Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Camille Raneem El Kasdin

Occupy Wall Street Six-Month Anniversary, March 17, 2012
Photo: Stacy Lanyon

I organized my first protest when I was twelve years old, so I’ve been, at least, fighting against the war for that long. I’ve also been involved with animal rights activism. Also, I’m a student in political theory, and I’m very engaged in writing about culture and control and what government and corporation power can do and has done historically. Even though corporation is a new word, it’s been the same thing the whole time. We just haven’t learned the lesson yet. When I heard Occupy Wall Street was happening, I thought it was perfect, and it was what I was waiting for.

It’s important because it’s a shift toward the masses thinking critically, and that’s something I feel like we are conditioned to not do whether it be via the media or via our schooling systems. We have a really difficult time feeling empowered and being empowered to pursue our interests, make a living off of them and be able to support others through those interests and through those passions. One of the things we were able to do here at Zuccotti Park was practice in our own community building. We did, in fact, create an intentional community here. I mean, it wasn’t entirely intentional. I feel like we hadn’t had an opportunity before Occupy to be as social as we wanted to be because we are social animals after all.

I envision us twenty to thirty years from now, after all of the bad has neutralized, I see us being able to be free to self-organize in communities that make sense for us, to not be bound by liberal pluralisms, spheres of influence. I see us being more innovative with what we have around us including our garbage. I see us educating in every home, on every corner, in every public space. I see people having control of not only their lives but their planet. 

 Interview by Stacy Lanyon
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