If Occupy is dead, how do they keep living with such vigor?

[morningfog]

A quick check of Occupy sites show they are very much alive and very much involved in relevant, direct local actions.

Occupy Boston: http://www.occupyboston.org/
OB Calender of Events: http://www.occupyboston.org/calendar/

Occupy Atlanta: http://occupyatlanta.org/

Occupy Chicago: http://occupychi.org/

Occupy DC: http://occupydc.org/news/

Occupy Dallas: http://occupydallas.org/

Occupy Denver: http://occupydenver.org/

Occupy LA: http://occupylosangeles.org/?q=events/month

Occupy SF: http://occupysf.org/

Occupy Phoenix: http://occupyphx.org/

Occupy Wall Street: http://occupywallst.org/

This is just a sampling of live active Occupy organizations. There are many many more throughout other large cities and small towns. What is important to understand is that one city's Occupy is not the same as another. This is a movement connected in purpose, but local in action and focus. It is far, far from dead. Occupy is an organizational structure that allows for adaptation to address current and changing concerns.

Those lamenting its recent or upcoming death either don't understand the movement or are engaging in wishful thinking.

[baldguy]

1. The reports of Occupy's demise (along with the RW cheering) has been greatly exaggerated.

[ananda]

2. Lol.

Occupy is dead. Long live Occupy!

[xchrom]

3. Zombie Occupy.

maybe the 'concerned' could write up all the appropriate correct ways that occupy should behave -- and go in person and deliver their 'shoulds' in person.

[Joe the Revelator]

5. It would be the first time occupy would have any direction...

Not a terrible idea.

[xchrom]

6. get busy then. nt

[fascisthunter]

7. maybe you just ignore their direction because you disagree with their direction

to begin with.

What part of the 1% having more than the rest of the 99% do you not understand? More money, power and especially interest from our own government, which is supposed to work for all citizens and not just some. What part of this can you not digest?

I think you don't like what they stand for but really can't bring yourself to admitting that on DU.

[Joe the Revelator]

10. I have no problem with what they stand for, I think they make a mockery of a very real issue...

By operating the way they operate. My problem is not with the issue, but the tactics, or in this case, the unfocused lack there of.

[morningfog]

14. Then, again, you just don't understand the nature of the movement.

We live in different times. This isn't your grandpa's movement.

[Joe the Revelator]

16. If that's the case, then who's fault is it? And if I don't understand the movement as a 29 year old

Firmly middle class member of the 99%, how do you expect to get anyone else to your side?

[Fumesucker]

20. "Firmly middle class"...

If you truly are "firmly" in the middle class then I wouldn't expect you to have much sympathy.

More people are becoming aware daily of just how unfirm their grip on middle class status really is.

[Joe the Revelator]

22. Semantics, I mean there isn't much chance of upward momentum.

[Fumesucker]

25. Firmly also strongly implies not dropping out either..

Interesting how people's personal situations effect their politics.

[Joe the Revelator]

27. I'm really not going to play semantics with you...think of me what you want.

[morningfog]

31. I am trying to help you understand. Click the links, see what they are doing.

All we can do is try to educate and empower those who need support. This is a different movement, and as such, requires a educating on how it operates. It is an informational threshold to be overcome on the individual level. But, it is not so great that it is stymieing the movement. What you see as a flaw, Occupy, and I, see as a strength.

Without doubt there are pros and cons to any strategy. I think the pros far outweigh the cons with this one at this point in history.

[mopinko]

44. jeez. you sound like the old geezers who didn't understand

what long hair and loud music had to do with ending a war. or what afro hairdos and interracial kissing in public had to do with civil rights.

[Joe the Revelator]

48. Hitting cops with bricks, throwing condoms at school girls, and stealing then burning a flag...

Have some greater meaning? Those are a few of the tactics to which I refer.

[RetroLounge]

21. Well, maybe you should go join them and show them how to do it

get busy

RL

[nadinbrzezinski]

30. Go to the local ga then

Please.

[sabrina 1]

34. It really bothers you, the success of this movement. Can you explain why? I mean

Progressives have been trying for years to get this kind of attention without any success, even when they got hundreds of thousands out in the streets to oppose the Iraq war. For some reason we could not get the attention necessary to turn those numbers into an effective force to accomplish what we wanted to accomplish.

But now, this movement has managed to get its message into the consciousness of the population at large. Polls show that over 80% of the American people know about the movement. Elected Democrats have joined it, marched with the protesters, are working with them in different parts of the country to get badly needed help for the homeless, eg. Over one thousand churches are working with them, representatives of most religions and representatives of all branches of the military, are working with them.

And they are still growing. In just four months, they have had more effect on the banks than Congress has had for several years, forcing BOA eg, to drop their charges and encouraging millions to move their money out of the major banks, basically exacting some kind of accountability for what they have done to this country. Iow, they have demonstrated that the people DO have power when they decide to use it.

The movement is made up mostly of Progressives. It is no surprise that it is a huge threat to the Right although even Republicans are wary of being too publicly critical of a people's movement this big. So it's very puzzling to find a few democrats such as yourself, first who knows so little about it, and second who so wants it to fail. Can you explain that?

[ScreamingMeemie]

4. Always forgotten and has done a lot more than a few others on your list.

I know y'all hate Texas but:

http://occupyhouston.org/

[fascisthunter]

8. good idea.... keep posting about the movement...

to offset the anti-OWS propaganda.

[randome]

9. LOL. Yeah, that's right.

You want to see this as some sort of competition, don't you? Not as a discussion forum where people exchange ideas on how to make things better.

[morningfog]

12. This is a discussion. Occupy has worked, is working and will continue to work.

[randome]

15. I guess my objection was to the use of the word 'propaganda'.

There are enough people on DU who question OWS' lack of tactics that their issues should not be labeled as 'propaganda'.

