VALUES Data:
data of resoponses to the question: "What Values do you feel that we, as Occupy Boston, all share?" that was posed on a white board, was surveyed from someone walking around asking, and a ideas collection box in front of the Ghandi Statue. Collection occurred around Nov 1st, 2011.
Here is the word cloud that is the ~15% of responses that involved a concept that can be seen as a Value. NOTE: the other 85% of comments are not in this word cloud:
RAW DATA:
FROM THE CAMP INTERVIEWS (Eric):
What are the values that we, as Occupy Boston, all share?
(below are the responses to this question by campers and people in the camp on 11/5/11 and 11/6/11, not necessarily within the definition of Values)
· Change. Everyone wants Change. Change in society, employment, fixing the nation, taxing the rich
· Some don’t know how to express it, what they value here
· Media misreads Occupy Boston,
o Press sees only the ‘bad eggs.’
o Press is motivated by the negatives. Negative press has political issues.
o Not enough positive press from ‘liberal’ papers; the liberal papers are afraid to commit because Occupy Boston is diverse
· Have to get political-
o Go after your congressman
o Do something
o Sign a petition
o Empower people to circulate petitions in the community for you
o Have a platform of 5 issues
o Be political and harness the power of the people
· Small is beautiful
· Return to community values
· Be neighborly
· We are angry, we want change
· We are here, we are present, this our presence, we engage by being here
· Our presence is making his a rejuvenation of our democracy
· To rejuvenate the past American apathy
· We have been stripped of public places. Private clubs have overtaken our open spaces
· We are ‘cross-partisan’. Not one political group can claim us
· Want lobbying reform; campaign finance reform;
· Repeal the Citizen-United bill
· Boycotting of large banks, supporting small banks
· Get money out of politics
o Norfaust pledge
· Laws against monopolies have not been enforced
· Media has merged into mega-opolies
· We are the Voice of the People
· The voice of the people has been silent since Vietnam
· Just be fair
· Be fair to your fellow human beings
· Judge a country by how they treat their poor
· Create a Transaction Tax on stock trades, etc., to take the volatility out of the stock market
· Strength in numbers
· Sustainable community; Proof that it needs to exist and keep growing
· Inclusive, not exclusive
· Renewal of patriotism
· A new definition of patriotism
· Diverse, but self-sustaining community
· Occupy is proof that it can be done
· Care
· Concern, concern for our country, concern for others
· Productive
· Solves problems collectively
· People are inquisitive, looking for Questions and Answers
· System is broken
· Encouragement
· We need this movement
· Brings in young people into the political spectrum
· The young people here are living it
· Object to the injustice that large wealth is fixed within a small group
· Patriotism must be redefined as loving humanity through living in your country
· Shouldn’t have bailed out Wall Street. That was the rich bailing out the rich, giving trillions to the wealthiest sector who performed the greatest incompetence, while the hard working average citizen struggles under the consequences which they did not cause, and receive no bailout and zero support.
· Healthcare policy flip-flops and unknowns freeze funds and corporations must hoard to prepare for future
· Good will has value, good will creates revenue
· “Occupy” is a spectrum of greivances
· “Occupy” has become a brand name, but its real face is obscured to the outside world by loud Anarchists and Union opportunists
· From the outside, it looks like the Occupy movement means “Give me something”
o But at the same time, Occupy tells the Homeless to “Go away”
· Too much money drives political elections
· There seems to be a lack of leadership, there is no individual spokesperson
· There seems to be a lack of connection to other Occupies
· Our lack of tight connection to OWS, etc., shows how Grass Roots we all are
· Mayor Menino says “Civil Disobedience has no place in the modern world”, but we say the opposite
· Minimize the Achievement Gap in education system
o Discrepancy between students of color vs. Caucasian and Asian, somewhat related to socio-economic rasons
o Give equal access to education
o Evaluate students by state tests alone are not enough, need teacher input
o Restructure the standardized tests
· Fairness
· Democracy and Freedom, although Democracy and Freedom can be at tension with each other
o Balance the socialist projects with individual liberties
· Acting from Love and human aesthetics
· Disappointed that there is money to bailout the banks, but not enough money to help out the common person
· “Education” should not be judged by the college degree alone
· Democracy with respect
· Seeing the experiment here working, and spreading it outwards
· It’s about pure democracy
· This (Occupy) is the America that we all grew up believing in.
