this carving would adorn the front gate of my personal eden
What is the ideal human condition? Ask a Buddhist and she might reply "Nothing". Ask a Jehovah's Witness and he might describe a world in which conservatively dressed people of all colors walk hand in hand, wearing painfully huge smiles and tidy haircuts, among lion cubs and lambs frolicking in a manicured but bountiful garden. Ask me and you'll get your answer a few days from now and it still won't be complete.
Part of my answer to that question would include all of what that exciting new movement, Occupy Wall Street, has been shouting about. An end to the cozy relationship between Wall Street and our government. Student loan forgiveness. Decent health care for all. Some might chuckle condescendingly, bitch about drum beating hippies, and say this is all unrealistic. Of course, that is simply lazy, selfish thinking. Those who look down upon the movement throw out the term socialism and their minions scatter for the shelter of their mental bunkers. Works every time. The 99% are not seeking some sort of progressive eden, nor do they want to do away with responsible capitalism. What was that about a "level playing field"? It doesn't exist anymore in the U.S. The machine has worked out that particular kink, and it runs smoothly only for the one percent.
After much hesitation, I've decided to dedicate at least one blog post to Occupy Wall Street. SO much has been surmised, theorized, and rhapsodized about the movement that I fear anything I have to say is either trite or repetitious. I also feel removed from the fray over here in Hungary (where there is a similar movement afoot, more on that in another post). I can only watch from the hill, so to speak, and keep up as best I can. I fully support their efforts and think it's about damn time. I also think those things that have been pointed out as flaws within the movement are actually strengths that have not been recognized because they are not status quo. You know, that god-awful idea that this is just how things are done.Working within the system to beat the system. Fuck that.
I do have my concerns. I worry about the "branding" of the movement (indeed, the branding of a person or an idea sticks in my craw). Steps have already been taken that threaten to cheapen the OW ethos. The loathsome irony of it would be funny except that it's really happening. Some guy has filed to patent "Occupy Wall Street", there's a "Hot Chicks of OW" bouncing flirtatiously around the internet, and MTV's "Real World" sent out casting calls for OW Participants. I worry about egos inflating, celebrity seeking, leaving little room for anyone else as well as the unadulterated goals of the movement.
I know this is how America currently works and one aim of OW is to stop it and change it. It's not good enough to merely question authority, we must seize it and break it up into bite size chunks.
This blog post will feature a wish list of my "mays" and "may nots" for Occupy Wall Street. The one percent may be small, but they've been running this shit for decades and the residue of their influence will not be easy to shake off. All we can do is try.
DEAR NINETY NINE PERCENTERS...
(requests from an American supporter abroad)
Remain leaderless: Please, 99%, please do not be seduced by the ambitious, the bossy, and the sanctimonious. No one person should be your mouthpiece. Speak and shout for yourselves. No father/mother figures please. This ain't no liberal artistocracy, this is supposed to be democracy. Representatives definitely have a time and a place, but only if they truly represent without personal ambition. At the risk of being accused of marxism (gasp) I say...from each according to his ability. No one person or elite group should be given all of the ability.
Don't Get All Purist on My Ass: Back to the sanctimony...please, people, leave it at home, in the closet. Don't try to out anti-corporation me or anyone else. My aim is as true as yours. Don't get so wrapped up in what's "corporate whoring" and what's not that you become an insufferable know it all. It's not always so obvious what is and what isn't. Again, the one percent have been in control for a long time, so long that the fruits of their culture have set seed every damn where. It's ingrained in everything, including our language. Be patient, be compassionate, don't be an asshole.
Don't Ignore Your Elders: Some of them, many of them have great ideas which are as cutting edge and exciting as anything a 21 year old can conceive. Plus they have wisdom and experience. Not all, but some. Not all new ideas spring from the minds of the young either, bless their hot little heads. It's all about the individual. Age is just a number, sonny.
Try to Find Common Ground: Not so much with the one percent (except the ones who sympathize with the 99%) but with other, more conservative folks who are in the same dismal situation. This isn't about who is smarter, hotter, better, or about punishing those whose lives suck but who continue to shill for the very people who keep them down in the hole. This is supposed to benefit everyone. A culture war may be waging and I definitely have a preferred victor, but combat here may divert too much attention from what is really important...an actual, level playing field (see, there's some sneaky corporate lingo again) for all Americans, not just those who agree with you on every single talking point. Get to know people as people rather than ideologues. Maybe we should keep the culture war a cold one for now. Who knows, with a little fellowship, the culture war could be downgraded to culture spat.
Anyway......I will continue to watch Occupy Wall Street and its sister protests around the globe. Forgive the platitudes but if we really want change there must be a certain dilligence as to keeping this movement real and relevant. No movement is without its flaws but OW is shouting down the bully in his own back yard and is susceptible to dominance because of that. Stay strong, my pretties, and carry on.
