Occupy This! The Pendelem Swings Back

I've always heard that if you live long enough you'll see the pendulum of life swing back to a place you remember. The pendulum swings back and forth...but always returns. The last few days I've reflected about my hippie days. Yes...I admit it...I embraced the hippie philosophy. Let me quickly add that I lived as a hippie-wanna-be. I never took drugs...my dad would have put me in the hospital! I took baths...my mom taught me that "cleanliness is next to Godliness" and I wanted to stay close to God. I just wore long hair, big bell-bottoms and yellow tinted sunglasses. I played the drums. I know, I know...that doesn't sound like the glamorous counter-culture revolution, but that stood as the best I could do at the time. Actually, after some time, I became a Jesus Freak. That's a whole different blog story.

The recent Occupy Movement reminds me of the 60's. I'm telling my age here but I lived it so I might as well recount it. We suffered from general dissatisfaction with the establishment...The Man! (Wall Street today), we wanted out of the War (Vietnam then...Afghanistan and Iraq today). We didn't have jobs (we really didn't want them) and the Occupy folk don't but say they do. I'm not sure. They've got a blog asking for food to be shipped to New York to help them continue their Occupation. I've listened carefully to the rhetoric of the Occupy People and I hear some similar themes: down with The Man; Power to the People, and We are the world. The more things change the more they stay the same. I'm thinking of a new soap opera...As the Pendulum Swings. I'm thinking of a new moving script: Occupy This!



Occupiers

 I've truly listened to the messages coming out of the protests (man do I miss those days!). One young man said, "We're going to change history. We're not putting up with this anymore. You watch...we will change the world." I didn't see a peace sign though. I have a close friend who went to Woodstock. That was love, peace and music...with some nakedness thrown in for good measure. I think the Occupiers will get too cold to go naked...although I did see a snap shot of a woman walking down Wall Street who almost made it. Naked I mean. There's something liberating about sleeping in tents pitched on the ground, eating communal meals and going without a shower. In my hippie days (I never went naked, mind you) we called those moments an Air Shower or Air Bath. I'm sure it didn't work. I see American flags too. That's nice. I wonder why they want to bring down the government but wave American flags? Seems counter productive.

In the 60's we had a unified message. Peace, love and end the War. The Occupiers can't seem to find their place or their voice. Unions have co opted the movement, too. Multiple messages come from various factions. One boy said, "I live with my Mom so this provides me a break from my routine." I wonder what routine that would be? Probably eats Mom's cooking, sleeps in her house and plays X Box on her TV. He had a BA in English. He should look me up...I could get him a job teaching English in any one of several countries. I forgot. He's busy occupying. I don't think he really wants a job. I've said all along that I wish I had time to protest. I loved it. I remember sitting in the shade of a big tree down at the court house protesting against the Establishment. I can't do that now. I have to go to work...for The Man. He pays for my home, food and vehicle payments. So unless you want to pay me to hold signs (and some pay for sign holders) I can't make the protest. I have to pass the opportunity to wax nostalgic. And by the way...Wall Street actually belongs to the City of New York. Why not come and Occupy Ironton. We could use the infusion of  cash that would come from the many visitors and protesters. Occupy This!



Peace Baby!

 I'm anxious to watch the outcome of all of this. Some have likened this movement ti be similar to the Tea Party. Nah, I don't buy it. I think this is a retro-fit of the hippie movement of the 60's. These folk don't drive micro buses. They take the train. But I must admit that the videos, the still shots, the messages and the protests take me back to a more innocent time. The hippie movement was all about getting out of the war and bringing down the Establishment. I suppose the aims are not too far apart after all.

Occupy Wall Street claims to be a leaderless resistance movement with people of many colors, genders and various political persuasions. The one message they claim to have in common is that We Are The 99% that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%. We are using the revolutionary Arab Spring tactic to achieve our ends and encourage the use of nonviolence to maximize the safety of all participants. And yet, as I think about it, there's no way the crowd they had walking the Brooklyn Bridge represented 99% of the people. Come on...we're not stupid! We did the math. So let me leave you with one of my favorite expressions: Peace Baby! Where's Telly Savalas when you need him? Pass me a lollipop. I'm ready for the show.