Before too many people get all up in arms over the title, let me just say that I stand in solidarity with the Occupy demonstrators, and cannot even begin to express my gratitude for what they have already accomplished—namely to affirm what many of us have been feeling for a long time, and get people talking about it—that too much of our nation’s wealth has become concentrated in the hands of too few, and special interests have gained too much influence over our government, making it so our economic and political systems do not function to serve the vast majority of Americans.
Now I’ve called Occupy a movement before, but I have trouble with that term because ‘Occupy Movement’ is an oxymoron. Movements move, occupations don’t. So it’s not so much a movement as it is a staying put.
Of course, I’m not suggesting that those occupying Zuccoti Park and other public spaces throughout the country should pack up and go home at this stage (or not come back when they get forcibly removed), for this occupation…movement…thing needs to remain visible in order to keep the conversation going, keep the pressure on our government, and keep shining the light on corporations whose business practices are antithetical to the American way.
Besides, there is no exit strategy yet. No clearly defined or agreed upon list of goals or prescriptions that could be used to engage our government in a dialogue that might allow the occupation of public spaces to end while making sure the conversation would continue and steps would be taken to enact meaningful, lasting positive change.
These people occupying cities and towns throughout our country and throughout the world don’t really want to be sleeping in those tents—if they wanted to go camping they would have gone to a state forest or national park. No, they’re doing this because they have been compelled, as citizens, to act. They’re doing this because it is the only way they feel they can make their voices heard. They’re doing this because they do not believe their government represents their values. American values like justice, equality of opportunity, and a basic sense of fairness.
There is no question that Wall Street is responsible for a large part of the mess The People find themselves in, but there is no doubt Washington shares some of the blame as well. And both need to be called into account in the courts, and at the ballot box, but even that may not be enough.
When you see Congress’s inability to get even the most basic legislation passed, or the most non-controversial of appointments confirmed, and watch them spend work time fund raising, campaigning and vacationing than they do legislating, you begin to wonder what exactly we’re paying them to do. And with an overall approval rating of 9%, you may wonder why we don't just recall all of them.
Perhaps that is a little extreme, but perhaps not. It probably wouldn't do a whole lot of good unless we also addressed the root of the problem though. It is clear the system itself is in need of reform. The influence of money in politics has had a corrosive effect on our democracy. Most people don’t feel like their vote counts for anything anymore, or that our government, in its current form, is capable of solving the complex problems we face as a society.
So to everyone who holds an elected office, a quick note:
The People are petitioning for a redress of their grievances. What exactly that means is hard to say, but The People are in the process of trying to figure that out. Please be patient. Or better yet, come work with us. Don't just pay lip service; show us you're committed to the same values we are. After all, we wouldn't be in this mess if you'd been working for us like you're supposed to all along.
Remember this is a nonviolent democratic populist occupation movement thing that doesn't quite knowing where it's going yet, and has plenty of issues to be occupied with. Better name? It’s got more important things to worry about. Besides, whether it's a Constitutional Convention Movement, an Equitable Ethical Democratic Socioeconomic Freedom Movement, a Movement to Restore Sanity, all three and/or something else, movements like these tend to name themselves.