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40 Responses to In Praise Of #OccupyWallStreet — An Apology
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Here comes the bandwagon.
better late than never, let’s welcome everyone who wants to make this a better place for all.
Good on you!
and we care about your apology because…?
Your “holier-than-thou” attitude is not an attractive quality. There are many who had and have doubts and questions about the movement and its ill-defined goals. We have a right to those questions because so much power should not be wasted.
Great article. As opposed to the fabricated outrage of the corporate-owned Tea Party protestors, these are real Americans, well, I guess global citizens now, who are truly frustrated with and victimized by the status quo within the financial industry that controls our global economy. I suspect this movement will continue to grow, because all people really needed was for someone to start it. I love that it isn’t controlled by any one special interest or goal or agenda, and I love that it is truly grassroots, a hodgepodge of people who my not be completely in sync with what they want, but are unified in being heard.
Thank you for having the courage to change your mind, something so rarely done by people in modern America, and thank you for being open to the possibilities.
Rock’em-Sock’em, You are not only strong of intellect but of character too. It takes a real adult to admit any personal shortcomings or mistakes especially in this atmosphere of finger pointing and divisiveness. I will always applaud your seeking and maintaining the moral high ground.
Your ability to reflect and really listen to feedback is what makes you such a great commentator. I applaud this piece.
Many people made mistakes during the beginning of the Civil Rights and
Vietnam War protests, too. Don’t sweat it. If we could have seen this
new protest coming, the powers that be would have put the kabosh on the
whole thing on the first day or two. Now, they are stuck. Any action,
like mass arrests, they take will rebound on the police, not the
protestors.
As a veteran of many protests/rallies/demonstrations from the 60s to the 80s, I am noticing a difference in the reactions of the NYPD Blue shirts and the White shirts. My point of view, unfortunately, is not on the ground, but from the videos of the last few days. My vision may be myopic, but it looks as if the Blues seem more reluctant than their command level supervisors to mix it up with the protesters. Look at the Brooklyn Bridge video and it seems to be the White shirts picking up sitting protesters one by one. Command level NYPD officers rarely get involved in the dirty work. They usually mull around and give orders.
Anthony Bologna’s twice pepper spraying the peaceful protesters seems odd given the fact that he has had a lot of experience with crowd control over his years on the force (according to WikiP). Usually it is a younger, less experienced police officer who gets carried away. He is very nervous. Next will come the undercover cops egging on the Wall Street protestors to throw rocks and bottles at the uniforms.
Let’s hope the spark of this protest ignites something more than a few news cycles of attention.
If you were on Twitter during the #FuckYouWashington saga, you would have seen it coming. The occupations are only a surprise to those who weren’t paying attention. Do we have your attention now? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxgCtz5fm6k
So you’re going to be snide about people who didn’t get in on the ground floor? Because they weren’t “paying attention” to a hashtag?
Really?! This is considered a good piece as someone commented below? Do you have ANY clue on who these people protesting on Wall Street really are in everyday life? Hypocrites! The far left is so FAR from reality, it’s quite disturbing.
Americans like them are tearing this country apart with their looney liberal ways of thinking. I often wonder how these people function in everyday society…oh wait they dont!
I function brilliantly! Thanks! The definition of liberal is caring for others, not just yourself. Obviously you don’t have that weight on your shoulders.
Yes, I do know who these protesters are because I am one of them! I am 59 years old, a housewife, a woman very interested in the political system and I watch C-Span every day to keep up on what’s going on the Government. I watch the Republican debates in all their inanity. I also watched on as the Tea Party spat on members of Congress and a disabled Veteran and heard them call out vicious racial names to people of color. I have been voting since I was old enough to start voting and I have not always voted Democrat.
To call Democrats “FAR from reality, it’s quite disturbing.” is really laughable in light of the irresponsible, reckless, theocracy driven contrivances of the Tea Baggers. Their idea of a jobs Bill are multiple Anti-abortion Bills and Let women die on the operating table Bills!! They don’t even know that their Medicare is a Social Program run by the Government(Socialism!*gasp!). They say get the government out of our Medicare! Now how far from reality are they? The only right they constantly crow about is their 2nd Amendmend right to have a gun and they threaten us with them all the time! “Next time I’ll be back with my gun.” That’s a direct quote from a Tea Bagger to a US Congressman!!
So, I don’t have to ask if we have ANY clue who these people are in the Tea Party. They are the angry MOB they call us. They are the ignorant, uninformed, religious zealots that don’t even follow the teachings of Christ!!
All these people whining about money… You know back in the day what
would you do without money? I guess you’d curl up into a ball and die…
Even though you could live off the land for free, but we’d rather enslave the entire country with money.
