Critiques of Other Sites/Sources

In this post, I will refute a sources that claim the Occupy movement is pointless because supporters of the movement do not know what they are talking about.

Read the full article here.


The first article, "Occupy Wall Street: An Utterly Pointless, Meaningless, Futile Exercise" from the International Business Times the author, Palash R. Ghosh claims that the Occupy Movement is a pointless and the supports, specifically the celebrity supporter Susan Sarandon, have not the credentials to essentially support the Occupy Movement. In addition, Ghosh claims that is apart of the wealthiest 1 percent and it does not make sense that she supports such movement and even if she some how had the credentials she could not be a loyal supporter.

I must respectfully disagree with Ghosh. First, I must refute this claim that since she is apart of the wealthiest percent, she cannot be a support or a loyal supporter. Such claim is extremely judgmental and does not have sound reasoning. If Gosh honestly believes this claim, then he must agree to the following claim as well, Abraham Lincoln was not a true support or advocate of abolishing slavery because he himself was not Black and on that matter, Anyone who is not black in the United States could not honestly be against the slavery of Blacks. This argument makes no sense and is obviously flaw. Furthermore, Ghosh claims that she does not have the background to be a supporter of such movement because she's an actress and her husband is also not involved with the economic system. This claim again is flawed. Ghosh essentially states one cannot be against an issues of which one does not hold “credentials” or “experience” in. Ghosh makes an additional error in generalizing one supporter with all supporters. Let's say that even if Ghosh flawed arguements was sound, he would only have evidence on one single person, not all the supporters. Ghosh, is wrong to use one supporter and generalize it with the thousands of supporters of the Occupy movement. Once again, if Ghosh actually believed in this connection then he must also agree with the following statement, Tina, a female failed her first time taking the drivers license test but passed the second time. Therefore, all females must fail their first test but past the second one. As one can clearly see, the reasoning of the argument is completely flawed and therefore it cannot be valid.

The Progression of the Movement

Do you wonder how Occupy Wall Street became Occupy DC?
Do you wonder what progress, if any has Occupy movement made?

This post will be dedicated in addressing these two questions by using three different Sources. The first source will be from an academic article showing that Occupy movement targets and how the movement has been able to spread across the nation, the second from the Huffington post article and shows how the Occupy movement has affected Democrats, and finally the third is from think progress, which will show how the Occupy movement has affected Republicans.

The 99 Percent Rise Up
Read the Full Article here

The article, "The 99 percent rise up" from The Nation, describes that Occupy Wall Street like pretty much anything else, it started out small. The Occupy Wall street movement, struggled for weeks to get the attention from the media, politicians, and even the general public. So how is it that now this movement has moved across the US Nation and even around the world?

The article suggest that the American people has understood and embraced the Occupy movement because it has gotten three things right from the start, the right target, the right numbers, and the right demands. The target the occupy movement chose is right because it explains that instead of aiming activism at the Government as a whole, it targets bankers and CEOs. With this, Occupy movement went to the heart of the problem and it has not gotten distracted by electoral politics because the target is the manipulator of both major parties. The numbers are right because the statement of "We are the 99 percent" invites everyone who isn't a billionaire. This is a brilliant idea because it has allowed the public to recognize themselves as part of a class that has suffered economically. The fact that there are "24 million Americans who can't find full-tie work, 50 million American who can't see a doctor when they're sick, 47 million Americans who need government aid to feed themselves, and 15 million American families who owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth" allows this movement to expand nationally. Lastly, the demands are right. The movement desires to change the system of corporate domination and growing inequality.

This article is very helpful because it allows one to see that the reason this movement has been able to spread across the nation relies on the sole fact that this movement was truly made by the 99 percent for the 99 percent. It allows further insight to demonstrate that the Occupy movement does not support or blame any one individual political party but blames the corporate greed that lies in the high 1 percent. It is for this reason that I feel I must support the movement and demand a change in our system.

Occupy DC Protests the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee

Read the full article here

This article from the Huffington post, explains that protester of Occupy DC began gathering in McPherson Square to march downtown were the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee was hosting a fundraiser with tickets going from $5000 and $75,000! With such prices the protesters were outraged. They stated that they would protest "pay for play" right in from of the Democrats. Throughout this protest there were several TV cameras which allowed them to reach the public through the media as the "Occupiers led chants and shamed the Democrats inside." The article further explains how it was a loud but peaceful protest.

This article helps to demonstrate that Occupy DC has not given up and they are still going strong with protesting. This article is a useful source because it show the strong commitment the protesters are to bringing about change to the system. This enables to have future supports because they will see that protesters are not going to give up.

