I am normally wary of statements such as this changes everything. But there is something distinctly attractive about the Occupy Wall Street movement - especially if it is seen as a single thread in a tapestry of increasing social and civic unrest aimed at systematically deconstructing and challenging the more damaging aspects of our civilisational world-system.
The ground swell of civil upheaval we are witnessing around the world (admittedly for a variety of differing reasons) seems to offer the potential for a profound global awakening to the human condition that is probably unprecedented in modern times.
Before Occupy Wall Street any serious conversation about the negative aspects (misdirected power, corruption and discrimination) locked into the global financial system occurred rarely, and only then at private gatherings of cognoscenti or during off-the-grid brainstorming conclaves within left-leaning think-tanks. With little public discussion of the outlandish power of Wall Street and its links to the diminishing fortunes of the middle class it was fair to assume a deeply ingrained and pervasive public apathy. That assumption was wrong.
What had not been fully appreciated was the power of digital information and communications tools, and especially the new social media, to connect and ferment resentment among those who were doing it tough; people who were already feeling the pain from unemployment or from working in a system where senior executives could earn up to 450 times that of the average employee. Couple these factors to an increase in political inertia and corruption and the existential issues of a planet under threat from extreme weather events and climate change and we immediately have a recipe for revolution.
Occupy Wall Street is giving a voice to ordinary men and women who are victims of a world-system that is unsustainable. In fact, it may represent the best hope in years that "we the people" will step up to take on the critical challenges of our time. Sarah van Gelder (editor) and the staff of YES! Magazine claim that the Occupy movement is already "changing everything". In their new book, Occupy Wall Street and the 99% Movement, they name ten factors to support their thesis:
1. It names the source of the crisis
Political insiders have avoided this simple reality: The problems of the 99% are caused in large part by Wall Street greed, perverse financial incentives, and a corporate takeover of the political system. Now that this is understood, the genie is out of the bottle and it can¹t be put back in.
2. It provides a clear vision of the world we want
We can create a world that works for everyone, not just the wealthiest 1%. And we, the 99%, are using the spaces opened up by the Occupy movement to conduct a dialogue about the world we want.
3. It sets a new standard for public debate
Those advocating policies and proposals must now demonstrate that their ideas will benefit the 99%. Serving only the 1% will not suffice, nor will claims that the subsidies and policies that benefit the 1% will eventually "trickle down".
4. It presents a new narrative
The solution is not to starve government or impose harsh austerity measures that further harm middle-class and poor people already reeling from a bad economy. Instead, the solution is to free society and government from corporate dominance. A functioning democracy is our best shot at addressing critical social, environmental, and economic crises.
5. It creates a big tent
We, the 99%, are people of all ages, races, occupations, and political beliefs. We will resist being divided or marginalized. We are learning to work together with respect.
6. It offers everyone a chance to create change
No one is in charge. No single organization or political party calls the shots. Anyone can get involved, offer proposals, support the occupations, and build the movement. Because leadership is everywhere and new supporters keep turning up, there is a flowering of creativity and a resilience that makes the movement nearly impossible to shut down.
7. It is a movement, not a list of demands
The call for deep change (not temporary fixes and single-issue reforms) is the movement¹s sustaining power. The movement is sometimes criticized for failing to issue a list of demands, but doing so could keep it tied to status quo power relationships and policy options. The occupiers and their supporters will not be boxed in.
8. It combines the local and the global
People in cities and towns around the world are setting their own local agendas, tactics, and aims. What they share in common is a critique of corporate power and an identification with the 99%, creating an extraordinary wave of global solidarity.
9. It offers an ethic and practice of deep democracy and community
Slow, patient decision-making in which every voice is heard translates into wisdom, common commitment, and power. Occupy sites are set up as communities in which anyone can discuss grievances, hopes, and dreams, and where all can experiment with living in a space built around mutual support.
10. We have reclaimed our power
Instead of looking to politicians and leaders to bring about change, we can see now that the power rests with us. Instead of being victims to the forces upending our lives, we are claiming our sovereign right to remake the world.
Like all human endeavors, Occupy Wall Street and its thousands of variations and spin-offs will be imperfect. There have already been setbacks and divisions, hardships and injury. But as our world faces extraordinary challenges, from climate change to soaring inequality, perhaps our best hope is the ordinary people, gathered in imperfect democracies, who are finding ways to fix a broken world.
Occupy Wall Street and the 99% Movement, Edited by Sarah van Gelder and the staff of YES! Magazine. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2011, 96 pages. $6.95 (30% off the cover price when you buy from YES!. All royalties from this book are donated to the Occupy Wall Street movement)
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