avenger
Well-Known Member
About time people stood up for themselves. Maybe they don't know every detail of what's wrong with the system but they know something is horrible wrong and they are standing up saying enough is enough.
Please tell me someone on here has heard about "OCCUPY WALLSTREET"
- Thread starter Fabrizi0
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UnderTheSign
Well-Known Member
There was some coverage on this on the Dutch news. I remember some random guy running into a group of policemen, trying to grab a policeman mounted on a horse... When the guy got taken down, people were screaming "POLICE BRUTALITY!" all over the place. What? 
I'd rather see them actually read up about what they're protesting for before they run to the streets just to act rebellious. I'm not up to date on this at all so can't provide an opinion on the situation, but protesting against the banks "just because... Ehmmm, I think they did something evil!" is nonsensical.
Grand Moff Tim
Some call me... Tim
I'm a bit skeptical of that. I knew about it, and I don't go out of my way at all to get the news.
I find it interesting, but the thing that escapes me is what any of these protesters actually expect accomplish. Do they somehow expect to uncover corruption simply by standing around and waving signs? Something tells me that, if Wall Steet IS guilty of the... vagaries that they're being accused of, they'll probably be able to hold out longer than the protesters. Not to mention, these things traditionally don't stay static. It'll either erupt into violence and people will only remember it for its negative connotations, or it will simply peter out and people won't remember it at all.
The other questions is: how many of these people are living on social assistance because they're not working? It seems kind of hypocritical to stand around accusing Wall Street of corruption whilst simultaneously sucking the teet of the State when you could be out actually looking for employment.
The other questions is: how many of these people are living on social assistance because they're not working? It seems kind of hypocritical to stand around accusing Wall Street of corruption whilst simultaneously sucking the teet of the State when you could be out actually looking for employment.
Doublage Postage.
The Reverend
GHETTO KING OF SWAG
I think the thought process is mostly to get the attention of as many as people as possible, and to get the common man to stop and ask, "What inherent ability do these people possess that I don't?"
That could very well be, but if that's the case, isn't "life's not fair" simply the most viable argument? It certainly wouldn't be the first time in history that two equally qualified people have ended up in entirely different living situations.
The Reverend
GHETTO KING OF SWAG
That could very well be, but if that's the case, isn't "life's not fair" simply the most viable argument? It certainly wouldn't be the first time in history that two equally qualified people have ended up in entirely different living situations.
Well the question serves as a perspective checker. You see that they generally aren't doing anything you're not capable of doing, and you wonder how they got to that position of power and wealth. Then you see that it's over the bodies of dead children in diamond mines and whole indigenous populations being wiped out for logging interests, and you say, "Hey, is there a limit to how far we can go in pursuit of profit?"
I agree with you that being well-informed trumps acting out, but a wake-up call is almost as good.
This is no different from any other kind of protest then. We usually don't hear these kinds of criticisms about them.
If by "vagueries" you mean "destroying and stealing billions of dollars in wealth" and "insider trading and bribing law enforcement officials," then maybe you're right. So what?
Oh, so they're just supposed to keep their heads down and not respond to having their lifestyles destroyed by the wealthiest people in history?
Yes, I guess they are. Way to go, ignoring the biggest thieves in world history and blaming their victims for having the nerve to be upset about them. How pathetic they are for having the nerve to spend any of their valuable job-searching time after 3 years trying to actually address the cause of their own unemployment.
ZEBOV
Banned
The protests were on CNN yesterday. I'm surprised CNN wasn't bashing them saying they were a bunch of idiots protesting without a particular goal set to achieve.
Explorer
He seldomly knows...
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Okay, so I've commented before on how great my workplace is.
Here's what's funny: I'm considered to be a pretty bright guy. I know I'm intelligent.
My CEO and CFO are brilliant in different ways. As a team, they've managed to create sustainable growth. They've managed to keep us in the black even during the recession. We managed to avoid laying anyone off. We've given wage increases to where we're more than competitive in our industry.
It's amazing being in discussions with them and to hear them bring something up which just completely blindsides me, and which is amazingly effective.
So, when people don't believe that there is ever any effort in making a successful business run, I think of my CEO and CFO, and of how shrewd, intelligent and resourceful they are... and I have to call bullshit on that.
We're not breaking laws. We're the greenest company of our kind. Our sustained growth over the last 11 years corresponds to the time we've had our current CEO and CFO.
In the same way I don't think a lot of people understand what it is to work in the sciences, or to be a good cop, I don't think a lot of people understand what it is to work at the upper levels of management.
And so, because they don't know, they think they're just as capable as those who trained to do all those jobs, and play Monday morning quarterback, without really having a clue.
Just some thoughts....
It sounds like, even in your own words, your company is pretty unique. This means your observations cannot necessarily be carried over to most other firms.
The businesses in question here are the financial firms anyways. And I don't think anyone on the planet thinks that Tim Geithner is a "bright" guy, not to mention any of the other successful Wall Street tools.
The businesses in question here are the financial firms anyways. And I don't think anyone on the planet thinks that Tim Geithner is a "bright" guy, not to mention any of the other successful Wall Street tools.
Or maybe you just haven't been listening. For my part, I've yet to see a protest in a western country in the past 10 years that's amounted to more than "Wah, I'm mad about something! Listen to me whine!"
Again, the proof in the pudding. So far, nearly all the accusations are based on "well it looks wrong to me, so it must be wrong." No one on the outside seems to be able to give any concrete reasoning. Does corruption exist? Oh, probably. But these protestors are painting the entire institution of Wall Street with the same brush, when the actual misdeeds are probably restricted to a select few. It's akin to blaming an entire religion for the actions of one fundamentalist zealot nutjob. A few bad apples spoils the barrel, eh?
