T(ear gas) In The Park (OT)

i support any anti-capitalist using there i-phone to tell everyone on Facebook and twitter to support their cause whilst sipping from a Starbucks coffee.

 

Whilst using Starbucks 'free' wifi...

 

I'm not sure about the definition of 'hippie' these days. But the original hippy wouldn't have had anything to do with these sh*ts. The 1960s hippies were about getting rid of old prejudices and making sensible things happen. Shelter, for example, got mega-rich landowners to lend a couple of derelict houses so homeless people could be taken off the street. In return, those people used their skills on the property, i.e. a plumber fixed the bog, a painter and decorator gave it a lick of paint, etc. It meant those homeless people could get a bath and a shave and have a decent chance at a job interview, and, whilst the landowner got no rent, at least his property wasn't depreciating. In fact, it was being made liveable again. Women's Rights got 50% of the best brains we had out of the kitchen and into business. Gay Rights meant you couldn't imprison someone whose DNA was different to mine (through no fault of his own). That's what hippies were about. But what are these a**sholes doing? Does anyone really believe they're gonna change a damn thing?

Wannabe wasters, as far as I'm concerned.

 

Kinda how I like to see things work. Everyone wins, everyone gets something for themselves but they also help other people as well. No government interference just society naturally rolling along by itself, its the best way saying ''tax the rich'' is fair enough I can see why people want to, but in the end it just widens the divide, maybe not financially and creates and us vs them attitude. Charity is the best thing to do just look at our very own Coloccini he has an orphanage .

Its obviously more complex than that but it's how i'd like to see things.

 

sorry the thought police were coming so i had to forget about that.

 

Couldn't agree more. Taxing the rich is o.k. but only so far. Look at the 1970s under Wilson and Callaghan - the Rolling Stones were taxed 98% of their earnings. 98% ffs! The country didn't benefit from it - they just pissed off and lived in France. Spend less than 3 months in U.K. and you don't pay U.K. taxes. Loads of our best university lecturers went to work in U.S. universities for the same reason. It's all right saying tax the rich, but you've gotta bear in mind that the rich can afford to go somewhere else and leave you high and dry.

 

So many morons posting. Go learn about the real issues at play and stop generalizing the entire movement that exists in nearly every capital city across across the states and some internationally. Going so far as to say they should all be shot? Who could be more disconnected from reality. Licking the bankers arses while they pay themselves big bonuses in the wake of speculative bidding on the housing market that imploded and kick backs to politicians. While you're getting taxed at a higher rate than corporate executives and our incomes have stayed flat since the 70s. **** ain't right. So unless you earn over 300k a year, shut the **** up and know which side you're on.

 

Exactly the sort of us vs them attitude I was talking about. Not practical or productive at all.

 

you've got to take a position in order to have a social debate first yohann. The line in the sand is already drawn by economic status. Im merely tying to provide an alternative point of view because it sounds like everyone here is on the rich boy side and happy to work long hours with no increase in purchasing power. Suppose with free healthcare ur in less of a position to really complain tho aren't you....

 

I take it from the healthcare comment that you're not from the UK?

 

Didnt the London lot have a reporter in the camp saying they were smoking cannabis. Cant the police stop them from doing that, last time i checked drug use was illegal

 

born in north shields, lived most of my life in the states and abroad

 

Well, looks like I'm in a minority here.

I don't care if the protestors are confused, won't change anything, or even if some of them are posh & hypocritical.

They're trying, in a confused way, to talk about inequality in society, which no politician bothers to do any more.

I saw last week that the pay of top directors in the UK went up 49% last year - in the middle of a ****ing recession! When everyone else is having pay cuts and worrying about losing their jobs. That is worth getting angry about, not some hippie sitting in a tent.

 

You're right but I don't see that this is the only option and certainly not the best...The figures you and others have given on here are staggering and lets be honest, pretty ****ing disgusting, but despite taking an interest, its the first I've heard of them.

Therefore, surely taking a more proactive approach, avoiding the stereotypes and expected conventions and actually DOING something to spread this message around the people who matter - the voting public. Don't simply complain, provide an alternative! As of yet, I've not seen the protestors do so!

(I am aware of the Robin Hood Tax, and I appreciate their efforts, its not massive, but its a start - and yes I've signed their numerous online petitions!)

 

Well then I think its fair that you'd tend to take a more extreme view. At the end of the day, your Democratic 'left' are more right than our Conservative party!

I think the fact that some sections of the British public are calling for an American style healthcare service is horrifying!

 

What gets me is the Yanks like to portray themselves as a shining example to the rest of the world of how all other nations should be run, land of the free etc.

What would happen if these people refused to leave the park, chained themselves to the railings & trees etc.?

Would the police start shooting leaving the land of the free no different to China?

 

They did tie themselves to the trees, the police simply cut the ropes and pulled them away (had originally written 'pulled them off' but I'm fairly sure that's called dogging) - I think is what caused the violence erupting from both sides...

 

As far as I'm aware, this was a peaceful protest until the police waded in. Is peaceful protest not legal in the USA now?

Something happened over there in the 70's when some students were protesting at some university.

There were several people shot dead by the police for staging a sit in.

Exactly the sort of thing the Americans slag every other ****er off for, China, Russia, Lybia, Syria etc,etc.

I have nothing against the average American but I find their successive governments total ****ing hypocrites.

 

This isn't about a political party its social justice. Both parties here are funded by corporations and lobbyists OPENLY. you people sound more ignorant than the supposed 'hippies' you want dead and jailed 'for doing drugs and making a mess' get a clue. Protests and mass movements can take place without a predefined end goal. It would be nice but not necessary. It's up to the elected officials to take it all in and make changes for the better. How about ending corporate donations to politicians ? How about not letting banks get too big to fail? How about cappping executive bonuses when u bankrupt a company... Ooops. How about giving us a receipt for the money spent on the bail out.... Just a few things. And that doesn't even address the systemic issues underneath of labor vs management.

 

I agree with the ideals of the occupy movement (challenging corporate control over 'democracy', ever increasing wealth divide, and economic manipulation by the rich, for the rich), although not necessarily the implementation. I've no idea what the best way to go about things would be though, the occupy movement has certainly got word out there and caused a stir at least. Just a shame that people choose to brand anyone associated with it as part of a hipster, hippy, communist or, worst of all, lazy stereotype.

Drug use isn't necessarily illegal, we take countless drugs everyday. But yes, cannabis is a class B drug at the moment (and needlessly so, but that's another debate), possession is punishable with up to £2500 fine or 3 months, but probably no more than a slap on the wrist for the amounts they would have.