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Forum Post: Occupy Wall Street 1 year Anniversary - The Revolution Continues..for as long as necessary!

Posted 11 years ago on Sept. 17, 2012, 2:58 p.m. EST by struggleforfreedom80 (6584)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement

It’s now been a year since the first occupiers started Occupy Wall St. They lit a spark; they addressed something that has been lying beneath the surface in huge parts of the population: corporate greed and dominance. These first occupiers started a movement that eventually spread to numerous cities in the U.S. and eventually around the world; a movement which brought attention to things that are sorely needed right now: solidarity and justice.

So what’s been accomplished so far? The critics – the right-wing corporate media and the rest of them – will say “not much”. Well, that’s not true.

The Occupy Movement has contributed substantially to getting many important issues on the agenda. Things like inequality and corporate greed and dominance are now being discussed and talked about like never before. Also great names on the left like Noam Chomsky, Michael Moore and Naomi Klein have contributed and endorsed this movement.

Secondly, the movement has created optimism and increased engagement and organizing. By shedding light on something that have been oppressed for a long time, but which are just basic human characteristics: feelings of solidarity and the care for others, The Occupy Movement has brought people together in the common struggle for a more free, just and democratic society. By basing the organizing on non-hierarchical structure, solidarity and cooperation, the foundation is set for a popular movement eventually becoming a major force in society.

We also have to remember the long term perspective. It has just been a year; this movement is still young. The Occupy Movement is mainly in the organizing and growing stages now, the more who join and organize, the more will get achieved in terms of policies. Not even the most radical, impatient occupier thought that the struggle for a more free and democratic society would be easy and short. Wealth and power are very highly concentrated, and the corporate propaganda-machine has unfortunately been successful in many cases. It’s going to take time and hard work to dismantle this unsustainable system we have today.

One year has gone by, and it has been fantastic to see this movement come into existence and grow these twelve months. This movement is about the short term goals as well as the long term goals; this is just the beginning of a long hard struggle for freedom. What the future brings no one knows, but one thing’s for sure: The fight for a more free, just and democratic society will go on.

The Revolution Continues worldwide…for as long as necessary!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqTYz4Z7CYE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USn4ZLvLPNs


"What you should do is exactly the kinds of things that are going to lead to hysteria among privileged and powerful people"

-Noam Chomsky


Videos:

Michael Moore at Occupy Wall St.

Noam Chomsky at Occupy Boston

Naomi Klein at Occupy Wall St.

Chris Hedges at Occupy Wall St.

American Autumn

Occupy your Workplace

Chomsky/Maheshvarananda

17 Comments

17 Comments


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[-] 2 points by beautifulworld (23769) 11 years ago

Nice post, struggleforfreedom80. Thanks for all you've done here in the past year.

[-] 1 points by struggleforfreedom80 (6584) 11 years ago

Thank you, my friend. It has really been a pleasure talking to so many good people here :)

[-] -2 points by slizzo (-96) 11 years ago

...and the roar of the crickets is heard from many feet away.

btw, ftfy...

One year has gone by, and it has been fantastic to see this movement come into existence and grow these twelve months before dwindling into the meaningless, DNC-astroturfed bitchfest it now is.

[-] 2 points by struggleforfreedom80 (6584) 11 years ago

Please stop the ridicule, and join the fight for a more free and democratic society.

[-] 1 points by Karlin (350) from Nelson, BC 11 years ago

I agree, lets be positive, I am sure that we all have something good to add.

It is understandable that people are sarcastic, these are confusing times and the struggle for freedom seems pretty daunting. However, our strength is that "we are the 99%" and that says a lot. Taking it slowly will pay off in the long run - as someone here said "what do you expect from a child at one years old, success?".

Onward!!

[-] 1 points by struggleforfreedom80 (6584) 11 years ago

"However, our strength is that "we are the 99%"

Yes! But more have to be convinced. The entire population would benefit from a more just, democratic and solidaric society, but people must be enlightened and convinced to drop their right-wing conservatism or libertarianism or whatever, and embrace the ideas of the left.

[-] -1 points by Karlin (350) from Nelson, BC 11 years ago

i would like to see OWS as a move towards "enlightenment", as in everybody being brave enough to see the world as it is, drop preconcieved notions [i.e. religion], and environmentalism as sustainability [with economy as one part of that sustainability].... but that might be too much to hope for I don't know.

[-] 1 points by struggleforfreedom80 (6584) 11 years ago

There must be enlightenment. That must be a crucial part in the organizing of a movement that wishes to change society. Presenting good reasonable arguments in all kinds of arenas: websites, blogs, flyers, pamphlets, news media, you name it, and getting out to talk with people wherever they are: neighborhoods, worklaces, universities etc

I'm not sure if I understood entirely what you were saying at the end there. Could you elaborate?

[-] 1 points by Karlin (350) from Nelson, BC 11 years ago

Elaborate on.... "too much to hope for"? - I mean that enlightenment is more than political reform. OWS would do well, revolutionarily well, if all we did was 1] reverse the economic injustice, and 2]move towards environmental sustainability [instead of continuing to move away from it].

Small steps? - lots of examples in history of small steps towards a successfull long journey

[-] 1 points by MatthewRKains (57) 11 years ago

Perhaps this could happen in a country other than US. Americans love religion, Hollywood movies, video games, and other forms of illusions too much for this to happen. Perhaps in a country where people like to read books?

[-] 2 points by struggleforfreedom80 (6584) 11 years ago

These tendencies in America are not laws of nature. They can be changed. F.ex, just like the discrimination of blacks, gays and women have decreased thru the years, so can other attitudes.

[-] 1 points by MatthewRKains (57) 11 years ago

Perhaps. Unlikely this century, but perhaps. I think we should invest our hope in another people. I mean, for heaven's sake, many Americans are still Creationists. Perhaps the future lies in the heads of Europeans.

[-] 1 points by struggleforfreedom80 (6584) 11 years ago

Change will come in America as well, whether we believe it or not. The reason is that the current system in the United States is unsustainable. The wealth keeps accumulating and the destruction of the environment and explitation of people becomes more and more extreme. That actually goes for the entire globe as well: we have an unsustainable global economy.

Capitalism/state-capitalism must be dismantled at some point, and we actually dont not have very much time left to do it.

There are many mislead people in the US, yes, but that can be changed. Europeans are human beings just like Americans, these are social/political/economic differences which are not graven in stone.

The system, both in the US and globally, must be changed, and I think that the birth and rise of the Occupy Movement is a major indication that this work has started.

[-] 0 points by slizzo (-96) 11 years ago

I wouldn't ridicule ows if ows hadn't become a DNC-astroturfed bitchfest.

which it so clearly has. this forum is now jus another way to help reelect a corrupt, duplicitous president that does not deserve reelection.

[-] 1 points by struggleforfreedom80 (6584) 11 years ago

Could you please back up your claims? Why did you draw that conclusion?

And secondly, this forum isn't the entire movement..

[-] -3 points by Orwellwuzright (-84) from Lockeford, CA 11 years ago

Revolution? Are you serious?

[-] 1 points by struggleforfreedom80 (6584) 11 years ago

Absolutely. We need to dismantle this unsustainable system we have today and make society more socialist and democratic. Don't you agree?