The OccupodPeople Will Save Us
Via EBD, meet Daniel Johnson, Saskatchewan Green Party candidate and full-time OccupodPerson: “Occupy has no leaders. We run on a consensus based thing, though there are kind of… certain people whose ideas get followed more than others.”
Spare a moment too for this union liaison and Portland Occupodder who wants to “see human beings come together” and “interact with one another.” You see, he’s “tired of differentialities.” However, this touchy-feely soul “couldn’t care two fucks about what happens if, you know, we have another Great Depression.” So his requests for more intimate interaction may not appeal to everyone:
In other news, Occupy Portland has now been shut down for clear-up and disinfection – a feat requiring dozens of state employees and 70 garbage trucks, all at public expense – but it lingers in the memory for its remarkably mixed messages. As, for instance, when homemade grenades and Molotov cocktails were discovered around the encampment while the press was being told, “The focus is peace.” OccupodPerson Jordan LeDoux told the world, “We’re going to continue occupying these parks peacefully,” while his comrades set about crafting makeshift weapons to use against the police, including razor blades, knives, rocks and assorted projectiles, all in the name of “social justice” and while chanting “Non-violent!” Razor blades are also the peace implement of choice at Occupy San Francisco, being as they are ideal for slashing police officers’ hands and faces. And at Occupy Philadelphia, where the dream still lives, some OccupodPeople are belatedly concerned by the spate of sexual assaults taking place in their utopian shanty towns. However, the police, they tell us, are not the people to call:
We’re getting our shit together, but, ahh, basically, ahhm, if you come across an incident of sexual violence, ahhm, direct them to someone with the pink arm band, ahhm, or to the medic tent, ahhm… the medics are also really, really rad, ahh, and totally on top of their shit.
Also on top of his shit, quite literally, was this radical gentleman, filmed halfway through his dirty protest at Occupy Seattle. It’s a charming embodiment of the “occupy” philosophy: Cleaning up afterwards is something other people do.
The New York Times is of course down with the cats and hip to this edgy groove, seeing much to admire in this “new progressive movement” for a “new progressive age”:
The young people in Zuccotti Park… have started America on a path to renewal… A new generation of leaders is just getting started.
Not to be outdone, the Guardian is telling us that “the Occupy movement are the realists.” It’s a “new political space” where they’re “debating an alternative future for us all.”
Which is nice of them.
Bearing in mind the riots, thuggery, vandalism, pathological lying, urine hurling, excremental desecrations, drug overdoses, shootings and, oh yes, outbreaks of tuberculosis and lice… I’d say the “occupy” project has been a roaring success, yes? Now imagine that triumph everywhere, writ large and stretching into the future…
Update, via the comments:
Laurie Penny is dismayed to learn that Zuccotti Park is finally being cleared, at least temporarily. Which is probably for the best, as local business owners were planning a counter-protest about the noise, filth and intimidation coming from the OWS protestors. Apparently round-the-clock drumming, unprovoked abuse and shitting in the streets isn’t boosting the economy.
Laurie blames the police, of course:
At four in the morning in lower Manhattan, as what remains of the Occupy Wall Street encampment is loaded into trash compacters, some protesters have still not given up on the police. Kevin Sheneberger tries to engage one NYPD officer in a serious debate about the role of law enforcement in public protest. Then he sees them loading his friend’s tent into the back of a rubbish truck. Behind him, a teenage girl holds a hastily written sign saying: “NYPD, we trusted you – you were supposed to protect us!”
Our “radical journalist” does her usual spiel about “violent crackdowns,” then goes on to tell us about the “outrage and anger at state violence against unarmed protesters.” “Law enforcement is there to protect a wealthy elite from the rest of the population,” says she. The OccupodPeople are naturally depicted as helpless kittens, unarmed pacifists all, and in no way responsible for the measures being taken. There’s no mention – no mention whatsoever – of the events documented at length here and elsewhere, in which protestors repeatedly and deliberately initiated violence and delighted in mob intimidation, and which cast a less flattering light on events. In Laurie’s mind, apparently, these things simply did not happen.
Speaking of things Laurie somehow doesn’t mention, here are a few words from Mark Steyn:
So we now have dead bodies at Occupy Vancouver, Occupy Oakland, Occupy Salt Lake City, and even Occupy Burlington, Vermont. The good news is that for the moment Occupy Wall Street types seem more at risk from scrofula.