Top GOP Strategist Admits He’s ‘Scared’ Of Occupy Wall Street Because It’s ‘Having An Impact’

Read the full article here.

The author of this article, Zaid Jilani, explains that Occupy Wall Street is having an impact. Frank Luntz, one of top political communications experts in the world is “scared of this anti-Wall Street effort. I’m frightened to death.” Luntz made these comments while coaching the Republican Governor's Association on how they should communicate to the public. He warn those that attended that according to the pollster, the Occupy movement is "Having an impact on what the American people think of capitalism.” Luntz also admits that the fact that the Occupy movement frightens him is a huge victory for the movement. The main points that Luntz advised was not to mention capitalism, to empathize with the 99 percent protesters, and not to mention middle class because the public does not trust the republicans to defend it.

This is article is an extremely important source. This article demonstrates that the Occupy movement is making great progress for two main reasons. One, for Republican Governor's Association to seek out help on how to communicate with the public shows that they see that the 99 percent is standing up and are no longer afraid to voice how they feel. It shows that the 99 percent expect change in the system. Secondly, in order for a well known Pollster to actually fear the Occupy movement's impact on the general public is yet another proof that they are making great progress and that change will eventually occur.

This article and well as the earlier one connects with the first article showing that in fact Occupy movement does not choose sides between the two major political parties. They are protesting and affecting both parties as they both have members that are focused on corporate greed.

A Clear Message: Occupy DC's Declaration of Frustration

This past Wednesday, November 30, 2011, the protestors of the Occupy D.C. movement reached a consensus and published a Declaration that represents their specific beliefs and issues.

This document first introduces the Occupy DC movement, a “diverse” community that is troubled by the increasing disenfranchisement of the 99 percent. Then, the document outlines the specific set of grievances that the people of this movement have. These include, but are not limited to:

• exploitation by the 1 percent (those who have “40 percent of the nation’s wealth”);
• the need for campaign finance reform;
• polarization of our two political parties;
• continuous discrimination on race, religion, sexual discrimination, etc.;
• unwise, short-term decisions of financial institutions and corporations;
• failure by governmental authorities to protect peoples’ rights;

as well as the fact that all of these have led to the worsening of the quality of life of the 99 percent and therefore the American people as a whole. At the end, the General Assembly urges the people of America “to collaborate and share available resources” and “join your voice[s] with ours.”

This document is very important to the movement for multiple reasons. First, the document is clear evidence that the movement does have a purposeful message. Second, it articulates the grievances that are most important to Americans, since it was documented through a democratic process. Finally, the issues it discusses are real and, now that they are on paper, cannot be easily pushed aside or ignored.

One of the complaints about the Occupy movement in general is that it doesn’t have a clear message. Allen Weiss, a professor of marketing at USC Marshall School of Business, said that “Occupy Wall Street never had a really clear message – mostly energy.” [link] However, the Occupy DC movement now has a document with specific complaints, and calls us to action and to “re-conceive ways to build a just, democratic, and sustainable world.”

Also, if nothing else, the process of drafting the document was indeed democratic. According to the movement’s website, the Declaration was drafted using “a range of over 200 submissions to a box made available to the public.” The Declaration Committee, which was “open to the public and consist[ed] of several dozen people,” then met numerous times over the course of more than a month to draft the document from these submissions. The General Assembly looked over the Declaration three times before reaching a final consensus. The Occupy movement has also been criticized for being hypocritical by not being a ‘democratic’ and unified movement, though it criticizes society of being the same. The Daily Show, though comedic, even had a segment that exposed divisions and hierarchy within the Occupy Wall St. movement. However, the Occupy DC branch of this movement has figure out how to work together to come up with a cohesive document. This process, as one can see, is what democracy at its core is all about. This Occupy DC Declaration was drafted, as famously stated by President Abraham Lincoln in his Gettysburg address, “of the people, by the people, for the people.”

This document, by clearly addressing its qualms, has also brought to light specific issues facing our society today. One of the most important of these is corporate influence in government. Now, I am not saying that the idea of corporations is an inherent evil: however, when they use their power and influence to make as much profit as possible to the detriment of others and society at large, then we have a problem. There are numerous examples of former lobbyists and company executives who are elected to Congress or who now hold political offices. Just one example is Michael R. Taylor, who is currently the Deputy Commissioner for Foods at the Food and Drug Administration. Before working at the FDA, Taylor was the vice president for public policy at Monsanto, a multinational agricultural corporation. [link] We realistically cannot expect that none of the government officials like Taylor will be unbiased or completely removed from the interests of their former companies, especially if these companies have funded their campaigns or helped them in other ways. And, unlike Supreme Court justices, politicians do not recuse themselves. This “purchase of political power” is just one of the issues that the Occupy DC movement’s Declaration has now put on the table, and in written form.