Are you the 99%, too? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxgCtz5fm6k
Your usage of “optics” doesn’t fit any of the dictionary definitions I can find. It sounds suspiciously like jargon. I don’t know what you mean, but perhaps you mean image, appearance, purpose, goal, or something similar?
FoxNews 10/2/11 Get Real!
Your website is as broken as you are! Nothing works on it…with hardly any comments. Thank Heaven no one listens to you.
What you may not realize (but everyone else knows) is obama (does not deserve a capital letter) would NOT have been electable had the economy stabilized in 2005-2006, as it was on track to do. So homo Senator toothless and Dodd, in order to crash the economy, set out to GIVE homes to anyone who raised their hands. Having been in real estate for 30 years, I, and my colleagues, quickly realized that hispanics were buying homes well beyond their means. While you and obama bash everyone else for the problem (remember, he said if he was elected he would quickly bounce the economy back, and we all know now that NEVER happened, and it has been 3 years already) why don’t you at least consider that obama is just a bad president for the USA. He will lose in 2012! Period! My impression of you on Fox: A well-educated liberal woman, a lizzy, born in a one-child family with parents that spoiled you rotten. I wish I could have captured your many expression (on Fox) and sent them to you. You really need to review the film. It is really scary to know that there others like you in this world! You are so tunnel-visioned and biased that, I’m sure you think, only your voice is important! Just remember one thing: obama, the flunky that he is, will be beaten and kicked out of office in 2012! Have a nice day!
FoxNews 10/2/11 Get Real!
Your website is as broken as you are! Nothing works on it…with hardly any comments. Thank Heaven no one listens to you.
What you may not realize (but everyone else knows) is obama (does not deserve a capital letter) would NOT have been electable had the economy stabilized in 2005-2006, as it was on track to do. So homo Senator toothless and Dodd, in order to crash the economy, set out to GIVE homes to anyone who raised their hands. Having been in real estate for 30 years, I, and my colleagues, quickly realized that hispanics were buying homes well beyond their means. While you and obama bash everyone else for the problem (remember, he said if he was elected he would quickly bounce the economy back, and we all know now that NEVER happened, and it has been 3 years already) why don’t you at least consider that obama is just a bad president for the USA. He will lose in 2012! Period! My impression of you on Fox: A well-educated liberal woman, a lizzy, born in a one-child family with parents that spoiled you rotten. I wish I could have captured your many expression (on Fox) and sent them to you. You really need to review the film. It is really scary to know that there others like you in this world! You are so tunnel-visioned and biased that, I’m sure you think, only your voice is important! Just remember one thing: obama, the flunky that he is, will be beaten and kicked out of office in 2012! Have a nice day!
Right ON; here’s a woman that has one of the most distorted visions of our country and the people that are trying to straighten it out. The Tea Party is our only hope in it’s attempts to make government smaller, leaner, more accountable, get rid of the fraud and all the free loaders including those on welfare that don’t want to work. The Tea party is made up of Democrats, Independents, Republicans and others that really care about our country; they are the average, working person in this country that’s footing the bill for BIG government. They are not the far right that the left tries to paint them. We need a lot more accountability in government, fewer give-away programs using taxppayers money to buy votes. Those in government are not the elite they think they are; exempt from all the rules the rest of us have to live by. We need to keep government out of our daily lives (like taxing cheeseburgers); we need to streamline government to the extent this country is kept safe giving everyone the opportunity to achieve success instead of redistributing the wealth of those that worked for it to those that don’t care to.
if you just replace the word government with corporations, you’d be onto something.
Hear, hear…
Be accurate if u deem yourself to post. The ignorrance shown in yor post speaks true of the tea party. The tea party makes up truths and calls them fact. The destruction of the “tea party” will come, more people are fed up with the narrow minded and religious zealous they spew. its not funny anymore… and we sit back to watch? We don’t engage with stupid but we will stand up to fight.
You are obviously a teabagger and a racist. So, hold your nose and vote for Mitt Romney who will never be elected. Get real!
Until yesterday, I was happily ignorant of your very existence. Why? I do not know. What I have read about you, is that you have been a regular contributor to programs on MSNBC, CBS, etc. and Fox. Although I often watch political commentary on TV, I cannot recall having ever seen you before. Perhaps, upon your appearance on the screen, a subconscious protective instinct caused me to change the channel to something more interesting , like a Preparation H commercial.
However, having seen you on Fox yesterday, opposite Gretchen Hamel, I became fascinated. Here was a woman who appeared very young and yet, apparently had all the answers to virtually every problem facing our society. I was determined to check you out on the internet, however, I rapidly lost interest and decided to watch a Leave it to Beaver rerun, instead.
