Forum Post: Senior Thesis
Posted 11 years ago on March 14, 2013, 1:42 p.m. EST by KSalmeri
(15)
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Hello all, I am currently a Senior History and Political Science Major at the College of New Jersey. For my senior thesis in Political Science, I am writing a research paper examining the Occupy Wall Street Movement and am in need of information on the movement. I have already spoken with several members who suggested that this would be an effective way to find more potential interviewees. If any current identifying member or former member would be willing to consent to a brief interview for the purpose of writing this paper I would be greatly in their debt. If you or anyone you know would be willing to answer a few simple questions on the movement and their part in it(confidentiality can be assured if desired) please contact me. Thank you all for your help in helping academia learn more about Occupy Wall Street from personal perspective
Interesting would be to have a part in your thesis analyzing why you think this web site here has anything to do with the real movement.
That is an excellent point. I am actually hoping to include a section looking at Social Media and Social Movements as I think the Occupy Movement has been one of the first major scale US movements to try and harness the power inherent within social media
There is a US & European connection here. As you said below... There maybe some kind of origin of anthropological studies that I am not aware of... which makes me curious. My Physical anthropologist professor had reservations about differences in the cranium or race. There seemed to be no place for convesrsation.
So I anticipate if you are a student or professor that there can be no conversation about things like skulls in Peru or Ecuador which appaear to have bigger brain capacities than we have. ... Or discussion about mummies with caucasian features or DNA.
I don't want to talk about DNA or Skulls or Mummies ... but US Cultural History. Our culture is deeply incorporated in capitalism, lobbying, conflict of interest, land grabs, monopolies, oligopolies, dueopoly, plutopoly, LBOs, Mergers, TBTF, scandals, accounting scandals, accounting control fraud, and RICO Conspiracies....
That fact is the control of nformation and the press trumps everything. First it was just some new federal government programs ... then it was secret intelligence agencies like the CIA, then many army, navy, air force programs were seccret, then NATO opeartions of secret armies were secret, then flase flag opperations were secret (Operation Gladdio in Italy and in Germany), .... well it doesn't end. The Church Comitttee found CIA was bribing the Press world wide, ... operation mocking bird ... and we knew about CIA operation Phoenix which was an assassination program ... and we knew about MK Ultra ... and we knew the start of the Vietnam War was a false flag operation.
Well where does it stop?
The Federal Government hides 80-90% of all data & information. Sure maybe 50% is revealed in the congression record as funding ... but you don't really know how it works out.
Check my post about Auditing and Federal dollars given to Educational Purposes. The daily trasury Report shows $226 Billion, but the Monthly report shows like $50 Billon goes to the Department of Education. Looks like only 25% of the money for eduation goes to common people ... most money is going to Federal Worker, Military, State Department, and Veteran benefits ... but we ahve crreated a whole industry for federal edcuation - to benefit our guys - to keep our guys ahead - to keep our guys the smartest ... or may not.
The fact that the Eduational Dollars surged in 2009 indicates a hidden scheme. The money is either a economical stimulus fpr 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 (about $600 Billion Dollars) .... or it is just a tranfer of dollars to banks and their corproations as a result of lobbying.
I personally am not an anthropologist so I would have nothing to contribute to cranium sizes of different races. As for the Imperial Connection I mentioned before, Anthropology as a study developed around the same time as Eugenics and was used by European colonial officials to study indigenous tribes they colonized and how they work so they could better control them. Again though the field has moved on from that to an extent.
Well james Loewen seems like a nice guy who states a problem ... and then seems to state a solution.
The other History of America is The Untold History of the United States, Oliver Stone and historian Peter Kuznick ...But I didn't read the free PDF I got months back. Sorry I guess I was pretty lazy here. Not sure where I got the download before, but think this is it ....
http://www.kcandassociates.org/pdfs/The%20Untold%20Story.pdf
http://www.kcandassociates.org/
Anthropology might be a better major. Have you seen James Loewen's book, Lies My Teacher taught Me?
http://www.bookrags.com/Lies_My_Teacher_Told_Me/ (Cliff Notes on links listed left side in body of webpage)
James Loewen makes a case that the US Education System is Suffering because of the Text Books that are Biased, half true, and censure our US History. But he also makes the case that Cultural Anthropology should be taught in K-12 to fix the current Education System.
1) Watered Down Lies are taught to our Children in the USA.
2) Activisim and Protests Played Huge Parts in US Law, US History, and in Ending the Vietnam War.
3) Anti-war Activisim and Civil RIghts Activisim ... IMHO may have transformed into Anti US Training of Dictators, Anti CIA Sentiment, Anti US Hegemony, Anti WTO (GATT), Anti G8/G20, and Anti IMF & WB.
