The Occupy Movement has good intentions, but I do not believe protesting is the way to create change. Change must come from above.
What the protests and demonstrations do promote is awareness, however. One of the main reasons this disparity is able to continue unchecked is because people are ignorant to it. They may feel it 
when they walk through a rich neighborhood and see how people in their own city are living so much more lavishly than themselves, but they do not always contribute it to powerful corporations and the global financial system as a whole. Therefore the protests raise awareness of the problem to those affected by the problem. It points a finger. This is all well and good.
Those who are unaffected by the problem are those people on top. They are already aware of it because they are there to ensure that this hierarchy remains in place. They are also the only ones with the power to change the system. Many of them try, but the majority of them have no qualms with being at the top of the proverbial food chain.
The only way to affect real change is to infiltrate the system of power. One must do this through education, social climbing, and hard work. To overhaul the power system you have to become a part of it and bring it down from the inside, replacing those people in power who are consumed by greed and corruption and enacting a new social order. This is called revolution.
The Occupy Movement is a good first step, but without follow-up action it is simply an empty gesture. It will only serve to aggravate 
the middle and lower classes into criminal activity, thereby widening the divide between the rich and the poor, which will in turn proliferate the problem. The only way to be successful is to complete the revolution of the power wheel.
Otherwise …
Dyslexacon 
I agree that education and hard work is necessary for true change. However entering a system that is designed to preserve that hierarchy in order to alter it is foolish. The only thing to do with that system is to dismantle it from without. Humanity has been tinkering with the hierarchical structures of governance for quite a while and the result is the same. Maybe not the same form or facade but the essence remains: Power. Power over people who it is supposed cannot govern themselves and must be lead like sheep. To try and use the tools of power to free people is insane (I once heard a definition of insane as expecting a different outcome from the same efforts)and will only lead to a reincarnation of the same old story.
Despite it’s clear shortcomings and evident impotence the occupy movement has two things truly special 1. that its spirit is that of reclaiming lost territories, both physical and abstract. 2. that it is seemingly leaderless and has direct participation and democracy at its very core, a mass entity not a flock. The only way to be successful is to complete the destruction of the power wheel.
“The only way to be successful is to complete the destruction of the power wheel.” Anarchy is where civilization started, and the evolution of government is what led us into this mess, so I’m not sure I agree with this. Anarchy is not progressive, it is regressive. Furthermore, any YouTube video of protestation footage will demonstrate that protesting does not destroy the power wheel. If anything, it demonstrates how untouchable it is. This picture illustrates it best: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5ULlIP5MJMs/SHHFRYQ1_jI/AAAAAAAAA5w/SesejwX8aj8/s1600-h/newcapitalistpyramid.jpg
Whether or not there is some ominous, overarching conspiracy will always be a speculation without proof. Nevertheless, in politics, as in every facet of society, you have good and bad apples. Unfortunately the bad apples seem to always come out on top because we live in a society where money is power and greed is the motivation behind almost every unjust political act. So naturally, in this kind of society, those of a money-bent mind will succeed.
That being said, let us say that you are right and the political power system is comprised of 100% evil people, geared toward maintaining this said hierarchy. If one were to enter into this system, under the guise of being one of the “bad guys,” they could, once they were empowered and given a voice, enact their own political agenda. Except in this case, in the scenario that I am proposing, it would be for equality. And they would be able to do so because at this point it is too late to silence them.
I did not propose “freeing people,” which is a pretty vague gesture, I proposed changing policy for the better; for the underdogs. I think grand gestures from within this system, where a person’s voice is more likely to be heard and where a person is respected by those in power, will have much more of an effect. People within the system who are of a like-mind could then speak up as well. They could even organize a full-out infiltration of the system by peppering the political sphere with agents of true democracy who will all act at a specific time (granted this plan would be on a grand scale, would take years of work and much playing pretend. Also some members might become corrupted and fall back on the plan, blowing it up and trying to prevent it.) But it would have a domino effect, like the symbolic domino-falling scene in V for Vendetta when all the pawns are moved and all the pieces of the plan fall into place.
I agree that the occupy movement keeps a flame burning, keeps the spirit of reclamation alive – a spirit that every member is a conduit for and that no one person (leader) is in charge of. I disagree that it works as a mass entity because you have assholes who will throw rocks at policemen and deface random parked vehicles in the name of lowering tuition. These acts are an expression of desperation and powerlessness. They are passive aggressive and they stem from a feeling impotence and that is exactly what these protests are: impotent. They create awareness, sure. They are an expression of a willingness to act and a willingness to band together, sure. They are excellent for igniting the revolutionary flame of justice. But they are revealed to be empty gestures once everyone puts down their signs, goes home, returns to their lives, and the streets are quiet. I don’t think protesting should be stopped altogether, I just think it should be supplemented with a more complex, organized plan. Protesting is not enough to enact change. And it is certainly not enough to even throw a cog in the power wheel.
I don’t think I would define a society without the need for centralized power, where communities of people band together to determine actions that are most beneficial for them and others as regressive. What I would define as regressive is the idea that one person, or a few out of the whole are necessary to change things. The political sphere is based on that, its not filled with people who sit twisting their moustaches thinking up new deliciously evil plans, it is based on the idea that leaders are necessary. That people cannot determine for themselves what is best for them and need to be shown. That is the “evil” of the political world, that it takes from us our right to determine how to live our lives and conduct our affairs under the assumption that we can’t handle it.
