“We demand . . . SOMETHING! . . . but we’re not quite sure what it is yet”
Probably not a wise idea to give attention-hogs exactly what they want, but . . . an acquaintance recently announced he was planning to go Occupy Wall Street on Sept. 17th.
My apologies if this has been mentioned here on Ricochet before; this is the first I've heard of it. And . . . I'm kind of amused. Because there's something so gosh-darned earnest here, combined with a certain level of naïvete that I've come to expect from the left.
To wit:
On the 17th of September, we want to see 20,000 people to flood into lower Manhattan, set up tents, kitchens, peaceful barricades and occupy Wall Street for a few months. Once there, we shall incessantly repeat one simple demand in a plurality of voices and we will not leave until that demand has been met.
And what is that demand? Well, they're not quite sure. The gathering has been planned, the demands . . . not so much. But they're taking a poll to see what they might want to demand once they get there.
All we have to do is show up in large numbers, block traffic, not turn into a violent mob and most importantly—not go home the next day. But to be fair, this is easier said than done.
And it's apparently a lot easier to find stooges willing to attend a demonstration than to actually find something to demand at that demonstration.
Like our brothers and sisters in Egypt, Greece, Spain, and Iceland, we plan to use the revolutionary Arab Spring tactic of mass occupation to restore democracy in America. We also encourage the use of nonviolence to achieve our ends and maximize the safety of all participants. . . .
When our leaders can no longer be trusted, it becomes the duty of the people to fight for social justice. The Arab Spring tactic has proven itself effective in forcing governments to bow to the will of the people. We believe this tactic can also work in America.
I find the belief in the innate goodness of the "Arab Spring" rather touching. And yes, naïve and short-sighted as well.
Ricochetians, your thoughts, please. I'm certainly no fan of the Wall Street/Washington Perpetual Money Machine, but I suspect that what our leftist friends really want isn't an end to it, but rather a piece of the action. I've learned that when you see the words "social justice" expect a whole laundry list of leftist demands, including, but certainly not limited to, the redistribution of wealth.
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Aug '10
Re: “We demand . . . SOMETHING! . . . but we’re not quite sure what it is yet”
Rain dance at Battery Park, Sept 16. Bring intent.
Jun '11
Re: “We demand . . . SOMETHING! . . . but we’re not quite sure what it is yet”
Somehow their search for a "demand" reminds me of the Piranha Brothers:
"Denied the opportunity to use their talents in the service of their country, they began to operate what they called 'The Operation'... They would select a victim and then threaten to beat him up if he paid the so-called protection money. Four months later they started another operation which they called 'The Other Operation.' In this racket they selected another victim and threatened not to beat him up if he didn't pay them. One month later they hit upon 'The Other Other Operation.' In this the victim was threatened that if he didn't pay them, they would beat him up. This, for the Piranha brothers, was the turning point.
Here's hoping these lovelies never discover the other, other operation...
Jul '10
Re: “We demand . . . SOMETHING! . . . but we’re not quite sure what it is yet”
I'd call it "WouldStock Wall Street."
Love it. I'm still laughing.
Dec '10
Re: “We demand . . . SOMETHING! . . . but we’re not quite sure what it is yet”
DrewInWisconsin:
Funny. I don't remember these folks staging mass occupations of Capitol Hill when ObamaCare was being crammed down our throats against the will of the people. I guess only the will of certain people warrants an occupation force.
And, yeah. Wall Street is just like Greece. Or the Arab dictatorships.
I guess you have some experience with this DrewInWisconsin. You've already had your Arab Spring, right? How'd that work out for ya? Democracy restored?
Mar '11
Re: “We demand . . . SOMETHING! . . . but we’re not quite sure what it is yet”
That is a an excellent summation. Is this fury over TARP? A demand to end Mark-to-Myth accounting? Get rid of the federal slush funds that go by the name of Fannie & Freddie? An imprecation that the SEC actually prosecute someone, anyone versus spending their days looking at porn and having their lawyers writing out endless legal settlements "with no admission of guilt"?
I am reminded of the riots in Greece not so long ago; it was not anger at the corruption and the looting, no for those breaking windows and heads it was fury that they didn't have "a piece of the action"
These are not protests, they are temper tantrums.
Jan '11
Re: “We demand . . . SOMETHING! . . . but we’re not quite sure what it is yet”
I would point out how this is opposite of the Tea Party protests, where there was an idea and objective before it became a critical mass. I still get fired up when people try to attribute the Tea Party to anything other than the desire to see the Federal Government play less of a role in everyday domestic life.
Also, while I have no brief for crony capitalism (which is a big problem of the day, i.e. Solyndra) I don't understand this thought that it is Wall Street that is controlling everyone's life.
Not directly related, but here again is an article I have found quite enlightening.
Aug '11
Re: “We demand . . . SOMETHING! . . . but we’re not quite sure what it is yet”
Western Chauvinist
I guess you have some experience with this DrewInWisconsin. You've already had your Arab Spring, right? How'd that work out for ya? Democracy restored?
