Since the Occupy movement hit the pavement on Wall Street in mid-September, itâs been celebrated by some media sources, demonized by others, and widely reported by most. A large part of the fascination factor is that the movement appears to be contagious. Splinter Occupy movements have ignited worldwide â including Halifaxâs own Occupy NS, which moved from Grand Parade Square to Victoria Park to make room for Remembrance Day ceremonies before being controversially evicted by police on the afternoon of November 11.
Robert Huish, International Development Studies professor, teaches INTD 3003: Development and Activism. As you might expect, the Occupy movement has quickly become required material for his course.
âIn the activism class, we look at it as a phenomenon of expressive dissent,â says Dr. Huish, who considers the movement a âliving example of the theory and practices of activism, advocacy, if not global citizenship.â Heâs even had to revamp his course just to keep up with Occupy Wall Streetâs day-to-day developments.
âWhat weâre seeing here with Occupy is a very public and engaged protestâŠvery similar to methods weâve seen around the worldâ â by which, he means major protests in Spain, Israel, India, and Egypt. âThis is now a global expression of discontent.â
Addressing the criticisms
It may be global, but critics of the Occupy movement often ask what, exactly, the 99 per centâs claimed discontent entails; after all, many of those occupying Wall Street carry iPhones, laptops, and travel mugs.
âThere are certainly those in the middle class who are participating in Occupy,â Dr. Huish acknowledges. âTheyâve got cellular technology, and theyâve got computers, and thereâs brand names. They may even go for a Starbucks now and thenâŠbut thatâs nothing hypocritical.â
Not only does he say itâs not hypocritical, it might actually be vital. âTo try to create a global movement of resistance by barring communicationâŠwouldnât be effective in trying to get people on board⊠it may be a cheap shot at Occupy to say âyouâre using iPhones, you donât have to be an activist.ââ
As for the claim that the movement is confused and disorganized, Dr. Huish has a perspective on that as well: âItâs quite contradictory, I think, on the part of any political leader to say that a protest isnât warranted. Itâs the most vibrant expression of dissent.â He cautions against dismissing the movement for any perceived laziness: âWhen [the authorities] donât understand it, the easiest thing it to try to dismiss it. But a lot of scholars are not dismissing it, a lot of economists are not dismissing it.â
"We are the 99%"
Dr. Huish compares the Occupy movement to the suffragettes who achieved the votes for women and the civil rights movements of the sixties. âBut that took over ten years to really make progress and advance⊠thereâs no quick fix.â
A key part of Occupy Wall Streetâs message is protestersâ claims to be âthe 99 per centâ â those people outside the top 1 per cent of Americaâs (and now, the worldâs) wealth. By this definition, Iâm a part of the 99 per cent. So are you (probably). But why should the masses tagged âthe 99 per centâ care about Occupy Wall Street, its actions and its goals?
Dr. Huish offers a functional set of guidelines: keep an eye on Occupy, he says, âif youâre worried about increasing tuition rates, or pension security, or welfare, or regulation of ethical behaviour on the part of corporations.â Of course, not everybodyâs cut out to stand in the November rain at Victoria Park, but there are other ways to make a difference. âIâm always shocked at the way a letter can get to a member of parliament and the response that it can draw.â
Nebulous aims
So thatâs the why, and the how, of Occupy Wall Street, but whatâs the âwhatâ? What are the goals and demands? While the nebulous nature of Occupyâs aims is one of the defining characteristics of the movement, Dr. Huish has a suggestion: âThe basis of any democratic society is to make sure the governed are able to influence and control the governors. And Iâd like to see that happen, and I think it would be an enormously popular move.â
As winter moves in and local authorities begin to collide with protesters, itâs difficult to say what the future of Occupy Wall Street, and its offshoots, will be. But, says Dr. Huish, Occupy Wall Street is ânot positioning itself to die quicklyâ â even if it turns down the volume a little.
âThe Occupy movements arenât going away. They may not be on the public squares or the library stepsâŠbut that sentiment is real, itâs vicious, and itâs quite powerful.â