thinking out loud: occupy this on Vie Hebdomaires

Tuesday, October 18

occupy this on Vie Hebdomaires

I'm juiced to have been given this week to fill up Vie Hebdomaires with words. Vie Hebdomaires is young, but such a cool idea, a new writer each week in a collaborative blogging effort. it will either be magic or fail beautifully. I started today with some ramblings on participating in the first few days of Occupy Vancouver.

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giulietta nardone · 702 weeks ago

Hi Michael,

Glad you finally made it to an occupy site. I hope to attend one in Boston. I agree with you that it's all about awareness. And for me, the waking up of folks to the idea that democracy requires folks to shake it up, stick it with pins - rings true. It will die unless we care enough to keep shaping it. I do it every week in my own town. Going to meetings, challenging the status quo. It's practically a second job.

Unlike NK, I do like the idea of conscious capitalism - one that has human dignity as a profit. Or, it has to be something new that maintains democracy at all costs. When folks try to level it off, the greedy among us manage to work their way to the top and it turns into something economically gruesome. Doctor Zhivago comes to mind.

Great quote, "We need to remember that, for all the 99% and 1% rhetoric, we’re really all in this together. Solutions will come from the 100%.” That's our problem down under Canada. A Civil War rages on because so few can see that.

If we promote the human spirit and a sense of aliveness, who know where the human race can go?

Best wishes for your stay. G.

1 reply · active 702 weeks ago

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tolthinkfree 66p · 702 weeks ago

It was a short stay. Real life called and I had to come home Monday, but we knew that going in.

While I believe that capitalism can be done responsibly, I also think that the odds are against it. That said, there are examples of social entrepreneurism that I love. I'm thinking of Better World Books, for example.

And yes, I am no fan of binaries. I understand the temptation - it makes for great PR, and politicians and corporations and nationalists and bigots and haters and misogynists of all stripes use it to great effect - but when we don;t need to use binaries to mobilize people to a good cause, then we'll be making progress.

Thanks, G. It's always great to have you around.