· Corruption of politics has choked the voice of the individual
· Money speaks now, not people
· That it costs so much to run an election, the common man cannot be elected to represent his/her peers
· The awareness is not the endgame, Occupy needs to stimulate actions
· Occupy needs 3 or 4 hard things to stand for
· Honest publicly funded, publicly financed campaigns
· Must overturn the Citizen’s United bill
· Re-instate the Glas-Steegle Act, to better regulate banks and financial institutions
· Transaction Tax on Wall Street trades
· We are all here for similar reasons, but for different reasons.
· Truth, not just in taxes
· Correct fundamental inequalities
o OB is dealing with financial qualities pretty well
· We should strive to reduce oppression, even if our political goal is something different
· Financial equality is the microeconomic view; Economic equality is the macroeconomic view
· Right wing isn’t worth dealing with
· Shouldn’t demonize conservatives because they disagree; conservatives donate more than liberals to the poor.
FROM THE WHITEBOARD: ------------------------
What are the values that we, as Occupy Boston, all share?
· Respecting ALL people
· Respectfully demonstrating authentic democracy
· There’s more to life than money
· People are not disposable
· Discipuli Scolae Latinae Bostoniensis Dicunt: “OCCUPATE BOSTONIAM!”
· I value a society that supports non-violence
· Pro-Family
· Self-Knowledge and Self Respect
· Restore the National Tariff/Import Tax
· Poverty is not a choice! (Unfair? Yes, but it’s unsustainable, bound to fail)
· Have not greed for yourself, but for your country and for this world.
· The 1% are nothing more than politicians motivated by money and power. We the people are motivated by Quality, Unity, and Love
· The 1% are the ruling class rich
· Ask the good question
· I also question my own greed
· Economic Patriotism
· A non-violent community
· Spirit Fire
· Compassion
· Dignity
· Public Funding of Public Functions, like Elections
· Corporations should NOT be allowed to gund political parties
· Self determination
· I value a society that values humanity more than $$
· It is not the right of “We the people” to peaceably assemble for the redress of grievances, it is our patriotic DUTY to do so. We are Americans. We are our countrymen’s keepers, and they are ours. Together we are AmeriCANS, financially and socially and racially; otherwise, we are AmeriCAN’TS.
· Oneness
Comments left in the Occupy Boston Ideas working group
box in front of the Ghandi Statue, anwering the same question as above.
Comments were taken out before the ideas working group meeting 9:30pm
on Sunday Nov. 6th 2011. Compiled by Andrew
- Fill bank mailing envelopes with junk mail and return them – make it
as heavy as you can
- Respect for everyone’s need to have food shelter safety education
well-being and a say in how their government deploys resources
- For the rich to promote economic fairness
- Stop corporate power from influencing our government
- Earth Care, People Care, Fairshare (The 3 ethics of Permaculture)
- Eliminate the power to money in the political process
- Non-violence
- Justice, Equality, Fairness for all, Importance of Taking a stand
for these values. Stand against corporate greed! Corruption in
Government.
- Can you or will you define “Occupy Boston”? If this term is meant to
mean the people living, staying and working in Dewey Square we share
NO COMMON VALUES. The majority of people here are committed to
violence. Don’t believe me? Ask a person what they will do if
struck. Most will promise you “I will strike back”
- Equality for all.
- Keep the spirit alive. Non-violent. Feed people. Housing and health
care. Should be fundamental rights for all people – there is enough
money in this country to care for all people. No starving children or
elderly.
- Great Work! This is an awesome Idea Ideas Group
- We need to organize more acts of civil disobedience to bring
attention to the main topic of occupy. We fight to result our
democracy from the corporate oligarchy… to rescue our democracy
against corporatocracy.
- Differentiate between short term and long term goals. A) sort term
job stimulus. B) long-term reduce military as well as other benefits.
C) accept that changes to social security, Medicare and Medicaid are
needed. They can be made more progressively paid for rather than
sacrifice benefit levels and eligibility. A good planet is hard to
find!
- Non-violence. Social justice, volunteerism and can-do spirit.
Standing for something. Individuality combined with unity.
Non-violent. Regulate American companies that have moved from
country. Revolution. Save our democracy from corporate oligarchs end
the corporatocracy. Pro-freedom and virtue. Pro-economic patriotism.
Pro-family. Anti-corporate corruption. Anti-corporate parasitism.
Anti-economic treason.
- What do you stand for?
