Occupy this and that…
I've been so busy and flustered with health issues and personal stuff that I haven't had time to talk about some of the protests developing in the US. I have to say, it pisses me off to see the NYPD doing things like macing a non-violent deaf woman or chaining a trans protestor to a toilet for 8 hours, starving them while everyone else was given food. That sort of stuff still boils my blood, but it does my heart good to see people showing up from all over the country, young and old, from every walk of life. And they're all standing up for their rights and saying "no more."
This is what I've been poking and prodding at people to do, and at long last, some of y'all are seeing that there is no choice. You're standing up and getting outside to do something, for yourself, and for others. Fantastic. Brilliant really.
And I really hate to do or say anything that might bring this down, but I feel I need to point out that protests alone won't change much. These Occupy movements are great recruiting efforts, but one has to ask when y'all plan to organize and talk about what comes after the protests.
Yes, we're all agreed that the key issue is that government corruption is now so bad that politicians only listen to corporate interests and religious lobbies. Yes, it would be great if some jobs could come out of this. But these two things are radically different goals, requiring two entrely different plans of attack after the protests. And as of yet, I don't recall seeing anyone talk about what comes after.
I appreciate living for the moment, really, but with problems these large, there's a lot to be said for pre-planning. With the jobs issue, you're talking about negotiating for work from many of the same people you just held protests against. That is, unless you plan to embrace some neo-entrepnuer leanings and start opening small businesses and hiring people yourself. For the problem of how to deal with corruption, you have to push through laws stripping away the covers that hide corproate political donations. Millions of dollars quietly pass hands in the capital, and every attempt to propose transparency is bribed right out of existence long before the bill goes to the floor for consideration.
Both of these are problems which the Occupy movement is protesting, but I have not yet seen any of the organizers talking about how to resolve these problems. I realize some of you may say I'm putting the cart before the horse, but all I'm really saying is, "This is a good start, but what comes after?" And the truth is, I don't think anyone knows. No one is even sure if this is going to work, and I don't think anyone has any idea of how to define success either.
It is a good start, peoples, and I'm proud of y'all for standing up for yourselves. But while you're out there protesting, a good question that should be on your minds every minute is, "What do we do if this works?"
