Battle for the Soul of Occupy
Occupy will come out swinging May 1 with a General Strike in 115 cities … A month of visceral nonviolent actions will follow. We will flex our tactical muscles, dream of a new world order and #playjazz like never before.
From Slavoj Žižek in today’s Guardian:
“The protesters should beware not only of enemies, but also of false friends who pretend to support them, but are already working hard to dilute the protest. In the same way we get coffee without caffeine, beer without alcohol, ice-cream without fat, they will try to make the protests into a harmless moralistic gesture.”
The clicktivists at MoveOn are channeling Occupy’s intensity into legal, symbolic rallies that bolster Democratic Party campaign promises. Check out the 80 organizations backing MoveOn’s 99% Spring: most of them are the same old lefty cabal that’s ruled over and stifled the political left for the last 20 years. But there are also some flowers among the vegetables … and we should try to get them back. Folks like the Ruckus Society or the Rainforest Action Network … groups whose bold civil disobedience inspired us all in the past. We still remember how the tactical brilliance of John Sellers, a former Ruckus Society leader, was so feared that he was preemptively arrested, charged with 14 misdemeanors, including “possession of an instrument of crime” – his cell phone – ha ha! – and held on $1 million bail during the Republican National Convention protests in 2000.
Hey jammers, let’s get some of these wild flowers back … Head over to the 99% Spring and look through the list of affiliated organizations. Decide for yourself which groups you respect then call them for a chat or send them an email or a tweet. Ruckus Society is at 510-931-6339, [email protected], @Ruckusociety; Rainforest Action Network at 415-398-4404, answers@ran.[email protected], @RAN… Let’s nudge our friends back into the Occupy camp in time for the May Day General Strike.
48 comments on the article “Battle for the Soul of Occupy”
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Anonymous
Tell me about it. Just some bs on moving on's front page about Jimmy Carter.
Just saw this, about their protest at the GE meeting chanting the slogan "pay your fair share" which is, the failed Obama Buffet rule/1% tax meme.
http://www.9and10news.com/story/17738796/groups-protest-outside-ge-shareholder-meeting
The above news item mentions that they are the 99%Spring.
As of now, I'm unofficially calling them the 99%Sprung.
Anonymous
Occupy Wall Street is opposed to Obama, Wall Street, the phony hijacked government, and both of the phony ass One Percent political Ho-parties.
Any group that is not on board with that is not part of this particular movement. When you realize that it is the One Percent or the People, you will be able to pick your side. Until then, you're just another poser in the way.
We the People... will not pay.... for Wall Street's mistakes or their crimes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kc7jAW9L5YM
Anonymous
Annoyington Post (via Reuters) claims 99%Spring is an offshoot of OWS:
"By Scott Malone
April 24 (Reuters) - An offshoot of the Occupy Wall Street movement, which rose to prominence last year with its anticorporate stance, plans to bring its populist message to General Electric Co's shareholder meeting in Detroit on Wednesday."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/24/ge-shareholders-meeting-detroit-protest-occupy-uaw_n_1449248.html?ref=occupy-wall-street
Anonymous
This article does not say the 99%Spring. It just says the 99Percent. If the Moveon crowd had gone to actually stand in the face of the one percent, the moveon.org web site would be covering the event closely. But as per expected, Moveon is currently lounging in the waters of a wedge issue, the attack on women.
The attack on women, of course, is real and we are being forced to redo past work and defend and regain rights for women which is ludicrous and Dark Ages mentality. The Obama camp, firmly approves playing the wedge issue game and is on this full swing while doing little else but serving the one percent.... prepping for war with Iran where they intend to surrender American blood and treasure to serve Israel... because, you know, they are so loveable.
The GOP, Elite, and Dems have just very obviously drug up this issue, put on big showy attacks pulling out the religious card daily, which is good for miles and miles of cover. The whole thing is a big mess and a distraction to keep the idiots busy, like throwing money in a crowd as you execute a crime. People love to defend and bash the Bible and their women folk. Any smart media shill knows this is a form of excite-o-tainment and can talk about it and sell ad space like crazy. The rabble will stop and lap that up by the bucket loads, meanwhile, ....
The elite controlled government will force US citizens to carry out a war in the Interest of Israel, allow more money funneling to the one percent, and purchase drones by the tens of thousands to shoot your kid in the head if he throws a rock or something.
The 99Spring is nothing more than a cancer designed to weaken the host and using the usual distractions, phony promises, child like, feel good games to feign some power for the people. Ignore it as much as possible.
We need a new name for the 99%'s new resurgence, like 99% Mark II or something, a name that short cuts the argument that we aren't the same people or mind set as the 99%Spring nor or we being fooled by the sell out Dem faux party playing this bs game on us.
Anonymous
The thing is, moveon.org, democrat Obama supporters and generally elitist partisans are going to be around like pestering gnats until November, after when they will likely disappear. That's a long time from now, so a lot has to be done to swat them away to keep the integrity of the movement.
Anonymous
End the Fed signs
Signs showing discontent for both parties of the One Percent.
Demands for an end to financial terror by the 001% and prosecution of domestic enemies
Anti Drone
Anti Iran War
end debt slavery
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,that is the 99%
Moveon and the Faux reps aka Democratic party will not affiliate with this.
Let them call themselves the 99%Spring, but they won't show up to fight for any of these issues. The problem is the media will do anything they can to blot out the real message of the Autnentic99. The 99%spring will claim authenticity but they won't be caught holding an "End the fed" sign. Moat people will get this. We have to build our own coverage, that is central.
99% Summer of Discontent. End Financial Tyranny by an International financial elite. the true focus.
Anonymous
A side issue, and given there is enough hate in the world, should Adbusters be using an image of boxing to highlight a point? Boxing, what is a good for? Brain danage!
That said, the text of the Battle for the Soul of Occupy does make some very good points.
Anonymous
Brilliant idea. Just brilliant. Momentum is built by strategies such as this. Kudos.
In Solidarity!
DEFEND WITH GRIT AND ATTACK WITH FIERCE LOVE
dravazed
Ali used the rope-a-dope to win his most memorable victory. Now Obama and his enablers like MoveOnNothingToSeeFolks.org, use the hope-a-dope for those who always fall for the smile and rhetorical kiss. That said, there are good folks on the line--we shouldn't disdain them.
And yeah, boxing is a lousy excuse for "sport."
Anonymous
I find it strange that you use this pictorial metaphor - one of the most violent sports by someone who espouses non-violence.
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