Has the Occupy movement now been vindicated? (poll)

[CTyankee]

6 votes, 0 passes | Time left: Unlimited
	YES. It was a valuable indicator of the changes that would come
	3 (50%)
	NO. It was just a flash in the pan and an ineffective tool for change.
	1 (17%)
	It's too soon to tell.
	1 (17%)
	Other (please explain)
	1 (17%)
	0 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided.
Show usernames Disclaimer: This is an Internet poll

[RKP5637]

1. It was suppressed by a centralized coordinated DHS effort. n/t

[Benton D Struckcheon]

2. To the extent it was an expression of rage at the kid gloves the finance folks

...got treated with, yes. But those folks really did get away with it.
OTOH, it may have been an indicator of more to come, and of, finally, a leftward turn in the populace. Time will tell.

[TBF]

3. Occupy discussed CLASS -

That's a good starting point but there is still much to be done. Organization, discipline - it will likely have to become a bit more militant. But I don't see how anyone can dismiss the movement. If anything it's picking up steam.

[RKP5637]

6. I think there's a tipping point it almost reached. IMO, that's why DHS infiltrated and undermined

it, but people are now wise to DHS. It was not enough to move the entire country, but it was the best spark under US lackadaisicalness I've seen since the 60's.

[2naSalit]

17. Yup. nt

[Skeeter Barnes]

4. It helped to put on display, the brutality of the corporate state,

as Chris Hedges would say. And as a result, I think it made at least some people more class conscious.

[CTyankee]

8. I agree. It was a step, an important step, in a ladder to what has been building all along

but needed more direction and empowerment.

However, the myth pushed by the media -- that the Occupy movement was just a quirky thing done by rich, bored kids, -- has been pretty much discredited.

[Skeeter Barnes]

10. I don't know about that. Perhaps it was just a beginning.

Sometimes it takes more than a single match to light the fire. This doesn't have to be the end of it.

If we want it bad enough, workers will have power again. But it will have to be a worldwide effort. The owners of the United States think and act globally. Workers will have to do the same.

[Xyzse]

5. I have mixed feelings about the Occupy movement.

In one sense, I am quite happy that such a thing has happened.
In another sense, I feel like it was a missed opportunity as there were no groups that came out of the ashes of it that would have been able to sharpen their message, simplify and try to push for actual change.

I understand not wanting to have heads to such a movement, however movements NEED personalities to rally around, so it was diffuse enough that many equated it as complaining for the sake of complaining, as such it was disorganized.

It was easily dismissed then as a childish movement of people that don't matter, since they don't have an easily recognizable constituency.

Without spokespersons that could be built up, the message was not widely pushed.

If they have a resurgence, I'd be happy about it, and more likely than not support it. However, I would like a better organization behind it, during and after staged events. Otherwise, there is no one that politicians can point to and deal with.

[warrprayer]

18. Oh, but we HAVE "personalities" to rally around!

Corporate media pays personality cult talking heads GOOD MONEY to tell me what I think in 10 minute segments, wedged between raised volume commercials for wonderful sponsors like B.P., Big Pharma, Boner pills, Bank of America and many other generous benefactors!
That way I don't have to give myself headaches taxing my poor little brain by thinking for myself!!!

[WilliamPitt]

7. It never needed to be vindicated.

[Rex]

11. I love how the movement still scares the crap out of the status quo types.

Their continued dismissal of Occupy is noted.

[Rex]

9. Sorry, but past tense means you don't know it is still ongoing.

http://www.occupytogether.org/
Occupy scares the crap out of some people...gee I wonder why.

[hack89]

12. An invisible behind the scenes social movement

is not a social movement. Occupy is not a factor in the American political discourse. The average voter is not aware of them at all.

[CTyankee]

15. well, let me put it this way. Occupy was one step. It is immaterial whether the average voter was

aware of them. It happened nonetheless. My question is whether Occupy was just one warning shot in our electorate to register discontent with a rigged system.

Now we have Matt Taibbi's book on the terrible bias in our criminal justice system and the inequality of crime and punishment and the incarceration of so many male minorities vs. the exoneration or at least the lack of any real punishment for those who control the crime.

I'm trying to look at the big picture and put this all in a perspective along an historical timeframe.

[hack89]

20. Occupy is but one of several threads in American culture

All competing against each other. It may win out, it may die, or it may be subsumed and changed in to something completely different.

[CTyankee]

22. I disagree. I think these are all threads of the same yarn basically...that of income inequality....

It is not a new thing. It has happened before in this country and others. Occupy IMO is one of the many threads of American culture that is manifesting itself now against income inequality. I predict we will see this coalesce around other issues. We have already seen an astonishing change in public opinion on marriage inequality. We are seeing it gender inequality in pay and we will see it in other issues as well, including gun safety. And we are seeing it our criminal justice system with Matt Taibbi's new book.

A brave new world...

[hack89]

23. Time will tell. Nt

[WillyT]

13. They've TOTALLY Changed The Narrative...

[frazzled]

14. Not really, since it was about 35 years late ...

in addressing the issues.

We were beginning to talk about income and wealth inequality back in the 80s, during the Reagan administration, when many of the practices and laws that have led to the current situation came into play, and continued after. We were talking about the financial industry and its deregulation back during the Clinton administration. Nobody talked about anything during the GW Bush administration—which is really odd, if you ask me.

It would have been better if everyone had sat up and taken notice back when we could have done something to PREVENT the financial collapse that occurred in 2008 and the already accomplished wealth concentration that exists now. The slogan made people sit up finally, which is a good thing--but it was decades late in coming, and the organization itself was not in the least bit capable of addressing real policy. It was a mess. Railing against the 1% is not particularly useful. Enacting laws (which the Dodd-Frank bill provides a good start) is.

[CTyankee]

16. Yes, but I think Occupy was a REMINDER for people to sit up and take notice. It happened BECAUSE

people weren't. And look what was happening to weaken all the laws we had to prevent the 1% for making out like bandits? What were the protestors going to do? They didn't have the power and money to buy media to make their case. They only had themselves.

I think they were prescient.

[warrprayer]

19. The last gasp of democracy

is what Occupy was.

They got beat down hard.

It gave me pride and solace to see those beautiful people standing up to ugly power with their bodies.

[Zorra]

21. It is still an ongoing necessity.

The fear and hatred of Occupy that is still being displayed by conservatives proves it.