Why The Occupy Movement Failed

The name of it says it all...Occupy
Nothing good ever happens from an invasion style occupation...occupations start wars, oppress people...

I personally agree with the original reasoning behind the OWS Movement, that we the 99% of US citizens are being oppressed by the 1% of the population that controls the top corporations, banks & often our legislation through their ability to fund massive lobbying efforts with their billions of dollars.

I had great hopes for the OWS Movement when it first began, that it would evolve & grow into a loud united voice for the people. That it would get more people talking about and involved in their local and National political process. That finally, the people would start fighting back against the Religious Right Extremist Hate Group that the GOP/Teapublican Party has become in the United States.

Let's get real here...to me and to many, that is who the 1% is. The Millionaire and Billionaire GOP politicians that also just happen to be stock holders or even owners of these Mega-Corporations and are writing, proposing & passing laws, bills, legislation that favors corporations over people. But, the OWS Movement made the same fatal mistake as the Coffee Party before it. Occupy tried to be all-inclusive and non-partisan, which in theory sounds good, but in reality just doesn't work when you try to include your oppressor in your fight against the oppressor.

At first, it starts with inviting disenfranchised conservatives into the conversation, and seems like a good idea. The whole let's overlook our differences for the common cause is in many ways a great way to accomplish real change, if you can agree on a common cause to fight against. Unfortunately for the OWS Movement, the only common cause everyone could agree with was a very washed out and generic version of corporate influence of government is bad. In OWS's attempt to remain non-partisan, it has been ignoring the gigantic elephant in the room for months now...as OWS continues to lose more and more supporters everyday because it refuses to admit that being non-partisan is a complete failure.

Add to that failure, the Ron Paul wild card and the young white males that have been so easily duped into following Paul with his false promises of legalized Marijuana, an end to the FED and the words Liberty & Constitution drilled into their formative minds until they are willing to overlook the complete insanity of the Ron Paul. The OWS Movement has become over run by Paul's cult-like devotees commonly referred to as "Paulbots" or "Paultards".

And while the above examples are all pieces of the puzzle of why the OWS Movement has failed, in the end the major contributing factor of why OWS is a failure is still in the movement's name...Occupy. If OWS had just organized, hosted rallies, marches, protest events, etc...and then gone home at night, it could have grown into a movement with the ability to change the world...but instead OWS came and occupied public parks and plazas. They camped out in major cities, setting up hobo camps that often attracted the homeless population and criminals. Women were raped and assaulted in some of these camps, giving other women reason to be afraid to participate in OWS activities.

The Occupy Movement came to be thought of as an eyesore. People just trying to get to work had to find alternative routes to avoid smelly camps. At night many of these camps became dangerous places where people just hung out getting drunk or doing drugs.

It quickly became obvious that the OWS Movement for all it's promise of unity in it's beginning, really didn't represent the 99% at all. Thousands of Occupy groups sprang up across the US, but in the overall scheme of things most people do not believe that OWS represents them. Mostly, people think OWS is an eyesore, an embarrassment to their city.

OWS in it's effort to stay non-partisan & all inclusive has in reality excluded most people who actually do care about creating real change in the United States. OWS has alienated women in just about every way possible from not caring about providing porta-pottys at OWS camps to not speaking out against the GOP's war against women.

OWS served a purpose, it got people talking...opened up a discussion and showed us that we the people of the United States of America can be heard and can make a difference. Now it is time for us to take what we have learned from OWS and start using those lessons to organize and affect real change through political action.

We also must remember the mistakes that OWS made and learn from those as well. OWS hasn't been a complete failure, they have become excellent advocates for people facing foreclosure & have helped many struggling families save their homes. I have hopes that the OWS Movement will continue it's fight against corporate greed and it's fight against corruption in the banking Industry. So, while OWS has failed in becoming the great political movement so many of us were hoping for, it does still serve a purpose in helping struggling families keep their homes.