Putting people before profit

When Occupy Wall Street (OSW) movement literally ‘erupted overnight’ at the tail-end of the 3rd quarter of 2011, nobody had ever imagined that a relatively smaller group of disorganised people without clear-cut objectives will be able to maintain the pressure build-up for more than a week. But the forecasts were overturned when the movement also known as ‘99 per cent’ fighting to end the corporate greed, corruption and inequality completed its three months without losing its target and stamina. The health check of the movement shows that it is still alive and kicking with significant tendencies to keep growing. The demonstrators firmly believe that it is not going away because it is raising awareness of some of the gross inequality that is inherent in our current society. It has rapidly grown from a grassroots band of several hundred protesters marching in New York City on September 17, 2011 to robust and energised protest demonstrations in ten major US cities, as well as a powerful presence in social media network. The fledgling movement has so far been directly endorsed by more than 50 organisations and labour unions, and supported by democratic political leaders, , and local officials across the American nation.
Declaration and Manifesto
It is important to have a brief overview of the Declaration and Manifesto of OSW movement as mentioned below:
“As we gather together in solidarity to express a feeling of mass injustice, we must not lose sight of what brought us together. We write so that all people who feel wronged by the corporate forces of the world can know that we are your allies.
“As one people, united, we acknowledge the reality: that the future of the human race requires the cooperation of its members; that our system must protect our rights, and upon corruption of that system, it is up to the individuals to protect their own rights, and those of their neighbors; that a democratic government derives its just power from the people, but corporations do not seek consent to extract wealth from the people and the Earth; and that no true democracy is attainable when the process is determined by economic power. “We come to you at a time when corporations, which place profit over people, self-interest over justice and oppression over equality, run our governments.
Global appeal
“To the people of the world, “We, the New York City General Assembly occupying Wall Street in Liberty Square, urge you to assert your power. Exercise your right to peaceably assemble; occupy public space; create a process to address the problems we face, and generate solutions accessible to everyone. To all communities that take action and form groups in the spirit of direct democracy, we offer support, documentation, and all of the resources at our disposal. Join us and make your voices heard!”
Gaining new momentum
People from all ethnicities and age groups even income levels are becoming involved in OWS. It is no longer a “bunch of out of work college kids” as we see more pictures of retirees, blue collar workers, blacks, whites, Asians and Latinos. Analysts say that each new police initiative gives them more pictures of people being pepper-sprayed, clubbed and dragged away that leads readers to say “at least they must be heard before being taken behind bars”.
Moreover, the number of participating cities keeps growing, even becoming international. Occupy Wall Street looks like a trend, even if we don’t know exactly what that trend represents. The events keep growing in number and attendance. It is said that it is remarkably drug and crime free as the participants are genuinely homeless, unemployed and impoverished. They are not the rebels without a cause, a phrase often used to signify an unjustified uprising.
Fury of the voiceless
The champions of the leaderless crusade believe that corporations are organisations without a conscience that have the sole purpose of increasing profit. An OWS blog wrote: “They (corporations) cannot and should not compromise that goal (profit) for any reason whatsoever. They need to focus on next quarter’s profit or perish; forget the social consequences, future generations, or the environment. They need to stay true to their shareholders without breaking the law. Manipulation of the rules that govern corporation is one of the best ways to increase profit. Corporate laws are weak or not enforced. It’s no longer a government “by the people for the people”, but moving ever closer to the golden rule “he who has the gold, makes the rules”. We need to stop the corporations from manipulating the governmentt laws – that is the root of all the issues that have come to pass. So what all 99’rs need to agree on is something like this: A) Laws to stop Corporate Donations to Politicians. B) Laws to stop Corporate Lobbying (Occupy “K” street – where the Lobbyists live). C) Reverse legislation that gave Corporations the same rights as human beings (they are in-humane by nature)”.
Contradictions
Occupy Wall Street is so disorganised it doesn’t even appear to have specific leadership, or hierarchy. It’s even hard to label. OWS participants that are demonstrating a lot of anger at the status quo, but show no clear agenda about what they would like to be done differently. OWS appears to have some ability to raise money for its encampments, demonstrations and legal work, but it does not appear to support any particular candidates, or even any particular regulatory platforms or Congressional issues. A critic blogged on internet: “Easily enough, one could say it is not significant and deserves little attention”.
A big con that can easily be noticed is that many of the protesters aren’t educated enough about the government’s large role in the things they’re protesting. They often seem to put all or most of the blame on banks and business, and ask the government to fix it. The government is an integral part of the problem, and the reason banks and businesses can do much of what they’ve been doing. Despite incredibly weak traditional “management” OWS is growing in terms of participants, which are remarkably diverse. They are firebrand activists apparently willing to accept criminal prosecution for supporting a cause. There are more events, in more cities with each one seeming to bring in larger audiences.
Year of failed protests
Yoni Goldstein has termed 2011 as the year of failed protests after Time magazine illustrated on its title “The Protester” as its person of the year. The opening sentences of the cover story admit just as much: “History often emerges only in retrospect. Events become significant only when looked back on,” writes Rick Stengel. “An honest cataloguing of the events of this year would reveal that for all the media coverage and online blogs, protesters around the world weren’t really that successful in achieving their goals. And on some of those rare occasions when they did manage to effect change, the new reality was worse than what preceded it”, wrote Goldstein. There is yet another reason favouring OWS. We have a tendency to romanticise protesters, those who nobly publicise injustice, and bravely fight against government and all-powerful institutions.
America at crossroads
“This movement has uncovered a scar on American society, an iceberg of accumulated social conflicts has risen to the surface,” said the commentary in the tabloid, which is owned by the Communist Party mouthpiece, the People’s Daily.
Public support
Many consider the Occupy Wall Street protestors to have several valid points. A number of middle-class Americans are disturbed by the state of the economy, and feel that the government isn’t doing everything it can to resolve the situation. Many are frustrated because of tax loopholes that enable some corporations, millionaires and billionaires to pay a lower percentage of tax than many middle-class families. A large number of protestors and supporters are angry because of how much of a role some large corporations and their contributions play in the election process. Polls that have been conducted have indicated support for the protests by a large number of Americans.
Forecast
Ultimately, the Occupy Wall Street protestors hope to accomplish changes that will end corporate influence in government, as well as corporate corruption. It is hoped that the protests will inspire government leaders to make the legislative changes that are needed. The amount of media attention that has focused on these protests has brought a lot of support, as well as criticism. Regardless of where observers stand on the protests, they have certainly been a powerful way to bring attention to the issues that are troubling many Americans.