I keep reading all these objections to the Occupy Wall Street people that center on “what’s their message? Why can’t these bored kids pick something and focus on it? You’re never gonna accomplish anything if you don’t have a message”.

What, exactly should they pick? I mean, it’s kinda an old tool of the kyriarchy to narrow the focus of complaints down to the tiniest of things so that real change never really happens. “Don’t focus on gay marriage when people are dying in Iraq”, “We have to ignore women’s equality so we can elect Democrats and then we’ll all be safe in happy abortion land” blah blah blah blah.

But really change don’t work that fucking way. It ain’t piecemeal, decided by the polite folks over afternoon tea. It happens when the system is dragged, kicking and screaming (or more likely billy-clubbing and pepper-spraying) into something better(ish).

What we know is this: the system is fucked for all but a handful of old white men. It’s fucked for non-men, non-whites, non-rich, non-straight, non-able bodied. It’s fucked for Americans and Greeks and Spaniards and Moroccans and Egyptians and and and and and. It’s fucked economically, environmentally, judiciously, politically.

To narrow down the message to a single, or even a dozen demands would water down any change to nothing.

You don’t tear down the master’s house with the master’s tools. Concise lists of demands are a kyriarchial tool. Besides, we all know what the current President thinks about bargaining. He starts from the center right. Progressive requests will be ignored, unless you chain yourself to the White House fence or the Wall Street pig.