Occupy?

[JenellYB]

What are your thoughts on the Occupy movement? And how does it resonate, or not, with your faith and core values?

 

For me, it is an exciting movement that does embrace many elements of my own faith and values. I am finding "the Christian Left" movement in solid harmony with my views on the Occupy movement. To me it seems a crucial faith-based response to the co-opting of Republican conservatism by the Tea Party/religious right.

 

In having examined my political and social positions, I've found I am now, still, quite in alignment with, "traditional" moderate conservatism, which was actually a surprise to me. Until recent years, i always considered myself a moderate, middle of the road...well, maybe just a little left of center. I've realized it isn't ME that has much changed in that, but that the whole political/social issues spectrum has shifted hard right, leaving me off to the left of the whole mess, despite my having not really myself moved very much.

 

However, I do find I have been am am myself tending to shift further leftward, and upon that realization, try to understand why. What it seems to me is that as one trying to maintain center, a balance, my leftward tilt is something of the response one might have, sitting in the middle of a boat, should too many fellow occupants move toward the right side, causing the boat to dangerously tip toward the right. The natural response of even one sitting in the center is to shift one's own weight hard left, in trying to restore balance. And I think I am not alone, that many presently tending to shift hard left in this time of political and social crisis are responsing out of that same instinct.

 

To me, to be a Progressive is not synonomous with being liberal. To me, Progressivism is controlled forward progress which comes only through a balance of conservatism and liberalism. Liberalism, unrestrained by conservatism, is a headlong, brash, irresponsible rush into chose. Conservatism without the forward pressing energy of liberalism is to stagnate and regress into a rigid resistance to changing reality.

 

For now, I accept that pulling hard left is my best reponse to the imbalance, my part in trying to bring the boat back to an even keel, lest that rightward tilt become a rightward roll-ever that drowns us all.

 

Jenell

[GeorgeW]

Jenell,

 

I am definitely sympathetic to the OWS movement. It is a reaction to the economic injustice found in our country. There has been a massive transfer of wealth from bottom to the top over the last 30-40 years.

 

As to political labels, I read the following somewhere:

• Radical: Those who want to change the existing system.
  
• Liberal: Those who want change, but within the existing system.
  
• Moderate: Those who are content with moderate evolution of the socio-political system.
  
• Conservative: Those who don't want change.
  
• Reactionary: Those who want to return to a previous socio-political system, real or imagined.
  

According to these definitions, I am a liberal.

 

FWIW, at least in politics, I think 'progressive,' as a label, developed as a result of conservatives successfully making 'liberal' a negative term.

 

George

[soma]

Respect and honor it.

[rivanna]

It sure beats the Tea Party.

I’d love to see the movement lead to more hiring by the big corporations, better regulation of banks, and less spending on war.

One of my sons was laid off from work a year and a half ago. Thankfully, he just landed a temporary job at least.

[Nick the Nevermet]

In a related news story, a group of religious protesters carried a golden calf to wall street. Link

[JenellYB]

Thanks, Nick, that's cool! On The Christian Left website, among their wall photos is one with a picture of the Israelites celebrating with their golden calf idol at Sinai on one side, and the big Wall Street market bull statue on the other, with caption,"some things never change."

Interesting juxtaposition, I think!

 

Jenell