OWS -- Ok, we get it.. so what are we supposed to do about it?

I am writing this from an American point of view, but I am reasonably certain it applies in other parts of the world. With the rise of OWS type protests, more and more people are beginning to "get it" and realize why people are protesting. However, it doesn't answer the question of what to do about it. And that's soon going to be a very big deal.

What are we supposed to do about it?

There is no easy solution, but there are steps everyone can take. Now is the time to get to know your neighbors or even some of the people you meet in the store, park, etc. Break down the isolationism that has risen in our culture. Only by doing this can we discover those who need help and be able to offer whatever help we can.

As an example, if you had the means to make just one dinner for your neighbor who's paycheck ran out a week before the next payday, would you be willing to do that? The changes needed in our society are not the mindless giving of money... we saw the government give us some pittance of money back and it did nothing.. like spitting into the ocean. The changes needed involve being there for those with nowhere to turn, to help selflessly when they ask.

It is one thing to agree with those 99% signs. It is another thing altogether to step forward and help friends, family, neighbors, etc. in real (and pragmatic) ways. Often times, even something as simple as inviting someone over for a BBQ or offering to mow their lawn is enough to make a differance.

See, it is easy to blame the big bankers and government for the predicament we are in. Don't get me wrong there is plenty of blame to be levied in that direction. But we need to remember that when the times were good, we were ALL willing players in this game. We just didn't realize how badly we were being shafted. Now that times are bad, we cannot avoid the consequences of our actions. But we can take induvidual steps to ensure that we as a people are not the WILLING victims of continued malevolance.

Be the change you want to see in the world. - Mahatma Gandhi

reply to post by rogerstigers


ahem..bankers... bonuses... jail.. please.. thanks...

the civil rights movement didn't end because a few people said "ok you made your point".. there was a serious fight, starting from the ground up... this thing is gonna climax in a similar way.

That's pretty much my viewpoint. Sure, there are a lot of things that I don't like, and I think that the current spread of wealth is dangerous because it destabilizes our whole system, but there's nothing we can do about it.

Because the bottom line is that there is so much wrong that you can't even really begin to properly enunciate what is wrong.

reply to post by AnIntellectualRedneck


there's nothing at all that you can't change. human beings; the creatures that can turn sunshine, wind, and fire into energy to heat a HOME!

we CAN change it. and it's not even gonna be that hard..

have faith..

Originally posted by My.mind.is.mine
reply to post by rogerstigers

 

ahem..bankers... bonuses... jail.. please.. thanks...

the civil rights movement didn't end because a few people said "ok you made your point".. there was a serious fight, starting from the ground up... this thing is gonna climax in a similar way.

I updated my original post with a bit of clarity...

See, it is easy to blame the big bankers and government for the predicament we are in. Don't get me wrong there is plenty of blame to be levied in that direction. But we need to remember that when the times were good, we were ALL willing players in this game. We just didn't realize how badly we were being shafted. Now that times are bad, we cannot avoid the consequences of our actions. But we can take induvidual steps to ensure that we as a people are not the WILLING victims of continued malevolance.

Bankers, bonuses, jail... that's all so very easy to say.. but when the mechanism for doing that is already rigged, a pragmatic view would indicate that such a thing is difficult, if not impossible to attain in the near future. In the mean time, people are still in debt beyond their means, starving, sick, homeless, etc.

reply to post by rogerstigers


they say he who controls the money controls the government. bankers are in that position but they are there because of the money that is stolen from PEOPLE. we have the ability to cut their money off but people are so lazy and addicted to the "convenience" of mobile banking, chase quick pay, debit cards, and the so called protection they get. Not to mention the interest bearing credit accounts..

reply to post by My.mind.is.mine


True. It has been ingrained into our culture. I admit I use debit cards, direct deposit, etc. I do it as a matter of convenience so I can have the time and energy needed to help when I can, both my family and friends, etc.

I share in the blame as much as anyone. I certainly do not expect to rationally be able to change my buying and financial habits overnight. But I make little changes as feasible. A lot of my food is puchased from small chaing groceries rather than large stores. I visit local independant restaurants, rather than chain businesses.

Eventually, i would love to be able to be less of a contributor to the banker game, but I will not sacrifice my capacity to act when needed in order to do that. I will have to have patience and take small steps forward to that desired goal.

op need a wake up call??

www.abovetopsecret.com...

I wouldn't say blame yourself, or your neighbours for being the way they are. Especially in the good old US of A. Not being insulting at all, but the US has one of the worst education systems in the world. People are dumb more or less. And are being manipulated by magazines, ads, TV, movies, videogames. A lot of people are unable to do any critical thinking on their own. Distracted with work, paying bills, paying this, paying that. It's all a system, and a lot of people fell into the system. Since the invention of the television, isolation has become part of the norm. I do it, everyone does it. I sit in front of my computer hours and hours a day (i also work with computers too), So i spend lots of time alone.

