A Home for Occupy Vancouver protesters?

I’d like to propose a new home for the Occupy Vancouver protesters…aboard the Attessa IV superyacht, an icon for the decadence of the 1%.

The Attissa IV was in Vancouver shipyards for a rebuild that gave the yacht a completely new, modern exterior, and an additional 30 feet in length. There’s lots of space on-board (100.6 meters (~110 yards) in length… a (Canadian) football field), and I’m pretty sure it’s still around Vancouver somewhere…

The before and after rebuild photos (found here):

 

Don’t throw out the baby with the bath water…

I just viewed some images from the ‘clean-up’ of Occupy Wall Street. Why is it that humans cannot meet, communicate, and resolve differences without resorting to violence? I assume other cities will be watching the outcome of this particular solution to the Occupy problem and will soon follow suit (I’m waiting for the shoe to drop in Vancouver). I hope there is not an escalation of violent confrontation.

I’ve heard many opinions of the Occupy protests, but the one I appreciate the most is pay attention to the message, not the tactics.

I am convinced that there is enough wealth in the world to solve many of humanity’s problems, and the inequity in the distribution of wealth is something that must be addressed. A small percentage of the planet’s population controls the majority of the money (hence, power): the 99% movement is about positive social change.

I admit that I’m a dreamer, but it would be far more pleasant if the people who shaped our world were less concerned with economic growth and more concerned with social consciousness…

 

Occupy Vancouver Missing The Mark…

It seems to me that the Occupy Vancouver demonstration has lost sight of its goals (if it ever had a vision) and has alienated the people who should be on their side.

The 99% was about a rethinking of the distribution of wealth, but the draft demands of the Occupy Vancouver group are all over the map and have diluted the message to the point of ridiculousness (I agree with most of the points within their ‘demands’, but projects that attempt to boil the ocean are doomed to fail). They have lost the audience who could have helped with the original problem.

The demands set forth in their draft include Economic Demands (e.g.: “We demand that the banks be nationalized…”), Political Demands (including one connected with conspiracy theory: “We demand an independent investigation into 9/11 which will examine all evidence including that which would support a false-flag explanation.”), Societal Demands (e.g.: “We demand that all botanical drugs be distributed like coffee beans.”), and Environmental Demands (e.g.: “We demand that the nuclear industry be phased out.”).

You cannot demand the world and expect to be taken seriously.

The protesters have also declared that they do not respect the authority of police, firemen, and elected officials, yet the protesters have no problems using lawyers in a court of law.

And, during a  meeting regarding the ‘tent city’ of protesters in Vancouver, protesters barged in, yelled and screamed over the voices of anybody who talked (if their opinion differed from the protesters), and complained when question time ran out (mostly due to the protesters waste of time and energy).

The protesters are led by people who enjoy confrontation. There is no benefit to be gained from the actions of anarchy: organization and workable solutions are required.

I hope the original ideology can be regained and a movement evolves with leadership that uses equanimity and maturity to guide passion.

 

Occupy Vancouver

The Occupy Wall Street movement arrived in Vancouver today (Occupy Vancouver), which is appropriate; apparently, the germ of the movement began here, in an Adbuster magazine article. I truly hope this is a movement that kindles change. A select few have been getting richer at the expense of the middle-class, who are the backbone of the economy. The ‘experiment’ that gave rich people and businesses tax breaks, thereby supposedly creating more employment for the rest of us, is a dismal failure. The tax breaks have occurred at the same time that social programs have been cut. The buying power of the average worker has decreased, and there are fewer lucrative, full-time positions and a murky future for numerous young people. Many new jobs created are part-time and do not include the benefits (e.g.: pensions) that were achieved by workers in the past.

I have very little faith in our current government, which is a right-wing, rich-person’s party that appears to be attempting to erode the trade unions that helped raise working standards to the level we have enjoyed for decades (believe me, I’m not a gung-ho unionist; unions are just another level of bureaucracy, but they are on the side of the working person, and they appear to be losing power).

The current movement — which, as usual, has caught the imagination of young people — is in its infancy (and we are seeing this movement on social media as it spreads its infant-wings). I worry about the current situation getting worse, leading to revolution (the V for Vendetta mask on the poster kinda scares me a bit…). I hope things don’t get drastic, and we find a peaceful solution to inequity.

The wealth of the world should be shared among all the citizens of the world.