Then, you appeared again today on Fox and, your know-it-all attitude, combined with your perpetual condescending smirk, intrigued me enough to hit the internet and conduct a background check.
The first thing that caught my attention was the fact that you are all of thirty-four years-old! This readily explains why you seem to know everything. I have long ago realized that I am much too old to know everything. However, in my case, like most people, I lost my ability to know everything when I was about twenty-four. Apparently, you are much smarter than most people. It is also refreshing to see someone as wise as you who is not ashamed of her consummate intellect and does not attempt to mask it out of false modesty.
Like most all-knowing people, you are altruistic to a fault in you willingness to share your wisdom and edify those of us who are limited in intellect and have atrophied understanding.
Had I been in the audience at the GOP Debate, I would not have booed the gay soldier who posed a question via video. However, since I believe in everyone’s right to free speech, I felt that those people who wanted to boo, had the right to do so.
I have heard your elucidation as to how this conduct was wrong and one can only realize that you are right in this. However, my problem is that I erroneously veiw you as you lecturing others, constantly, in a pedantic manner, on how people should behave, what they should believe in, what they should accept, etc. etc. etc. You criticize their rejection of the opinions of you and your disciples, and yet you think that you have the right to judge whether their opinions are right or wrong. Ergo, anyone who disagrees with you does not simply have a different opinion, they have the wrong opinion. It then follows, not only is their opinion wrong, the opinion they have is evil.
I think if two people of the same gender want to climb into bed and have sex that is their own personal business and no one has any right to prevent them. I also believe that I have every right to find this behavior disgusting, which I do. Perhaps in your incredibly intelligent mind, you find me evil and mendacious. With my limited intellect, I believe that you have a right to think what you want and I have a right to think what I want. However, perhaps I should see the error of my ways.
Apparently, there is a right way to think and a wrong way and, apparently you are one of those exceptional people who “knows” the difference. I suppose that those of us who cannot grasp the finite right and wrong of what we believe, should simply accept as truth the pontifications of those like yourself who know what is right for everyone. I realize that you are much too kind and understanding to try and force your opinion on others of a different belief. I am sure that you would prefer that they come to realize the error of their ways and embrace the ultra-liberal progressive ideas you espouse and willingly accept the right ideology.
I think it is time that you face the fact that despite your kind and understanding approach to those who do not agree with you, it is not likely that unenlightened people, like myself, will ever possess the requisite level of understanding to accept your views (that which is right) on the correct role of government and equal justice and all of those other wonderful concepts you embrace. I must confess that although I do not think that Stephen Hill should have been booed, I also do not think that Occupy Wall Street demonstrators should interrupt people who want to earn a living in a manner they seem to disagree with.
I am sure you can readily see my limitations in understanding right from wrong which compromises my ability to understand that which is right. I do not possess your all-encompassing wisdom and cannot see the huge difference between booing Stephen Hill and demonstrators shouting insults and profanity at workers on Wall Street. Of course, with your penetrating insight I am sure you can see where one action is right and the other is wrong.
You may be pleased to know, that I think that I may be beginning to see the light. If you say brussel sprouts taste good, and another person says they taste awful, that is acceptable and only a difference of opinion. However, if you say that Wall Street is big business manipulating the economic system by to suit their narrow, greedy ends and, someone else opines that it is simply an exercise of making a living by trading stocks and bonds, they are wrong and you are right.
If a group of demonstrators obstructs traffic and conducts what is essentially a parade without a permit and they attempt to impede and intimidate people trying to go to work, in an occupation that the protestors disagree with and another person was to think that because they are breaking the law, not only are the police entitled to arrest them, but are obligated to do so, then the demonstrators are right and the police are wrong. They are not enforcing the law, it is instead “a portrait of humanity being occupied by the most powerful police force in the nation defending the interests of capital.” I understand, the demonstrators may be breaking the law, but the law they are breaking is a bad law so, it is right to do so.
I guess I am just not wise enough to determine which laws it is right to break and those that are not. This is why, it is a good thing that we have people like yourself who possess the wisdom to know the difference . We should not mindlessly follow the laws that are on the books simply because the government says so; we should think for ourselves and be willing to break those laws that are not right. People have the right to break those laws that are bad as determined the oracles of progressiveness because they say so.
Narrow minded people must cast off their preconceptions that Sally Kohn thinks a law is bad, or that an opinion is bad, simply because she disagrees with it. This is conservatives measuring her, by using themselves as the yardstick, since this is what they do! Oh no, Sally Kohn ‘knows’ that certain laws are ‘bad’ that and that is why she disagrees with them. It is because Wall Street is bad, that she holds these manipulators in contempt not. she disagrees with them and therefore holds them in contempt. Again, this is what narrow minded conservatives do. The battle is not between people of differing opinions it is between good and evil and we all know that Sally is on the side of good, after all, she says so.
