And on a more substantial level: wanna get shit done?... Dont fucking pull a navel-gazing Ron Paul on this crisis.
That's the main problem I'm seeing with OWS so far, though, is that aside from me side-eyeing the twentysomething college students who are doing the protests (and I AM a twentysomething graduate student, which makes me more and not less suspicious - I think some of them are protesting because they actually understand the issues and know what they mean, and others are doing it because it's cool to do it right now)...there's this navel-gazing. Like, "Look at how great we are for even protesting! Protesting is awesome!" Perhaps this is just the way the media has spun it, but the only way I even heard about OWS's demands is by coming here and reading the comments. None of the journalists seem to either know or be reporting on it.
That's why I said "either know, or seem to be reporting on it" - I wasn't 100% sure if it was the protesters themselves who weren't clear, or whether the mainstream media was ignoring them in the interest of preserving the status quo since the companies who own those major newspapers are headed by people in the 1% in the first place. Clearly, it's the latter (which if I'd thought about it makes more sense anyway).
That's the impression I get, is that those opposed felt like he wanted to speak out of turn, basically, and if they let him speak out of turn when they wouldn't let just anyone come along and speak out of turn, that they would have been privileging him. Furthermore I can see why they wouldn't want to establish a precedent for having important establishment figures like members of congress coming along and co-opting an agenda that they had already all agreed to. I agree with that in principle, but they would have gained more by granting him an exception.
The damage is pretty bad though, because most of the people there wanted to hear him speak. He's a hero to most of them and it could well fracture the assembly's cohesion to see that a couple of sticklers caused Lewis to be turned away. Plus, video of Lewis speaking to the group would have added legitimacy to the movement, and may have given the movement an ally in congress. Instead there's this WTF video of him being turned away, which is not going to encourage people to join up.
No. You stupid little hipsters, when a man like Lewis shows up at your protest you do not turn him away because of your ~schedule.
Your penance is to dig the organic cauliflower out of your ears, open your eyes behind your oh-so-fashionably dark glasses frames, and wrap your brain around the concept of privilege. Just because you are part of the 99% doesn't mean you're not also participating in oppression.
Also? If you have an actual megaphone and are not forbidden to use it by ordinance, you don't need to do the "human megaphone" thing.
No. Even with the megaphone everyone couldnt always hear everything said and for whatever reason, they didnt move it out into the crowd when someone wanted to make a comment.
It was extremely annoying and SLOW. Lots of complaints about it.
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That's the main problem I'm seeing with OWS so far, though, is that aside from me side-eyeing the twentysomething college students who are doing the protests (and I AM a twentysomething graduate student, which makes me more and not less suspicious - I think some of them are protesting because they actually understand the issues and know what they mean, and others are doing it because it's cool to do it right now)...there's this navel-gazing. Like, "Look at how great we are for even protesting! Protesting is awesome!" Perhaps this is just the way the media has spun it, but the only way I even heard about OWS's demands is by coming here and reading the comments. None of the journalists seem to either know or be reporting on it.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaBFhRsi4Gw&feature=youtu.be
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Your penance is to dig the organic cauliflower out of your ears, open your eyes behind your oh-so-fashionably dark glasses frames, and wrap your brain around the concept of privilege. Just because you are part of the 99% doesn't mean you're not also participating in oppression.
Also? If you have an actual megaphone and are not forbidden to use it by ordinance, you don't need to do the "human megaphone" thing.
In short, you are MISSING THE FUCKING POINT.
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DUH. I don't understand, especially since that crowd is small enough that everyone sitting it it can probably hear the megaphone. IT'S SO ANNOYING.
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It was extremely annoying and SLOW. Lots of complaints about it.
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