foggy thinking

The thinking behind the 'Too Thick to Fail' 'occupations, otherwise known as 'Occupy' is a bit of a mystery to normal people.

I read blogs and newsletters from a whole range of political types, from stodgy seventies Stalinism, through progressive right wing business orientated blogs to environmental and Peak Oil sites.

The best answer I've had yet is that this is a result of two things - rampant consumerism and a sense of entitlement to stuff, and a boom in university attendance on courses that don't actually teach any marketable skills.

So you have a big mass of 'middle class' types, who are middle class more through their aspirations, tastes and expectation of an extremely wealthy lifestyle, rather than because of their economic status, many of whom also have or are taking degrees in subjects that had little relevance even back in the growth times, let alone now, when growth is finished.

So this is an extremely middle class 'revolt'. These people were brought up by well-meaning parents to expect the future would be cosy, full of material things, drizzled with classical music, experimental theatre and super friends, in a world that would just get wealthier and wealthier. Their parents were idiots, and their little Aramintas and Lukes are the ones paying the price.

So what do they want? Well for one they want all the trappings of capitalism - mobile phones, stereos, cars, designer clothes, but they don't want capitalism to provide it, because through their perusal of Nazi anti-capitalist diatribes and foul cartoons (depicting capitalists as top-hat wearing, Jewish featured elderly men) they have a totally wrong image of capitalism and capitalists.

So they've turned to a failed system - socialism - which could never provide anything like capitalism did, destroyed the environment, destroyed freedom of thought, art and music and killed millions through neglect and nastiness. And because all western governments are socialist with a capitalist sheen, they are working with the government to destroy freedom, especially economic freedom. They are fighting the battles of the 1960s, fifty years on.

So what DO the protesters need? They need to understand that the future will be far poorer than the present. That billions of people will die over the next few decades as the oil runs out and the climate turns vicious. They need to learn the skills that will get them through this, forget decadent, consumerist socialism and start building their own lives and communities without expecting the rest of us to do it for them.

The same disease is present throught he current 'Too Thick to Fail' protests, back through the August riots and further back to the Student Protests. It's all about the same - entitlement and lack of personal responsibility.

That's what this is all about. And it will end in tears ...