Mr. Naive
Apparently its Sally’s way or the highway. I find her to be a arogant bafoon, and as ignorant as President Obama. She should be banned from representing the gay community!
YOu don’t have a job, do you?
Great Article Sally!
You have one thing correct, you have a lot to learn! I don’t feel that these protestors have any clue as to what they are protesting. I bet if you ask any one of them what they actually want they would incoherently ramble on such as you. Sad ..so very sad.
I find your terminology very interesting, i.e. you don’t “feel” that the protesters, and I “bet” if you ask any one of them… But, in actuality it is you that doesn’t have a clue because you haven’t taken the least bit of time or effort to research your claims. If you had you would have found that OWS has indeed printed out a paper of grievances. It is a clear, concise and comprehensive directive on what we are protesting!!
So, you see, it is you who are sad, so very sad.
[...] rethinks her initial critique. (Mother Jones drew criticism for a similar [...]
Same dumb remarks about “greed” that have become the brain dead mantra of the left. So why don’t all these haters of “greed” form businesses that operate without profit? Who is stoping them?
I have no problem with the Bill Gates of the world. They provide me with something and I pay them for it. If they make a profit, I don’t care. My own “greed” is that I wanted their product and so I made an exchange that was voluntary. It’s not up to some sanctimonious left wing jerks to tell me that I can’t have such exchanges because the guy who is selling me his product is making a profit. If I’m so envious of his profit I don’t have to buy his product. But the fascists of the left want to control the free and volunary exchanges that happen in business millions of times a day.
Again, for the left, get off your lazy whinging butts and create businesses that make no profit and that hire anyone that wants a job. No on is stopping you. Or create self sufficient communes like they did in the 70s; where they implement Marx’s idea of “from everyone according to his ability and to everyone according to his need”. Go ahead – see how well that works before you try to destroy something that has proven itself to work better.
If I can paraphrase Wil Wheaton – and I don’t think he’ll mind – for the vast majority of American liberals, it’s not an issue of anti-capitalism. It’s “don’t be a dick”. It’s unfortunate you (along with many others) can’t seem to understand that distinction.
It’s not “profit” that is the problem – it’s disproportionately huge profits.
It’s not “having employees” that is the problem – it’s when wages are disproportionate(ly low) compared to the value they provide the employer.
[...] Sally Kohn rethinks her initial critique. (Mother Jones drew criticism for a similar piece.) [...]
Movements just don’t work in the way you imagine them to, I’m afraid. They are messy. Organizers may be a great benefit to movements, but they don’t create them – neither do pundits. Movements are cultural phenomena just as much as they are political formations. No amount of wishing them to serve like armies with uniforms and marching orders will make it so and good thing, too. I would loathe living in the world where everything had a plan and all of us had to live up to some standard of righteousness having nothing to do with our character or compassion, and where indignation is only legitimate when it comes in the right package.
I spent a good chunk of the late 80s and early 90s working in the LGBT movement. I worked on political campaigns against anti-queer ballot measures. The protest to those ballot measures often seemed at odds with the goal of winning votes on election day, being full of people showing the world all that is great about the queer community – leather, SM, drag queens, transgenders, sissy boys and butch dykes on bikes. All the stuff that, especially back then, was terrifying to mainstream voters.
A good colleague of mine from those days used to remind me of the importance of supporting this kind of protest by saying “there is no dress code for civil rights.” I heartily concurred with him then and continue to hold that belief now. In fact, I think it’s one of the wisest bits of advice I have been given where politics is concerned. The policies and the campaigns, the movements and the society we hope to create has to include us all. Anything less is just dehumanizing. That’s not what we’re about, is it? I mean, the project is humanization, yes?
[...] du bruit pour faire du bruit » ont entrepris une autocritique. Un exemple ici (avant) et là [...]
Frankly, I thought your original “critique/analysis” of the inchoate #Occupy event dated 09-27 was accurate. #Occupy appeared more actup and actout theatre lacking, I felt, a constructive core message that conveyed less angst and ire and more intellectual substance. The media helped to convey the impression participants were feckless rabble babbling trite nothings. rather than trenchant somethings.
We should strive, in the best interests of balance and objectivity, to resist “fog-of-war” analysis. To more accurately report, opine and posit we should stand back from the fray to listen and watch the trajectory of a movement’s “green shoots.” Progress and growth are incremental. Opinions should progress and grow, too.
I think you write to impress others but end up only impressing yourself. You should be a theatre critic! Your opines would be much more fitted there.
[...] across as a media platform that didn’t target their specific target market. On October 2nd, Sally Kohn from Mother Jones blogs an apology for being critical of the occupation movement. On October 5th, [...]