- This place is a fuckin’ joke homeless & drug addicts only a matter
of time before mayor shuts down.
- Saftey is a joke
- The common good should benefit everyone involved. When we dicide
the issues we stand for they should be made so that the average
American can get on board by relating to them. If we loose sight of
the goals we set out attempting to accomplish we will fail. The most
important thing to tdo is keep communicating. Especially the lost and
hopeless who wander in like refugees hoping to finally find content.
- We are all in this together. Keep it up.
- look after others as you would look out for yourself.
- Unfair? It is. But its worse than unfair. It’s unsustainable.
Bound to fail. As it is doing now. We need a new system. The only
thing that will work is social credit.
- I would like to say bless all that stand in the face of oppression
and don’t blink.
- We want cahnage ant he end of the monetary system. We all
understand the universe is dynamic with no stable state. We are that
pendulum.
- Here is a chance for people who felt forgotten and marginalized to
come together and feel that each one of us counts. Boycott big bands.
Put your money in a safe place instead.
- Honesty. An honest day’s pay for an honest day’s work. Free
assembly. Consensus. Right of every voice to be heard.
- That people should be more represented by the government. That our
whold environment needs protection and respect. That we humans are
not the only beings that count. That we need to work far more for
ways to establish peaceful solutions. Though it may take much effort
and time.
- Having more money does not give you more of a right to be heard.
Capitolism is not a perfect system. No system is perfect. It is our
responsibility to inject the system with ethics and morality.
- To enhance a better life for us all together as one.
Love/compassion/joy/happiness/oneness.
- The essence of America. Community. Saftey. Individuality.
Neighborliness. Support. Creativity. The common goal of removing
corporations influsne on government and cive dielide of fascisim.
Wanting America to be “great” and the “land of opportunity for all,
not some. Drives ambition. Resourcefullness. Willing to listen
(consensus). Wanting to take back the “American Dream”. Cleanliness.
Consistensy. Sorry for my somewhat ambiguous terms, America is riddled
w/ certain prrases and terms of endearment to describe.
- Dicksucking
- Non-Violence. Suffering. Love.
- Draft: A message from Occupy Boston Past: Statement of
OccupationToday the United States is confronted by a toxic mix of
financial, social, and environmental catastrophes that demand a
thorough and immediate solution. The common root of these disasters is
the domination of our social, economic, and political lives by the
interests of a financially prosperous minority. The actions of this 1%
threaten our lives, the lives of all the Earth’s creatures, our
livelihoods, our liberty, our shared humanity, and our common future.
In response, we, the General Assembly of Occupy Boston have abandoned
usual democratic channels and chosen instead direct democracy. The
corrupt order amidst which we live demands a profound collective
response. Occupy Boston is that response. Because, the problems of
economic inequality, unemployment, and crushing debt, are all
symptomatic of the larger corrupting influence money has had on our
political and social lives, Because, this influence has impeded
progress toward a more just and sustainable society, has perpetuated
crisis at home, war abroad and perverts democratic action, Because,
the pursuit of the elites has had an even more devastating effect on
the more vulnerable and less empowered members of our community as
well as on the ecosystems upon which our species depends, Because,
this financial minority also own or control, directly or indirectly,
the media and legal apparatus: we have retaken the commons and
resurrected direct democracy. / Present: Statement of PurposeWe the
people who have occupied Dewey Square, under the name Occupy Boston,
have done so in order to maintain a place, where all voices are
welcome for the open discussion of ideas, grievances, and potential
solutions to the problems apparent in our society. We are and will be
holding general assemblies where proposals may be brought to the group
as a whole, to be consented to. We have and will continue to occupy
this space for the purpose of DEMOCRACY. / Be it resolved that we, the
General Assembly of Occupy Boston, acting in solidarity with
occupations across America and with peoples' movements worldwide, do
hereby declare our opposition to all systems of power that function to
maintain oppressive and undemocratic systems. We declare that a better
world is possible, and that it is our right and responsibility to
begin creating it. / Future: Mission Statement / Our mission is to
give birth to a just and compassionate body politic that will tread
lightly upon the Earth. Our mission will be accomplished when these
goals are met: / 1. The US has a sustainable peace time economy. 2.
The voices of the 99% are heard and acted upon. 3. All the Earth’s
ecosystems are healthy. 4. In allocating resources, the US government
priorities the needs of the environment and the 99% who are not
wealthy.
