OCCUPY WALL STREET - THE 99%Muhammad A. Al Mahdi: "In the subconscious current of the events, there are occasional signs of growing social awareness. As protests are held in all parts of the Western world, these currents are bound to gain ground and become solid."
The following update presents a snapshot of the current trends in the occupation movement and the different perspectives of participants and observers.
1) Occupation Live:
A local activist states that "serious lack of real political analysis by the folks who've stepped up to lead this thing and have consolidated their power since, has created an almost surreal environment of incredibly mainstream premises and very active silencing of radical voices and dissent. This has led to massive alienation and marginalization of not just radical voices but also of people of color. Right now these marginalized individuals have begun to organize in an attempt to decide where to from here. Each occupation is different. To say they are all this or that is not correct. There is also a tendency that those who are putting the public face of these occupations are not always the true representatives of that occupation nor it's true ideological representatives. There are serious class and gender power issues here around the utilization of media promoting these occupations. At least the occupation here is not revolutionary at all. They've occupied a park in front of city hall! And the cops have not cracked down under orders not to, so it's created a real false sense of security and harmony which has led to a real conservative and politically moderate tendency to become the dominant discourse. Last night they even left the park to let the city clean it because it had gotten dirty! The cops said move and let the cleaners clean this place or we'll arrest you...so they moved."
- 2) The Facts behind “Occupy Wall Street” - Article by Adrian Boutureira
The 99 %- Economic Apartheid Truths Behind a Catchy Slogan
US household wealth median net worth (net worth is assets minus debt) even after the bubble bust in 2009, was: $113,000 for whites, $6,300 for Hispanics and $5,600 for Blacks. In 2002, it was $134,000 for whites, $18,300 for Hispanics, and $12,100 for blacks.
Moreover, about a third of black (35%) and Hispanic (31%) households had zero or negative net worth in 2009, compared with 15% of white households. In 2005, the comparable shares had been 29% for blacks, 23% for Hispanics and 11% for whites.
When we mobilize to occupy this, that, or the other across the nation these economic apartheid realities will not be absent in the power dynamics of those involved in the organizing...
What one might aspire to have a particular occupation demand or accomplish as a young African American, and what tools and actions one might be prepared to utilize to attain these objectives as such, might not at all be what a young white person might be prepared to support in response to the protection of his or her own class interests...
Leadership, therefore, must be closely monitored, not just for diverse racial composition, but for proven critical political analysis when executing said leadership under still entrenched and dominant paradigms of economic and racial oppression in our society.
Middle and upper middle class whites' calls to reform a system which is now too negatively affecting them, could easily be seen as another way to call for protecting and safeguarding some of the same historical system processes, structures and institutions which have oppressed working class and people of color for centuries. While calls for radical change challenging the nature of the historical injustices of the system as a whole, most often led by people of color and the poor, sound to affluent whites as a dangerous threat to their blatant but now a little shaken historical race and class privilege and supremacy...Thus their need to silence these voices. These radical, disruptive, divisive voices stepping up to the General Assembly microphone and proposing all sorts of radical aberrations...Silence them at any cost. It is not what WE, the REAL 99% want...These "movement hijacking" voices must be undermined and demonized, lest affluent whites loose control of the dominance of the occupation's discourse...
Understanding and internalizing revolutionary solidarity through commitments to first and foremost deconstructing not just class and race, but also all other systems of oppression in this occupation is the only sure pathway towards the formation of true alliances against all of the injustices of capitalism, historical and present, not just against those being experienced now by the white middle class after their college and retirement funds were gutted by the very policies and institutions they benefited from and supported for decades.
What is Wall Street? Columbus was Not Wall Street? The genocide of Indigenous People and the raping of this land is not Wall Street? The disproportionate toxic burden of communities of color in the East Side is not Wall Street? Brutal gentrification is not Wall Street? Is this what some whites in the occupation want to believe when they said the Indigenous Day March was a hijacking of "THEIR" movement? I ask you why do they want or need to believe this so badly?