Even Kalle Lasn, who first suggested OWS, is having serious doubts about the behaviour of the OccupodPeople. He finally seems to be realising that the experiment has failed – as it was bound to, given the parties and psychology involved – and that unless the “occupiers” behave and withdraw, things can only get more menacing, more violent and more vile. As Verum Serum notes,
He’s too cagey to say it outright, but don’t miss the message: Lasn is afraid of his own monster. He doesn’t believe the camps will get better, he thinks they could very well turn “ugly” or perhaps uglier. Let that sink in for a moment. How bad do things have to be for the creator of the idea to suggest a hiatus?
Again, a triumph all round.
And so the “occupiers” complain about their shanty towns finally being scraped from the streets in an attempt to restore order and basic hygiene. And like so much else before it, this too is disingenuous. Given their behaviour and the growing squalor, what did they expect to happen? What was their exit strategy? At what point were they planning to clear up their garbage, pick up the excrement, apologise to the locals and go home peacefully?
Exactly.
Update 2:
In New York, the OccupodPeople promise to strike back:
Shut down the NYSE. Shut down the subways. Shut it all down.
Note that once again these warriors for “social justice” give no thought to the people on whom they will impose. But then, imposing on random strangers is a badge of credibility.
Arrogant, vindictive, utterly self-involved.
Razor blades are also the peace implement of choice at Occupy San Francisco, being as they are ideal for slashing police officers’ hands and faces.
Iowahawk nails it as usual:
“Don’t let a few stabbings, shootings, arson, disease, head lice, and Nazi endorsements distract us from #Occupy’s important rape work.”
“We’re getting our shit together, but, ahh, basically, ahhm, if you come across an incident of sexual violence, ahhm, direct them to someone with the pink arm band…”
I’m almost afraid to ask, but, ummmm, who exactly should one direct to the pink-armbanded first responders? The rape victim? The rapist?
Both..?
Bearing in mind the riots, thuggery, vandalism, pathological lying, urine hurling, excremental desecrations, drug overdoses, shootings and, oh yes, outbreaks of tuberculosis and lice… I’d say the “occupy” project has been a roaring success, yes?
Has the BBC or Guardian reported any of this stuff?
Has the BBC or Guardian reported any of this stuff?
They’re busy, ahhm, getting their shit together. But they’re, like, really rad and they’ll, ahhm, be on top of this shit, ahhm, any day now…
The conditions in the Occupy enclaves are exactly the ones ideal for brainwashing. Physical stress, isolation from influences other than the Group, endless repetition of slogans, poor food, no privacy, physical and sexual abuse. They are indeed creating the leaders of tomorrow: conscienceless, remorseless, ideological fanatics who have sacrificed their own identities to the Movement.
“Do you want to work?”
“This is my job.”
Running the creativity temple will pay off eventually, you’ll see.
Heh! Heh! The occupy Regina bod is hilarious, and I don’t just mean his beard. How any one could listen to his cretinous dribblings without giggling is beyond me.
..”though there are kind of… certain people whose ideas get followed more than others.”
Wha?, so some are more equal than others, yeah? Who’d a thought it, eh?
God, I hope the occupy movement never ends. Such a target rich environment.
‘Has the BBC or Guardian reported any of this stuff?’
Of course not. You can’t actually have punters thinking bad thoughts about the ‘movement’ …
In other, other news…
Manhattan small business owners are planning a counter-protest about the noise, filth and intimidation coming from the OWS protestors. Apparently round-the-clock drumming, unprovoked abuse and shitting in the streets isn’t boosting the economy.
Plus, at Occupy Oakland…“We are a non-violent movement.” Note the infantile presumption of entitlement, the ideological dementia and the brandishing of baseball bats. What could possibly go wrong? (And imagine for a moment you’re a local resident watching this and hearing this, night after night, as masked mobs “claim” the street you live on as their property.)
[ Added: ]
And another moment of genius by the OccupodPeople…
Yes, these are the people who will guide us to the light.
You see, he’s “tired of differentialities.”
He could always give half of his stuff to one of the homeless bums in the camp.
[…crickets…]
Now imagine that triumph everywhere, writ large and stretching into the future…
Thanks, but Orwell did a smashing job of that already.
imagine for a moment you’re a local resident watching this and hearing this, night after night, as masked mobs “claim” the street you live on as their property.
But David, they’re “making a difference to their community”. They’re empowering local people by keeping them indoors where they won’t get hurt.