Again, you keep saying "this is how it is," while failing to present any real proof of this widespread corruption you keep going on about. It seems to fly right over your head that most of the people who've become wealthy on Wall Street are *really fucking smart*. They know how to use their wealth and where to put their money in order for it to work for them. And even then, plenty of princes have been turned into paupers with all the financial crises of the past few years.
Ever seen the movie "Other People's Money?" It's not a great movie by any means (heck, it's hardly a good movie), but considering it came out in 1991, it was practically prophetic. It's about a factory that's under the threat of takeover and immediate liquidation. It spends most of its running time making you feel bad for Joe Average who's about to lose his job when the factory closes it's door and will be unable to feed his family, while painting Mr Stuffed Suit as the bad guy, which he ostensibly is. Near the end though, it does a face heel turn and points out that, during all the years in which employees have been demanding higher salaries and making more and more, the value of the stocks who's income pays their wages has remained static. Ultimately, it makes a very compelling point: why should the investors and venture capitalists be forced to foot the bill when an industry goes belly-up? They shouldn't. Ultimately, if they don't like what they're seeing, they can take their ball and go home.
The point is two-fold: the people with the money are the people with the power. If you can't prove to them that you're going to make THEM a boatload of money, they're well within their rights to pull the rug out from under you. And even if you are making them money, they're still within their rights to pull their funding if they can find a way to make that money grow faster, so be vigilant. Be aware of the conditions surrounding your industry and don't wait until you're out of a job to nurture other options.
The second is that many of the people who are out of work simply do not have marketable skills in this current day and age, which means they're ultimately useless as they are unless they want to do manual labor. Guess what? I went through this myself. I went through college to get into computer science and then discovered that I couldn't get a decent job in the field. I still take a few small jobs on the side now and then, but I work in a completely different industry now. It sucks to go through that process, but that's just life. It shouldn't come as a surprise either. It's been a well known fact for a long time now that most people will have 5 to 7 different careers in their lifetime.
Well, speaking as a European, I can only say that I'm glad to see someone actually going against drawing attention towards the fact that completely unchecked, ruthless capitalism isn't necessarily such a good idea. Now, I am a capitalist at heart, but I still believe that leaving heartless plutocrats at the top of the litter can only lead to the downfall of the rest of society.
Viewing the situation in the US from an outward perspective is profoundly depressing, along with the greeks. The way the middle class has disappeared more or less entirely, to make room for a staggering divide between the poor, the mildly impoverished and the ludicrously rich is a seriously scary thing to behold. Especially when one considers how the media handles it, and how much smokescreening there's going on to divert attention from the real problems.
And the worst part is... Us "rest of the world"-people will be affected by it too, negatively.
Viewing the situation in the US from an outward perspective is profoundly depressing, along with the greeks. The way the middle class has disappeared more or less entirely, to make room for a staggering divide between the poor, the mildly impoverished and the ludicrously rich is a seriously scary thing to behold. Especially when one considers how the media handles it, and how much smokescreening there's going on to divert attention from the real problems.
And the worst part is... Us "rest of the world"-people will be affected by it too, negatively.
Stealthdjentstic
Banned
These protests are a bunch of angry jobless left wing scum, deport them to siberia where they belong 
Just kidding, but really I think this whole thing should have established clearer goals beforehand.
Just kidding, but really I think this whole thing should have established clearer goals beforehand.
It seems to me the clearest goal is just to get the common man and society at large to actually cast a critical eye on Wall Street, and what's being done there, rather than just ignoring it. That can only be positive in my book, and I don't think really think you need a better reason than that.
Protests are just as effective for raising awareness, and the police crackdowns and media non-coverage to me just smell a little funny. Maybe this is an issue certain people don't want the population at large to think about.
Protests are just as effective for raising awareness, and the police crackdowns and media non-coverage to me just smell a little funny. Maybe this is an issue certain people don't want the population at large to think about.
Demiurge
Well-Known Member
Bingo. And how is it that the government is able to pay for social assistance when they're disgustingly over-budget? Selling bonds, securities that are traded where? Wall Street! And working members of my generation will not have Social Security when we retire so we'll have to rely on our own investments in securities that are traded where? Wall Street!
Maybe there is a tragedy to be spun out of that reality, but it doesn't appear to be the topic of this protest.
renzoip
I Am the Table
I've heard that Occupy Miami is starting Oct 15 here in FL! 
I'm just deaf, everyone in the western hemisphere is a whiny scumbag and should accept whatever they're given, fraud isn't fraud if it makes you enough money, everyone can and should do what has worked for one middle-class American regardless of other circumstances, unemployed people should never be seen in public until a job magically materializes for them (and not the millions of other unemployed people), might(/money) makes right (and intellect), and money launderers are the smartest people on the planet.
murakami
Banned
we are sitting on a powder keg.
check out this vid. very well spoken view of how this shit is going down
despite a lot of the losers we see in this protest e.g. the dumbass woman who're topless claiming they're too poor to purchase a shirt(the point they're getting across is respectable, however, their action to express is WHY a lot of us do not respect or even care for the protest) they're people who have a legitimate concern for the economy because it involves all of us really.
check out this vid. very well spoken view of how this shit is going down
despite a lot of the losers we see in this protest e.g. the dumbass woman who're topless claiming they're too poor to purchase a shirt(the point they're getting across is respectable, however, their action to express is WHY a lot of us do not respect or even care for the protest) they're people who have a legitimate concern for the economy because it involves all of us really.