Is this, and all other entrenched disconnects from the true race and class faces of capitalism's historical brutality so important for so many Austin whites in this occupation to adhere to truly out of a fear of divisions? Or is is maybe out of a fear that by establishing these true historical links, a completely different approach would be required for how we all look at the leadership composition of this so-called movement for change, and at how its present political premises and strategies are in reality being guided and informed by a desire to defend the bruised privilege of affluent whites and not by a desire for real revolutionary change?
REAL radical movements demand critical and revolutionary thought and analysis, not the call for the perpetration of our privilege and supremacy enshrouded in catchy, but false slogans.
Never again without us!
3) W. van Wijk, an international observer, warns against a split of the movement on ethnic lines:
"A revolutionary change demands a revolutionary party under proletarian leadership. It seems to me that the 99% movement is very broad and should stay that way and discussions should be promoted as the way forward, but splitting the movement on a racial basis seems not progressive to me. Black and white workers, together, should fight exploitation and the divide-and-rule policy of their capitalist rulers. They should unite in the struggle against the extra suppression of people of colour and women.
I wish you much wisdom."
5) Wall Street after a Month of Protests - Article by L.I.
For nearly a month, the Occupy Wall Street movement has been active and protesters are still camping out in cities and parks around the USA. The movement has become widely spread across the United States as it promotes marches in and through cities.
After being ignored initially, the Occupy Wall Street movement has finally attracted the American media. However, Americans are feeling betrayed as their voice is marginalized and government is not responding to their calls, but is resorting, instead, to manipulating the social, political and ethnic diversity of the various groups that constitute the movement, which is lacking unifying factors, as well as agreement on basic issues. The traditional privileges, both socially and economically, of Americans of European descent are playing a key role in these tactics of infiltration and division. The threat of a split along ethnic lines is seen, by many observers, with great concern, as the current movement, they state, was “very broad and should stay that way, while discussions should be promoted as the way forward, but splitting the movement on a racial basis seems not progressive ... Black and white, European and non-European workers, together, should fight exploitation and the policy of divide-and-rule. They should be united in the struggle against the extra suppression of people of colour and women. These problems should be approached with perseverance, patience and wisdom.”
After being ignored initially, the Occupy Wall Street movement has finally attracted the American media. However, Americans are feeling betrayed as their voice is marginalized and government is not responding to their calls, but is resorting, instead, to manipulating the social, political and ethnic diversity of the various groups that constitute the movement, which is lacking unifying factors, as well as agreement on basic issues. The traditional privileges, both socially and economically, of Americans of European descent are playing a key role in these tactics of infiltration and division. The threat of a split along ethnic lines is seen, by many observers, with great concern, as the current movement, they state, was “very broad and should stay that way, while discussions should be promoted as the way forward, but splitting the movement on a racial basis seems not progressive ... Black and white, European and non-European workers, together, should fight exploitation and the policy of divide-and-rule. They should be united in the struggle against the extra suppression of people of colour and women. These problems should be approached with perseverance, patience and wisdom.”
Whole families with children have joined the movement to demonstrate their conviction that the results will determine these children's future and thus, the future of generations. According to a poll conducted by Time Magazine, 54% of Americans approve of the protesters.
After occupying Zuccoti Park for the last four weeks, protesters were asked to leave so the park could be cleaned up. However, they refused to do so, fearing that this would signify the end of the protest, as many of them pointed out that it would be fatal to trust the authorities in such situations. Although the movement has not produced any concrete results so far, it is indeed having a significant impact on American culture and public life.
Americans are demanding social and economic justice in their country, as all indicators are pointing to the worse and unemployment keeps growing. They are still waiting for reforms, which may be hard to realize within the neo-liberal framework. Until then, Americans will continue to see the American dream being turned into a nightmare by the economic system.
After occupying Zuccoti Park for the last four weeks, protesters were asked to leave so the park could be cleaned up. However, they refused to do so, fearing that this would signify the end of the protest, as many of them pointed out that it would be fatal to trust the authorities in such situations. Although the movement has not produced any concrete results so far, it is indeed having a significant impact on American culture and public life.
Americans are demanding social and economic justice in their country, as all indicators are pointing to the worse and unemployment keeps growing. They are still waiting for reforms, which may be hard to realize within the neo-liberal framework. Until then, Americans will continue to see the American dream being turned into a nightmare by the economic system.
