Occupiers set up living room in Bank of America lobby

[ellisonz]

[greytdemocrat]

1. Stupid, but harmless. n/t

[ellisonz]

2. How is it stupid?

I think it's pretty great Mockupy

[Magoo48]

3. Is your group planning something more inspired; I'd love to hear about it?

[U4ikLefty]

7. Looking in the mirror? nt

[freshwest]

4. Well played by Occupy and the Bank Representative as well. The only criticism I'd have would fit in

With the old saw, 'Laid on with a trowel.' But then, since most of the 1% are also 'Thich as a brick,' is it may be required and this did get some internet attention for Occupy.

In some aspects though, the continued focus on confronting the peons working at BoA branches seems like bullying. These are wage slaves who need a job, just like the rest of the 99%. They can't be rude to the protestors and can't say anything bad about BoA. It's like shooting fish in a barrel.

They are really no different than the rest of us. They are trying to make a living and have to put on a face for the protestors as well as their bosses. They don't have anything to say about the practices of the CEOs of BoA.

In fact, they are being bullied by them and are constantly in fear of losing their jobs even before the bailouts, because of the same profit motivation that led to all of this mess.

I've worked for big corporations which garnered media attention and then public disfavor. Because of that, I had to deal with verbal abuse by strangers walking up to me to accuse of things I was not involved with, while doing my blue collar job, covered with sweat, mud and grime.

I'd also have to take the abuse of 1% kids in rich suburbs, who threw trash and mocked us while we worked. So we got it from both sides, in addition to supporting our union against the company bosses. Sometimes one needs to walk in the shoes of the other person and see just how complex the situation is, to make an ally instead of an enemy.

So I think this was all handled very well by all parties and funny, but anything that is degrading to the peons, is not helpful to the cause. I thought it was cute. Thanks for posting it.

[ellisonz]

5. You're welcome freshwest!

I think by targeting them with a media campaign it is effective so long as it is not hostile. I'd rather people do this than smash windows!

I also am not sure it was degrading because I assume they left when asked and didn't hassle the security guard or employees. I think all and all it's a good tactic and I vastly favor Mockupy over some of the douchebaggery we've seen from the hardcore anarchist faction.

[freshwest]

6. I agree, they didn't degrade. And I think those hard-core types are not what true anarchists are.

Because violent actions are by their nature, reactionary. In acting that way, they are only reflecting the worst of the 1% terrorists and in that way, empowering the 1%. They love to see us destroy each other.

People must consider the intent of their own hearts, like the sign at OWS, being held by woman saying, 'I'm sorry I did not love you enough,' or something to that effect.

When I mention 'degrading' I must confess I know people who closed out their BoA accounts in the action some time ago and bragged about it online. They said that they made sure they told them 'just what they thought of 'em!'

IMHO, that was abusive. Those bank tellers didn't have any control over the situation, but had to deal with the stress of being treated with contempt, as the enemy.

Because those who are angry at what Wall Street has done,
well, we see that they look down from their offices and laugh at the drama playing out below them. They seldom are put to the test, they are merely entertained.

Just as the royals of days gone by sat with their picnic above battle scenes and watched the chess pieces on their board kill each other. A game, nothing but a game, in which they seldom lost anything, but the pawns lost everything.

There are times when we who need to be lifted up and seek it for our fellows, get tribal. We go after the easy target, the one who is closest to us in social station. This is a method that the rightwing employs, looking with judgment at those who they hope are beneath them and can abuse. The poor, the sick, the others. It's petty and venal denies the humanity of the other person. It's icky, is all I can say.

I've been on strike and watched scabs go to work while I carried my picket sign, but said nothing as I realized that in most cases in my experience, getting a temporary job as a scab was move up in some people's lives. They couldn't get the job before when our union was in charge, because they weren't qualified.

So I considered, who had been blessed and who had not, who had been shut out of employment. And just how desperate these people were. If we'd abused them as they walked past us, they'd hate unions. This has happened in several situations that I've seen.

I remember too, one day while I stood on picket as two men in delivery trucks jumped out. They were delivering flowers and fancy fruits to what I guess we'd now call one-percenters, to a very fancy hotel downtown.

The first one handed me some of the prettiest strawberries I'd ever seen. He said 'They won't miss it!' and away he went. The second one said one of the customers refused some flowers and gave me a bouquet of roses and took off.

We are all human, we can all love, we are all equal. We need to treat each other with the utmost respect and from what I've seen, most of Occupy is better behaved than a lot of us were in the anti-war era of the sixties and seventies.

But then, the 1% were literally killing young men en masse. We'll see how this all comes out.