[morningfog]

32. Greater numbers does not mean it isn't propaganda.

People can fall prey to propaganda or agree with it on their accord and it still be propaganda.

I'm not saying that is happening here, just that one doesn't preclude the other.

[pintobean]

45. By that reasoning

one could label your OP as propaganda and those who agree with it are falling prey to it. It's unfair from either side. Expressing different opinions isn't falling for propaganda. That's insulting.

[morningfog]

46. I qualified my statement:

"I'm not saying that is happening here, just that one doesn't preclude the other."

Expressing different opinions doesn't necessarily mean one is falling for propaganda, but it doesn't preclude it either. The reason so much money is spent on propaganda is because it is effective in changing people's views on issues. It works.

[randome]

11. Say what?

OWS has an 'organizational structure that allows for adaptation to address current and changing concerns'?

Really? That sounds like a terribly wordy way to say they have no structure at all.

In fact, many on DU trumpet the idea of OWS having no leadership or structure.

Can't have it both ways.

[morningfog]

28. I am trumpeting the lack of central leadership and horizontal, local organization.

Just because you don't understand the structure, doesn't mean there isn't one.

[EFerrari]

35. You mistake horizontality for no structure.

[randome]

17. Condescending much?

Sorry, that doesn't work on those of us who insist on remaining objective.

[Kaleko]

33. It's true that you don't understand how

Occupiers reach a consensus without any top-down authoritarian leadership in place. It is not condescending to point out where you miss the evidence of a leaderless organizational structure that is obvious to those who are better informed.

[backscatter712]

18. Better be careful - people are on an alerting rampage! n/t

[Starry Messenger]

19. They sure are a bunch of nervous sorts.

Twitchy-like. For something so irrelevant it puts them right off their feed in a peculiar manner.

[RetroLounge]

23. "The house servants for the status quo"

RL

[Demeter]

24. They learned from their Mothers---The Women's Movement

Reported "dead" annually for decades, and still going strong.

[Cleita]

26. "You are dead to me," so screamed the parent to his recalcitrant child.

But the child continues to live and be a thorn in the side to his parent.

[L0oniX]

29. K & R

[Nuclear Unicorn]

36. I can't decide if the retorts of the OWS mean-girl clique are serious

Throughout this thread anytime someone criticizes OWS the snark-laden retort is, "Go to your local GA and tell them how to do it right."

Yet, when those of us who wanted to see energy translated into votes counselled for the activists to attend local Democrat political events, join GOTV efforts, propose legislation, nominate candidates, etc. etc. etc. we were told repeatedly and incessantly that OWS doesn't want this sort of in-grafting. We were rebuffed time and time again and now that OWS has established itself as the icon one-thumb-on-its-nose-the-other-in-your-eye it cat-calls that anyone from the other camp not joining them is the sole reason for division.

As clique-ish as OWS has become these cat-calls to join them also seem hollow. I doubt those occupying the camps full-time want to hear from others who appear only to vote for GA resolutions and they don't seem to accept constructive criticism with the best of graces. All the while OWS was calling established Dems establishment tools. Us establishment types were begging OWS to see energy translated into votes counselled for the activists to attend local Democrat political events, join GOTV efforts, propose legislation, nominate candidates, etc. etc. etc.

Apparently burning flags and defecating on cop cars in front of the national media are what matters most in a presidential election year. "Voice your thoughts to your local GA" isn't a serious reply, it's meant -- like the silly "agent provacateur" canard -- to give the utterer recourse to dismiss criticism. If OWS's fellow mean-girls wanted to see energy turned into political reality they could just as easily propose real legislation or nominate real candidates for election.

Meanwhile, in a national election year, OWS will continue to declare itself "progressive" and it will continue to offend Middle America for no real purpose except to offend. So those of us trying to get progressives elected to office have that millstone hanging about our necks. It's bad enough with the firehose of money unleashed by Citizens United, all we need are a few more flag burnings to fill-up the Koch bothers' ad buys. Who knows, maybe the claims of "agent provacateur" are true; OWS seems like it's one big effort to discredit progressives in general. Maybe all those Democrat mayors are smart to tear down the camps before their party is irrevocably damaged as a brand.

[barbtries]

37. Raleigh

http://www.occupyraleigh.org/?recruiter_id=1423

[Donald Ian Rankin]

38. Occupy won't die, that's one of the reasons it's unlikely to achieve anything much.

By contrast, the civil rights movement is as dead as a dodo. Therein lies the (a) secret of its success: people saw that they could end it by meeting its demands.

There is no way to end Occupy, and hence very limited incentive to make concessions to it.

Occupy will probably still be with us for a good long time to come, but will probably continue not to accomplish anything.

[morningfog]

47. It has accomplished an incredible amount in a very short time.

It continues to rack up accomplishments. I agree that it will not die, not any time soon anyway. And, as it goes on, it will keep challenging oppression and inequity in all of its various forms, and keep gaining successes.

[unionworks]

39. Here is an example of why

... bluedog liberals are so against Occupy. This is a video of Occupy Oakland trying to stop the violence of Black Bloc anarchists. (infiltrators?) Dierct action can be a very scary thing under the best of circumstances. It involves not sitting in a nice warm office on your hands caving in to the right while you watch the poor and middle class and others in the cheap seats paying the price for your lack of spine.

[ThomThom]

40. I think it is time for occupy minds

be out there everyday right thinking

[unionworks]

41. welcome back to 1968

Deja Vu

[unionworks]

42. So you're brother's bound and gagged

...and they've chained him to a chaiir...

[unionworks]

43. Bend Me Shape Me