“They’re empowering local people by keeping them indoors where they won’t get hurt.”
Heh. Quite.
It helps to remember that many of the OccupodPeople are self-absorbed fantasists. Which is why we see so many tweets like this.
And so, when the police belatedly deal with a mob of poseurs, thugs and narcissists – who impose themselves on others as a badge of credibility – this must be framed as “deploying the police state to stop public debate on the future of our country.” The rhetoric is utterly self-involved, takes no account of the people being imposed on by the protestors, and bears no obvious relation to reality. (Unless of course these idiots and delinquents really are that important.)
Oh, pay it no mind. The Canadian winter will send the little luvvies on their way back to Mom’s basement.
Meanwhile at OccupyLSX the emergent boss class dismisses fresh planning applications.
DB,
What’s remarkable is just how quickly the “occupations” have degenerated from low-level idiocy and bluster into a mix of fractal bureaucracy, stabbings and squalor. Remember, we’re supposed to view “occupy” as a blueprint for a socialist utopia – a “new world order,” one that’s “trying to do something so profoundly new and exciting with politics,” as Laurie Penny put it. Which suggests that if these people had half the power they crave, we’d be back in the Stone Age within six to eight weeks.
By way of further illustration, I’ve added this to the main post:
And I think we can assume that the Portland “occupiers” won’t be coming forward to refund the clean-up costs incurred by having to hire dozens of state employees, many in hazmat gear, along with 70 garbage trucks, to deal with the filth the protestors left behind.
I scarcely need to say it, but still… symbolism, people.
[ Added: ]
Meanwhile, the Guardian is telling us that “the Occupy movement are the realists.” It’s a “new political space” where they’re “debating an alternative future for us all.”
Which is nice of them.
It’s a charming embodiment of the “occupy” philosophy: Cleaning up afterwards is something other people do.
David,
Now they’re cleaning up OWS.
Laurie is distraught.
http://twitter.com/#!/PennyRed/status/136361156490174464
But what will the occupiers do when there is harmony and peace and equality everywhere? Where will they turn to be “radical”?
Do they, like old soldiers, go home to their families and hang up their outrages, content to sit on the porch in the sun and reminisce?
If so, what will they say if someone comes along and says things aren’t as harmonious and as consensual as they’d like?
How does the Lord of the Flies end? I want to know what’s next for the
land grabOccupy movement…Oh oh, now they’ve done it! They’ve riled up Frank Miller!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/nov/14/frank-miller-occupy-movement-rant
“Now they’re cleaning up OWS. Laurie is distraught.”
So I see. And naturally, the psychodrama is in full effect:
And so on and so forth.
Laurie blames the police, of course:
She does her usual overheated spiel about “police brutality” and “violent crackdowns,” then goes on to tell us about the “outrage and anger at state violence against unarmed protesters” and that “law enforcement is there to protect a wealthy elite from the rest of the population.” The OccupodPeople are naturally depicted as helpless kittens, unarmed pacifists all, and in no way responsible for things turning ugly. There’s no mention – no mention whatsoever – of the events documented at length here and elsewhere, in which protestors repeatedly and deliberately initiated violence and delighted in mob intimidation, and which cast a less flattering light on events.
In Laurie’s mind, apparently, these things simply did not happen.
Kevin Sheneberger tries to engage one NYPD officer in a serious debate about the role of law enforcement in public protest. Then he sees them loading his friend’s tent into the back of a rubbish truck.
Snort! I shouldn’t laugh…
Speaking of things Laurie somehow doesn’t mention, here are a few words from Mark Steyn:
Even Kalle Lasn, who first suggested OWS, is having serious doubts about the behaviour of the OccupodPeople. He finally seems to be realising that the experiment has failed – as it was bound to, given the parties and psychology involved – and that unless the “occupiers” behave and withdraw, things can only get more menacing, more violent and more squalid.
As Verum Serum notes,
Again, a triumph all round.
[ Added: ]
The OccupodPeople are of course complaining about their shanty towns finally being scraped from the streets in an attempt to restore order and basic hygiene. And like so much else before it, this too is disingenuous. Given their behaviour and the growing squalor, what else did they expect to happen? What was their exit strategy? At what point were they planning to clear up their garbage, pick up the excrement, apologise to the locals and go home peacefully?
“law enforcement is there to protect a wealthy elite from the rest of the population.”
