Photo: Stacy Lanyon
I joined Occupy Wall Street September 20th, 2011. November 17th, I got much more involved. This was because of the totally unanticipated violent eviction. It really enraged me and propelled me to become a full-time occupier. One of the most specific things that really drew me to Occupy was that it really stood out against all of the other American activist organizations and or movements, in recent history. This one was definitely one of the more unique ones. You had people of all different political, religious, ethnic, socioeconomic backgrounds, and many of them were coming together, having met for the first time in the midst of Wall Street-- the idea of even attempting that in itself, is really bold. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen or if it even would last, but I knew it was something that I’d want to be part of. The non-hierarchical structure made it really easy for someone like myself to get involved. There were no ladders for me to climb or anyway to secretly "seep" into the system, so non secretariat nature of it appealed to me.
They tell you we are dreamers; the true dreamers are those who think things can go on indefinitely the way they are. We are not dreamers; we are awakening from the dream that is turning into a nightmare. We are not destroying anything; we are only witnessing how the system is destroying itself. In our films, it’s easy to imagine the end of the world — an asteroid destroying all of life, and so on — but we cannot imagine the end of capitalism. Occupy has resonated strongly with the frustrations of the American people. The corruption and blatant disregard for democracy is indicated by reality that The 1% has two parties, while we have none. It’s time that the American people had their voice heard and not drowned out, amongst the louder voices of "money speech". We are really at a critical juncture amid this whole capitalist Crises, which few politicians even pretend to have any solutions to. I know that Occupy will play a significant role in helping to liberate our country.
When we talk about what we want to see in society, I’m more concerned with what we’re not going to be seeing anymore, everything from the toxic and commercially dehumanizing McDonalds to police violence in the streets. It's also ridiculous the amount of homeless people that are out on the streets. Right now, on average, there are twenty-four empty houses for every homeless person out there, so these aren't "problems" without solutions, and they’re not even visionary in any sense. There are so many practical solutions that we could be applying to them, but it’s merely greed that’s holding us back. The student generation will be poorer for the first time in contemporary history than the previous generations themselves. This is because students are getting choked by banks' lavish interest rates on student debt, and the interest on those interest rates, creating an ever intoxicating style that takes well over the span of adulthood to clamber out of.
I would like to see a fair playing field for all people, not just a fair playing field in terms of equality but true progressive equality or egalitarianism in which the people who are having a harder time will get more services, where they are most needed, financial assistance, and I would like to see a return to communal values. Right now, we have so many different chain stores. We have Walmart,Burger Kings, fashion industries etc.. It’s not so much a problem, the general concept of corporations existing, rather, their anti-democratic nature and parasitic competitive practices destroy smaller businesses, giving people in a capitalist system, very few choices of products, locations or conservation minded products. If I wanted to buy a computer, I seldom have any choice between a locally produced computer or a mass produced computer by child-labor in Taiwan in a Foxconn factory or something, and the solution to that is not going to be about eradicating technology, or merely boycotting specific companies (it is an admirable effort, but seldom effective in a generalized knowledge based economy) or even living in a primitive society. We can very well live in a technologically and structurally complex society. We can live with all of these different commodities, but we need to be socially and environmentally responsible. Environmental stewardship is not just having 1%ers going into third world countries and recycling Coca Cola cans once in a while. It’s sad that people think those types of things will satisfy our society, and other false generosities. We’re thinking in such short-terms, whether instant gratification, quarterly cycles or many of the other mindless chases. I would love to see our society thinking and living much more in the long-term.
Right now, we’re living in a very paranoid society, whether it’s paranoia of the police or paranoia of muggings or rape. We don’t have this kind of harmony that is discussed in smaller societies, and I would love to see a much more empathetic approach, a less competitive approach to the way we communicate and treat each other, mutual aid over greed.
While critique is one of the greatest forms of participation, it is only so when done with clear conscience and compassionate mind. Plenty of socially leaning individuals "criticize" Occupy Wall Street, everything from the lack of demands, to the amount of "youth" in Occupy, to "just not getting it that…" which are all critiques that may or not be meritorious, however, Occupy IS a do-ocracy, hence be the change you want to be. Because one's opinion, particularly a critique of a movement, implies that their presence would improve it, and thus, power to those people, if they DO seek to make change and a difference. And that to me, is what Occupy will forever mean, to generations later in future society. In the words of William Buckley: "I would rather be governed by the first 2000 names in the Boston phone book than by the 2000 members of the faculty of Harvard University."
