Zuccotti's Freeloaders
From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.
However lovely those who've organized themselves into the Occupy Wall Street protests find communism's foundational principles, they are quickly discovering that human nature creeps in and messes everything up. The NY Daily News reports that Manhattan's Zuccotti Park, which has served as the HQ of the OWS movement, has become plagued with freeloaders.
[T]he swelling ranks of freeloaders and disturbed characters in the last few days has pressed the working group members who’ve organized the protest and so far kept it from going off the rails to refine their ideas about just how open their movement should be.
....The number of non-participants taking advantage of the resources that the activists have provided — free food, clothing, tarps and sleeping bags, hand-rolled smokes and even books, not to mention a sense of protection from the police, who have increasingly left the park to protect itself - has exploded over the past week, and is threatening to define the occupation itself and overshadow its political and social ambitions. Despite those resources, “spanging” (spare-changing, or panhandling) at Zuccotti has become commonplace, as have fights, near-fights and open-air drug sales.
“I mean you wouldn’t see somebody at the General Assembly smoking a joint,” said Smith, reflecting the frustrations shared by many working group members who have invested their time and energies in the occupation. “But in the back, they’re selling crystal meth.”
How will Occupy Wall Street respond to its freeloaders and lowlife hangers-on? We're either in store for a boat load of new Tea Party converts, or a delicious smorgasbord of irony and hypocrisy.
Photo: pumabydesign001's blog
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Comments:
Apr '11
Re: Zuccotti's Freeloaders
The proper punishment or lesson to teach the OWS is to make sure their little shanty town does not fail and disband with worsening times. The correct counter protest is to trap them in the park and make them tough out the winter. I like Tom Libdholtz idea stated above about shipping in more vagrants. He just needs to add the element of keeping everyone there. Though knowing the news media they would find it tragic and self sacrificing that some deadbeats lost a few digits to frostbite thanks to their own stupidity.
We'll never win this. You know that guys? The journalists are all on their side. No matter how stupid these guys are they will always be portrayed as young idealists who at least tried to make the world more fair.
Oct '10
Re: Zuccotti's Freeloaders
There are ample videos of these events to view. As the MSM will not likely cover the banality of the participants in the US. The Canadian OWS protesters in Ottowa provide some context and color of an early primitive society attempting to form a coexistence within the group. Rather like a visual of Anthropology 101, outside of ample noisemaking in daylight.
Solving simple issues of simple safe communal relationships escape them.
In short, a self serving ideology that cannot resolve its own internal conflicts. Nice thing to try and sell after nightime arrives and reality comes to bear.
Aug '10
Re: Zuccotti's Freeloaders
On the one hand, they're making demands that we instantly reorganize civilization according to their conception of fairness and justice. On the other hand, they're experimenting for the first time with elementary social functions like food sourcing, energy supply, sanitation, policing, etc., and making all the mistakes the rest of civilization made, oh, 10,000 years ago.
I wouldn't expect these dimwits to have a robust enough irony-meter to register their own ridiculousness without blowing a fuse, but one would think that most liberal politicians and commentators would see the flaw in their claims to moral leadership, and be embarassed to be seen in the same ideological neighborhood.
Mar '11
Re: Zuccotti's Freeloaders
flownover: Altamont was no joke, Woodstock had great music. The Rolling Stones just thought they could phone it in and were probably swept up in incompetence and the unintended consequences of political correctness. When they write the history of PC, it might be in the primary chapters.
Nobody got hurt at Woodstock, which is one of it's legacies along with Joe Cocker's seeming seizure, Pete Townshend's guitar wreck, brown acid warning, and the completely neglected appearance of Flatt and Scruggs. · Oct 31 at 5:27pm
I thought it was funny that they believed their own BS about peace and love enough to use Hell's Angels for crowd control and were surprised when the Angels did not behave like angels. I apologize for my insensitivity.
Mar '11
Re: Zuccotti's Freeloaders
Misthiocracy
Oh, man. Could you imagine if they polled the "Occupiers" after voting day and discovered their voting rate was WAY lower than the national average! 99% indeed! · Oct 31 at 5:49pm
I am sure the "occupiers" will all vote. Several times each. But I believe their example will inspire less Democrats, and more Republicans, to turn out.
Aug '10
Re: Zuccotti's Freeloaders
Raw Prawn
Misthiocracy
Oh, man. Could you imagine if they polled the "Occupiers" after voting day and discovered their voting rate was WAY lower than the national average! 99% indeed! · Oct 31 at 5:49pm
I am sure the "occupiers" will all vote. Several times each. But I believe their example will inspire less Democrats, and more Republicans, to turn out. · Nov 1 at 2:25am
I bet dollars to donuts that everyone of them voted at least once, most of them twice or more in 2008. They're getting paid to be there now. And apologies to Misthiocracy, people were hurt at Woodstock , well documented, unlike the damage that is being done right now at all the "occupy zones". Rape, homicide, assault, drug sales...nice crowd. As Mick might say, "please allow me to introduce myself..."
Aug '10
Re: Zuccotti's Freeloaders
(Unnecessary post deleted.)
Dear Yeti: How about a delete button for when I realize I just posted something stupid?
Edited on November 1, 2011 at 6:07pm