i really don’t understand the whole perception of OWS, or this GLOBAL, CIVIL uprising, or should i say, rather, i don’t understand the whole MISCONCEPTION of it all.
look, it’s really not that hard to put into perspective. life is a funny and often complicated thing, despite how simple we’d like to try and make it, and despite the distractions which are ever increasing. although complicated, it’s really not that hard to boil reality down into a not so pretty little picture.
the world is hurting, and it’s hurting all over. this isn’t my fucking opinion. wake the fuck up. go watch some documentaries, read some philosophy, learn some statistics, sociology, pharmacology, scientology, biology, whatever fuckology, step outside your house and try for one second to forget about your perfect little world…
things happen for a reason. people aren’t sleeping in the streets because it’s comfortable, and if they are lazy, why are they lazy? what happened to their drive and determination? you people like to make such bullshit little excuses that when, in reality, are incomplete, lacking, straight up ignorant. isn’t a human being a product of their environment? if so, what the fuck is wrong with society that people are so fuckin’ lazy for? if people aren’t a product of their environment, let’s say laziness is genetic or some shit, then shouldn’t these people get the health care they deserve? instead of calling them names, brushing them aside or arresting them, shouldn’t we be trying to address their issues?
our environment is being destroyed. our (american) rights are really just privileges, at the mercy of those who run the show, mental heath is for a lack of better words, fucked, greed, evil, corruption are all too common place, ALL OVER THE WORLD. it’s fucking real deal people.
do you really think there’s some real legal or legit means to stop the runaway train that is all of the aforementioned… you think people don’t try to take legal, more “respectable” means to change the world? who’s really deluded? we send in our small domestic armies to quell moderately sized foreign armies at the drop of a feather… you really think if the minority of the people that “get it” want to change the world they’re gonna be able to do it with ease, legally, with no resistance? fuck that, go read about the cia, ricky ross and that whole fun story… nobody in power suffers. at least not until shit hits the fan…
so, as the GLOBAL problems increase, humanity is becoming more and more aware but, not everyone can really understand it… some people are intelligent, some people get it, some people are fuckin’ brain dead, and they don’t get it… some people are brainwashed… go read about brainwashing, cognitive dissonance, whatever you wanna call it, you think it’s just science fiction crap? you think people aren’t impressionable? well people don’t know what the fuck to do. but they’re doing something…
if everyone got in the street, stopped everything they were doing, had a common goal, things would change… but instead people go about their daily lives, with little regard to the problems that, whether you want to admit or not, are gonna fuck humanity up one way or another. these smelly fuckin’ hippes are getting in the streets, and doing something, anything, and that’s a hell of a lot more than most people. some are amazing people with huge hearts and some have no idea what they are talking about but in the end, they are there for a reason. if you ask me, it’s a pretty respectable thing, either way. and really, saying that a few homeless crazies, drug addicts, smelly hippies, whoever/whatever make the whole thing look bad, then you got problems REALLY assessing a situation, logically and impartially… which is probably the root of the whole misconception anyway…
look, we all have opinions but when you’re spewing your shit all over the internet, making your comments, not getting it, make sure you have some facts, knowledge, something, cause really, it’s not too impressive.
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beingwithoutreason
I agree with your take. But remember challenging people to use facts is not necessarily that productive. Facts can be misused to brainwash people in any direction of thought. I really think that our human intuition and innate sense of fairness should not be dismissed. We shouldn’t have to present facts to prove that it’s not right to live in a rich country that hasn’t figured out that it’s the right thing to do to provide affordable healthcare for all its citizens.
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you seem a level headed person, i hate to disagree with you but, is truth not the pursuit of man? or something to that effect…
when you twist or distort the truth to portray your own personal message isn’t it no longer a truth? isn’t that why the pursuit of truth is a noble one?
we can surely talk philosophy and prove or disprove the existence of truth even but, when you break it all down, are there not certain fundamental truths inherent in mankind? i need food, air and water to survive, life is precious, etc etc etc…
and isn’t it truth that prevails?
i surely believe that the distortion of truth as a result of things like brainwashing, distraction, evil, corruption, greed, etc to be one of the driving factors for where we are in the world today. i argue truth with people because you can’t deny it… i mean you can but, where does that get anyone? and although i have plenty of friends with a myriad of conflicting views, as well as a number of seemingly hypocritical perspectives of my own, some things just are what they are… i challenge people with facts because what kind of excuse can one make to that? you’re gonna tell me that if humanity doesn’t clean up it’s act that it can make it another 50, 100 years? c’mon.
