Posted by
Steve Smith on
Jan 22, 2012; 4:08pm
URL: http://friam.383.s1.nabble.com/Understanding-the-Occupy-Movementf-tp7210588p7213663.html
Eric -
I appreciate your thoughtful analysis of the question... FRIAM is
prone to deep dives (relatively) into answers without necessarily
looking carefully at the questions.
Nick -
I also salute your engaging (participating) with Occupy. I'm
supportive of the movement but not particularly motivated to do more
than wave happily as I drive by any public event. I'm glad you
have found a way to help and I hope someone else can pitch in and
help you. Often the shape of the negative space is as informative
as that of the positive. What is this lack of involvement by the
technorati of Santa Fe? Are we too comfortable?
I believe that the *general* occupy movement actually negates the
popular assumptions/statements about "getting involved". The
illusion that we do not deserve to have an opinion unless we are
getting involved, having strong opinions, even voting. I'm afraid
we *do* deserve our opinions (and even their expressions) at any
level of involvement, thus Occupy's unwillingness to be reduced to
any simple set of demands. This is not to say that those who do
vote, who do stand in the streets or sit on the lawns or wave the
signs, or sadly even those who throw rocks and bottles and overturn
police cars, do not deserve their opinions.
Remembering the slogan of the 60's "Power to the People" and
juxtaposing it with a good friend's assertion "Power doesn't
corrupt, it IS corruption" suggests that as "we the people" wrest
power from "them the enemy" we should be ever vigilant to not take
more power than is intrinsically our own. It is surely as heady to
drive the police from the square, or pull down a despot's statue, or
jam up business for a day or a week or a month, as it is to win a
major election (or better to steal it).
We have at least two examples of effective retaking of power (and
then not immediately becoming the next despot) in Gandhi and in
Nelson Mandela... so I'm not without hope for us. Occupy, as well
as even some of the more violent groups in the Arab Spring has at
least some of this tenor. I believe that while it may take great
conviction and effort to retake the power we have lost (no, not
lost, *given*) to the despots of wealth (don't forget many of us are
part of some percentage significantly greater than 50% in our
populations, US or elsewhere, if not 99% exactly) and of political
power, it takes greater amounts to do it humbly and with care to
maintain the ideals we started with.
Pamela -
I was not surprised that New Mexico uses tax incentives to lure and
keep big businesses in the state. It is anecdotal in State Economic
Develop circles that had we been more progressive about that
Microsoft would still be in ABQ. I don't think retail businesses
like WalMart are as appropriate for such incentives, however. I
vote against WalMart by not shopping there (and choosing local over
big-box national as often as possible which for me is nearly
exclusively). I'm not sure, but it is likely that Target, Lowes,
Best Buy, etc. have similar if not equal tax breaks to WalMart. The
Movie industry incentives go beyond lower tax rates, and most
progressives applaud that. The message and situation is not
simple. I admit to at least enjoying the sight of my own backyard
in virtually every western movie made today... and knowing that some
of my friends and colleagues can find work in NM that would
otherwise require them to live in LA.
Arlo -
Thus Occupy served as a forum, rather than an
organisation or individual or faction or party to be ignored, or
cynically considered. Indeed, I have rarely heard even opponents
of the movement describe it in terms of being untrustworthy - it
just does not apply to this kind of social structure. The
criticisms have concerned whether or not Occupy will fail in
it's goal of popularising social change.
While it may be just lust for revolution/rebellion, it is
not produced restlessly or without forethought.
Exceedingly well said, thank you for this articulation.
Jochen -
What a superbly negative view of the meaning and relevance of life!
I share your opinion of professional sports and am mostly
sympathetic about the highest profile politicians. Unfortunately I
cannot go as far toward Neitzscheistic Nihilism as I hear coursing
through your assessment.
