“My own concern is primarily the terror and violence carried out by my own state, for two reasons. For one thing, because it happens to be the larger component of international violence. But also for a much more important reason than that; namely, I can do something about it. So even if the U.S. was responsible for 2 percent of the violence in the world instead of the majority of it, it would be that 2 percent I would be primarily responsible for. And that is a simple ethical judgment. That is, the ethical value of one’s actions depends on their anticipated and predictable consequences. It is very easy to denounce the atrocities of someone else. That has about as much ethical value as denouncing atrocities that took place in the 18th century.”
— Shorter Noam Chomsky (via noam-chomsky): Clean up your own back yard.
8:43 am • 9 May 2012 • 107 notes
vicemag:
A lot of the silliness on May Day was the good kind of silly, the silliness that hurts no one and makes even a cold-hearted capitalist like me smile. Regardless of political affiliation, if you can’t grin at a couple of mimes pretending to be cops “frisking” bystanders, you need to lighten up a little. In the context of a protest like May Day, I don’t know how you define “success.” If the goal was to get any closer to any of OWS and co.’s demands—higher wages, more jobs, raising taxes on millionaires, relaxing immigration policy, legalizing pot and gay marriage, etc. etc. etc.—I doubt any of what happened yesterday helped anything. On the other hand, if you look at May Day as a kind of Leftist Pride Parade, not unlike Gay Pride events or New York’s Puerto Rico day, you can understand the marches as a big party that celebrates a shared identity. “Celebrates” being the key word.
2:46 pm • 3 May 2012 • 28 notes
Occupied Wall Street Journal: Noam Chomsky Live Tomorrow! #occupytogether #occupywallstreet #ows #occupy
occupiedwallstjournal:
Prof. Noam Chomsky will be doing a 30 minute interview on Tuesday, Jan. 31st, at 2:15 pm EST / 11:15 am PST. The transcript and recorded mp3 will be hosted by the Occupied Wall Street Journal after the call as a podcast.
The topics he will discuss include:
1. What makes mainstream media…
2:00 am • 31 January 2012 • 8 notes
“Most Americans are like badly damaged children: they expect evil to announce itself in advance, with the aid of thundering, ominous music on the soundtrack of their increasingly desperate lives. But that is not how evil most commonly arrives. It comes with a gentle, reassuring smile. It insinuates itself with soothing platitudes. It speaks of “threats” to our “security” that cannot be countenanced. It says it only wants to make you “safe.”
— http://powerofnarrative.blogspot.com/2012/01/ordinary-evil-i-just-admit-that-youre.html
12:53 am • 19 January 2012
... this is why I occupy.: ... d31 ...
thisiswhyioccupy:
It’s the first day of a new year. January 1st, 2012. I’m sitting at a dining room table in my friend’s apartment listening to M83, head still cloudy from an amazing night capped off by two beers on an empty stomach. Behind this browser window, Tweetdeck dings every few seconds with a combination…
1:52 pm • 4 January 2012 • 9 notes
Occupy The Subway: First report
So here’s my personal report after an hour ride going solo from car to car, I hope it encourages more people to jump on today. Just ride one stop away from your place and back.
I open with “Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Brian Douglas. I’m not looking for a dime, just a little bit of your time.” From there, I apologize for the imposition, but I’m trying to put a broader face on the movement than what people see in the media. I run through most of my memorized statement, but I try to keep it conversational:
My name is Brian Douglas. I am with Parents for Occupy Wall St. I am here to share with you why I am supporting this movement. I have worked in corporate advertising for 13 years on brands such as HSBC, Citibank, Merck and Pfizer I know this beast from the inside and it is not human. I wish to see corporate personhood abolished, public financing of elections, and the formation of an independent subpoena-powered truth commission to investigate the crimes committed by Wall st. I believe this movement can achieve that goals but only if enough people make their voices heard.”
And wrap up with something like:
“If you agree with the movement, please find a way to get involved today, even if it’s watching the live streams. If you agree with the general goals, but disagree with how the movement is working towards them, then get down there and tell them how to do it right. If you disagree entirely, then get down there and tell folks so you can both learn something.”
And if I have even more time to fill, I’ll say:
“I’ve gone down to the park dozens of times since the Occupation started. I’ve brought my family many of those times. I never felt unsafe or real fear until Monday night when I witnessed the brutal raid by Bloomberg’s NYPD.”
Now a few numbers from one hour of talking on the trains. I was able to speak to about 12-14 half to 3/4 full train cars between the Jefferson L and 34th St. N. I would put the average person count of the trains at a conservative 30-40 people. That’s 360-540 people.
Finally, every single car listened to me intently, a few even applauded. The very last car, I walked past two men, one railing against someone who “wants to raise the capitol gains tax” as though that were a bad thing.
I moved past them and got as far as “I’m with Parents for OWS and I’m here to briefly share my reasons for supporting the occupation.” One of the men (who I’m certain was an off duty or plain clothes cop) interrupted me saying “No! No! You can’t do that.”
I replied, “I can’t speak? Are you telling me I cannot speak to these people?”
He told me to “take it to Zuccotti if I wanna support the movement”. I then told him that I couldn’t because I was on my way to work, which was one stop away. I then told him that I would respect his right to tell me not to speak and moved to the other end of the train. Everyone just gave him DAGGERS, and another rider walked up behind me, patted me on the back and said “I got you man, he won’t try anything.” We walked out together and had a great conversation before we parted ways at the corner of 34th and Broadway.
Get out there and experience some amazing connections!
3:27 pm • 17 November 2011 • 6 notes
Metro: Occupy Wall Street provides outreach for the homeless
Very proud to have helped out in this in what little ways I could, though most of the credit goes to Star.
occupyparents:
(Excerpt) Homeless people who have made their way into Zuccotti Park among Occupy Wall Street protesters have been a topic of conversation in recent weeks. In late October,protesters worried their make-shift kitchen could not accommodate everyone from the movement, as well as homeless people who gravitated into the park because they were hungry.
Now, Occupy Wall Street protesters plan to address what they call this humanitarian issue. The groupParents for Occupy Wall Street announced a partnership with as many as 20 social workers who will visit Zuccotti Park to provide an assessment on Sunday to understand the needs of individuals. One of the goals, organizers said, is deflecting the stigma attached to the very word “homeless.”
“I take issue with the fact that that terminology is a blanketed statement,” said social worker Meagan “Star” Bond, who explained that many people in Zuccotti Park consider themselves homeless, including runaways or people who have lost their homes to foreclosure.
Bond, a social worker who also supports the movement, said Sunday’s assessment will include a questionnaire to help identify issues like mental illness or substance abuse. From there, Bond said the group of social workers might provide counseling, referrals or case management to address individual needs.
“We are capable of taking care of our own. We are there to supplement and provide to those in need and we will not turn anyone away,” Bond said. “They are just as much a part of the 99 percent as anyone else.”
10:02 pm • 11 November 2011 • 1 note