so, people can go on and on with their opinions, and they might even have some seemingly logical ones at that but, in the end, i’m not really interested in all that anymore…i’m sick of arguing shit with people… i’m sick of trying to explain what they refuse to see… and that’s not to say i won’t speak my mind, have an intelligent debate or even just straight up scream in a mother fuckers face if i have to. i’m just getting older and wiser and i know that for every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction… you really think i’m just gonna sit and listen to someone tell me that if you drop an egg from a point which is high enough to obtain sufficient velocity in order to break it’s shell on impact, that it won’t break?
fuck that shit. eggs break, the world is fucked and people are simply reacting to a stimulus. let the battle begin. you can run, and you can hide, for only so long. bring on the truth i says.
yo, all you assholes with kurieg k-cup shits, you’re assholes. all the garbage humanity creates and you gotta have your wonderful little convenience for ONE cup of coffee, further adding your little plastic, single serving cups to the mound. but shrug it off because it’s just so cute and easy to have your coffee in the morning that way. the fact that there’s like five patches of plastic the size of texas floating around the ocean, mounds upon mounds of plastic that’s just piling up “where the buffalo roam”, and god knows how many toxins released into the air you breathe when that shit is incinerated is reason enough, in my opinion, NOT to celebrate your wonderful little magical coffee machine… but who cares. really, the effort to replace that little modern marvel you love so much with something that uses biodegradable filters (if you even need them, cause you know, they have those little mesh screens that could replace filters totally and completely) and results in nothing but coffee grinds as waste, which is compost mind you, is too much work. your convenience is more important than preserving the environment.
i’m just responding to a post about coffee which got me going on a little rant. it’s how i feel and i just don’t get it. i don’t get why people love their shit that only makes things worse and further more, it’s appalling when you say something how people react, or rather, don’t react. i’m not the one with the problem, freaking out because people buy products that destroy our well being, and ranting about it on facebook. the people that shrug this shit off, or look at me like i’m the one with the issues, are the problem.
and to be fair, we live in a society where it’s almost impossible to buy products we not only want, but need, that create waste. i’m not innocent. i create waste. but, unlike a lot of people i know, EVERYTIME i throw something out, i think about it. and that’s no exaggeration. EVERYTIME i put something in the garbage, that i can’t reuse or recycle, i hate it, and it bothers me, a lot. and that’s real. i reuse and recycle as often as possible and when i buy shit, i do my best to buy shit that makes as little of an impact on the environment as possible. i am absolutely aware of the waste i create and i really do try my hardest to practice what i preach.
and incase you’re interested, i typically take out the garbage once every other week. i wash and reuse ziplock bags, if i use them at all. sometimes, very rarely i litter in public, but, quite often, i pick up other peoples garbage when i see it laying around. i wash and recycle everything that is recyclable, and luckily, living in new york city, we have a pretty good recycling program.
sadly we live in a society that creates an exuberant amount of waste, and even more sadly, people just don’t think about it. walk though any store and take a look around… think about how much of EVERYTHING in that store is going to end up as garbage. really think about it. because when you do, it’s fucking insane. and where does it all go? into some dump that you don’t have to see? into some ocean you don’t have you sail? into some cloud that you don’t have to smell? cause it’s all there and it’s all piling up and whether you want to realize it or admit it, or not, if civil unrest doesn’t fuck society up, or some kind or natural (or unnatural) disaster doesn’t fuck the world up, first, you can count on all this waste we create catching up with you, and fast… then we’ll see how far you can go with out seeing the dumps, sailing the refuse, or smelling the disgust.
i promise you, the world is going to change in a way in our lifetime that just might have you looking back, rethinking that shrug you made in reply to that comment i made about your stupid fuckin’ k-cup brewer, or this post… then again, you didn’t really think about it to begin with, so maybe you’ll never look back.
been thinking about my blog, my website and some plans i had for some other shit… i really want to write some more personal stuff but i feel like it doesn’t mix well with the more political, journalistic topics. i think once i reactivate my hosting account on paullessard.com i’ll be able to separate, or rather lay it all out in a way that i will be satisfied with. so i’ve been thinking about that a lot lately.
i want to have a personal blog section where i will express things on my mind on a daily basis, a political section where i can address some of the more thought out, deeper issues and thoughts i have, and a place for interests, links, videos, music, art, basically all the random assorted shit i come across that i’d like to share but doesn’t really fit into either of the two former categories…
i’m trying to figure out if i can somehow make that work here on tumblr, but, i think the only way i’m going to be able to achieve all that is through my own design, on my own site…
kinda just blogging this to keep note for when i do take that step, which i’m planning on taking soon, within a week or so. i also have an idea that i’d like to start moving on in that i want to write a nice long article, do some research and get to the bottom of a couple things, truth’s rather that are kinda getting the best of me. i find a great satisfaction in the compliments and positive feedback i receive as a result of my writing and self expression… but there’s another side to that coin that really eats away at my motivation, and it is exhausting.
