wackyakmed - 2011-09-26
This is actually part of a longer q&a (about 50 minutes). You can view the rest under suggested videos on the YouTube page.
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baleen  - 2011-09-26
I was just going to post this. I agree with much of Hedges says about a lot of things, I do think his presence there lends the protest more legitimacy and it should help get them better press. Democracy Now, who I also have my misgivings with, is doing some great coverage of the protests themselves. Even the NYT has excused this occupation as a bunch of dumb hippy kids that don't know what the stock exchange is.
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wackyakmed - 2011-09-26 As someone who marched in the kickoff solidarity protest here in Seattle on 9/17, the New York Times' coverage in particular sticks in my craw. The reporter clearly visited the park for a couple of hours and picked the most idiotic people she could find to interview. I've Tweeted and exchanged emails with a few of the organizers in NYC. They are smart cookies.
I don't think it's any kind of nefarious plot, mind you - just a lazy journalist looking for the easy narrative.
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baleen - 2011-09-27 Not sure if you were around for WTO in Seattle, but the feeling was similar.
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wackyakmed - 2011-09-27 No, just moved out here last year.
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Jet Bin Fever - 2011-09-26
It's really amazing how these protests are getting little to no mention from any news outlets. I hope it keeps up, despite how little is being said about it.
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gmol - 2011-09-26
I love this guy, hope he brings some credibility to the movement.
One has to believe that some iota of this serfdom and managerial elite talk is true. Just as I was listening to this I find an article that talks about Chelsea Clinton joining the board of IAC (the company that owns match.com amongst other holdings). She is already on the board of places such as Weill Medical College, The School American of American Ballet and holds the director title at the Clinton Foundation. She's 31.
Now from what I hear, she is a pretty smart girl, but if you ever needed to convince yourself that there is a managerial upper class, there you have it. There is just a profound spread between the average (successful) 31 year old and someone like Chelsea...a spread that seems imaginary, in spite of the number of honors people like her hold.
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Void 71 - 2011-09-27 Don't forget that she married a Goldman Sachs investment banker. Quite a catch for an average looking woman.
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baleen - 2011-09-27 Didn't George W. put the nail in the coffin of a bottoms up meritocracy?
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Abstract Fainter - 2011-09-26
Well put.
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Void 71 - 2011-09-26
Chris Hedges's analysis is always excellent, but he's very light on realistic solutions.
He talks about the IWW and Mother Jones without mentioning that the working class uprisings of the 19th and early 20th century were anything but non-violent. The fact that they were able to successfully meet violence with violence is the ONLY reason they were able to make any headway. You can't apply their tactics to modern day problems because they didn't have to contend with a police force dressed in layers of military-grade body armor wielding the most advanced weapons known to man.
He only briefly touched on the idea of removing yourself as much as possible from the system via self sufficiency (raising your own food) and frugality (avoiding the allure of Madison Avenue), which is a shame because that is the only solution at this point. You certainly aren't going to change anything by screaming slogans from behind a picket line. I really wish more people understood this.
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StanleyPain - 2011-09-26 So don't do anything then. got it.
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Void 71 - 2011-09-26 There is plenty that you can do, but what good is 'doing something' when that something involves yelling at people who aren't going to listen to you? That's wasted energy.
You know who's really doing something? The urban farming guys. If your choice is marching behind the guy in front of you at a protest or learning how to make use of your land to grow your own food, then you should choose the latter every time. That's energy well spent because it reduces the amount of money you throw into the black whole and makes you a more independent human being.
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wackyakmed - 2011-09-26 It's not just the act of holding a sign. Watch the General Assemblies they organize to make decisions sometime. They're making connections, testing new nonviolent tactics, and trying out different forms of self governance. These are all very positive things.
Also, I'm curious why you're dismissing a Gandhian style nonviolent disobedience campaign as not realistic. I think Hedge's point (might be in a different clip than the one linked) that the police genuinely don't know how to handle nonviolent protest is becoming more and more obvious. They're trying to turn it into a street fight, but as long as the protesters keep peaceful and have their smart phones recording, it's only winning more sympathy to the cause.
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Ursa_minor - 2011-09-26
I love this dude, but he's like some crazy Douglas Adams character from a planet where everyone speaks in hyperbole, all the time.
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Riskbreaker - 2011-09-26
Meanwhile, more rich guys at the top of several buildings drink more champagne and amuse themselves watching all that fuss in the streets. Once more, this is not even doing a slight scratch to their shell. I'm not saying they are not in their right to manifest, but all this seems just so pointless.
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Riskbreaker - 2011-09-26 Not to mention, many of these protesters will vote for Ron Paul.
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