4) Seems like bankers and corproations follow their mission statements in securing Natural Resources and labor around the World ... through WB, IMF, and Treaties. But the truth seems to be that most people remain poor, the land and water get polluted, Trees and Farm land are destroyed, the Wage Gap remains bad, the rich get richer, and the Profits go to the USA, Europe, and other world players ... but really who is getting rich are executives.
5) What are US Domestic Policies? We don't really have Jobs policies, Merchant Policies. We don't have a good education system, so we don't have an Education Policy really except that we have Social Education for grades 1-12.
6) We see Deregulation for big banks which make it hard for smaller banks to compete. We see actions to support Fracking and big Petroleum, drilling continues and more public land is freed up for drilling by private corporations. Yes, we do have Corporate Policy at the Federal Level... corproations go to the states or territories which make it easiest to incorporate with lowest taxes. So we have had corporate Deregulation. In fact there are so many loop holes in the Federal income tax code that taxes have been deregulated.
7) War Policy, Right to First Strike, Right to covert means of Regime changes of other Sovereign governments, Right to Leverage US Wealth for Treaties, Agreements, Intelligence Gathering, Evesdroping world wide, State of the Art Weapons, use of Mercentaries, control over information released in war for causualties, civilians wounded, allies wounded and killed, media control to minimize the reporting of Fraud, Waste, Abuse, Disease, Refugees, loss of economic means in Iraq, control over the total reporting of cost of war and rebuilding after war including damaged war equipment, foreign aid, training for foreign troops, construction for foreign police, military, or state buildings, and warping the local economy with US Dollars to powerful men who become war lords or cartel leaders instead of businessmen or humanitarians.
8) Banking Policy in the USA. Yes. TBTF means many programs to assist banks with loose policies, loose capitalization requirements, loose rehypothication rules, loose rules for moving funds to the UK for rehypothication and casio type investments, low interest rates, No oversight on LIBOR Rate, No oversight on Subprime Loan Investment and Profiteering, No oversight of Private banking, No oversight on CDOs & CDS, No Oversight on Ratings Agencies desipite the fact that Rating Agencies take money from the orgaizations they Rate, no Oversight on Independant Accounting Firms despite the historic Fraud (Accounting Control Fraud) listed in Wikipedia, and matter of fact we let Banks Manage their own bailout, and paid them fees to do it.
9) We had plenty of expiericne with Bank Fraud through the Saving and Loan Scandal in the 1990s. A mechanism was set up to take over banks and put assets in RTC, Resolution trust Corporation.
10) Of Course we have a Washington Lobby Policy. Our Lobby has more than Doubled in terms of Money and total number of Lobbyist. Treason? Now we have Foreign Lobbyist who provide gifts to our Congress. Heard about Soft Money? PACs? Well more money than ever is pouring into Washington DC to create teh biggest, most corrupt system since Rome. BTW, Congress can take all kind of Gift that other Federal Workers can not... Plane tickets, dinner, lunch, Plane Rides, Vactions, Trips, Conventions, you name it. It is called Financial Conflict of Interest. Congress polices themselves through an ethics committee. you check with the committee, but most everything is okay... just don't spend campaign dollars on personal items.
11) What do you call a government with social programs, corrupt capital markets, limited republic, that spouts half truths and lies about being a democracy ... but which is 100% for the largest corporations and can no longer remember what Anti-Trust Laws are???
I have indeed read widely on anthropological work, however, I often find myself thinking anthropological works can be convoluted. Plus I never liked that it was originally created to serve European imperial domination. Though it clearly has evolved from that into something much different.
Yeah, I'm just a scanner of books or the internet. You probably are somewhat ahead of me in theory and understanding.
Thanks for the reply.
Perhaps, a look at James Loewen is all I can ask... I took Physical Anthropoligy in College. I think I had a good teacher, but I was in the wrong class. There seems to be methological problems with history, and even business studies. In the 1990s there was some interest in Business or Industrial Anthropology.
The problem was how to change business culture.
Businesses do internal studies before Layoffs, Reduction in Force Actions, and Reorganizations. But the studies are always Biased unless performed by outside organizations. Structure is important. Historians may lack something in structure that permits them to be ... corrupted by money, influence, and position.....
KSalmeri.... first off ... don't listen to any one person here... there is no single voice here.....just ask your questions here on line... it will pull you in if you are compassionate about the issues... if not ...why care ? ... just get the grade ;) ... hehe ... anyway ... ask specifics... go to the ground turf ... the actual occupations... it's way different than just visiting on-line... good luck... not getting involved ;)
Nice comment - to a student(?) As all anyone has is the ability to look at information ( real fun on a social site ) and try to see the intent/thrust of the comments/information presented.
