The way to understand all of this is to realize that it’s part of a broader syndrome, in which wealthy Americans who benefit hugely from a system rigged in their favor react with hysteria to anyone who points out just how rigged the system is.

Panic of the Plutocrats

I want so badly to believe in this “occupation”, but the fact is, without violent insurrection, there will never be a sea change in our government, the degree to which these people are calling for….Pepper spray and plastic hand-ties are nothing.  You want a revolution?  Then there will be deaths.  And beatings.  And rapes.  And torture.  No way around it.  Sorry Boing Boing, but your coverage of this has made me really reconsider your standing as a reputable new source on the web.

I’m not sure that’s true.  Although maybe it’s because I too just want to believe. Even though our politics are largely controlled by moneyed interests (corporations and the top .5%-1% of population),  It’s still because money buys votes for politicians.  If a large enough group of the population gets together, the politicians will blow with the wind.  There will be money (i.e. advertising and media) pushing heavily against any such protest, but the politicians go where they believe the votes are.  If the votes support politicians that would get money out of politics, clean up wall street (i.e. jail time, break up banks, etc.) and provide modern medical care (i.e. like other modern western countries that provide medical care for all) regardless of the massive amounts of advertising, media and moneyed interests against it, most of the same politicians we have now (with certainly a few exceptions) would vote that way.  Their interest is to get elected.  Votes are their goal and they consider money the way to get them.  But if large enough number of voters stand up regardless of money, the politicians will follow.I am of split mind on this.  I am somewhat cynical this will happen.  But I’m optimistic it can.  And it could happen without much violence.  It just requires people standing up, supporting those ideas, and voting for them.  Perhaps as humans and as a country we are too easily controlled by advertising and we will in essence, get what we deserve.  I’d like to think that’s not the case.

The media is going to kill this movement, and that is precisely why I am not supporting it.

I guess I don’t get this.  For me, this seems like precisely the reason to support it.

Have you seen any of the completely self-indulgent, self-gratifying, STUPID campaigning for causes that will never hold sway in the US that is happening there?  I want so badly to believe in this “occupation”, but the fact is, without violent insurrection, there will never be a sea change in our government, the degree to which these people are calling for.

I’ve started seeing this reasoning lately – don’t demand any substantial change because rape, torture, beatings and death will be the result. In other words, don’t make trouble and  don’t challenge the people who hold the power or we’ll all have to see the kind of country we really live in, and it’s not exactly the land of the free.

Yea, like there are nothing like that now in the U.S. …

You want a revolution?  Then there will be deaths.  And beatings.  And rapes.  And torture.  No way around it.

Funny, but from what I heave seen—and I am in NYC—the “Occupy Wall Street” folks are doing quite well and getting a larger support base as each day goes on without having to resort to “deaths”, “beatings”, “rape” & “torture.”

… your standing as a reputable new source on the web.

They are not a “new” source at all. They have been around since 1995.

That was before the bank foreclosed on his house by using forged documents.

Since when does Cory cover memes?  Thought that was Xeni’s domain.

Also, Boing Boing has been covering Occupy Wall Street pretty obsessively, and, as someone who lives in New York, I have to ask the question:  Have any of you been to Occupy Wall Street?  Have you seen any of the completely self-indulgent, self-gratifying, STUPID campaigning for causes that will never hold sway in the US that is happening there?  I want so badly to believe in this “occupation”, but the fact is, without violent insurrection, there will never be a sea change in our government, the degree to which these people are calling for.  Most of the media has been covering the injustice against protesters by the police–which I’m not arguing isn’t injustice–but this takes away focus from everything that is on the list of demands.  Granted, that list is rather long, cumbersome, and unlikely to be taken seriously by anyone with a law degree, public office, or a job.  But seriously, these cops are getting overtime for this, and you are slamming them for that?  Who, after taking a job as a cop and sacrificing some degree of their own integrity, wouldn’t take some fucking overtime?!  I know I would, if I didn’t think that my becoming a cop would be completely betraying everything I believe in.  Let’s be a little bit more pragmatic about the situation here, please.  After all, isn’t it incredibly ironic that so may trust-fund babies will go out and protest, while so many policemen are just doing their jobs to support their families?   

The media is going to kill this movement, and that is precisely why I am not supporting it.  Pepper spray and plastic hand-ties are nothing.  You want a revolution?  Then there will be deaths.  And beatings.  And rapes.  And torture.  No way around it.  Sorry Boing Boing, but your coverage of this has made me really reconsider your standing as a reputable new source on the web.

Unfortunately, given his tendency to count by ones, you might be there for a few billion years…