Read the full Declaration here.

#OccupyDC

For anyone interested in participating, here's a poster from OccupyDC.org. General assemblies are held everyday at noon and 6pm. For more information go to OccupyDC.org

Unfair Bias from FOX News

This week I sat down to read some articles about the progress of the Occupy DC movement happening in my own city. I was shocked and appalled to come across this article by FOX News. (Just in case that link didn’t work for you, you can use this one was well to take you to the story: http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2011/11/08/debt-this-is-your-brain-on-debt/).

While barely reporting on the true nature and crux of the movement, the article made sure to discredit the protest. Providing false or expired links, exaggerating the truth, generalizing, and using loaded language the article is incredibly unreliable and can be easily struck down.

For example, at one point in the article the author focuses upon a protestor that was encountered in the crowd, not naming the individual or providing any proof of actually speaking with them. The author states that the protestor said, “"I'm an honor student! I work 20 hours a week! I'm $35,000 in debt!” and then proceeds to ask the audience, “What does this tell you about the… movements?” This obviously discredits a mass amount of the people that are currently part of the Occupy DC protest. Having been down to the protest grounds myself, and judging by hundreds of images provided by photographers from all over the city from all different political backgrounds. The author made the protestors sound as if they were all young people who worked less than full time jobs. This is in fact not true. People participating in the Occupy DC protests come from all financial, educational, racial, and social backgrounds. Here are some pictures to provide you just a few examples:

The reporter on the scene also claims that the person she was talking to had, “run away,” otherwise she would have spoken more in-depth with him about the Occupy DC protests. She does not cite any sources, does not make a disclaimer before presenting the story, and does not have any other interviews to back up her claims.

This article represents just one of many that paints the Occupy DC movement as one that is run by people that are claimed to be lazy or irresponsible. After spending considerable time searching the Internet I found no statistics or hard information on the age, race, gender, or socioeconomic make up of the Occupy protestors. Before the FOX News network chooses to make indirect claims about the people of the protest they should perhaps first conduct more research.

Political Cartoon of the Day

Today I found another political cartoon that shows how necessary it is to have Occupy protests held in Washington DC. This cartoon shows two protestors in DC trying to find a place to picket, but finding that "A lot of the best spots are already taken."

This cartoon insinuates that DC is full of lobbying corporations and groups. Since Capitol Hill is the center of American political activity, lobbyists groups often flock there to try and influence Congress to vote in favor of their special interest. This cartoons suggests that there are so many lobbying groups in DC that it is hard for grassroots movements, such as the Occupy protest, to find any room and power in the city.

The note "No plans to evict" that is included at the bottom also shows that the illustrator doesn't think that the lobbying groups will be taken away from or lose power with the lawmaking process.

Ultimately this is another cartoon that shows the importance of having an Occupy protest in DC. With major lobbying groups being some of the powerhouse influences in the lawmaking process it doesn't make sense to not have individuals and other non-major-lobbying based groups protesting their rights to have their voices heard in the legislative process. Having a protest in DC also gives more power to the individuals in the legislative process.

Photo provided courtesy of http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/politicalcartoons/ig/Political-Cartoons/Occupied-DC.htm

Why Have An Occupy Movement in DC?

While the Occupy Wall Street protests were some of the original and most media-documented of the “Occupy” protests, DC has become an important and central part of the movements. Several blogs, historical analyses/academic journals, and official ‘Occupy” websites have allowed me to further explore this topic and cite several keys reasons as to why an Occupy protest in DC is crucial to the success of the overall movement. Having numerous governmental, business, and other national and international groups headquartered in the city, Washington DC becomes a target city for protestors to make their voice heard. Further, the Occupy DC protests are not geographically far from the Occupy Wall Street protests, allowing cross organizing and movement efforts. Perhaps the most emotional appeal would also be the historical relevance of having a protest in Washington, DC.