I'm changing that, talking to people, asking how its going. Because i notice it to. NO one talks to eachother anymore, and no one wants to help anyone else because we have been trained to think "This is mine, im not sharing it" and such. The entire system needs a revamp. The FED is a huge problem, and the Big Banks are a big issue too. Did you know all your tax money pays interest on loans to a federal bank that pulled money out of thin air to give to people? Doesn't seem right. When people start -critical thinking- about the world they live in, then more and more people will wake up. Its hard when everything is controlled to dumb us down. Be it Media, food, hell, even water! Its all meant to dumb us down. (talking about the food that is mass produced, and is bad for us)

reply to post by RowdyAmerican1


No, quite awake, thank you.

You don't get to choose your destiny.

The policy makers in Washington determine how your world will be structured and the bankers determine what they will loan you money to do.

You're all slaves to a bankrupt and dysfunctional system that is intent on saving itself by any means necessary.

They are going to turn America into India, Mexico or some other 2nd or 3rd world country.

End of story.

reply to post by AzureSky


Thank you for the reply... My sentiments exactly. Our education system is trashed.. perhaps by design. Still, while it is important to recognize the past, it is more important to learn from mistakes and take actions to move forward. I applaude you for recognizing the isolationism in our culture and taking actions of your own to make a change.

Originally posted by My.mind.is.mine
reply to post by rogerstigers

 

ahem..bankers... bonuses... jail.. please.. thanks...

the civil rights movement didn't end because a few people said "ok you made your point".. there was a serious fight, starting from the ground up... this thing is gonna climax in a similar way.

I agree totally, this will end when the population is satisfied that they have weeded out the bad seeds from business and government. In the mean time government will step up efforts to thwart them at every turn making up rules as they go and giving special powers to people who will abuse it.

This is going to get ugly fast. By this time next year there will not be a household left unaffected by this movement. In some way at least one person from every household in America will have participated in some way.

The destruction to our way of life has already been done. The government is broken. The political system is a joke. The news media is rife with deception. Religious organizations have their own agenda ushering in the apocalypse. Most people are still in the dark about the true extent of radicals in government using their positions to cause mass murder of innocent people worldwide.

These things will cause an equal or greater reciprocation from the masses who feel cheated and disrespected. There will be nothing short of chaos in all major cities by years end. Things will get crazy with politicians downplaying things as usual and controlling media coverage or total blackouts. They will block internet and cell service in an attempt to disrupt the movement. They will make things worse trying to hold on to their power.

In the end they will fail.

Originally posted by AzureSky
I wouldn't say blame yourself, or your neighbours for being the way they are. Especially in the good old US of A. Not being insulting at all, but the US has one of the worst education systems in the world. People are dumb more or less. And are being manipulated by magazines, ads, TV, movies, videogames. A lot of people are unable to do any critical thinking on their own. Distracted with work, paying bills, paying this, paying that. It's all a system, and a lot of people fell into the system. Since the invention of the television, isolation has become part of the norm. I do it, everyone does it. I sit in front of my computer hours and hours a day (i also work with computers too), So i spend lots of time alone.

I'm changing that, talking to people, asking how its going. Because i notice it to. NO one talks to eachother anymore, and no one wants to help anyone else because we have been trained to think "This is mine, im not sharing it" and such. The entire system needs a revamp. The FED is a huge problem, and the Big Banks are a big issue too. Did you know all your tax money pays interest on loans to a federal bank that pulled money out of thin air to give to people? Doesn't seem right. When people start -critical thinking- about the world they live in, then more and more people will wake up. Its hard when everything is controlled to dumb us down. Be it Media, food, hell, even water! Its all meant to dumb us down. (talking about the food that is mass produced, and is bad for us)

Get yourself out of debt and independent from the system. Grow your own food or join a co-op to get fresh food for work. Live within your means. Go solar. These are things everyone should have done or should be doing now.

Originally posted by rogerstigers
reply to post by AzureSky

 

Thank you for the reply... My sentiments exactly. Our education system is trashed.. perhaps by design. Still, while it is important to recognize the past, it is more important to learn from mistakes and take actions to move forward. I applaude you for recognizing the isolationism in our culture and taking actions of your own to make a change.

It's not right in my opinion, i might be young, but i am very intuitive. I have a job, I pay the bills, Have a girlfriend, somewhat of a life and all that. But the system we live in right now is like watching a constant middle finger in my face. Its so obvious to me how screwed everything is, that it's annoying to me when people don't notice (lol, makes me a bad person probably, but i cant help it). I am hoping for a peaceful revolution. But these corrupt bastards need to be out. Gone. Zip. The monetary system would have worked fine if the FED didn't move in. I believe this is why people LEFT for the new world, because they didn't want the banking system. They brought it back with them anyways.

Jefferson warned of it
Woodrow warned of it
Lincoln
Roosevelt
JFK.

They allll warned us what was coming, and now here we are. Though there is one thing that comes with the isolation. The internet is a powerful tool, look at what it's done. We have all the information we need at our fingertips, and ironically, we can also plan a global revolution! I think people are just tired of being told what to do. How many people want to be in iraq? How many people know that the iraq war is for resources? (not many i dont think). Every war in the last 100 years has been for profit. While i respect our veterans for fighting for us, and sacrificing so much for us. But they were for profit.. WW1, 2, vietnam, and now the 'war on terrorism' which is like an endless pot of gold. Because its never ever going to end. EVER. And guess who makes a pretty penny from all of it? I'll let people decide for themselves.

reply to post by onecraftydude


While I respect everyone's points of view on this, I am still in the dark as to HOW any of these idealistic ideals will be performed. What actions and steps are going to be taken? Stating that the crooks and thieves will be sent to prison is as vaugue and ambiguous as "give me more free stuff!"