Didn’t Laurie once threaten to call the police on Guido because he made fun of her on Twitter?
Really, I think the solution to all the occupy [whatever] folks is not to force them to disband, but rather, force them to stay. In the end the real problem with the occupods is that they’re still free to leave and taint themselves with local capitalism/consumerisim. It’s poisoning the well so to speak, their idiolgical purity is being despoiled.
What was their exit strategy? At what point were they planning to clear up their garbage, pick up the excrement, apologise to the locals and go home peacefully?
…
…
…
[…crickets…]
“law enforcement is there to protect a wealthy elite from the rest of the population.”
No shit, Sherlock. What was your first clue?
Noted in passing…
Occupy Wall Street… now with threats of terrorism: “We’re going to burn New York City to the fucking ground… in a few days you’re going to see what a Molotov cocktail can do to Macy’s.”
Occupy LA… now with protestors masturbating in front of children.
And Occupy Santa Cruz… now with ring worm!
Good times.
It’s not just local government and small businesses being put under intolerable stress by these parasites. Charities providing showers and meals for the homeless are also having their (entirely privately funded)resources leeched upon too:
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1379242
Kalle Lasn, the Adbusters editor who first called for an “occupation” of Wall Street and who’s now worried by how his idea is panning out, says,
Well, people aren’t noticing the litany of thuggery, dishonesty and antisocial behavior because “the other side is owning the narrative.” They’re noticing these things because they’re actually happening in almost every major encampment and are increasingly hard to miss, despite the efforts of the BBC and left-leaning press. If nothing else, the “occupy” phenomenon has illustrated two important things. It’s shown how a large section of the “activist” left will behave when indulged and given enough rope. (We’ve had a chance to see this “new progressive movement” and its “model for a new society,” and the public will no doubt get back to them.) It’s also revealed how a large part of our mainstream media will try to “own the narrative” by sanitising or omitting rather important details.
So, not a complete waste.
“The whole world is watching!”
Indeed, the whole world is watching the miserable failure of socialist ‘ideals’ and its attendant horde of neurotics, thugs and useful sheep fall part at the seams. Of course, the state broadcasters of Iran, North Korea and various other backward and anti-freedom nations will not now be watching as closely as they were, but so it goes.
My non-de-plume comes from the fact that I have been banging on for years (to anyone that won’t listen) that these pod-‘people’ were coming.
Since I read Stephen Hick’s ‘Explaining PostModernism’ (after our charming host linked to it) it has been obvious that there is a season to the unreason we see round us. Each generation a new crop of leftist weeds spring from the seed sown by their elders and begins to grow, full of optimism that the brave new world of milk and honey can be created in their time.
And, despite the weedkiller of reality always intervening, there is always a mutant strain that is immune and continues to thrive. It was obvious that the anti-cap/green crowd is our generation’s strain of weeds, and equally obvious that they aren’t going anywhere.
History tells us that every time they get knocked back they will get more and more violent. And that process is finally beginning. The disillusioned from this crowd will go quiet, then they will get violent. We are going to see our generations Baader-Meinhof before this is all over.
The OccupodPeople promise to strike back:
Note that once again these warriors for “social justice” give no thought to the people on whom they will impose. But then, imposing on random strangers is a badge of credibility.
Arrogant, vindictive, utterly self-involved.
[ Added: ]
For your convenience, a long but partial list of “occupy” mayhem, sorted by type. From arson to vandalism, via disease, murder and rape. And remember, these are just the “teething problems” of a “movement that is trying to do something so profoundly new and exciting with politics.”
Arrogant, vindictive, utterly self-involved.
Spot on, David. How deluded does someone have to be to say they represent ‘the 99%’?
“The Occupy movement does not represent “the 99%,” as its defenders like to claim. They are not a cadre speaking up for the vast proportion of the population against the tyranny or greed of an imagined “1%.” Judging from the speakers I have seen and heard, either on news broadcasts or the multiple sites offering live-broadcast or YouTube coverage, the people in the various Occupy camps represent a petty sub-sample of the hard left; i.e., a range of angry students, homeless and their advocates, and – not insignificantly – some just outright strange people. Like the guy who asked for a moment of silence in “solidarity” with the man who earlier in the week fired shots at the White House and is now charged with trying to assassinate President Obama. The real 99% are surely not looking for solidarity with a potential assassin.”
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/Capitalism+spoiled+children/5736811/story.html