Please note: My opinions on this subject are due to encounters with actual Occupy supporters and protesters. It may just be my town, but I ended up discussing a non-money based economy based on bartering and everyone getting treated fairly many multiple times, since when I'd get into the topic of changing things for the better they'd, for the most part, fall back on the shitty economic times. I only had two people describe to me an actual feasable plan, one gave me a summary on a pretty well thought-out Constitutional amendment. But he was a doctor.
See, I believe that the main problem here is egoism and people now
looking for a new calling, a new Vietnam protest, a new Civil Rights movement, when the focus should be on improving what we have, not trying to tear it all down and begin anew, which many Occupy-ers advocate to the last man. The "awareness raising" being conducted by Occupy is pretty negligible because everyone already knows how ineffective and weak our government (especially the Local government) really is, as shown by my street's potholes that I will never see fixed until I buy my own asphalt mixer. Not to mention the income inequality, I wrote articles covering this in detail on my Senior year, actually.
I myself am a Far-Left type, but I see changes occurring in actual laws and codified legislation, not in morally ambiguous movements that can turn on a dime to any other ideological stance (See: Iran's revolution-turned into a Theocratic Empire) because the people are, as a rule, pretty easy to sway.
I just feel the energy is being wasted in a very bad way. The intentions are not what I dislike, it's the method. And, like I mentioned, I have found little to nothing in this 'movement' to pick out as a primary goal, let alone figure out what it's real impact is.
Just saying. I didn't call any of
you Communists or Neo-Liberals. Only trying to expound on what I've experienced first hand, friends.
What action? And what selfishness? You're not being very clear here.
Are you suggesting that the overall education levels were higher in the past?
The action would be joining the Peace Corps, or Red Cross. Not standing in your town's plaza with 50+ different points written by different people that don't actually agree on more than 2-3 things (and on being there) policy-wise. That's where the selfishness comes in: They all want THEIR 'point' to be implemented, above all. Some want legalization, others want the government torn down ala Mousilinni (sp).
& No, DJ, I am not saying that at all. I'm saying the governance we have is due to the attitude and ignorance of the people, not because 'education' is the issue, since we're very poor at that anyways. You cannot have a sum better than all parts, and the meaning of that can apply to government as well.