I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around [the banks] will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs. - Thomas Jefferson
My favorite website, my favorite crowd, I figured that the artists, scientists, technicians and thinkers here would have something to say.
You are from countries all over the world. You are artists and dreamers. Sooner or later, you’re going to involve yourselves, and sooner or later this will impact your life. In a good way, in a bad way, it depends on how you feel, what you believe, and what comes of the current revolutionary times.
So here’s a thread to expound, vent, share, flame or love, and think about your feelings on the revolutionary fervor that is sweeping through the times we live in, and what changes are in store for our world because of what we do, think, and feel.
This Occupy Movement catches so much quicker now than any movement in mankind’s history. In the '60’s, novels, music, and film were the fastest ways of spreading the news, informing, and expanding the involvement of the various members of mankind. In the Enlightenment, or Revolutionary, Age it took six months for a ship to travel from Europe to America, bringing news.
Now we have the Internet. What happens in New York City is known in Tokyo and Cairo a few minutes later, and with streaming video. Occupy is becoming a single planet-sized organism. It can communicate at the speed of light.
What will the future bring?
National identities and cultural bias fall away.
Someday we’ll all just be Mankind.
It´s the start of a revolution, some might call it a revelation - U.S. citizens that are neither blind nor ignorant opposed to stereotypes and still have independent thought and got enough from being puppeteered by egoistic, ruthless and greedy lobbies.
And what the OP says is that with the freedom of the internet it can´t really be censored nor stopped, information today is faster than control. Ansange, may you think of him what you want, impressively showed, that if you try to mute one person with access to the internet today you´ll fail.
I am certain you heared about the Wallstreet Demonstrations in September, and that media tells you that no one came and those few people hate everything “our great nation stands for”
One protesters sign hit it spot on: “Dear 1% we fell asleep for a while, now we woke up! Sincerly, your 99%”
Those few are the first to speak up for the remaining % of the 99%.
Meanwhile the protests spread to over 80 cities and it´s spreading like a wildfire. It´s the voice of the people, and well, the voice is quelched by political controlled media and law enforcement.
Don´t report about the demonstration on the news, no one without interest in the Web2.0 generation will know.
Tell in the news that those demonstrations are attacking the spirit of the U.S. everyone will hate them.
And history shows that this kind of politics leads to revolutions.
More on Occupy!
More on Revolutions!
And in my opinion the U.S. are not the only country that needs some change, there are plenty of countries in Europe that better clean their own dirt before looking over the Atlantic.
But only thinking out loud what 99% of the citizens think is considered treason in many countries and leads to an arrest.
However, there is good journalism as well as there are bad protesters.
Not all media stations belong to FOX and not all protesters are anarchists.
I take offence! I am an anarchist and not pro-lawlessness in any way! People need to learn how to make their own decisions without fucking everything up or die trying.
People understand better when I say anarchists - and let´s face it, on 1 true anarchist come 10 who think anarchy is complete chaos and lawlessnes and it´s cool.
Only a few know that true anarchism actually is the idea to live without hierarchic structures, a princeless society with a personal social responsibility where you need no law enforcement because everyone obeys the idea of a peacful together - ideally I´d say it´s the synthesis of individual freedom, social equality and responsibility to others in a together, a form of socialism and communism without gouverment.
Ideally would be Anarchopacifism but just like plain anarchism is just a good idea, in reality it doesn´t work as gouverment replacement, due to human nature it would just lead to fistlaw and ultimately to despotism.
I´d love to believe though that Anarchopacifism would ever work with mankind.
Please note that due to constant abuse of posting privileges, it is no longer allowed to post any content related to religion, politics, etc. Use this thread’s advice and maintain good etiquette, but do not see it as condoning the posting of inflammatory topics
Sorry if I sounded like I was trolling, but I thought I’d give you a heads up.
Dhaler is right… though we (the ba.org moderation team) typically try to stay hands-off, we will step in if the discussion becomes rude, inflammatory, or otherwise distracting from the main purpose of this forum.
Short version: we’re watching. Please continue your discussion.
@Fweeb: The point was to inform.
Not to post “inflammatory” topics. I think it’s odd that we can’t talk about a movement in America meant to protest the shredding of the Bill of Rights. I’ve never had any intention of “abusing posting privileges.” In fact, every post I’ve ever done in here was intended to learn, or to inspire learning and innovation in the forum at large. Possibly I may have a slightly peculiar writing style. But I’ve done everything in my power to follow common sense rules of “etiquette.” I may not always be right, but I doubt you’d find many that would say I don’t usually try to be nice.
I don’t understand how any topic can be “unspeakable.” To make a protest movement in favor of the First Amendment and basic democracy (both of which are in danger in this country) verboten only leads to either a) a mass exodus of the more intelligent artists from the site (once known as “braindrain”) or b) a much more powerful hunger for free speech and basic democracy.
