Occupy And The Long Goodbye

Be not careless in deeds, nor confused in words, nor rambling in thought.

                                                                                            - Marcus Aurelius

I have watched the Occupy Movement almost from the beginning and defended it in my writing from those who criticized it and attempted to dismiss and demean it. I related to the frustration expressed by the original Occupy Wall Street (OWS) protesters because I shared their same frustration and anger with corporate greed and cynical politicians who have forgotten that they represent all of the people not just a privileged few.

But as each day passes and Occupy grows a bit and it mistakes celebrity guest appearances and chatter on the Internet for real support, it is also becoming more and more like the very thing it protests. It is developing a reverse kind of elitism that masquerades as democracy and which is every bit as arrogant as what they accuse the 1% of being. Like so many that have gone before, it shouts down criticism and laps up self-praise like a thirsty dog at a bowl of water.

Nowhere is this  more evident than in the constant barrage of tweets on Twitter and posted messages on various social networking sites. Here is a random sample of some of those messages.

"Hey Ottawa. You've been Occupied!"

This tweet followed Occupy Ottawa's small but highly disruptive protest march during rush hour which only served to inconvenience others in the 99% by delaying them from getting home. Nothing like adding insult to injury by flipping a verbal finger to those you are trying to encourage to support you.

"America Isn't Broke. Money Doesn't Just Disappear. It's Been Redistributed to the Rich & Pulled Out of Circulation"

It's almost impossible to believe that someone could be this stupid and so willing to share that fact with the world. Clearly he (or she) thinks that the reason there are poor is because money is disappearing. I suppose he thinks the rich are now hiding their money under their mattresses so the 99% won't get it. What about the millionaires within the 99%, are they hiding their money in coffee cans in holes dug in their back yards? And for the record...America is about as close to being broke as they can get without actually turning into Greece.

"When ordinary people wake up, elites begin to tremble in their boots."

It's bad enough to lie to yourself but when you expose it to the world, you expose the weakness of  your position. I don't hear much trembling going on in the 1%, just a lot of laughter at the mindless babble coming from Occupy and its supporters that is posing as intelligent conversation. 

"Dear 1%. All UR SQUAREZ BELONG TO US!!!!"

Here's a clever slogan. Of course it's undermined a bit by the fact that the poster can't spell a simple word like squares and the fact that most of the occupy movements are in the parks and "squarez" because they obtained permission and/or permits. Those parks and squares belong to all of us, not just the illiterate. This yahoo was clearly not aware of the fact that there is a significant difference between squatting and ownership.

"We don't change the world by talking or thinking. Change comes from putting boots on the ground and protesting in the public square!"

Power to the people! No need to think, just put on your boots and join us. We protest without thought. We address issues without the need to discuss them  but we have new boots so it's all good. There's a true rallying cry for you.

"There are five unemployed people for every job opening in America today. They're not lazy. You're just an asshole!"

No need for fact or informed debate here just call somebody an asshole and you've proven your point and won the argument. This comment actually did make me tremble but for all the wrong reasons. It embarrassed me that I had actually spoke out in support of a movement that allows people who think and speak like with so little thought to represent it and speak on its behalf.

Clarification: We are totally against NATO intervention in Libya and would have rather seen the rebels rise up alone
This is mindless opinion masquerading as intellectual thought. It's typical of those who form their opinions without bothering to check their facts. NATO didn't intervene. It was the people of Lybia, who were being slaughtered by Qadaffi in their revolt, who asked for military help. NATO went in to protect the rebels and the civilian population not to fight their battles. If they hadn't the rebels wouldn't have won what they won today. They'd be dead or in prison. But then, it's always easier to sit back in your safe, western democracy and encourage others to die for their cause when you don't have to do the dying.

It should be noted that these were not tweets or posts from private and personal accounts nor were they the most inane or the most stupid I found. They are merely representative. All of these and the dozens of others I have saved, came from posts on official Occupy social networking sites and/or Twitter accounts.

Where once, Occupy seemed to stand for something, it is rapidly losing control of its own message and purpose. I have read messages (including another today) fawning over celebrities who came out for an hour and the obligatory photo op. I've read messages flying back and forth between different factions of Occupy accusing each other of trying to take over meetings. And I've read apologies for previous messages by "other members of the team", along with, more misinformation and confusion than I have ever seen in one group in my life.

You are what you allow people to say in representation of  you and more and more, it seems that Occupy has been hijacked by the lunatic fringe, the ill-informed and the tragically self-righteous. Sadly it is becoming even clearer that Occupy lacks the leadership, the sense of purpose and the discipline to do anything about it.