Interview by Stacy Lanyon
http://buildingcompassionthroughaction.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/stacylanyon
https://instagram.com/stacylanyon/
https://twitter.com/StacyLanyon
http://stacylanyon.com/
They tell you we are dreamers; the true dreamers are those who think things can go on indefinitely the way they are. We are not dreamers; we are awakening from the dream that is turning into a nightmare. We are not destroying anything; we are only witnessing how the system is destroying itself. In our films, it’s easy to imagine the end of the world — an asteroid destroying all of life, and so on — but we cannot imagine the end of capitalism. Occupy has resonated strongly with the frustrations of the American people. The corruption and blatant disregard for democracy is indicated by reality that The 1% has two parties, while we have none. It’s time that the American people had their voice heard and not drowned out, amongst the louder voices of "money speech". We are really at a critical juncture amid this whole capitalist Crises, which few politicians even pretend to have any solutions to. I know that Occupy will play a significant role in helping to liberate our country.
When we talk about what we want to see in society, I’m more concerned with what we’re not going to be seeing anymore, everything from the toxic and commercially dehumanizing McDonalds to police violence in the streets. It's also ridiculous the amount of homeless people that are out on the streets. Right now, on average, there are twenty-four empty houses for every homeless person out there, so these aren't "problems" without solutions, and they’re not even visionary in any sense. There are so many practical solutions that we could be applying to them, but it’s merely greed that’s holding us back. The student generation will be poorer for the first time in contemporary history than the previous generations themselves. This is because students are getting choked by banks' lavish interest rates on student debt, and the interest on those interest rates, creating an ever intoxicating style that takes well over the span of adulthood to clamber out of.
I would like to see a fair playing field for all people, not just a fair playing field in terms of equality but true progressive equality or egalitarianism in which the people who are having a harder time will get more services, where they are most needed, financial assistance, and I would like to see a return to communal values. Right now, we have so many different chain stores. We have Walmart,Burger Kings, fashion industries etc.. It’s not so much a problem, the general concept of corporations existing, rather, their anti-democratic nature and parasitic competitive practices destroy smaller businesses, giving people in a capitalist system, very few choices of products, locations or conservation minded products. If I wanted to buy a computer, I seldom have any choice between a locally produced computer or a mass produced computer by child-labor in Taiwan in a Foxconn factory or something, and the solution to that is not going to be about eradicating technology, or merely boycotting specific companies (it is an admirable effort, but seldom effective in a generalized knowledge based economy) or even living in a primitive society. We can very well live in a technologically and structurally complex society. We can live with all of these different commodities, but we need to be socially and environmentally responsible. Environmental stewardship is not just having 1%ers going into third world countries and recycling Coca Cola cans once in a while. It’s sad that people think those types of things will satisfy our society, and other false generosities. We’re thinking in such short-terms, whether instant gratification, quarterly cycles or many of the other mindless chases. I would love to see our society thinking and living much more in the long-term.
Right now, we’re living in a very paranoid society, whether it’s paranoia of the police or paranoia of muggings or rape. We don’t have this kind of harmony that is discussed in smaller societies, and I would love to see a much more empathetic approach, a less competitive approach to the way we communicate and treat each other, mutual aid over greed.
While critique is one of the greatest forms of participation, it is only so when done with clear conscience and compassionate mind. Plenty of socially leaning individuals "criticize" Occupy Wall Street, everything from the lack of demands, to the amount of "youth" in Occupy, to "just not getting it that…" which are all critiques that may or not be meritorious, however, Occupy IS a do-ocracy, hence be the change you want to be. Because one's opinion, particularly a critique of a movement, implies that their presence would improve it, and thus, power to those people, if they DO seek to make change and a difference. And that to me, is what Occupy will forever mean, to generations later in future society. In the words of William Buckley: "I would rather be governed by the first 2000 names in the Boston phone book than by the 2000 members of the faculty of Harvard University."
Interview by Stacy Lanyon
http://buildingcompassionthroughaction.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/stacylanyon
https://instagram.com/stacylanyon/
https://twitter.com/StacyLanyon
http://stacylanyon.com/