Topic: Occupy Wall Street
The Spell of Wall Street
“Seek first to understand, then be understood.” -Anonymous Understanding Wall Street mentality is a bit like understanding military mentality. There’s something utterly profound when brothers in arms pull together in the heat of battle and persevere. Wall Street fancies itself to be like the military. The place is rich soil for military quotes and references and “war stories”. Making money in adverse conditions is viewed as an act of valor, a display of incredible courage. Many in a decision-making position … Read More
Newt Gingrich: Occupy New Hampshire
By the looks of it, Newt Gingrich may start an Occupy group if he loses the New Hampshire primary today. He’s just that concerned about the power of the 1%. And, by the 1%, I mean Mitt Romney. Back in October, I suggested that the most compelling electoral strategy to defeat Romney was to make the election about Wall Street, with Romney as its plunderer-in-chief. “The only viable option is to turn the very name ‘Romney’ into a synonym for … Read More
The why’s of police brutality
There are lots of Youtube videos of the the UC Davis pepper-spraying but this one will give a gist of the event. A moustachioed cop sprays the orange substance on crouching students as though he were watering his lawn. Another shoots at the kids from behind, and then more step forward, to finish off the job. Towards the end of the short recording, a cop stares right at the camera, the reflected light on this visor making his face invisible. … Read More
GTO: Give Thanks for Occupy
We are told, and have come to accept, that the Occupy Movement lacks focus, direction, and purpose. How can a group be successful without a linear plan and a list of demands? How does camping in a park solve the world’s problems? Onlookers often say that in the last two months, Occupy has yet to accomplish anything. As we come to Thanksgiving, however, I want to offer seven reasons to give thanks for the Occupy movement.
Why Play a Rigged Game?
Poker is my religion. There are rules, upon violation of which, you get punished mercilessly. Some call it statistics, some – including myself – poker gods. When I sit down at the table, I appreciate the plethora of characters from all walks of life. I appreciate the fact that there are winners and losers, luck and grind, spectacular twists of fate, rivalries but also universal fairness: In the long run, if you play correctly, you win. Very American Dream, isn’t … Read More
Occupy Wall Street Evicted
[ UPDATED LOTS ]
By the time I got the call, it was too late. The city had shut down most means of ingress from Brooklyn (or anyplace else) to lower Manhattan, including the Brooklyn Bridge and the 2, 3, 4, 5, and E trains. Police had formed a wide perimeter around the park, and supporters could not get within a block of it in any direction. Doormen were told to lock residents into their own buildings. Reporters were penned off in an apparent attempted media blackout:
A CBS News helicopter was ordered out of the sky by the police, who said they needed the airspace, according to Anthony DeRosa of Reuters.
The Play’s The Thing
Okay, but here’s what you don’t understand about Occupy Wall Street. Whether the coverage you’ve encountered has skewed positive or negative, the Occupiers portrayed as unruly hippies or hard-working middle class Americans who can’t get their fair shake, their aims disparaged as vague and impracticable or dangerous and subversively anti-capitalist, there is a central aspect, an organizing principle, a unifying theme that hasn’t been explained to you, about which, unless you’ve witnessed it in person, you are probably unaware:
it’s adorable. Read More
Think Wall Street Suits are the 1%?
Think Again.
Remember how in the original Wall Street movie Gordon Gekko, while riding in a limo with Bud Fox, describes what it means to be rich? I’m not talking about $400K-working-Wall-Street-stiff-flying-first-class-and-being-comfortable. I’m talking about being rich enough not to waste time. Then he points a finger at a homeless person and a man in a suit on the sidewalk and says something like “there’s no difference between the two.” I agree. There’s no difference between the current day protesters and most … Read More
The “Occupation” Hits Home at Wharton
Just two weeks ago, I lamented the fact that my fellow Wharton students seemed so disengaged from the national debate swirling around the Occupy Wall Street movement. Well, on Friday afternoon, Occupy Wall Street “occupied” The Wharton School. The proximate cause of the “occupation” was a planned speech at Wharton by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R) on “inequality.” When Cantor realized that the speech would be open to the public (a policy made known to Cantor’s people all along), … Read More
Where Is The Compassion?
I am a Christian. Because I am a Christian, I am a progressive. I believe in loving my neighbor as myself and caring for “the least among you.” For some reason, when it comes to most “Christians,” especially those who align themselves with the Christian Right, I am in the minority.