all too often do i find myself struggling with people, usually under political circumstances, to acknowledge certain facts. i’m having to find answers for the same questions, over and over and having to repeat yourself, trying to get through to someone that never really got it to begin with takes it’s toll. in the end, i really do understand that any given situation has a myriad of perspectives to be had. i know that i’m not always right and as human beings, being as diverse as we are, i know and understand that we all have our own take on shit. and that’s fine. it’s just having the understanding, or perspective that i do, too often do i encounter myself getting frustrated, not having to lay it all out, but rather having to lay it all out, over and over again… actually, if i think about it, there’s just so much shit out there that plays a role in where we are or where we are headed, and thinking about addressing all that, just as a means for understanding is a lot to wrap my head around… it’s overwhelming.
in any case, i really just want to sit down and try to take that first step that i don’t even really know how to take. sit down and really just research as many of the points that i want to make as i can, and really just start going down the list. hopefully i can do a good enough job with that so i can finally put to rest the redundant discussions, oblivious arguments and wasted conversations. because really, it’s all of that which keeps me from moving forward…
it’s 6:30am and my eyelids are getting heavy. i am not as eloquent as i would like to be when i’m in such a state so, for now i guess it’s time for bed.
so if it’s okay to put down the entire movement, because a few “jobless, dirty hippies” that either don’t have a clue what they’re talking about, or take actions that reflect poorly upon themselves, and the movement they associate with, then, i suppose it’s okay for me to say that ALL cops are disgusting pigs that beat people, because of a few (or a lot) that abuse their positions of power… guilt by association is not okay.
when you look at all the different perspectives, a lot of shit really doesn’t make sense. and although the pieces may not always fit together, on both sides, i really don’t understand how people can be either so brainwashed, self-centered, or straight up blind to the truth.
the police are defending their actions in this video, like pretty much all of the disgusting videos out there. they were quoted as saying they were “concerned about their safety”. a bunch of non-violent protesters, students, refusing to move, threatened the safety of the cops. suited up in riot gear, outnumbering protesters (in most situations), they were concerned about their safety.
you know, fuck these bullshit ignorant opinions people have. and trust me, i have a lot of opinions of my own. i don’t just jump to conclusions and pick a side. i don’t make rash decisions (i try not to) and i am always willing to listen, hear, and discuss another perspective. i have friends that are cops, i’ve talked to cops and being who i am, i’ve had enough of my own altercations involving cops. i don’t hate all cops, because they are cops. i don’t just defend protesters, because i am a protester. i defended a cop in zuccotti park because protesters were trying to provoke him. they were being the assholes and really, he was at no fault, at least under the circumstances. i made my voice heard and i have no problem standing up to the people who i walk among if those people violate my views, my morals… i know the difference between right and wrong. i know the situations we are faced with almost daily, concerning this movement, are not simple. they have invoked emotions in a lot of people, mainly anger and frustration, and that doesn’t make it easy. i know it is not easy for cops, dealing with some of the assholes that i know are among us. it’s not easy for me to deal with them…
cops have a duty to protect the citizens of this country. we hold them to a higher standard because they are given power, a power that they need to uphold the law and maintain peace. the fact of the matter is, their power is being abused, and in a situation like this, in the name of “safety”, and it’s not okay. it is NOT okay.
it is NOT okay that you don’t get it. it is not okay that you don’t care. it is not okay that you dumb this entire movement down, which is a result of overwhelming and disgusting abuse of power, corruption and greed, which although you may not realize affects your daily life, your little circle of trust, does. these are men and women, sworn to protect the law, and although it is unacceptable, it is being allowed and it is being excused. this is the reason for this movement, the anger, the yelling, the screaming, the traffic and train delays. this is one of the reasons, among many, that people are protesting all over the world.
so, if you are more concerned with a couple dirty, jobless hippies, asking for a handout, causing traffic delays, etc, over cops, treating students, people, americans, unlawfully, well, you just became part of the problem.
on a side note; the other day a friend of mine that became a cop years ago uploaded a picture. out of respect i won’t post his name, or the picture but, he was dressed up as a protester for a march on wall street. the little rat bastard… he’s not a bad person and i do respect him. it’s not so much related to the video or anything, it was just pretty crazy to see. something else that just really hit home, someone i know personally was walking among the very people i walk amongst, but not with them… it really got me thinking, and was probably even a little scary to comprehend.
