woodstock ended after 3 days.
Of course, if these clowns understood the concepts of scarcity and value there wouldn't be an Occupy Movement.
Apr '11
Re: It's Hard To Find Bedfellows When You Haven't Showered In Three Weeks
I agree with Mark. Few average Americans seriously think that these people represent the interests of anyone but themselves.
The occupiers think that hanging out in the park for weeks on end shows their ardor. The rest of us just see them as that small minority that have the leisure time and financial support for this.