> Wealth redistribution and getting money out of politics. I guess not everybody understands this concept?
Those are so vague as to be meaningless, and so sweeping as to be quixotic. Protests always fail when there is not a clear and attainable path to success. This is something successful movements understand, and unsuccessful ones don't.
> Inequality is objectively measurable with a single number
No, it isn’t. Let’s start with scoping. Everyone in America is immeasurably better off than the median in some countries. Clearly not what anyone in Zuccotti Park meant.
> Are you under the impression that this is a complicated demand?
Are you under the impression it’s not? It would push down inequality to remove student loan and public transport subsidies in cities and cut cheques to the poorest rural Americans. That’s obviously not what was wanted by those protesters.
>Everyone in America is immeasurably better off than the median in some countries.
1. This is not a logical argument - it is a red herring combined with whataboutism (forget American gini! whatabout global gini?!).
2. If you take into account that they have to pay rent in America, go to college in America and pay for medical care in America the median American may live in the richest country in the world but that doesn't make them the richest median citizens. Not even close.
>Are you under the impression it’s not?
Of course. I'm not the one playing dumb for political effect here.
>It would push down inequality ... to cut cheques to the poorest rural Americans. That’s obviously not what was wanted by those protesters.
No, it is. And the US establishment violently crushed the protest precisely because this is the furthest thing from their preferred outcome.
Of course it is. There are numerous strategies to achieve that goal, and each of the strategies themselves are overwhelmingly complicated (to the extent that you'd potentially be criminalizing or destroying capitalism) to execute. Make specific, actionable demands, or you might as well save everybody a lot of wasted time, energy and effort.
> Wealth redistribution and getting money out of politics. I guess not everybody understands this concept?
This isn’t an ask. It’s a general grievance.
> media did a pretty good job of depicting people being dragged away by riot police screaming as hippies getting bored and leaving
I was there. Never saw screaming people dragged around. Did see tear gas, which isn’t nice. Not saying it didn’t happen, but it wasn’t common. Mostly, people were yelling at each other about stuff being stolen from their tents.
Et cetera. Unfortunately, delineating these policies, agreeing to them internally and then messaging on them externally is a lot more work than spouting general grievances.
> the system using violence to defend itself. Just like in Russia.
It’s the system clearing a public park. Nobody cared what people were asking for at that point, the place smelled of piss.
You lost credibility with the false comparison with Russia, but I think you know that.
The media did a pretty good job of depicting people being dragged away by riot police screaming as hippies getting bored and leaving.