Thread: Occupy Wall Street?

Originally Posted by Amber Leaf

Well, I've been to one of the sites in England and there were quite a few. Don't know about the US though.



What I am saying is nothing to do with asthetics. I'm about as scruffy and opinionated as they get but at the same time, I realise that protest sites rarely achieve anything and the best way to get people to see your point of view is to hang around with general people doing general things and hope they take heed of what you say to them regarding issues that affect the whole nation.

These people would get a lot further talking these issues through with people in their local pubs and cafes rather than all sticking together in one place pretending to be modern day martyrs.

I have tried many times to get "general" people to talk about political issues. But I had to give up in the end because it is so hard to tear these "general" people away from subjects like Cheryl Coles hair, or the latest X-facter votes or where they went for their last weekend away. I think Margaret Thatchers reign taught a lot of people that nothing will change a governments direction so most people became apathetic. Most people do not even go out and vote in the UK. And if you ask people most say they think their opinion doesn't get counted.

LOL

I have tried many times to get "general" people to talk about political issues. But I had to give up in the end because it is so hard to tear these "general" people away from subjects like Cheryl Coles hair, or the latest X-facter votes or where they went for their last weekend away.

Well, I canvass for one of the main parties on a regular basis and at the present I am chatting to people about their 'general' opinions on a daily basis. I think this gives me a certain perspective on what 'general' people think about the current poltical and social climate.

Most people don't think their opinion isn't worth anything. This is in fact a minority. Please dismiss what I am saying if you can provide any data that confirms your seeminly ill-informed judgements.

Originally Posted by Amber Leaf

Well, I canvass for one of the main parties on a regular basis and at the present I am chatting to people about their 'general' opinions on a daily basis. I think this gives me a certain perspective on what 'general' people think about the current poltical and social climate.

Most people don't think their opinion isn't worth anything. This is in fact a minority. Please dismiss what I am saying if you can provide any data that confirms your seeminly ill-informed judgements.

Your original suggestion was to talk to 'general' people in pubs and cafes. Where you do your convassing may be different from where I talk in pubs and cafes. Some areas of the country have a lot of people who disregard politics and focus only on the latest clothes they have bought or what is happening in Eastenders. Also in the workplace people are often very shy of discussing politics and that is the place most of us spend most of our time. If it is part of your job to canvass for votes then I am not surprised you are hearing general opinions about politics from general people. The question is do these people think that telling you their concerns is going to help?

Well, we'll have to agree to disagree because I hang around in a lot of pubs and cafes and have never had a problem getting people to talk about politics.