Forum Post: Many forms of resistance...
Posted 12 years ago on Oct. 14, 2011, 7:39 p.m. EST by DCResident
(70)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
I fully support the OWS movement and the related "Occupation" movements which are spreading throughout the country.
That being said, I think we all need to realize that although many/most Americans agree with the movement, most are unable or unwilling to physically join the movement. They may have busy schedules, or lack the resources, or simply lack the courage to take a public stand against our corrupt political and corporate system.
HOWEVER, these same people would likely be willing to support the movement in other ways. And I don't just mean monetarily.
For example, if we really wish to break up the "Too Big to Fail" banks, then we need to apply pressure to them. There has already been a movement urging folks to close their bank account with the "Too Big to Fail" banks and open an account with a smaller, local or community bank. That is a start, and it is a step OWS et al. can really hammer home since the average person doesn't need much time or resources to take part in this act of disobedience. We can all do it, and we really need to set the internet and media forums afire with this call.
Another simple step: create stickers. Cheap, plentiful stickers. I envision a black background with large white letters: "OCCUPY." These stickers can be sold at cost and OWS can urge its supporters to stick them anywhere and everywhere. Cars, signs, storefronts, ATM machines, bank windows, shopping carts, etc. etc. etc. This step will raise awareness for the movement and enhance the real and perceived strength of the movement.
And another step would be to simply close ranks behind three primary aims (e.g., break up the banks, implement a financial transactions tax, increase the capital gains tax from 15% to 50% for those with a net worth of more than $10 million), and urge folks to write letters; plain, old-fashioned hand-written letters (AND emails), to all the key players: media organizations, politicians, banks, corporations, the personal residences of corporate executives, etc., in support of these aims. In time, pressure would be felt.
~~~~~
The physical occupation must continue, but it will not be enough. Combine physical occupation with practical forms of civil disobedience that everyone can participate in, and I think we may actually have a shot at winning this thing.
What are your thoughts?
The very existence of the "Too Big to Fail" banks threatens our national (and global) economy. We need to break up the banks unless we want to lend trillions of dollars to the TBTF's next time they gamble away their money. The answer isn't to shut them down, but to break them up. Commercial banks, investment banks, and insurance companies would be kept separate (as they were for 60+ years following the Great Depression).
Secondly, your characterizations are just silly. I don't own an XBOX and I paid my student loans off in less than two years. I also earn thousands more per year than the national median income and I'm only 25 years-old. Oh, and I also run a personal business and take additional college courses (above and beyond my Bachelor's) in my spare time.
But I guess it's easier to just pretend that we're all unemployed, pot-smoking hippies who do nothing more than drink Mountain Dew and play video games.
Have a nice evening. :-)
Breaking the banks would cause a run on the banks, which in turn would cause business lending to freeze, which in turn would lead to mass layoffs and you'd be looking at 15 percent unemployment by next summer.
And you use terms such as civil disobedience. Martin Luther King Jr was fighting for freedom. Ghandi was fighting for freedom. You're not fighting for anything dude. You camp out, post on the internet, and go play XBox while THE BANKS pay bills so you can have your student loan.