#Occupy Δ - Useful Idiots or Rebels, You Decide

The Symbol Δ denotes a changing variable of a number machine in mathematics. For my purposes, it illustrates that no matter where you choose to protest, you are falling into one of two categories. I think it's important to accept this, and that I am not trying to tell you that protesting is not beneficial or correct. I am only trying to inform you that you are standing in an sea of change, and you decide where these protests end as much as a raindrop decides movement of the oceans.

I want to be very simple in explanation so that people don't lose the overarching point, and delve too much into paradigms and speculation.

To define :

Useful Idiot : In political jargon, the term useful idiot was used to describe Soviet sympathizers in Western countries. The implication is that though the person in question naïvely thinks themselves an ally of the Soviets or other ideologies, they are actually held in contempt by the Soviets, and were being cynically used.

Rebel : 1. a person who refuses allegiance to, resists, or rises in arms against the government or ruler of his or her country.
2. a person who resists any authority, control, or tradition.
adjective
3. rebellious; defiant.
4. of or pertaining to rebels.

I don't think this definition is sufficient for our purposes, however. I believe that there are rebels without a cause, and rebels with a cause.

Cause : 1.
a. The producer of an effect, result, or consequence.
b. The one, such as a person, event, or condition, that is responsible for an action or result.
2. A basis for an action or response; a reason: The doctor's report gave no cause for alarm.
3. A goal or principle served with dedication and zeal: "the cause of freedom versus tyranny" (Hannah Arendt).
4. The interests of a person or group engaged in a struggle: "The cause of America is in great measure the cause of all mankind" (Thomas Paine).
5. Law
a. A ground for legal action.
b. A lawsuit.
6. A subject under debate or discussion.
tr.v. caused, caus·ing, caus·es
1. To be the cause of or reason for; result in.
2. To bring about or compel by authority or force: The moderator invoked a rule causing the debate to be ended.

What produced this accelerating revolution? Facebook, Twitter, global unrest, alternative media, your own government, or yourself? If it was yourself, as an individual deciding to participate, how many others have a different cause for action, and does it really coincide with yours?

If you take the third definition example, "the cause of freedom vs. tyranny", you have to say that and research the Useful Idiot definition a little further. The government is pretty cynical of you, and your efforts, wouldn't you say? It also has the ability, authority, resources and motive to co-opt your movement and steal, twist, distort, and reshape the movement to something that will lead to violence and then suppression or change that you don't control, understand, appreciate or want. Just because you stand for something, doesn't mean the other side doesn't either. Most wars are fought over similar ideals, protecting the homeland on one side, and suppressing the enemy on the other. Both sides hold that paradigm simultaneously, and it's called a political cognitive dissonance.

Cognitive Dissonance :

Cognitive dissonance is a discomfort caused by holding conflicting ideas simultaneously. The theory of cognitive dissonance proposes that people have a motivational drive to reduce dissonance. They do this by changing their attitudes, beliefs, and actions.[2] Dissonance is also reduced by justifying, blaming, and denying. The phrase was coined by Leon Festinger in his 1956 book When Prophecy Fails, which chronicled the followers of a UFO cult as reality clashed with their fervent beliefs.[3][4] It is one of the most influential and extensively studied theories in social psychology. A closely related term, cognitive disequilibrium, was coined by Jean Piaget to refer to the experience of a discrepancy between something new and something already known or believed.

Experience can clash with expectations, as, for example, with buyer's remorse following the purchase of an expensive item. In a state of dissonance, people may feel surprise,[2] dread, guilt, anger, or embarrassment. People are biased to think of their choices as correct, despite any contrary evidence. This bias gives dissonance theory its predictive power, shedding light on otherwise puzzling irrational and destructive behavior.

A classical example of this idea (and the origin of the expression "sour grapes") is expressed in the fable The Fox and the Grapes by Aesop (ca. 620–564 BCE). In the story, a fox sees some high-hanging grapes and wishes to eat them. When the fox is unable to think of a way to reach them, he surmises that the grapes are probably not worth eating, as they must not be ripe or that they are sour. This example follows a pattern: one desires something, finds it unattainable, and reduces one's dissonance by criticizing it. Jon Elster calls this pattern "adaptive preference formation."[1]
Source

Both sides hold similar ideals, but can not both be for those ideals. We accept that as truth and continue to wage wars anyway, against foreign countries, against our government, the federal reserve. Are you liberal, or conservative? Are you third party, even though that means you use cognitive dissonance to recognize the legitimacy of those parties as corrupt and festering sides of the same beast?

Just trying to educate people, I don't care what you protest against, the game is rigged as far as I'm concerned. If we structure our whole society into masters and subordinates, how can you hope for any real change? You already gave up your freedoms before the battle began because you adhere to the rules of the system, but when you don't you create a new system and thus, have failed.

When the 99% (which can barely occupy a few major cities) actually enact change, who is going to rewrite those laws, repeal the bad ones, and restructure the system (like taxes) without having dictatorial powers? How do you repeal acts and votes of Congress without basically making it irrelevant? How do you restructure the tax code, end the fed and eliminate the IRS without executive order? What is an executive order except a rule by decree? What is a rule by decree called?

Dictatorship

Pick your Flavor, because the Flavor isn't Change.

Real rebels change from the inside, they recognize that the structure is bad, the beast is evil, and they enter it's stomach and vanquish it from the inside. Those are the real heros, not the angry mob. Don't be a tool.

Wow! Some of you guys are really very afraid!
Time that you learn something about democracy. Why not learn from them?

Originally posted by Siddharta
Wow! Some of you guys are really very afraid!
Time that you learn something about democracy. Why not learn from them?

Democracy is two wolves and a lamb deciding what's for supper..

A Republic is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.

Don't care for that one?

Democracy is two rapist' and your 12 yr old daughter deciding on the age of consent.

Whatever man, I won't be back

reply to post by rbnhd76


That's exactly what I meant. A very twisted idea of democracy and a lot of fear.
Dictators love to have subjects with such an attitude.