Extracts From the Revolutionary Diaries, 2012:
Many
seemingly intelligent and well-educated people seriously pondered over what the
‘Occupy Wall Street’ protest movement was all about, why did it not have a
clearly defined agenda, aims and objectives, leaders and demands, plans and
proposals. The perception amongst such people is that OWS lacked clarity and as
such it failed to communicate anything. It was merely a singular moment of
protest, an outburst of frustrated anger. The last headlines amongst the press
explicity publish OWS’s obituary, the movement is dead, a failure, burnt out
after two months of anger. All that is left, are some remark are a few hardcore
Communists and Anarchist still intent on the destruction of Capitalism. OWS was
seemingly declared dead.
Then
this week another uprising in New York on the first anniversary of the movement.
Hundreds gathered in New York’s financial district, chanting catchy mantras,
the NYPD appeared to make arrests particularly amongst journalists and
photographers. It seems that OWS is a sort of volcano that erupts when the
pressure becomes too much.
Could
a non-violent, world revolutionary movement like OWS be quite beyond
definition?
We
are all so used to well-packaged ideas, the carefully constructed concept that
through a process has eliminated every possible or potential problem.
Advertising has so successfully trained us in the finely wrought language of
product communications that unless something fits within that mold we are
unable to recognize it. The very essence of this language deals with profit and
loss, because it is the language of Capitalism. Our society has developed a
form of communication, which if successful makes someone wealthy. We see a
chequer board of success or failure, a game in which there is only black and
white and this principle is used not only in commerce, but also politics and
economics and basic human relationships. We have streamlined ourselves to like
or dislike, love or hate, buy or sell… without considering a third, almost
imperceptable option.
What
happens when a person begins to think immediately outside of this rigid
dualistic vision? A process of thought begins in which potential is unlimited,
there are no barriers or borders, no restrictions to adhere to. We could say
there are no laws or a constitution, but that is not entirely correct… the
constitution becomes a practical working communal relationship; a living and
breathing dialog that changes and adapts to the circumstances. This is the
essence of OWS; a very deep need to feel space and potential, and the creative
desire for expression. The core issue is not with politics, not religion, the
economy, unemployment, health or education… it is with divorce. We live today
in a world that has become fractured, split between those with power and
wealth, and those who to all intents and purposes have been cut out. Through an
insanely anarchic but creative process the desire is to restore balance in this
world.
Thus,
the many attempts to define OWS as either successful or a failure are
redundant. OWS defines itself as existing outside of those parameters, as a
third way. The OWS movement has only just begun the process of awakening
people’s consciouness to alternative modes of thought. The political and
economic powers seek to solve the problems of the world through previously
established rigid systems. OWS envisions a path or process of exploration, of
invention and visionary thinking that promotes the possibility of
opportunities. In this light, failure is merely another opportunity to try
another unexplored avenue.
The
most recent OWS campaign in association with other social groups has
concentrated directly on an environmental cause. Fracking (or ‘hydraulic
fracturing’) is a process of injecting a water, chemical and sand mixture
through the earth’s geological layers to reach and extract deep deposits of oil
and gas. It is a practice that endangers and pollutes our drinking
water-supply, it has a negative impact on agricultural communities and also
releases dangerous levels of methane gas which can cause explosions.
‘Global-Frackdown’ an organization associated with OWS has campaigned on
world-wide basis for an end to this disruptive and dirty form of extraction,
from South Africa to Bulgaria, France and the United States.
Even
as I write today (25 September 2012) thousands of ‘Indignados’ protesters have
descended upon the parliament in Madrid to voice their opinion of the dire
state of the European (and related world) economy. Far from being obscure or
irrelevant their manifesto is blatantly specific (an extract):
“We,
ordinary people, are fed up to live with the consequences of a system
conditioned by and forced to adapt itself to the markets, which is in every
respect unbearable, and has led us to be victims of a large-scale scam that
caused this crisis… This is ruining our lives, and those to blame are those who
present themselves as an untouchable oligarchy… There is no way to hide the
fact that we are living a gigantic social fraud, with governments
systematically betraying us by doing exactly the opposite as promised in their
electoral statements… We believe that the problem is of such a big size, and
that the roots are so profound, that a solution will not be found in reforms of
the actual political system. Therefore we demand: The dismissal of the entire
government… the Supreme Court… the leadership of the state… and the beginning of a
constitutional process in a transparent and democratic way… We are the
overwhelming majority. We are the people. We are right. We will not tolerate
this and we will not be walked all over. Occupy Congress — September 25.”
In
conclusion, it is not perhaps that this world revolutionary movement is
misunderstood, pointless or leaderless, but that the so called leaders of a
failing democracy and world economy earnestly hope that they will simply
dissapear by being ignored and painted as malcontents. In my view, few people
in history have ever displayed such passion and commitment to establishing a
renewed and effective form of government to replace one so obviously riddled by
corruption, greed and deceit. Fortunately OWS, its associates and members have
not and will not simply dissappear. In one form or another they continue to
fight for rights that are gradually being eroded by failing financial systems.
All Rights Reserved / Copyright David John Drew 2013.