Yes, thanks. It's been quite a year. But Democracy is doing quite nicely, to the utter dismay of the Madison leftists on the professional grievance circuit. Looks like we'll have a budget surplus this year, school districts across the state are saving hundreds of thousands of dollars by unhooking themselves from the teachers' unions, and are actually able to hire more teachers, and things are really looking up. Naturally, the Democrats are hoping to undo all that.
But yes, the Madison demonstrators quickly saw themselves as equivalent to the protesters in Egypt, and the "Scott Walker = Mubarak" placards were in abundance. Which is to say that stupidity was also in abundance.
Aug '11
Re: “We demand . . . SOMETHING! . . . but we’re not quite sure what it is yet”
These guys are onto something: Wall Street is a cesspool of greed.
But what they don't seem to understand is how the federal government aided and abetted Wall Street. A long line of political prostitutes - mostly Democrats - joined together with Wall Street for mutual enrichment: Larry Summers, Laura Dyson, Robert Rubin, et. al.
Take a look at the documentary Inside Job. Yeah, it's narrated by Matt Damon, but it's as scathing about the Clinton and Obama administrations' crony capitalism as it is about George Bush.
Another good source is the book Reckless Endangerment which explains how the 2008 crash came to be: without the active involvement of the federal government and Democrat honchos, the sub-prime mortgage fiasco never would have happened.
Edited on Sep 1, 2011 at 10:48pmJun '10
Re: “We demand . . . SOMETHING! . . . but we’re not quite sure what it is yet”
We DEMAND an immediate end to our ennui!
Apr '11
Re: “We demand . . . SOMETHING! . . . but we’re not quite sure what it is yet”
We're not sure what we want, but as soon as we do, it's obviously your job to give it to us!
(Oh I do so hope they ask for a slap upside the head.)
Aug '10
Re: “We demand . . . SOMETHING! . . . but we’re not quite sure what it is yet”
We should all vote in the facebook poll to make their demand: "a shrubbery."
Dec '10
Re: “We demand . . . SOMETHING! . . . but we’re not quite sure what it is yet”
There's no way they'd expend enough energy to cut down the largest tree in the forest with a herring, so shrubbery it is!
More seriously, how did the word "social" become a negative? Every time it's put in front of justice the end result the justice destroyed.
Aug '11
Re: “We demand . . . SOMETHING! . . . but we’re not quite sure what it is yet”
It's worth taking a look at that Facebook poll, if only for a laugh. There are currently 100 different suggestions for things our little radicals might demand. The top vote-getter with only 1645 votes is "Revoke Corporate Personhood." Predictable, I suppose.
But look at #2: "Abolish Capitalism."
Or #10: "Four-hour work day."
May '10
Re: “We demand . . . SOMETHING! . . . but we’re not quite sure what it is yet”
and you can bet these anarchist jerks won't be cleaning up after themselves...
Dec '10
Re: “We demand . . . SOMETHING! . . . but we’re not quite sure what it is yet”
If they're too stupid to get government jobs...
Nov '10
Re: “We demand . . . SOMETHING! . . . but we’re not quite sure what it is yet”
LOLOL!
Oct '10
Re: “We demand . . . SOMETHING! . . . but we’re not quite sure what it is yet”
RE. These are not protests, they are temper tantrums. Point well taken.
There is some Manna from Heaven thinking that defies logic here.
Have to add an interesting note to this. Some time ago Noam C. commented on the vast energies expended by the some 300 k fans in a football stadium during a playoff. And what if those energies, wasted in his opinion, could be applied to change.
Interesting concept, however, lacking a purpose or rudder is a dangerous thing.
Not a great fan of Noam, save there are salient points there that have merit.
Dec '10
Re: “We demand . . . SOMETHING! . . . but we’re not quite sure what it is yet”
Remedy for unfocused rage: well-aimed fire hoses.
Re: “We demand . . . SOMETHING! . . . but we’re not quite sure what it is yet”
M.T.S. and Western Chauvinist have it exactly right. The Tea Party is composed of people who rallied around an idea, rather than a bunch of rabble rousers rallying around general mischief. Then again, these people do have a certain ideal in mind, but it would be unsettling to their cause if they actually advertised a mass sit-in, in support of the Communist Manifesto.
Oct '10
Re: “We demand . . . SOMETHING! . . . but we’re not quite sure what it is yet”
The King Prawn
If they're too stupid to get government jobs... · Sep 1 at 8:28pm
On the contrary there King Prawn, here in Mexico, those challenged folks do have a fallback and do find work in government. Now there is a recipe for, well success. Seems a Universal construct.
Have to add that one of popular methods for demonstrators in Mexico City is to go nude and in huge numbers. Just the police presence is a sight itself.
Now that would be a sight on Wall Street or at the 1600 address and how would the press script it?
Edited on Sep 1, 2011 at 9:14pm