If all the criticisms about Occupy Wall Street converge on one point, it’s this: OWS is a disarticulate, catch-all kaleidoscope of grievances with no focused goal and no real structure to bring it into being. A walk through Zuccotti Park seems to give credence to this point: the jumbled array of sleeping bags, hipsters with dreads and plugs trading smokes, the eclectic array of signs from the satiric to the poetic to the just plain angry, and the crowds of tourists weaving through, snapping photos, make the home base of OWS more akin to a college art show than the epicenter of a momentous protest.
Which is why it’s been easy for pundits to dismiss this “leaderless resistance movement,” and protestors like Akio, 23, who says people on the top have to “figure themselves out on the inside.” The didgeridoo musician-cum-“spirit worker” describes his role there as “making sure everyone’s ideas are listened to, if anyone needs a hug, giving a hug, if anyone needs a smile, giving a smile.” However, while Akio may not look a lot like your serious revolutionary, he is representative of the spirit that permeates this movement. You can’t know what life is all about, Akio argues, “unless you step out of your 4×4 and hang out in the universal square.” And, despite its weird bits, the universal square of Zuccotti Park is a highly inclusive, open, and democratic one.
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There are “General Assemblies,” where anyone who wants to talk can get up and speak, and speakers’ words are repeated back by a “human microphone,” which involves the entire audience in an active conversation. Food is freely distributed by volunteers, dishes washed, waste recycled and composted. Tocqueville would have admired the initiatives and associations that have already sprung up: I spot a medic giving CPR lessons to a tight congregation of intent volunteers, a woman sits under a tree handing out flyers and converses about her philosophy of mutual cooperation. When, during a march, someone begins the chant “The people want a new regime”, after a moment of hesitation, “The people, united, can never be defeated” quickly and spontaneously replaces it. There are no lines drawn here. This community may have attracted people through shared discontent, but keeps them staying because they feel welcome.
Michael, 19, a high school graduate, expresses this sentiment. He came here five days ago after hearing about the protests from his mother, and soon overcame his initial skepticism. “It’s about communicating—meeting and talking to people you don’t know and finding out you’re not so different.” When asked whether he’s seen any changes since his arrival, he says, “I guess I’ve seen a change in me. You realize it’s not about the government, it’s about the people.” Leandra, 17, echoes this feeling. At school, she didn’t feel like she was getting answers, and she didn’t feel like the country around her looked like what her history books said it should. “The American dream, it’s a dream about work 9-to-5, 5 days a week, 48 weeks a year. So what? To be in debt, to try to buy a home? At school, we don’t learn to question why. We don’t analyze anything. I’m so glad to be here because here, everyone is questioning.”
Protestors are highly aware that what they are doing is democratic, and that for it to work, they need to treat each other in a certain way. If there’s anything that stands out in this eclectic mix, it’s the highly charged sense not only that what they are doing is right, but that they are practicing a right, and that this is a practice based on embracing, non-partisan respect. Occupy Wall Street hits on the disillusionment people have for both parties, and responds to it with inclusiveness. Danny is a 53 white-haired grandfather from New Jersey, who’s here, in his words, “to support these young kids.” He growls, “People my age are too scared, and are sitting back. Well, in Vietnam, older people sat back and watched kids die.” He’s voted Republican for more than 20 years, but that doesn’t matter. “I don’t believe in Obama-care,” he admits, “but I believe in giving people a good job with dignity. People need jobs. There’s no difference between Republicans and Democrats—the Tea Party should be here.” Archy, a 18-year old street busker, states, “We need to stop looking at politicians to change things. Obama promised a lot of things. The thing is, [if] you’re a member of the Democratic or the Republican Party, you’ve been bought out.”
Make no mistake, there is real strength that permeates the Occupy movement. Various unions have given Occupy their support and have mobilized resources, online and offline. The movement has spread to almost 1000 cities, driving home the point that many share the desire to do something definitive about changing the status quo, and lack faith in politicians to do it independently. Importantly, individuals outside the left-leaning, early-twenties bracket are joining in, recognizing that this is their fight too, and that their presence is crucial in sustaining the legitimacy of the 99%. This includes not only people like Danny, but intellectuals like Cornel West, Lawrence Lessig, and Joseph Stiglitz as well.
The question now is how to bring it all together in this propitious economic and political context, and how to balance maintaining an ideologically diverse base with coming together on focused demands. So far, the movement has been broadening by presenting itself as inclusive, and by virtue of the issues themselves. But neither general but hesitant support (Nancy Pelosi), nor begrudging recognition that this is real (Herman Cain) will sustain a drive for political action. A list of demands is taking shape via open suggestion and vote, and we can hope that some kind of focal point to press will emerge from this process. The necessary care, of course, will be in maintaining diversity to the greatest extent possible while narrowing demands. And as this process continues, leaders and coordinated strategies are likely to emerge, and politicians will be given a clear idea of how to respond. But until then, Occupy and the impact it will have is still being defined. So take Akio’s advice, go hang out in the universal square, and see that definition for yourself.
Photo credit: Lena Bae