After occupying Thomas Paine Park on Thursday November 17, 2011, I noticed some aspects that were significantly different from the past locations I’ve occupied. To help me explain this experience, because it’s not a very common one, I’ve found a fitting comparison that may or may not please a few folks.

Occupy Wall Street, in my opinion, is increasingly resembling the artsy experience that is Burning Man. This idea first arose when I heard a certain chant that didn’t seem to match the political movement that it’s supposed to be. “We got your back! You got our back!” was the chant that made me stop and think, and while I was pondering over the chant, a man waltzed by me screaming something about the civil war. In fact, as my friend and I circled our way around the park, there was a different group of performers (I mean protesters) every few steps. It was almost like going from exhibit to exhibit. The first exhibit consisted of a marching band making its way through the park. I was sitting on a bench when they made their debut in the park, marching behind me with a catchy beat that encouraged me to start bouncing my head. When I looked forward, the second exhibit appeared. This one kept me entertained with a circle of dancers all dressed in green, which matched the marching band. As soon as I had enough of the band tunes, I made my way to the source of the loud chanting. There were a few leaders on a mini stage with megaphones, leading a number chants from “We are the 99” to “La gente unido no puede ser derrotada!” And with everyone joining in together, the words became increasingly distorted and difficult to make out.

This may sound a bit messy, but that is what I’m attempting to emphasize. The messiness of Burning Man is part of what makes it enjoyable and artsy. However, when a revolution is trying to ground, it’s dangerous to be mistaken for a performance. My point is further discussed in a New Times article by Jillian Dunham when he touches on more “shows” that are put on at Occupy. At Berkeley, they released floating tents. And in New York, there was a bat signal that hit a Verizon building. Now, on one hand, these are great ways to make it into the public eye and gain attention through the media. However, my concern arises when I talk to people back home in Texas who only see what’s going on through television and radio. It becomes easy to bash a bunch of street performers screaming something about percentages. The 1% who run the media are skilled at making it seem like this should blow over in no time at all.

Basically, the goal should be to remain in the pubic eye while sending an organized, centralized concern that can be respected. The problem with this movement resembling Burning Man is that Burning Man is over after a few days. This is what encourages the idea that “Occupy” will blow over eventually, instead of initiating a just reform as it should. I feel like at the end of the day, some people get arrested and there’s some violence, which stands as the finale of Burning Man when the huge wooden man is burned. And this marks the end of the celebration. I support and appreciate the energy that is put into Occupy, but if we could harvest all of that energy into a single idea and get that translated into policy, then I believe we will have successfully changed the country for the better by restructuring the way firms influence elections and take risks on innocent citizens’ money.

I have provided the article by Dunham, and a video of my experience this Thursday! Enjoy! (Just click either link)

Occupy      <<< CLICK HERE