My OP was centered around what WE as PEOPLE can do to make the changes needed to FIX out culture. In fact, I even spoke to the fact, that WE are just as much to blame as anyone else. I agree, the crooks and thieves NEED to be sent to prison, but without a game plan, that means nothing.

Are we voting people into office? how do we ensure they will do what they promised? Are we running ourselves? How do we survive the inevitable bad PR spin from MSNBC and FOX?

I am asking for the concrete.. not the ideals.

Originally posted by onecraftydude

Originally posted by AzureSky
I wouldn't say blame yourself, or your neighbours for being the way they are. Especially in the good old US of A. Not being insulting at all, but the US has one of the worst education systems in the world. People are dumb more or less. And are being manipulated by magazines, ads, TV, movies, videogames. A lot of people are unable to do any critical thinking on their own. Distracted with work, paying bills, paying this, paying that. It's all a system, and a lot of people fell into the system. Since the invention of the television, isolation has become part of the norm. I do it, everyone does it. I sit in front of my computer hours and hours a day (i also work with computers too), So i spend lots of time alone.

I'm changing that, talking to people, asking how its going. Because i notice it to. NO one talks to eachother anymore, and no one wants to help anyone else because we have been trained to think "This is mine, im not sharing it" and such. The entire system needs a revamp. The FED is a huge problem, and the Big Banks are a big issue too. Did you know all your tax money pays interest on loans to a federal bank that pulled money out of thin air to give to people? Doesn't seem right. When people start -critical thinking- about the world they live in, then more and more people will wake up. Its hard when everything is controlled to dumb us down. Be it Media, food, hell, even water! Its all meant to dumb us down. (talking about the food that is mass produced, and is bad for us)

Get yourself out of debt and independent from the system. Grow your own food or join a co-op to get fresh food for work. Live within your means. Go solar. These are things everyone should have done or should be doing now.

I live in a city. I dont get paid enough to pay off my debts. I cant grow my own food. And i cant afford to convert to solar. Though good ideas and i would love to do them.

I am also stuck in the system of debt and slavery. It's going to take me 10+ years to pay off this student loan debt i have. Thats how they get you. While i love my job, before this job was contracted out to another company, the original company paid double what it is now (nearly). Great thing eh, contracting work out to a company who will do it for cheaper.

you don't do anything about it. everything is perfect. just continue working like a slave, paying taxes for services never rendered, keep bailing out the banksters, keep warring to spread democracy with a congressional approval of 9%, drinking fluoridated, radiated water, keep eating food that causes cancer and heart disease, and keep piling up debt so that your grandchild will have to pay for what you do today.

Originally posted by onecraftydude
Get yourself out of debt and independent from the system. Grow your own food or join a co-op to get fresh food for work. Live within your means. Go solar. These are things everyone should have done or should be doing now.

Excellent and great examples. And a reason I like to peruse the survival boards here from time to time. I try to incorporate the things I would do if I had NOTHING into the my daily life.

I grew a garden this year... got a few good veggies out of it before the drought trashed it.. Live and learn.. will be better next year.

I set up a rainwater bin using an old horse trough... been using that to water plants and such. Came in handy when the city shut off the water supply for repairs. I could at least flush the toilet

And I am working to get out of debt.

Originally posted by AzureSky
I live in a city. I dont get paid enough to pay off my debts. I cant grow my own food. And i cant afford to convert to solar. Though good ideas and i would love to do them.

I am also stuck in the system of debt and slavery. It's going to take me 10+ years to pay off this student loan debt i have. Thats how they get you. While i love my job, before this job was contracted out to another company, the original company paid double what it is now (nearly). Great thing eh, contracting work out to a company who will do it for cheaper.

I can offer a couple of practical examples of steps to take.. these are just suggestions, though, and are based on little to no information on your real-life situation...

The first thing I would suggest is to get involved in something.. In Dallas, we have a relatively new group called the Freak Scouts (freakscouts.org...). There are also religious related groups, etc. Something that was very challenging for me to learn what that life was very hard to navigate on my own.. I HAD to get involved and network. When I got over that hurdle I was surprised how my network of friends and associates grew and was there for me and others when the time arose.

The other suggestion.. or commentary, really, is that digging out of a hole is never easy.. It is exhausting, tiring, and sometimes depressing. The system is engineered that way. Me personally (ymmv), I came to the realization that until they hook me up to a machine and physically force me to do things, I am still the master of my own body and mind. I claim my independance and choose to use my wits to acheive my goals.. sometimes despite the obstacles in front of me.

As an addendum... When things seem especially hopeless, I suggest talking to people like **removed name pending U2U permission** on how bad things can get and how people can still recover.