You can almost hear them, the 1% laughing their pompous asses off about all those hippies in the street. Well, come Saturday morning, maybe they won’t be laughing quite so loudly. Tomorrow, Friday October 28th is global Shut Down The System day. At midnight tonight, thousands of people around the world will be voluntarily disengaging for 24 hours as a show of solidarity with the #Occupy protesters in Zuccatti Park and all the other sites. Participants will call in sick to work, turn off their TV, phone and internet, buy nothing that is not absolutely necessary (food, medicine, etc.) and do NOTHING that generates money into The System. The best way to get the fat cats’ attention is to kick ‘em where it hurts, right in their gilded pocketbooks. This quiet, peaceful form of individual protest will undoubtedly result in lost revenue for corporations and big banks everywhere. And speaking of banks, have you considered moving your money? This past spring, we took all of our dough, every last copper penny of it, out of the big bank in Nanaimo and put it into our local member-owned credit union. I gotta say it’s the best banking situation I’ve ever had.
A recent Time magazine poll indicates that 54% of all Americans have a favourable view of the #Occupy movement. I suspect the numbers are similar or even higher here in Canada. And everyone saw how many people hit the streets in Europe so it’s clear they are on side. #Occupy, in all its forms and permutations, represents the beginnings of a very real opportunity for the people of this beleaguered planet, everyman, to actually change the arc of history. Let's roll!
So, there’ll be no post here tomorrow. I’ll be shutting down my computer (and everything else) and spending the day with my wife doing absolutely nada to support the corporate system. We plan to read, take a walk, maybe a nap, have a candlelight dinner and generally enjoy our day together. We’re going to a concert in the evening. Our pal Tim Harrison is playing at Agi Hall but Ticketmaster isn’t in the mix. The funds will pass straight from our wallet to his which is how it ought to be.
Finally, as the holiday season approaches, you might want to think about buying local. Get at few CDs directly from the musicians. Buy art. Shop exclusively at mom and pop shops and avoid corporate trinkets. Pick up some gift cards from a favourite neighbourhood restaurant. We all have lots of giving options that don't feed the greed. I encourage you to use them and pay in cash if you can. Every time you swipe that plastic, the bad guys get their 3%.
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2 comments:
That's the first I hear of the shutdown, will be interesting to see how that works out.
Certainly is an eye-catching post today!
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