I think the primary problem you note is a distinct lack of focus, and, in my mind, that started with Occupy Wall Street. There was no organization, they didn’t have demands, they couldn’t articulate what they wanted, they were just angry. Which I get, but if you want someone to validate your anger, you need to give them a path.
I was legit curious and back in the day went down to the local Occupy and asked a guy:
“So what do you want? What can the banks do right now that would make you dust off your hands, go ‘my work here is done!’ and send you back home to live your life?”
“I WANT THEM TO FUCKING DIE!!!”
“Well, that’s not going to happen, you have any other ideas?”
I don’t think it’s a lack of focus per se, I think it’s a lot of our protest since Occupy Wall Street had tried to substitute emotions for principled beliefs. Protesting to show you’re “angry” doesn’t mean anything because there’s no end goal. If our protests embody the emotions of a toddler, then it’s no wonder they get easily manipulated, shut down, or end up going nowhere. Protesting for the sake of it is simply idiotic. It’s fine and perfectly normal to be emotional at protests, but they have to be accompanied by specific demands and principles, otherwise you just have a directionless mob. It doesn’t matter where you place this mob or what cause you give it, it’s not going to accomplish anything because it’s lost.
I think the primary problem you note is a distinct lack of focus, and, in my mind, that started with Occupy Wall Street. There was no organization, they didn’t have demands, they couldn’t articulate what they wanted, they were just angry. Which I get, but if you want someone to validate your anger, you need to give them a path.
I was legit curious and back in the day went down to the local Occupy and asked a guy:
“So what do you want? What can the banks do right now that would make you dust off your hands, go ‘my work here is done!’ and send you back home to live your life?”
“I WANT THEM TO FUCKING DIE!!!”
“Well, that’s not going to happen, you have any other ideas?”
(Spoiler - He did not.)
I don’t think it’s a lack of focus per se, I think it’s a lot of our protest since Occupy Wall Street had tried to substitute emotions for principled beliefs. Protesting to show you’re “angry” doesn’t mean anything because there’s no end goal. If our protests embody the emotions of a toddler, then it’s no wonder they get easily manipulated, shut down, or end up going nowhere. Protesting for the sake of it is simply idiotic. It’s fine and perfectly normal to be emotional at protests, but they have to be accompanied by specific demands and principles, otherwise you just have a directionless mob. It doesn’t matter where you place this mob or what cause you give it, it’s not going to accomplish anything because it’s lost.