If you find it somewhat difficult to get to work because your usual route is blocked by some demonstration or the busses are not running, well simply take it easy and bring up this article on the electronic gadget of choice and maybe an explanation can help with the blood-pressure. Somewhere somebody, or possibly a group of somebodies, decided that the old Communist holiday May Day would be the perfect time to reignite the fires of the Occupy Movement. Do not feel that your problem with the blocked thoroughfare has chosen your route and you are all alone in this inconvenience, the plan is for this protest to strike throughout the world in every major city. The call on the net was to shut down at least ninety-nine cities around the planet. They are aiming to hit the largest cities and the capitals of every Western nation for particular efforts and attentions. So, if misery truly loves company, you can just feel the camaraderie with not only the nice people red-faced and scream and honking in the next car, but with all those other irate people who are at a complete loss as to why this is happening to them. Maybe it might be a neighborly thing to do and let them in on the fact that they have joined a worldwide event, the return of the Occupy Movement.
All right, I realize you were under the impression that the Occupy Movement was all over and done for. Well, even if they get off to an anemic start this May Day and you had to wait till you got to the office without any delays, trust that as the colleges end their years the demonstrations will grow. Another tip, the planners of this spontaneous grassroots display of the will of the people has already trained people to lead the different and varied types of demonstrators which will make-up the Occupy Movement. They have given some lessons on the proper manner and protocol to use for blocking roads and submitting to arrest, including linking arms to resist the officers and make them take much longer to clear the right-of-way. Others have chosen to be non-confrontational and have been taught chants and how to use the wave front to back repeat system in place of a loudspeaker system should the authorities kill the power to the stage. They have also had what might be referred to as an advanced course for those who are willing to use violence and destruction much like the Occupy Oakland Movement and the Seattle WTO riots back in 1999 for later in the summer when the Occupy Movement hits full stride and especially during the Party Presidential Conventions, the Republican Conventions starting the week of August 27, 2012, in Tampa, Florida, at the Tampa Bay Times Forum and the Democrat Convention starting the week of September 3, 2012, in Charlotte, North Carolina, at the Time Warner Cable Arena with the last night’s ceremonies held at the Bank of America Stadium. So, we have a whole summer of fun and activities lasting into the fall with likely nightly updates on the evening news, so brace yourselves.
For those who want me to explain exactly what the Occupy Movement is all about and what are the aims of the organizers and the participants, let me start by warning that the motivations are many, varied and seemingly inconsistent. The reasons given by some of the Occupy denizens during its stint last summer and fall fell into different categories from change the world to just wanting to join the party. Quite a divergent pair of motivations which leaves tons of space to fill in the space between. There will be those true believers who are honestly out to change the world. They believe that they are part of that mythical 99% who are being denied their fair share by that evil, money stealing 1%. They feel that America as the land of opportunity is a total farce and that nobody gets an honest chance to chase their dream or make it through hard deal. Then there are the pet cause demonstrators who are there simply to tout their special cause. This is a normal subset of most liberally themed demonstrations where, no matter the advertised cause or theme of a demonstration or event, anybody wishing to join and push any liberal cause is welcome and often you will find the same people carrying their signs for their cause at numerous events having nothing in common, yet they are pushing their causes. Then there are a fair number who are there to support the true cause, whatever the true cause is. These people actually come in two flavors, your professional demonstrators who are briefed on the correct talking points and will demonstrate any cause for hire, and then there are those who simply attend any cause because the group they hang with supports it and they do not want to be left out or seen as not a true believer which might threaten their good standing. One of the remaining groups is those who attend any demonstration as they treat them as a social event and nothing more. These different groups will cover the majority of those attending but have left out one group that are not necessarily actually a real part of the Occupy Movement but are using it to tout their particular hatreds. These people I call the endless haters who attempt to join anything where a large group of people can be found simply to attempt to convert the next true believer and to be heard. Often the organizers of most events will ask these people to leave and inform them they are not welcome, even calling the authorities if necessary to remove these unsavory people. On occasion they manage to get by and be part of the periphery of the event and all too often are the crazies that the press will give an undue attention which simply feeds their sense their hatreds are validated. I am sure I have missed some of the reasons and motivations which will bring some people to the Occupy Movement rallies and demonstrations, but I am sure they will become better known as if these protests do continue through to the late fall that nearly every angle, cause, reason, ideal or even insanity will get its fifteen seconds of fame on the stage of some news broadcast as simply by chance each will get an interview by some possibly desperate reporter or one with an axe to grind and this particular person allows them to make their point as if it was news.
So, what advice can I give pertaining to this round of the Occupy Movement? Well, first off, if you find your route blocked by a parade, march or civil disobedience, relax and rest assured that your boss will most likely understand as this will be the big story which will be used to clarify certain focuses on the Presidential race. Next, remember that the people at these Occupy events are not all of one set of opinions and that despite the efforts to force a singular viewpoint as representing everybody, the truth is of the 99% only half of them at most probably understand the real reasons and ideas behind the protests, but hopefully they do know why they are there. And finally, life is short, the Occupy Movement really does not represent anywhere near 99% of the population, there is such a thing as the 53% (they pay 100% of the Federal income taxes), these disruptions are not spontaneous but have been planned very carefully to inconvenience as many people with the least amount of actual effort, and the Occupy Movement is actually not anywhere near a majority, the rest of us are.
Beyond the Cusp
Beyond the Cusp 