Not just hipster bait... The People vs. Goldman Sachs was a mock trial held at Zuccotti Park on November 3, with Cornel West, Chris Hedges, and testimonies from people directly affected by Goldman Sachs policies. (For some reason I mostly listened to Chris Hedges)
Update: Scott Squires noted Why Aren't the Jobless Flocking to Zuccotti Park?
Also, Occupy LA Teach In William K Black:
And a pertinent slice of Americana, with space angel effects, It's a Wonderful Life (1946):
This post does not seem to fit in really well. When you find a way to eliminate greed and suffering through legislation from the human race (by means besides destroying everyone, creating a communist dictatorship, or robbing people of free will ie: see the film Serenity), please post it, however till then, these polarized posts seem very unhelpful to add, content wise, to your awesome blog which I follow regularly for it's great content from your hard work.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, you can find new After Effects-only content on the ProVideo Coalition website. You can subscribe there too if you use an RSS reader.
ReplyDeleteThis simple blog is mostly just an archive now.
By the way, we can eliminate most of the egregious instances of greed and suffering by making sure the playing field is even and the umpires/refs rule accurately. Rules made by corrupt processes that benefit only certain players will not create a free market.
Thanks and yes I do follow you on ProVideo too, your contribution to the After Effects community is invaluable.
ReplyDeleteYou have the right to to post what you want, but this post brought me from After Effects goodness to political disaster.
I agree with most of the ideals you list there, how we go about getting that and illicit and define what needs changing could save or destroy us. (French revolution)
I'm for a free market too, the people speaking on the panel are not for free market from what I saw... they want more government involvement or a redistribution and addition of new laws...
Panel speakers: Cornel West (Democratic Socialists of America) The DSA works for Labor Unions whose funding is at stake. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Socialists_of_America
and Christ Hedges, Author of "American Fascists"
Also, many of the "witnesses" are union activists or community organizers or former government paid workers who's government aid is at stake or jobs were cut when government couldn't afford it's overspending and they were let go. They make mention to nonprofits like if you are a nonprofit you deserve to exist by virtue of being non-profit you are good. These are ultimatly once again funded by Government ie us tax payers. (example: Solindra although that was a for profit funded by governement and it failed)
One person spoke of a grandmother not able to pay her mortgage. That is very sad, however, not to be insensitive, it's still borrowed money from someone and you owe it under terms of contract, or you stole the other peoples money. Poor steal from rich all the time.
What does it mean to level the playing field? Sounds good and all. For example... Rich, you've worked very hard to get so good at knowing how to get news on AE stuff and now you know people and worked with people who know people and that's what makes it cool. What if I decided that that wasn't fair cause I wanted to blog AE news too. Your advantage is an accident of birth location, one could say, and people you met! I try and try but you always beat me to it cause you know industry people who probably wouldn't answer my phone calls off the bat. Well, I could say, lets "level the playing field" and make a law that you can't call, ask help from, or get info from anybody that I can't. I'll provide you a list of my contacts and you can's use other people unless you introduce me too. I would call that unfair and so would you I'd assume, you've worked hard and when you get good luck it's good luck, you don't owe it to anyone. You may be rich in info or money, I don't like that so we'll take it and redistribute it. That's what I'm against. You'd never work hard again.
The goals of the protests are unclear and involve so many people with convoluted ideas, bouts of unnecessary violence and unrest, destroying local businesses, destructiveness, and it's darn expensive to the city too during this recession.
Those protestors should be in Washington DC, if at all, NOT WallStreet. Engaged in strategic and targeted campaigns. The government is the only corporation that can make anyone do anything by force. More rules and more laws is not the answer. Less power for government so that no corporation can be tempted to "bribe" any politician cause the politicians won't be able to give the companies those kickbacks. Dishonest people who want things done have to go to ally with the government to hamper anyone.
Everyone can be dishonest. Not just rich people.
People should naturally seek for betterment of selves, community, and family and to get money and wealth and bring it home, that is improvement of oneself and family. It's the unholy alliance of Corporatism with an overly involved government that is the problem and lets people have an avenue to get things and favors other than people having the opportunity to build it through hard work means.
"I try and try but you always beat me to it cause you know industry people who probably wouldn't answer my phone calls off the bat."
ReplyDeleteUmm, I'm lucky my family moved to the Bay Area and I have worked in Silicon Valley but it doesn't work that way for me.
I think it's pretty obvious that the housing bubble was manipulated from the top. You could see that clearly in the Bay Area when there was so much anxiety about the dot com bust and there was a mass move to housing speculation, and loans were given by companies who knew their losses would be covered. Not only that top companies bet against themselves and their customer in speculation.
If markets are to have integrity, the rules that govern them must be trustworthy. Wall Street controls the government so that's where the problem is.
The goals of the protests are clear enough -- the elite has been incompetent and corrupt. No one wants their money, but we do expect fair play.