Occupy Wall Street in Union Square Photo credit: Derek Ku.
Since September 2011, Occupy Wall Street, a leaderless organization intent on battling corporate injustice, gained momentum both locally and internationally. New York City is often recognized as a center for public discontent since its famous unemployment riots of the 1930s, but the Occupy Wall Street movement is more than just a product of New York’s colorful history. Inspired by the protests of the “Arab Spring”, the movement had its roots in a Canadian campaign called AdBusters.1 Both glorified and critiqued for its occasionally radical methods of expressing public discontent, Occupy Wall Street often made headlines and continues to strike a chord with supporters and critics alike. The protesters are concentrated in Zuccotti Park–as close as possible to their common enemy, but use the entire city to promote their message of a supposedly better and more equal society.
Zuccotti Park. Photo by Anastasia Martinova.
We get off on Fulton Street, a huge network of intersecting subway lines in Lower Manhattan. The A, C, E, J, N, R, Z, 2, 3, 4, and 5 trains all stop there and lead us to Zuccotti Park, as well as Wall Street itself and the South Street Seaport. On a regular day we’d see protesters camping out in the park, holding signs, and sharing stories. What can we make of their struggles and ideas? Let’s explore it from two perspectives.
From a hypothetical supporter’s perspective:
Despite the birth of this movement out of the conversations of young activists across social media platforms, with its growth, it has come to represent the true 99% of the country that ranges in age, gender and ethnicity. Contrary to what many may want to believe is an aimless movement of hippies and young rebels, one third of the protesters are over 35 years old and half of them employed full time with 13% earning over $75,000 and an equal 13% unemployed according to a survey of those who visited occupywallst.org.3 Many have ventured to the area from out of state to voice their grievances with the government and big business. Men and women with and with out families and homes have used the movement as a platform for change and the multiple protester testimonials taken over the course of the movement reflect the large impact.
Occupy Wall Street in Union Square (credit to Derek Ku)
From a hypothetical skeptic’s perspective:
Zuccotti Park is swarming with leaderless protesters with no cause for collective complaint. A few creative signs and slogans may be nice to look at, but what do they actually amount to? Even the protestors themselves have differing views as to what their purpose is and what they want to accomplish. According to Tina Susman of the Los Angeles Times, “The posters in Zuccotti Park speak to the lack of a narrow platform: “End financial aid to Israel”; “End greed, end poverty, end war”; “No death penalty”; “Tired of racism.”” 4
With such a wide range of individual complaints about the status quo, it is obvious that the protesters are frustrated with the decisions of their government and the mysterious corporate giants of Wall Street . They feel that camping outside of the financial center of the world will get their message of discontent and rebellion across. Intentionally diverse and leaderless (no “head to chop off”), the movement is sweeping over Lower Manhattan, the city, and the nation.
Two interesting criticisms:
“…while the 99 percent is a glib, clever phrase, it literally links the interest of a hungry child in the Mississippi Delta to those of a six figure accountant whose mortgage is underwater. If you are going to mimic the symbols of Dr. King’s Poor Peoples Campaign, at least have the depth to say something specific about poor people.”5 -Former Cogressman Arthur Davis
“The issue for OWS isn’t the semi chaotic nature of last two months; it’s the order or disorder of the next two years. How and whether it’s possible for this inchoate, diffuse, and decentralized group of Americans – who reflect the genuine anger and frustration of millions more with the inherent dysfunction and inequities of the American economic and political system – to transition to a movement with legs.”6 -Former State Department official Aaron David Miller
Miller’s opinion is both supportive and skeptical. He addresses the OWS movement’s lack of organization and coherence, but goes on to acknowledge the intensity and potential of the movement. Most skeptics would be inclined to agree. The movement is still relatively recent and constantly changing, and it is only a matter of time before some changes are made.
OWS in Union Square on May Day 2012. Photo by Anastasia Martinova.
- “Occupy Wall Street | #OCCUPYCHICAGO | #OCCUPYWALLSTREET | Adbusters Culturejammer Headquarters.” Occupy Wall Street | #OCCUPYCHICAGO | #OCCUPYWALLSTREET | Adbusters Culturejammer Headquarters. Web. 09 May 2012. <http://www.occupywallstreet.org/>. ↩
- This Space Is Occupied. Photograph. Http://images.mises.org/5842/ThisSpaceOccupied.jpg. Web. 09 May 2012.” ↩
- “The Demographics Of Occupy Wall Street | Fast Company.” The Demographics Of Occupy Wall Street | Fast Company. Web. 09 May 2012. <http://www.fastcompany.com/1789018/occupy-wall-street-demographics-statistics>. ↩
- http://articles.latimes.com/2011/sep/29/nation/la-na-wall-street-protest-20110930/2 ↩
- http://www.politico.com/arena/perm/Ex_-Rep__Artur_Davis_8BD792B1-79CF-4C01-BA05-DCE8A5C19764.html?fb_ref=.T6CGSmw4Q0M.like&fb_source=profile_oneline ↩
- http://www.politico.com/arena/perm/Aaron_David_Miller_21B42793-709D-4C0C-807B-3B3FE1874740.html?fb_ref=.T6CGSuweSS4.like&fb_source=profile_oneline ↩
