"Sorry we don't have a focused message, we all suffer from A.D.D.;
American Dream Denial Syndrome"
 |
| Protesters Occupying Times Square |
 |
| Tyrone Garcia, Me (John Amaruso) & The Protester who scorned Fox News |
Occupy Wall Street's momentum has come to a fevor pitch, with over 1,400 cities nationwide participating. Labor organizations, civil rights groups and the alike have joined the protests in hopes of bringing attention to what protesters say is a lack of economic justice in our political system. The Slogan 'We are the 99%' encompasses the belief that while the 1% of the wealthy in the world are bailed out to ensure financial stability of the world's economic system, the 'other 99%' of the world are still fiscally unsound.
On Oct 15th the movement went global, when 'Occupy the Planet' was initiated and countries from Europe, Asia and South America all joined in solidarity to voice their opinions. The movement that started with a few dozen protesters camped out in Zuccotti park has transformed into thousands and has reached the ears of millions around the world.
"This is very much a crystallizing moment" said Denise Mitchell, American Federation of Labor Organizations and Congress of Industrial Organization's communications director. She believes that this is "an opportunity to talk about what's wrong with the system and how to make it better".
The statistics don't lie. While the average worker's wage has seen a 15% decrease over the past 30 years, the top 1% in fiscal terms have increased their wealth by over 250 times. Meanwhile the Supreme Court's recent decision that corporations have the same rights as individuals has led the way for the legalizing of corruption, with unlimited and undisclosed contributions from both domestic and foreign corporations to political campaigns.
This all comes at a time when unemployment has remained at a stubborn 9.1%, and foreclosure rates on homes have hardly slowed down. While there are many that call for the complete dismantling of capitalism, there are those in the middle ground that seek not to destroy, but to fix.
We went down to Occupy Wall Street to see what the movement was about and what people on the ground thought and felt. The general consensus was that the 1% in this country receive the financial and political advantages while the average person's access to these legal loopholes and benefits are limited or non-existant. The '99%' are now out to seek the justice they claim has been a long time coming.
"Why are the banks bailed out and I'm not?" said one protester we spoke to at Zuccotti park who wanted to remain anonymous. "If I screw up at my job, I'd get fired. If I lose my home, I am left homeless. If I commit a crime, I am imprisoned. These bankers, financiers and politicians all partake in embezzlement, money laundering, and through corruption have destroyed our economy and have left millions homeless. That's injustice if I ever saw it".
When we were at Occupy Wall Street on Oct. 15th, the protesters moved to occupy Times Square, and thousands of people showed up to voice their anger. Live music, chants, dances, and signs filled the air. People from all walks of life were there; the young, the old, the unemployed, the student, the retired were all present to show their growing discontent with the system.
While this movement is supported by wide margins, there are those who denounce the park dwellers as 'liberal hippies' who are 'disaffected' and 'disillusioned'. Critics call it a 'fad' that has not articulated a real concise message of how to fix the situation.
Although the message may not be concise, and the leaders may not be visible, there is a leader of this movement. It is not a person, nor is it an organization. It's an idea. The idea that the majority of people around the world are disenfranchised, and while the rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer. The idea that personal responsibility is applied to the average person, but not the average banker.
This protest has become more of a movement than an angry outlash. It's a movement to fix a system that has not helped most people, but only a few people. It will be interesting to see see how this movement plays out in regards to the upcoming election in America or elections around the world.
This movement does not need a leader- it needs an answer. It needs to find a way to balance capitalism in a way that does not just benefit a portion of the population, but a majority of the population. Until that happens, the '99%' don't seem to be going anywhere.
On Oct 15th the movement went global, when 'Occupy the Planet' was initiated and countries from Europe, Asia and South America all joined in solidarity to voice their opinions. The movement that started with a few dozen protesters camped out in Zuccotti park has transformed into thousands and has reached the ears of millions around the world.
"This is very much a crystallizing moment" said Denise Mitchell, American Federation of Labor Organizations and Congress of Industrial Organization's communications director. She believes that this is "an opportunity to talk about what's wrong with the system and how to make it better".
The statistics don't lie. While the average worker's wage has seen a 15% decrease over the past 30 years, the top 1% in fiscal terms have increased their wealth by over 250 times. Meanwhile the Supreme Court's recent decision that corporations have the same rights as individuals has led the way for the legalizing of corruption, with unlimited and undisclosed contributions from both domestic and foreign corporations to political campaigns.
This all comes at a time when unemployment has remained at a stubborn 9.1%, and foreclosure rates on homes have hardly slowed down. While there are many that call for the complete dismantling of capitalism, there are those in the middle ground that seek not to destroy, but to fix.
We went down to Occupy Wall Street to see what the movement was about and what people on the ground thought and felt. The general consensus was that the 1% in this country receive the financial and political advantages while the average person's access to these legal loopholes and benefits are limited or non-existant. The '99%' are now out to seek the justice they claim has been a long time coming.
"Why are the banks bailed out and I'm not?" said one protester we spoke to at Zuccotti park who wanted to remain anonymous. "If I screw up at my job, I'd get fired. If I lose my home, I am left homeless. If I commit a crime, I am imprisoned. These bankers, financiers and politicians all partake in embezzlement, money laundering, and through corruption have destroyed our economy and have left millions homeless. That's injustice if I ever saw it".
While this movement is supported by wide margins, there are those who denounce the park dwellers as 'liberal hippies' who are 'disaffected' and 'disillusioned'. Critics call it a 'fad' that has not articulated a real concise message of how to fix the situation.
Although the message may not be concise, and the leaders may not be visible, there is a leader of this movement. It is not a person, nor is it an organization. It's an idea. The idea that the majority of people around the world are disenfranchised, and while the rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer. The idea that personal responsibility is applied to the average person, but not the average banker.
This protest has become more of a movement than an angry outlash. It's a movement to fix a system that has not helped most people, but only a few people. It will be interesting to see see how this movement plays out in regards to the upcoming election in America or elections around the world.
This movement does not need a leader- it needs an answer. It needs to find a way to balance capitalism in a way that does not just benefit a portion of the population, but a majority of the population. Until that happens, the '99%' don't seem to be going anywhere.
- #P4D
