OWS is asking. Whether Democray...Whether Capitalism. | MyFDL I couldn’t agree more. If the Occupy movement seeks to be inclusive, labels, including but not limited to “socialism”, are a dangerous business. I have, however, noticed frequent references to “cooperatives” and worker-run businesses.
Check out some of these statements (excerpted) that were included in the “First OFFICIAL Release from OWS”. I would call them totally consistent with socialism whether the label is used or not.
1. corporations do not seek consent to extract wealth from the people
2. no true democracy is attainable when the process is determined by economic power
3. corporations, which place profit over people, self-interest over justice, and oppression over equality, run our governments
4. they undermined the farming system through monopolization
5. They have continuously sought to strip employees of the right to negotiate for better pay and safer working conditions
6. They have consistently outsourced labor and used that outsourcing as leverage to cut workers’ healthcare and pay
7. They continue to block generic forms of medicine that could save people’s lives in order to protect investments that have already turned a substantive profit
8. They have purposely covered up oil spills, accidents, faulty bookkeeping, and inactive ingredients in pursuit of profit
9. They have perpetuated colonialism at home and abroad
10. They continue to create weapons of mass destruction in order to receive government contracts
What’s the bottom line here? People before profits. It’s not the label that matters; it’s the values we’re fighting for.