- Original Poster
- #1
Most of us are well aware of the problems caused by the banks, bankers and banking system, and most of us have experienced the consequences to our own lives and communities. Some more than others. As things stand, most human beings struggle just to survive and to feed and shelter their families. This generally means that time and energy that could be spent in personal development, spiritual growth, community development is spent on survival. Is this necessary? Of course not. We now have the means, the resources and the will to have material security for everyone. The problem seems to be with our financial structures and the people who run them.
I want to take action. I want to start a civil disobedience campaign to raise awareness and provoke discussion about the banks with a view to enforcing real change. I want to create a platform where this horrendous financial corruption can be exposed, dissected and ended forever.
Here is an outline of what I have in mind and in development, let me know what you think:
I will publicly go overdrawn on my bank overdraft limit and then refuse - publicly - to pay the charges.
By 'publicly' I mean through social media. For example, I will set up a Facebook page that outlines my intentions, get as many followers as possible (hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, given the subject matter) and then openly go over my overdraft limit and openly refuse to pay the charges.
That this be done so publicly is vital, as it forces the bank to push for action against me so as to discourage others doing the same if, for example, they simply ignored my account or wrote it off. However, the flip-side for the banks is that in pushing for action against me more publicity arises. In other words, we would have them caught between a rock and a hard place.
It would be vital that I push for and receive a prison sentence. Why? Because this publicly strips the banks of their power. If someone shows they are quite willing to go to prison then what threat do the banks have left? This move disempowers them publicly. It shows that I / we are not afraid of them, and that I / we are willing to sacrifice our own freedom for the cause. Gandhi and MLK both succeeded for this exact same reason. It also makes a bit of a martyr of the campaigner (in this case me) which engenders public sympathy and attention.
The act of civil disobedience - in this case, going overdrawn and refusing to pay the charges - is very important. It must be a simple act that most people can repeat. The act itself is minor, but the power is in the potential for repeat action. How can you lock up 100,000 people all committing the same 'crime'? And how could you lock up some but not others when everyone is doing it publicly? You can't, and so it is at this point where your campaign gains leverage, i.e. we can begin to push forward our agenda. However, it must be made clear that any campaigner must be willing to accept any legal punishment. We are breaking the law, and as such we should be willing to accept our punishment. But this is good, and only serves to highlight the injustices prevailing in the situation.
The hope is that in time we can transform our financial institutes and create societies where we are free and able to develop ourselves, our communities, and our planet in beautiful, creative, inspired ways, free from the shackles of material struggle.
So, what does everyone think so far?
I want to take action. I want to start a civil disobedience campaign to raise awareness and provoke discussion about the banks with a view to enforcing real change. I want to create a platform where this horrendous financial corruption can be exposed, dissected and ended forever.
Here is an outline of what I have in mind and in development, let me know what you think:
I will publicly go overdrawn on my bank overdraft limit and then refuse - publicly - to pay the charges.
By 'publicly' I mean through social media. For example, I will set up a Facebook page that outlines my intentions, get as many followers as possible (hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, given the subject matter) and then openly go over my overdraft limit and openly refuse to pay the charges.
That this be done so publicly is vital, as it forces the bank to push for action against me so as to discourage others doing the same if, for example, they simply ignored my account or wrote it off. However, the flip-side for the banks is that in pushing for action against me more publicity arises. In other words, we would have them caught between a rock and a hard place.
It would be vital that I push for and receive a prison sentence. Why? Because this publicly strips the banks of their power. If someone shows they are quite willing to go to prison then what threat do the banks have left? This move disempowers them publicly. It shows that I / we are not afraid of them, and that I / we are willing to sacrifice our own freedom for the cause. Gandhi and MLK both succeeded for this exact same reason. It also makes a bit of a martyr of the campaigner (in this case me) which engenders public sympathy and attention.
The act of civil disobedience - in this case, going overdrawn and refusing to pay the charges - is very important. It must be a simple act that most people can repeat. The act itself is minor, but the power is in the potential for repeat action. How can you lock up 100,000 people all committing the same 'crime'? And how could you lock up some but not others when everyone is doing it publicly? You can't, and so it is at this point where your campaign gains leverage, i.e. we can begin to push forward our agenda. However, it must be made clear that any campaigner must be willing to accept any legal punishment. We are breaking the law, and as such we should be willing to accept our punishment. But this is good, and only serves to highlight the injustices prevailing in the situation.
The hope is that in time we can transform our financial institutes and create societies where we are free and able to develop ourselves, our communities, and our planet in beautiful, creative, inspired ways, free from the shackles of material struggle.
So, what does everyone think so far?
