Monday, May 14, 2012

William Gunnar Estrella

Anti-Brutality March, March 24, 2012, Union Square
Photo: Stacy Lanyon

When I first heard about Occupy Wall Street, I was overwhelmed with emotions because I’ve been waiting my entire life for my generation to stand up and have a voice of its own, not be slapstick jingles from a commercial or reality television or any other useless distraction that’s out there. This is it. This is real. This is a movement for change, for equality, for us to evolve as humans. It’s not just about politics. An entire species has to learn how to live differently and how to treat this planet, and this is a stepping stone for getting to that goal. I’m not saying that Utopian society is possible within my lifetime or my children’s lifetime, if I even have children, but it’s possible one day. We just need to understand that all of these barriers that separate us, whether its gender, religion or class, need to just be abolished because we’re all humans, and we’re all equal, and most importantly, race, which has sparked a point for many discussions about this. We’ve been indoctrinated to believe that these are things that matter, and in reality, they don’t, and as soon as we illuminate that, we can start becoming what we are meant to be.

It’s extremely important because what we are doing now, in this stage, is raising awareness because so many people are just so blinded by news outlets and corporation driven dogma and religious dogma, and it holds people back from realizing what their true potential is. This doesn’t just show that there are like-minded people out there, people that want to change the world, people that actually care. It also shows that if there are people who aren’t afraid to be out here, aren’t afraid to face the trials and tribulations they face day in and day out, the dangers that they face day in and day out, that others will not be so shy and timid to come out here and help change the world.

I hope it will bring about a world with more awareness and justice for everyone, whether gender or class or race. It’s something that we need to survive. It’s that paramount. I feel that coming out here and doing this and being here, active and helping as much as I can with so many beautiful, brave and talented people is so important. Like I said, a Utopian society is impossible with the current mindset of the general public, and I’m hoping that starts to chip away little by little. If big chunks fall off, then we make more progress, but I think it’s going to be slow and steady. I think that’s how it’s going to work. It’s through peace that we’re going to win it. Hopefully that's an example for people who feel they need to persecute us for their own goals or for their own perception of what the world should be. Hopefully that brings some more consciousness to everyone around the world of what’s truly important and what truly isn’t. 


Interview by Stacy Lanyon
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