Sunday, October 16, 2011

Occupy the World: The Uprising Has Begun
















I missed the march to the park.

But when I saw the pictures on TV at work, and I saw how the Occupy movement is spreading.

I knew that I was right when I said the other day that this is a movement that could change the world, and save it from destruction.

Then tonight on my way home I went to the park and the mood was electric...















A large group of demonstrators had just finished a noisy march around the block, escorted by a contingent of cops on bicycles.

And in the dark park, a wild drumming party was in progress...
















But what struck me was the incredible level of organization. Food, water, and other supplies were pouring into the park, and a logistics committee was running around barking out orders with almost military precision.

Don't be fooled by appearances. These people are serious, and they won't be easily moved.

And the dumbos in the MSM shouldn't be confused by their seemingly disparate demands. Because as far as I can see most of them have one thing in common. They are all complaints about a decaying economic system.

Companies, Roubini said, are motivated to minimize costs, save money and stockpile cash, but this leads to less money in the hands of employees, which means they have less money to spend and flow back to companies -- [thus] weakening the capitalist system.

Now, in the current financial crisis, consumers, in addition to having less money to spend, are also motivated to minimize costs -- to save, to stockpile cash and to pay down debt -- thus magnifying the effect of less money flowing back to companies.


They can fix the banking system in Europe, but it won't bring the good jobs back. Without those jobs, and with high levels of debt, consumers can't keep consuming.

And if capitalism can't grow, or magically morph into a low growth version.

So far governments have responded to the renewed crisis of capitalism by frantically seeking to invoke the old magic again, to start the engine of creative destruction once more. The means to do so no longer exist. Even if they did, they would only delay and enlarge the underlying problems.

But now, in the wake of the English riots and faced with possible collapse, we are at last beginning to talk about the issues ignored while the illusion persisted: equality, exclusion, the feral rich and the discarded poor and, in WH Auden's words, about "what the god had wrought / To please her son, the strong / Iron-hearted man-slaying Achilles / Who would not live long."


It will DIE. It's really that simple.

Yup. The conditions for a movement like OWS to grow have never been more favorable.

The time is NOW.

And the message couldn't be clearer...

2 comments:

ur merit said...

I didnt realize that chaos was already expreading in ur country, and i think its a good thing to protest against the improper standard and decaying financial system esp when there are so many hungry and homeless ppl needy for help while bankers and speculaters have nowhere to spend their assets. its tragic.btw i miss u. Simon!

Simon said...

hi ur merit...how nice to hear from you again, my favourite gay guy in Shanghai. I wouldn't say that chaos is spreading here, because you know this is Canada eh? ;)
But the idea that greed is bad is spreading, and if the people of the world join together we can build a better future...