I thought we were artists here? How can anyone be called an artist if they are not allowed to address the most basic of human rights (self-expression)?
But hey, I didn’t know we supposed to behave as if we were all back in the cubical at some office job designing widgets.
I suppose we should make a lot more threads along the lines of “Ask the person below you,” or some awesome new “Minecraft” posts…
lol RT, my whole family is russian and we don’t even watch it. And this fact gives us an interesting insight, we’ve had plenty of experience with socialism, being from the former USSR and whatnot. Trust me (and all my relatives for that matter) having these bankers with power (which even i admit, they’re not exactly golden) is better than having a giant, incompetent bureaucracy trying to get involved in every aspect of the economy. I don’t want banks living in perpetual fear of the government if i want them to take a risk on a company or individual with potential.
besides, corporations are arguably better than politicans because they are very simple entities with respect to their objectives; their only goal is to make money. politicians do not only wish to enrich themselves, but buy votes, rise in the ranks of their party, and who knows what other tricks they will try to pull. many of them also have no clue how the economy works, and do not feel responsible for the mistakes that they make, nor are they held responsible.
Hong Kong’s legislative council is a very interesting example, half of it (30 members) are elected by direct democracy, and the other half is appointed by what we in the states would call “special interests.” their definition of a crisis is five percent unemployment…their debt to GDP ratio was 18 percent and falling last time i checked over four months ago. their current unemployment rate is 3.4%. freest economy in the world…judging by how HK is faring, more regulation is not the way to go. before you people cry out over mortgage backed securities, remember that it was the US GOVERNMENT who encouraged fannie/freddie to make crappy loans.
What about blender.org?
I do like Blender.org. But I seldom check it. I go to Graphicall everyday. And for news, I have BA and BlenderNation in the speed-dialer. So…
lol RT, my whole family is russian and we don’t even watch it. And this fact gives us an interesting insight, we’ve had plenty of experience with socialism, being from the former USSR and whatnot. Trust me (and all my relatives for that matter) having these bankers with power (which even i admit, they’re not exactly golden) is better than having a giant, incompetent bureaucracy trying to get involved in every aspect of the economy. I don’t want banks living in perpetual fear of the government if i want them to take a risk on a company or individual with potential.
Great post. Your point is well-taken. I think the thing that really started freaking people out about this whole crises was a few years ago when the government started bailing out the banks. Now Bank Of America, my bank (I know, I’m a complete idiot, right?!) and one of the banks that received so much taxpayer money to “get back to the black” is going to start charging every customer a $5 penalty a month for having an ATM card.
Yes, a giant USSR-style bureaucracy is certainly not a good thing, and I think anyone can agree. However, it doesn’t mean that our current style of capitalism is in a healthy state either. Wasn’t it one of the ideas of communism (I know next to nothing about Marxist theory…) that capitalism would eventually die? “Capitalism will sell the ropes on which it will eventually be hanged”? Or something like that?
I don’t think any of these people would argue in favor of communism, despite what FOX news is constantly propagandizing.
And I don’t always take RT at their word about everything, especially when it comes to anything pertaining to Russia.
At the same time, the fact that there was a media blackout here in America about this issue until China started criticizing us for not covering it makes me have difficulty with relying on CNN, ABC, and CBS as news sources (that, and the fact that you KNOW that when you click on a CBSnews video, you’ll always be forced to endure at least a 30-second-long commercial for a product you’ll never want to buy…)
FOX news I only watch because I tend to be a very happy person and my life is going well. So I need a dose of “fair and balanced” to get my blood pressure back up sometimes…
I think one of the main things these people are on about, and the thing that interests me the most, is that America seems to have lost sight of the fact that the country was created to be many things. But the most important of them was that it would be a haven for democracy. “That freedom shall not perish from the earth.”
However, since 2000, there has been a growing sense that that is exactly what is happening. In the Age of Communication, it is odd that there seems to be so much interest in watching us. I think the sense that the protesters are trying to convey is that, while this is supposed to be a free country, We The People have been left behind in the interests of Multinational Corporatism, greed, corruption, and a burgeoning police state. If anything, this movement has already demonstrated that the police will accept millions of dollars from banks in order to go out of their way to arrest people who are exercising their First Amendment right to free speech and peaceful demonstration for a redress for their grievances from the government.
Unfortunately, there is a growing sense in this country that the common citizen no longer has a voice.
I felt that mine was lost in 2000.
And if multinational corporations are granted the same rights as individuals and money is considered speech, then corporations have a protected right (according to the current Supreme Court) to donate as much of that speech as they please to whatever politician who will do their bidding. The common citizen has no hope of matching that sort of power, by casting a vote or writing a book. So, the only thing left is to shout in the streets. That’s what happens when special interests and corporations hold all the power in what is supposed to be a “participatory democracy.”
So the open question is: Are we citizens? Are we humans?
Or are we just cattle?
