The Triumph of Occupy Wall Street

[ksen]

Still waiting to see those '12 and '14 House results resonate with the impact of OWS.

Implying that election results are the only way to measure impact of a message.

It took many years for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s impact to be felt in elections and legislation being passed. And he was a strong, focal force for the civil rights message.

If OWS had had that type of leader we may have seen more progress since the protests.

But it really can't be seriously argued that OWS didn't change what was being talked about and shifted the focus to the 99%.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Still waiting to see those '12 and '14 House results resonate with the impact of OWS.

Implying that election results are the only way to measure impact of a message.

YES! '06 was a resounding middle finger from the populace to the Bush Admin over Iraq.

It took many years for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s impact to be felt in elections and legislation being passed. And he was a strong, focal force for the civil rights message.

It took less than two years for the Right-Wing to get that landslide victory in '10.

If OWS had had that type of leader we may have seen more progress since the protests.

More progress? Any progress?

But it really can't be seriously argued that OWS didn't change what was being talked about and shifted the focus to the 99%.

We were talking about it before OWS ever happened.

 

[dismal]

Yes, the left never talked about inequality before, what was it, 2010? 2011?

 

[coloradoatheist]

Yes, the left never talked about inequality before, what was it, 2010? 2011?

Yep, they never mentioned it in regard to Reagan.

 

[dismal]

Yes, the left never talked about inequality before, what was it, 2010? 2011?

Yep, they never mentioned it in regard to Reagan.

I remember how all the threads we used to have back in 2009 were about how great rich people and corporations were.

 

[coloradoatheist]

Yep, they never mentioned it in regard to Reagan.

I remember how all the threads we used to have back in 2009 were about how great rich people and corporations were.

And was that movie Wall Street considered a heart warming inspirational film?

 

[ksen]

you guys need a towel?

 

[coloradoatheist]

you guys need a towel?

OWS was a rehash of old ideas, it just brought more attention to them then the valley it was in at the time.

 

[fromderinside]

Yes, the left never talked about inequality before, what was it, 2010? 2011?

Yeah. That's about right. Wasn't it about 2011 when JFK began stepping on governors who refused to integrate?

Oh wait. It may have been a few years earlier. FDR found ways to help the poor, RW was balls out for women's rights and AL, a democrat in his heart did something about slavery just a couple years before 2011.

 

[Playball40]

OWS did crap. "Income inequality" is just a modified buzzword that has been hanging around electoral speeches for a long time.

The general public would agree with what OWS thought, but the movement came across as a bunch of unemployed college students whining because the media decided to treat the movement almost with no care at all. Neurotic Tea Party protestors received a lot more quality attention from the media despite their absolutely ridiculous positions, including being against most government spending, just Medicare, Social Security, and the military.

The Tea Party got lunatics elected into power and the best the liberals have got is Bernie Sanders making a run for President, a person that will help create the diversion to get O'Malley the nomination by playing the center of Clinton and Sanders.

Disagree. Income Inequality has reached new levels.

 

[ksen]

you guys need a towel?

OWS was a rehash of old ideas, it just brought more attention to them then the valley it was in at the time.

What isn't ever a rehash of old ideas?

 

[Axulus]

OWS did crap. "Income inequality" is just a modified buzzword that has been hanging around electoral speeches for a long time.

The general public would agree with what OWS thought, but the movement came across as a bunch of unemployed college students whining because the media decided to treat the movement almost with no care at all. Neurotic Tea Party protestors received a lot more quality attention from the media despite their absolutely ridiculous positions, including being against most government spending, just Medicare, Social Security, and the military.

The Tea Party got lunatics elected into power and the best the liberals have got is Bernie Sanders making a run for President, a person that will help create the diversion to get O'Malley the nomination by playing the center of Clinton and Sanders.

Disagree. Income Inequality has reached new levels.

Has it? I don't see much of a trend since the mid 90's.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Disagree. Income Inequality has reached new levels.

Has it? I don't see much of a trend since the mid 90's.

That graph shows a trend and it is upward. How can you not see a trend?

 

[J842P]

I'm not sure that graph is a good way to guage income inequality. Here's the a graph of Gini coefficients:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gini_coefficient#/media/File:Gini_since_WWII.svg

 

[dismal]

Disagree. Income Inequality has reached new levels.

Has it? I don't see much of a trend since the mid 90's.

The immediate takeaway from the chart is more recessions and depressions would go along way to fixing this problem.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Actually, the majority of America agrees with the OWS movement.

Really?

I'd have bet on: the OWS movement doesn't even agree on what the OWS movement believes.

Agreed. OWS was inherently doomed by the lack of a specific objective.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Has it? I don't see much of a trend since the mid 90's.

That graph shows a trend and it is upward. How can you not see a trend?

I see no trend. I see the top "income" levels suppressed over a period with very high tax rates on high incomes combined with a lot of loopholes that kept money from being reported as income in the first place--in other words, I see no reason to think this is anything other than a reporting artifact.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

That graph shows a trend and it is upward. How can you not see a trend?

I see no trend. I see the top "income" levels suppressed over a period with very high tax rates on high incomes combined with a lot of loopholes that kept money from being reported as income in the first place--in other words, I see no reason to think this is anything other than a reporting artifact.

Great point. And that the two peaks in the chart coincided with monstrous global economic collapses is merely coincidence too.

 

[untermensche]

I agree with those who feel OWS did very little.

The corrupt system it protested against is more corrupt.

The too big to fails are bigger.

Corporate influence over elections and the government is stronger.

The middle class has almost no representation in government, not to mention the poor.

A lot of drum circles. Not much of substance.

The US oligarchy is as strong as ever and getting stronger every day. The system, really a game, is set up to funnel enormous wealth into few hands, not to provide a decent society. Most are merely pawns of the rich in that game.