And while just getting the grade seems the easiest route. I prefer to try and make some mark with my work. Even if it is minimal I believe (again I am very young perhaps naive) that the only way human kind will move forward in the end is through dialogue. So I have made it my mission to try and listen to as many opinions as I can because I believe that even the strangest sounding ideas can have brilliant insight into how to solve problems and enlighten. Again if you would like to contribute to that dialogue then please feel free to PM me and let your thoughts be heard.
my plan was not to listen to any single person. My hope was to get as many opinions as possible from people who were supper involved from the beginning as well as people who only were involved for a day. Then I can get a more holistic, comprehensive view of the Movement and better understand it. Would you like to answer some questions? PM me if you do.
KS... I'll be happy to put in my 2 cents.. a bit... pretty busy right this min... but ask away ... I'll get to it soon... & btw... private msg's don't do much good for everyone... no ? ... and others might want to participate also if public ;)
Any questions you would be willing to answer would be appreciated
hey KS... sorry... been real busy.. trying to get bills caught up... got up to go to work at 4:30 am ... & now just got in... I'll reply by weekend ;)
would it perhaps help if I gave you my email address or a quick telephone call?
KS.... a few quick thoughts.... I'm sure you know this ... but the site area we are in here... is only the "Forum" ... a place where general ideas are asked... bounced around etc... the place where most new-comers first visit... and while this is really the first one ... and the one centered around wallstreet ... there are hundreds more of these forums ... from other cities ...around the country... .. also centering around OWS ... we also have more areas.. see tab's in menu bar... http://www.nycga.net/ http://occupywallstreet.net/ http://da.nycga.net/ .... I'll give some opinions in few hrs
KS.... ok... give me a couple hours... my head is into programming code right now... and what ever I try to say won't make much sense... I'll post something of my opinions tonight ;)
Thank you!
Absolutely, here is the question set I have been sending out to/asking people. What ever answers you can give would be greatly appreciated thank you!
1.) Some Biographical information (where you live/lived, educational history, etc.) 2.) What was your reasoning for joining the Occupy Movement and how you joined it? 3.) Some insight into what you do/did for the Occupy Movement. 4.) Knowing what you know now, if you could suggest the movement change its strategy, what would those be and why? 5.) Why do you think the organization structured itself the way it did? 6.) Why do you think the Movement gained some of the stigmas it has become known fore (i.e. lack of coherence, unclear message, etc.)? 7.) Any other statements/stories you think would be pertinent for the purpose of my paper 8.) Contact information for anyone else involved in the Movement who you think would be willing to speak with me and/or where I might be able to get more information on the Movement. 9.) Your permission to reproduce your statements given to me and potentially your name for the purposes of my paper (if you would prefer to remain anonymous please let me know).
1.) Some Biographical information (where you live/lived, educational history, etc.)
2.) What was your reasoning for joining the Occupy Movement and how you joined it?
3.) Some insight into what you do/did for the Occupy Movement.
4.) Knowing what you know now, if you could suggest the movement change its strategy, what would those be and why?
5.) Why do you think the organization structured itself the way it did?
6.) Why do you think the Movement gained some of the stigmas it has become known fore (i.e. lack of coherence, unclear message, etc.)?
7.) Any other statements/stories you think would be pertinent for the purpose of my paper
Do you understand that OccupyWallStreet has one primary goal? ... hint: "Get the money Out of Politics"
I hope that once that is accomplished ... OccupyDC's stated goal will be to "Get the money Out of War" ...
8.) Contact information for anyone else involved in the Movement who you think would be willing to speak with me and/or where I might be able to get more information on the Movement.
9.) Your permission to reproduce your statements given to me and potentially your name for the purposes of my paper
THANK YOU SO MUCH this will be a great help!
http://whattheheckhasoccupydonesofar.com/
Interesting did you have a hand in making this website?
nope... I actually just ran across a couple days ago
Just please if you do choose to answer I need your consent to reproduce the material for my paper thank everyone for their help!
Start by changing majors. Poly Sci isn't terribly useful in the real world; dime a dozen.
Again SENIOR HISTORY major as well so I'm not just Political Science and changing majors my last semester is not really a sound option. And my study is trying to use the voices of the members of the movement to better understand it. If you would like to help by answering some questions and getting your voice heard please let me know
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Please drop out of the program and go in a different job ASAP. Struggle a bit. Then get involved in politics. We dont need anymore career politicians.
I have no intention of being a career politician hence the HISTORY major as well. Thank you for asking. Still wouldn't mind some assistance though if you want your voice heard.
Is the history major for an job in education?
Which is also why I'm hoping this paper will enlighten people on the Occupy Movement and how it can help them
May want to try messaging the facebook pages of the different cities. Not too much going on right now, but plenty of people like reflecting on that period. A truly great experience. Frustrating, but awesome.
Yes High School hopefully the economy agrees with my choice
This is a great speech from Chris Hedges during the heart of occupy wall street
"Radical Movements Keep This Country Honest"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8UW__mFMd8