It's almost impossible to imagine Gandhi, in his fight for human rights and India's independence tweeting, "You guys are assholes!" It's just as hard to imagine Martin Luther King shouting, "We don't change the world by talking or thinking."

These were serious people who understood the issues they were confronting and who put forward solutions to right the injustice they saw. They didn't simply march against something, they protested in support of something better. They knew the struggle would be long and difficult and they understood the need to bring people together to achieve a positive outcome. In their darkest moments, they never lost their direction or their sense of humour .They didn't just chatter, they thought and they discussed and they inspired. They were leaders and ultimately, their causes were successful and not just because they were just causes but because of the unity of purpose and message they were able to maintain.

OWS started with a simple idea, occupy a small patch of ground in the financial district of New York and draw attention to the cause by their mere presence. There wasn't the rabble babble then that is going on now. Their silence was almost deafening. They were heard more clearly than all the chatter that is now cluttering and confusing that original purpose.

Martin Luther King said, "A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but molder of consensus." He was right and not merely about human leadership. It applies to organizations and movements that would bring people together in a common cause. Occupy asks continually for support (when the lunatic fringe isn't bragging about how big the movement is) and many of us have stepped up and given that support but it has been squandered. Occupy has allowed itself to be overrun by mediocrity and foolish rhetoric. Where once it used occupation of a public area to quietly draw attention to its cause, now it applauds stupid actions like a move to occupy museums. Museums? Now there is an enclave of corporate greed for you.

Too many within Occupy have become drunk on their small successes and have lost sight of the fact that they are not exclusively the 99%. If you total all of the participants in the Occupy movement worldwide, they wouldn't come to 1% of the 99% they claim to represent. They fail to grasp that they only represent the overwhelming majority that is the 99% if we allow them too. Otherwise, they speak only for themselves and increasingly, not very intelligently. We didn't offer our initial support to indulge fools who shout mindless slogans or who think occuping museums will bring about change for the better.

I don't question for a moment the sincerity or commitment of the small group who started this movement nor of those who have worked tirelessly to help it grow. It is the rabble they have been unable or unwilling to control or weed out that are responsible for the disenchantment with Occupy and which will ultimately be its undoing.

For that reason, I question both the viability and the credibility of Occupy tonight.

People followed Gandhi because he gave them a sense of purpose and a direction to take in achieving their common goals. They followed Martin Luther King because he built consensus and unity around key issues and therein developed the strength of the movement. They inspired and their causes became inspirational. Occupy does not inspire, in cities around the world it holds constant General Assemblies that border on the pointless, cannot control its own official channels of communication and has lost control of its own message.

If I had just arrived from another planet and had only what I have been reading online to define Occupy, I would be hard pressed to understand much more than it was an organization without clear purpose that seems to need more sleeping bags.

It's true that Occupy has been receiving more attention lately as the celebrities drop by and the media come in to do a couple of interviews but none of that is lasting. Who remembers the people that interviewed Gandhi or King. Who remembers the celebrities that stopped by for a photo op? The lasting impression of a movement is what it says and does. In Occupy's case, it has allowed too many who have nothing to say to speak for it and too many who believe they have the right to interfere in the lives of others to represent it. Those do not grow a movement, they kill it.

For me, it is more than disappointing, it is disillusioning. I had some faith that OWS would grow into something worthwhile and that it would help to effect real change. But as the saying goes, the more things change, the more they stay the same. There is nothing new in Occupy as it is today. It is just more of the same empty rhetoric and sloganeering offered up by politicians during an election. It's pointless and it achieves nothing of value.

This recent tweet broadcast from the Occupy America account pretty much captures what Occupy has allowed to happen to itself,  "everyone has his own reasons for being @ Occupy, and it's, more or less opportunistic."  Occupy has allowed itself to be hijacked by the opportunistic rather than the committed. They are quickly becoming just one more large group of malcontents and those who are excited to dance around the fire at night. There have been countless movements like this in the past and nobody remembers them because they accomplished nothing. We only remember those who protected what they believed in with the same passion that they brought to the protest.

...And that my friends is always the beginning of the long goodbye for any organization or movement. It's a shame really because with a little discipline and a bit of backbone, it just didn't have to happen here.

© 2011 Maggie's Bear
all rights reserved
The content of this article is the sole property of Maggie's Bear but a link to it may be shared by those who think it may be of interest to others.