You may notice there aren't many police incidents with occupy in New York these days. That's because not only has the number of events and rallies declined dramatically, in the few that occupy has, participation has also decline rapidly. There are a number of factors, but an important factor is there is a sociopathic element of male that hangs around occupy. Instead of kicking out lunatics, the most radical amongst the occupiers, the anarchists and the communists, insisted that everyone be included. They were very adamant that there be no exclusion. What happened? Due to incidences of violence and bullying, the number of female participants dropped dramatically. Gay males and females largely left occupy as well. The current base of operations, 60 Wall Street, for occupy, has had a dramatic decline in the number of people who showed up. As time went on, a number of straight males left the movement as well, as unstable homeless people attacked anyone with a job and a place to stay as privileged. The General Assemblies, the foundation of Occupy's direct democracy, have been marred by violent outbursts and fights and participation has plummeted. The same people repeatedly assaulted other people and nothing was done about it. Other incidences of bullying and assaults occurred as well.
In short, occupy is a perfect example of why socialism and communism do not, and simply cannot work. The “anarchist” model they use shouldn't be used to run a goose farm, much less any group of people. With their tolerance of all behaviors, it drove away everyone except the worst people. In doing this, occupy has lost its ability to connect to the 99%, because most people do not want to be associated with sociopaths, criminals, and severe addicts. There were once good things about occupy, but since occupy was built on a bad foundation, it collapsed on itself. In the process, anything that was once good about occupy was destroyed.
Check out my new book Mother of Witches
I think you have a lot less information as to why there has been a bleed-off... and also why some of the physical violence has been occurring. Many of our incidents are secondary incidents, rather than primary, and many are coming not due to addiction or antisocial disorder but something more akin to PTSD - pent-up negative emotions with no channel out are being channeled in each others' directions, and tolerated not because we're anarchistic but because we're too LIBERAL - it is not merely that the anarchists stand opposed to choosing, because there are REALLY not that many anarchists in the movement, but that the LIBERALS tend to stand and wring their hands rather than take decisive, exclusionary action.
ReplyDeleteMy project this winter has been to reverse this social process before the resurgence of springtime growth and activity. This has, in fact, been the winter of our discontent... but the passage of a Community Agreement in at least one of our bodies, with the hope of amending it (if necessary) and ratifying it for the NYC GA as a whole at General Assembly to then be the stated agreement for all assemblies and meetings, will be something we can hold ourselves and others accountable to and help reverse the trend you have identified.
It's not just the crazy people acting crazy. Us sane folks are getting a little loopy too at the tail end of winter.