over the course of the past couple weeks i’ve been asked to answer questions for school assignments, interviews and personal interests. i’ve had my picture taken a couple hundred times, hopped on the occupy wall street livestream once or twice and been spotted in the background on some major networks. it’s hard to keep track just exactly where these interviews and photos are ending up but to name a few, the wall street journal, newsday and vice magazine told me to keep an eye out…
every time i’m approached i find myself somewhat conflicted, or hesitant even to allow my picture to be taken, or my opinions quoted. having been part of occupy wall street for going on three weeks now, i’ve become somewhat part of the community which has been formed. i’ve made many friends and have become acquainted with countless others. being a part of something which has only gained popularity in the mainstream media, it’s almost impossible to come across an article without recognizing a face or a name. it’s equally impossible not to notice discrepancies or inconsistencies in either what is being reported, generally, of the situation as a whole, or in what i know of the people of whom i’ve become acquainted with, their opinions and how those opinions have been reported, or rather, distorted.
so, i generally use my best judgement when speaking to someone about my opinions and of what i know, as well as who i allow to take my picture. for the most part, the journalists and photographers that have taken my photo have been great, keept in touch and sent me either a copy of the pictures taken, or a link to were i can view/save either the picture or article. but it’s hard, after speaking to people day in and day out about the same issues… if find it nearly impossible to articulate my perspectives, to sum up in five or ten minutes who i am and how i got here…
most recently, deborah lowery, a freelance photojournalist asked me how i ended up in zuccotti park, and if she could take my picture. i agreed. and although i am no longer a certified emt, and i do work when the hours are available, i suppose her information is accurate enough… the following is her take on our little interview;
“Paul Lessard is a certified EMT who is unemployed. He is a native New Yorker who is concerned about the environment and “the direction humanity is going” so has felt compelled to join the ranks of the occupiers to do what he can to help support their efforts at reform.”
as for some of the more pertinent discrepancies regarding the movement, as a whole, i plan to find some time to sit down and really write about my take on them. it’s very frustrating to see the media construe certain issues the way they do and even more so, trying to explain things to people that have been misinformed. i suppose knowledge and accurate information are just part of the driving factors involved in the success of this movement and if there’s anything i can do, having seen for myself, addressing those inaccuracies would just be one thing.
so i’ve spent the past week occupying wall street. i’ve seen people come and go and i’ve made some friends that i can only hope will remain my friends for years to come. i’ve been bombarded with names, questions and emotions. i’ve been a part of something that no words can describe. i’ve seen a lot the past week and sitting here, hijacking another starbucks wifi connection, it’s hard to articulate what i think about it all. infact, i think i’m just so overwhelmed with thoughts and emotions, that in a way i’m desensitized, stuck in mental quick sand, drowning.
i started to write the other day, but we’re either motionless, discussing, dissecting, reflecting, or consistently on the move, wearing down our soles. i was sitting in the blarney stone, a roomy irish hole in the wall just a few blocks away from ground zero. i was having a beer with Marc from ireland. we had only met a day or two prior to that night but already i felt like we were close friends. Bo from wisconsin was sitting at the table just across the way, along with Haywood and countless others of whose name escapes me. i went on to write that the day before i had gone home to change, shower and have a descent sleep… and although i slept for eighteen hours, my sleep was anything but descent. upon my return to what is now deemed liberty park, i was unable to locate Mike, an author/poet who instantly became a friend… another relationship formed, another bond which is seemingly unbreakable.
there is something happening here in new york city and countless cities across america, the world even, that you can only live through to understand. i am experiencing something that i suppose some people just aren’t cut out for, and that sucks for them. there is something going on that the media can’t report… something that is going to be with me for the rest of my life.
during one conversation early on, only a day or two after my arrival, the reality of where i was sitting hit home. the term “ground zero” was being thrown around as we were only two or so blocks away from the collapse of the world trade center. but a deeper meaning began to set in… ten years ago, upon the collapse of these two buildings, we would really begin to lose touch with our freedoms and liberties. one by one, human rights were collapsing before our eyes. this year, on september seventeenth, humanity began to wake up when a group of people occupied zuccotti park. this would once again become ground zero, the forefront for a new war against the corruption, evil and greed, not only in america, but across the globe.
i have a lot to say and it’s just a matter of time before i say it. i don’t know for certain what the future holds. i am driven by instincts and ideas but i’m not about to sit here and speculate. what i do know is that whatever happens, a movement has begun. a revolution is before us. change is certain. around me and within, things are going to be different…
