1 year on, Occupy is in disarray; spirit lives on

[Eddie Teach]

I think you're confusing contempt with bitter envy.

[Tamas]

I think you're confusing contempt with bitter envy.

yeah good point 

[Admiral Yi]

Those who feel that Occupy had no message were willfully deaf to it.

Does anyone think that?  They had a surplus of messages. 

What they lacked entirely was policy.  So the pointlessness of the movement was exposed from the very first. 

[Valmy]

Does anyone think that?  They had a surplus of messages. 

What they lacked entirely was policy.  So the pointlessness of the movement was exposed from the very first.

Is it a protest's movements responsibility to form policy?  That is a pretty absurd and ridiculous demand, not even the most brilliant minds in the world can come up with decent policies to solve our current problems.

[garbon]

Does anyone think that?  They had a surplus of messages. 

What they lacked entirely was policy.  So the pointlessness of the movement was exposed from the very first.

Is it a protest's movements responsibility to form policy?  That is a pretty absurd and ridiculous demand, not even the most brilliant minds in the world can come up with decent policies to solve our current problems.

Fair though it seems that a good protest movement would whittle its aims down to a few. Hard to be effective otherwise as everyone's energies will be dissipated in different directions.

[Gups]

Does anyone think that?  They had a surplus of messages. 

What they lacked entirely was policy.  So the pointlessness of the movement was exposed from the very first.

Is it a protest's movements responsibility to form policy?  That is a pretty absurd and ridiculous demand, not even the most brilliant minds in the world can come up with decent policies to solve our current problems.

I disagree. Most protest movements have had simple, clear policies aimed at dealing with the issue they wanted dealing with  - unilateral nuclear disarmament, boycott of apartheid South Africa, end slavery, allow black people in the South/women in country X to vote, ban fur coats/vivisection, end the war in Iraq, end hunting wild animals with dogs, stop the ban on hunting wild animals with dogs 

I'm actually struggling to think of a protest movement of any significance or importance which doesn't have defined policies. Occupy just had slogans.

[Josephus]

Looks Indian to me. Check out the nose.

Yeah, Indian, Iranian, that sort of thing.

[Darth Wagtaros]

Does anyone think that?  They had a surplus of messages. 

What they lacked entirely was policy.  So the pointlessness of the movement was exposed from the very first.

Is it a protest's movements responsibility to form policy?  That is a pretty absurd and ridiculous demand, not even the most brilliant minds in the world can come up with decent policies to solve our current problems.

I think policy isn't really the word, but some sort of coherant list of what the movement wants is kind of a must.  Something that makes sense. "Forgive student loan and credit card debt" isn't sensical.  Nor is it coherent when grouped up with 36 other demands.

[Valmy]

I'm actually struggling to think of a protest movement of any significance or importance which doesn't have defined policies. Occupy just had slogans.

I think the complexity of the phenomenon they were protesting was a big part of that.  And there have been hundreds of protest movements against social forces that had no coherent program because they didn't have one.  They were just expressing a general frustration and rage.

But naturally those sorts of protests lack the coherence of having a singular issue or demand.  Which is why the ones you listed were generally successful ones, or at least lasted longer than the sort of ones that Occupy resembles.

[Valmy]

I think policy isn't really the word, but some sort of coherant list of what the movement wants is kind of a must.  Something that makes sense. "Forgive student loan and credit card debt" isn't sensical.  Nor is it coherent when grouped up with 36 other demands.

That is fair.  But again it is hard to get sensical demands these days.  You end up with Tea Party people wanting the Government to get their hands of Medicare or whatever.  There is a sense that the people who are supposed to be representing us are no longer acting in our best interests but why and what the should be doing is something people cannot seem to agree on yet.

If I was leading a protest movement I would at least demand they balance the budget.  'Austerity now!' is a really rabble rousing slogan don't you think?

[CountDeMoney]

The anti-abortion movement in the early '80s had nothing but slogans, too.  Until doctors started getting whacked and clinics started getting blown up.  Imma jus sayin'.

[garbon]

The anti-abortion movement in the early '80s had nothing but slogans, too.  Until doctors started getting whacked and clinics started getting blown up.  Imma jus sayin'.

You're saying that you think it'd be a good idea if we descended into violence?

[CountDeMoney]

The anti-abortion movement in the early '80s had nothing but slogans, too.  Until doctors started getting whacked and clinics started getting blown up.  Imma jus sayin'.

You're saying that you think it'd be a good idea if we descended into violence?

I'm not saying that.  Because that would be wrong.

[garbon]

The anti-abortion movement in the early '80s had nothing but slogans, too.  Until doctors started getting whacked and clinics started getting blown up.  Imma jus sayin'.

You're saying that you think it'd be a good idea if we descended into violence?

I'm not saying that.  Because that would be wrong.

It'd actually just be incredibly stupid. Yay things are bad, let's make them worse!

[CountDeMoney]

It'd actually just be incredibly stupid. Yay things are bad, let's make them worse!

That's a bit subjective, now isn't it?