So to enter the political system as some sort of operative makes no sense. Why? because the system is its own entity and many different people with the wish to do good for their fellow citizens have joined it. No finer point can be made against any use of the system than this: That I would say a large majority of political members are there because they wish to improve citizens lives and the present situation is the result. So how did they fare? We have inequality, a police force thats being increasing militarized with an equally dangerous sense of superiority above the citizen(another institution we have little to no control over), dangerous environmental practices, weapons sales, unwavering support for some of the greatest human rights violators of our time, an indigenous population being marginalized and abused and the cherry on top: A political system virtually inaccessible except for token voting for our favourite political stage play. That is the result of “good people” trying to change our country for the better…
The political system is a plague ship of good intentions, it is a lost cause. No amount of infiltration, renovation or some clandestine master plan can save it, let it go. We are better off without it. And this is not a movie, it is real life. A flaccid coup from within administered by people who lied does not sound appealing. Real revolution cannot be hidden, cannot be camouflaged. It has to be open and honest. Can the heroes of the new equality be those who lied and cheated their way to the top? Outrageous!
There’s assholes in every organization, look at the police( a whole army of people who have good intentions from the inside!) ; the ones who throw tear gas, rubber bullets, stun grenades, tazers, Dogs, weaponized directed sound waves, unchecked power and nightsticks at people proclaiming their rights, the ones who deface the idea of justice in the name of the Glock 22. Can you really blame someone for being angry at that kind of behaviour from people with “to SERVE and PROTECT” written on the side of their Armoured Personnel Carrier? Maybe if they added on “those who can pay for it”…
So I believe it is time to try something radically different and the only way to do that is to start from the bottom, not the top. The most important part of a structure is the foundation, and thats where it should start. Yeah protesting is not enough, the occupy movement is adolescent..but there is a hope that they will grow up. I hope that we can take control from the bottom up and shed the illusion of dependence which keeps us from true progress. To use your adolescent analogy; its time to leave our parents care and start taking care of ourselves, leave behind their ideas and make some of our own. Isn’t it great to be a kid?
You didn’t actually offer your alternative system in your previous comment, but I agree! This would be perfect democracy! Unfortunately I don’t think this type of representation is possible because areas are so densely populated and people CHOOSE to live in this way. People flock to big cities because that is where more opportunities are. The idea that a few out of a population upwards of 35,000,000 is not regressive, it is necessary. Leaders ARE necessary in places where populations contain so many sects and small groups. Not every voice can be heard. That is not to say these groups would be better off with their own territories and their own set of laws and systems of governance, but they are either A) not willing to do so, as they want to be part of the central populace or B) not able to do so because it is next to impossible to gain sovereignty these days.
The system is flawed, undoubtedly. It is based on “democracy” but it can’t achieve equal representation for all parties under it because there are simply too many people with differing desires. In short, it tries to encompass and control too much. Globalization and the shift toward global governance is only going to make this situation worse…
I am not arguing that the system is perfect or that you have to work with the system. I am arguing that it is more accessible from the inside, hacking even. Destroying it physically from without will not destroy it. It is like a bacteria. It exists in information form and it is more easily accessed from the inside, once one has been entrusted with access codes and given admittance to safeguards of sensitive documentation. I would argue that WikiLeaks is a much more valid strategy of activism than picketing and shouting at literal and proverbial monoliths that are not affected in the least by their … disgruntlement.
You cannot say that all revolution is open and honest. Any strategic planning must be clandestine so as not to be prevented. Infiltrating a system in camouflage, striking at the appropriate time is no different than a guerrilla army clad in camouflage in order to issue a surprise attack.
“Can the heroes of the new equality be those who lied and cheated their way to the top?” Yes. Who cares if they have mounted a system of lies by telling lies to liars? If we can let go of romantic notions of heroism, then anyone willing and able to do so can topple the system.
I like how you said: “the occupy movement is adolescent..but there is a hope that they will grow up.” That is exactly what I wish to express: grow up. Yeah it’s great to be a kid, but at some point we will have to trade our pull-ups for some pants and get shit done.
The alternative is the seizure of all elements of government by non-violent yet aggressive population. In place would be an elaborate and complicated system of councils in every factor of life. Basically Anarchro syndicalism, that is my opinion for an equitable and truly progressive system. large population centers can be divided into districts with strong ties to others but with an independent direct democracy in each. Each district will decide on issues then send a representative(in the real sense of the world, not todays) to larger councils for broader issues. Etc, etc.
The hardest thing to do is to start over, but in a sense thats what we must do because what we are doing at this moment is not improving governance. But making it more digestible and disassociated from the population then it was in previous eras with no fundamental shift in its essence-that is centralized power.Instead the focus of the government is making our people more comfortable and complacent while standing on the backs of others.
And yes all revolution is open and honest in INTENTION. Guerrillas make no secret that they want to overthrow a government, they do conceal their tactics with regards to combat. The purpose or ‘Spirit’ of a revolution must always be open and honest because, like a person, lies and deceit poison the mind.
Its romantic heroism to believe people should proudly declare their position and beliefs? Thats a perfect cynicism. Cynicism is the real reason that we have not changed jack shit.