COMMENTARY | To see the responses online, you'd think Bill Maher shot John Lennon. Why? Because he's honest in his assessment of the current version of the Occupy Wall Street morons. The Daily Caller has him saying "I find myself almost agreeing with Newt Gingrich, like you know what—get a job." See that part where he said "almost?" But that's the problem with so many people on political topics of America in 2012—they so often miss the little things.
Where folks may be mad at Bill Maher is in his honesty. He's not concerned with whether he makes the Pope or the president happy. He just calls it like he sees it. Bill Maher is a hero to many for his brutal honesty. And, when it comes down to it, he's only stating the obvious, just like the Associate Press reports do. In spite of their chants, not everyone is "the 99 percent." It does seem many of the good occupy Wall Street protesters have already gone home.
Photo Credit: David Shankbone / Wikimedia Commons
The remaining "protesters" seem to be those who either aren't able to tell their surroundings or those who were already trying to camp in the parks already. The rest of the world has already moved on folks. Those who are serious about effecting political change have already adjusted their approach. Those who were there just to gripe have already gone back because it was cold outside. The rest of you just—perhaps—need help.
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Comments: 20
Speaking of the truth, after my last atheist piece, decrying the idiocy of religion, I thought you said you weren't gonna comment on anymore of my topics. I thought Jeeeeezus made you too good to want to comment on my work?
If you don't like that, well...
Great post.
It may always have been about that if what someone called ragnarok4msm said some time ago is accurate (and it looks to me like it is after viewing the poster and reading up on the "diversity of tactics" idea on several ows sites).
ragnarok4msm says: The Black Bloc ... a technic used in Oakland on November 2 .
ragnarok4msm continues:
Ajatasutra Bharaputra Feb 7, 2012, 1:57am EST
Once again, a great idea turns sour and is co-opted by those who have no higher calling to it. The fact of the matter is that, while OWS was founded on high ideals, it became more about fighting the system than it did fixing the system.
i was in college at the time, and my s-i-l was there.
there was quite a noble cause (ability to have it happen does not matter - the goal was noble), that drew some people - they were jopined by others that simply wante to be in the group and have fun - they were joined by some that simply wanted to get high and get laid, the crowd became formidable.
but on the fringe - there were those that wante to incite violence - they wanted a revolution, they wanted to end free markets eyc, for the sake of socialism (see wether underground, alinsky, cloward/piven, storm, sds).
it has never been fully clear, or proven - but suddenly a noise, that sounded like gun-fire - starter gun? m-80? who knows - but the guard was there under strict orders to not fire.
but once they heard (or thought they heard) fire - they responded.
"this summer I hear the drummin, four dead in Ohio"
the anarchy arsonist, may not know,
the fire that they ignite.
but as sun rises above the glow.
there's damage of the fight.
I have to go but wanted to point this out. You said "hard liners began to seep out of the woodwork".
Ever lived in an apartment or visited somewhere that was infested with roaches? Sometimes you can't tell they are there until a room has been dark for a time (one can relate that darkness to the time which you say ows was being ignored), but turn on the light and low and behold sometimes hundreds have "seeped out of the woodwork".
You see? They couldn't have seeped out unless they were already there. As the mob coming up behind the ballerina on the bull in the poster I showed you (which can be seen here) seems to indicate.
Ajatasutra Bharaputra Feb 8, 2012, 2:17am EST
I don't think that this perspective of OWS is valid. It looks revisionist based upon the fact that so much of the movement occurred early on with non-violence in mind. The initial occupation, tent city, marijuana use, etc all appeared to be a very relaxed, left wing sit-in. It wasn't until the movement began to get ignored and then appeared to become largely irrelevant that hard liners began to seep out of the woodwork.
I don't exactly get it.
Unemployment Statistics do not take into account those who have given up and those who are no longer collecting unemployment.
What's more, there are many jobs available that many people are not capable of holding down.
If anyone out there thinks it's still easy to get even a grunt job, they are woefully mistaken.
Not only could some of those in OWS, not be capable of holding down certain jobs--just like much of the workforce can't always keep every job they try--but these days, ONE JOB DOES NOT ALWAYS LEAD TO ANOTHER.
Many of the young students are so obligingly in debt that a grunt job could actually mean 25 years of low wages--before they can even afford an apartment, much less pay off tuition.
Is somebody going to wake up and realize that we are living in a different Economic Reality?
That the American Dream has to be re-examined for what it isn't?
That is a significant chunk of the whole point, it seems to me, behind OWS.
We.....are.....a......Plutocracy.
Plain and simple.
And until there is training, retraining, and better assessment of skills and job needs, our country will continue to struggle--painfully.