On 11/24/2011 1:49 AM, Hils wrote:
On 2011-11-24 04:56, D. Peter Maus wrote:
I've been to the rallies in Chicago and a couple of other cities.
There's a lot of disruption, and an lot of noise, but little substance.
A lot of people there, who, when you ask them why they're there (and I
have), will tell you that they want to be part of an important movement,
but can't really tell you what the purpose of the movement is. Some who
are there because they get to act up/act out with impugnity, and many
(I've asked them and they've said the words) who just want 'to be part
of a big protest.'
But if you ask what they're protesting, they can't clearly tell you.

If they're ignorant, they're young enough not to be blamed for it.
They're on a learning curve.

My memories of learning history at school jump from the Roman occupation
to the agricultural and industrial revolutions. This may have been
partly because my school's head of history was an expert in local Roman
history, and industry is more exciting for kids because it's more tech
stuff than ideas, philosophy and politics. It was years before I learned
properly about things like Norman feudalism, the English civil war, the
French revolution, Swiss democracy, capitalism, communism, the Labour
movement, the Middle East, etc etc.

There's no doubt that there's a lot of anger, here. And there's no doubt
that much of it may be justified. But this 'movement' in particular is
more about personal retribution for achievement than it is about
punishing those who've done so many people so wrong.

They'll find the right targets eventually.

Once they start indiscriminately going through affluent neighborhoods
vandalizing any and every thing that smacks of wealth...it's no longer
about a cause. It's about the chaos.

Some folk in affluent neighbourhoods may have earned their wealth
through honest labour, but statistically those places are also where the
bankers, warmongers and politicians are. They're fair targets.

Yes, they do seem to be learning, already they are stepping away from
being obama supporters to being OWS supporters, a positive move anyway
you cut it ...

Regards,
JS
The calendar says 2011, the heart says 1776!