With Washington, DC being one of the major political capitals of the free world, it only makes sense that there would be people marching and protesting on behalf of or in the same vain of the Occupy protestors far and wide. Numerous organizations have their headquarters based in the District, thus making it easier for Occupy protestors to target a wide range of groups that they wish to open a dialogue with. Some of the organizations, political bodies, and other groups that have been target include, but are not limited to: the United States Congress, the Presidential White House, Bank of America, the United States Chamber of Commerce, and the Ronald Reagan Building (in protest of the Keystone XL oil pipeline planned to stretch from Canada to Texas). With so many different organizations based in the District the Occupy movement can more quickly and easily reach these organizations. (WashingtonPost.com)

Washington DC is also relatively close to the original Occupy Wall Street movement, thus allowing easier coordination, movement, and intermingling between the DC group and the NY group. I have several close friends who have done this and reported that they made great connections with other members of different protests, increasing communication between the numerous groups. There are numerous inexpensive ways to get from DC to NY and back; bus, train, and organized carpooling are just a few. This allows people from the two groups to more easily make it to different events in the two cities, furthering the idea of “power in numbers”. More and more the two groups have been coming together to plan events and increase their media presence on the eastern seaboard.

Our nation’s capital has also acted as the staging grounds for numerous historical and revolutionary movements that forever changed our social and governmental system. Having an Occupy protest in DC allows protestors to be activists in the same area as people such as Martin Luther King and other freedom fighters once stood. Numerous famous activist marches, such as the Civil Rights March, the Kent State/Vietnam protests, the Levitate the Pentagon, and other historical protests have all occurred in DC. Thus when the Occupy DC protests stage their events, they are often conjuring images of revolutions past, greatly appealing the pathos of the American people. Having strong imagery such as the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, the current Occupy DC protest exists to bring light to the broken economic system that currently exists in the United States. The official movement website states that, “We are here because massive financial, political, and societal inequality is not sustainable, and threaten the country’s ability to thrive. We are here because we are the 99% and the economy is ours too.” (OccupyDC.org) Washington DC acts as a perfect historical, political, and social area for protestors to have their voices heard by the lawmakers, business executives, government officials, and America as a whole.

***

Below is a link to a video that was created by the Occupy DC protestors explaining why some of them chose to occupy our nation’s capital.

http://october2011.org/blogs/margaret-flowers/october-2011-occupy-dc-why-are-we-here

***

Sources:

OccupyDC.org

October2011.org

Tsesis, Alexander. We Shall Overcome: A History of Civil Rights and the Law. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2008. ISBN 978-0-300-11837-7

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-buzz/post/occupy-dc-nova-protesters-march-on-key-bridge-what-you-need-to-know/2011/11/17/gIQAVlk7TN_blog.html

Introduction: Victoria

Hi Readers-

My name is Victoria and I am currently a Senior Government and Politics major at the University of Maryland. I have been independently living in the District of Columbia for five years. Because of this I have witnessed many political and social movements firsthand. My major has also caused me to have an acute awareness of politics in the United States and abroad.

My group and I chose to created a blog discussing the current Occupy protest that are occurring around the nation, specifically concentrating on the one closest to our school- Occupy DC. This is particularly important to me because this is all occurring right within my own city. As a DC resident there are numerous people from my community involved in the movement, causing me to have a personal invested interest.

While at first I did not know much about the Occupy protests (other than what the main media outlets were telling me) I have spent a great amount of time speaking one-on-one with participants and researching other alternatives news outlets. After this I have begun to lean more towards sympathizing and agreeing with the protesters of the Occupy movement. While I may occasionally disagree with some of their methods and propaganda, I generally feel that there is currently major discontent with the government and those that enable it.

For the coming weeks I will be posting my own experiences, opinions, and other related pieces about the Occupy movements, specifically focusing upon the Occupy DC movement. I look forward to hearing your input and opinions!

Introductions: Megan

Hi, my name is Megan. I’m a sophomore at the University of Maryland, College Park, and I am currently double majoring in English and Secondary English Education. Having lived in the Washington, D.C. area all my life, I am familiar with the city and very interested in what goes on there. I also like following politics, or following enough to know what is generally going on with this country and the world. While the idea of “occupying” various cities in the United States, which started on Wall Street in New York City, is controversial, I believe that the general message that has spread to cities such as D.C. is an important one for us to realize: that, for too long, we have idly and ignorantly let corporations and the “1%” make the decisions, some of which have adversely affected our lives, or, at least, prevented us from progressing. The fact that there is an Occupy D.C., in the nation’s capital, where these decisions are made, is especially noteworthy.

When I went to a concert in D.C. recently, I passed by McPherson Square, the location of the Occupy D.C. camp. I believe seeing it in person further intensified my interest in what was going on there and who exactly is involved. I hope that through the posts of the other authors and myself, you can also learn more about the Occupy D.C. movement and why it is important.