I do agree with the relativism of any given bit of politics... that
to you in Germany, Santa Fe's roster of City Councilpersons, or even
NM's Governor is of little concern and I presume interest. I would
presume that the US choice of leadership of the legislative (through
majority) branch and of the executive branch of our government and
subsequently the direction of steerage of this Leviathan we call the
US government and economy *is* a bit more relevant, as is our
sometimes interest in the affairs of Europe, of the former Soviet
states, and of China, Korea and Japan, not to mention, India,
Pakistan, the Arab countries and subsaharan Africa.
All-
What follows (surprise!) is not exactly more *careful* analysis to
add to Eric's and the rest but in that vein, my usual folksy
anecdotal reflections on the topic and questions it raised for me:
I was far from a Young Republican during the era of civil unrest and
reform of the sixties, but more likely a Young Libertarian (dog
eared copy of Atlas shrugged in the pocket of my worn, wide bottomed
jeans held up by my handmade belt and covering my handmade
moccasins)... so I supported the principles of free speech and
individualism, but looked down with disdain on the way a lot of the
popular movements of the time just looked like a big party among
middle class youth without anything better to do. For those who
have told their stories of resistance against the monster that was
the Vietnam War, I have my own, too torrid to tell (even) in this
forum. Just ask, I will not be shy.
Age and experience (mostly through the lens of hindsight) have
allowed me to appreciate the effects and motivations of those times
(if still not always the methods or individual actions). This
perspective allows me to look on the current Occupy movements (and
the much more engaged and risky activities across the Arab world
this year... <nod to Mohammed El-Beltagy in Cairo>) with a
great deal more generosity and even hope. My (now 32 yr old)
daughter left the MoveOn movement around the 04 election very
disenchanted for similar reasons to the ones I quote for my own
jaundiced view of the 60's into the 70's.
When Occupy stood up (or sat down?) I feared it was another
flash-in-the-pan expression of anger/resentment/agitation that would
either flash to petty acts of defiant violence or sputter out after
the first cold night. It's breadth, depth, and refusal to be
pinned down on a specific set of demands has really impressed me
(but no, Nick, I still don't expect to pitch in much more than I
have, also being old, lazy, and claiming ADD whenever asked to focus
for more than 12 seconds on anything less personal than my own
navel, a remunerative task at hand, or a juicy Friam thread to be
milked into senselessness).
Occupy almost lost me when they took up the cry of "we are the 99%",
because my cynical-analytical brain immediately asked "99% of whom?"
and by rule of thumb suspected that 99% of those Occupying are
actually part of the 1% when placed against the world population.
Fortunately, I also was feeling expansive and generous and believe
that most of the self-described "99%" out in the streets would
acknowledge this fairly easily and if "we" ever took back more of
the control of our economy and political system, might even remember
that they were no longer "us" and had become "them" (again) to the
larger world system... and maybe take whatever appropriate action
the 1% *should*. It is precisely this kind of humbling that I
believe is required for real change to occur.
I also flashed quickly to "why 99% ?" This seemed like a pretty
arbitrary number. Why not 99.9% or 98% or 90% even? Well... of
course it is a nice, round catchy number in our decimal number
system, in the per-cent system even moreso. It also brings
attention to the power-law and self-similar systems and structures
many of us here are fond of studying (considering?). If tomorrow
the 99% dug a big hole and buried the 1% in it (I'm not advocating
violence mind you, just offering a strong image to make a point),
would we not truly just have a new 1% and a new 99% with the same
(or similar) inequalities (after distributing the 1% to the 99%
either equally or proportionally). If we changed the slogan to "we
are the 80%" it would lose it's punch but probably not it's central
point. 20% of our population holds an (even more) inordinate amount
of control of assets and political power.
I don't think this distribution is accidental and those (Eric?) who
study systems which exhibit power-law distributions by day can
probably explain it pretty easily. Pamela did a good job with her
own folksy "those who have, git". There are reasons that lots of
systems demonstrate preferential attachment and and compound
interest. So, my inner curmudgeon always wants to ask pointed
questions like: "What if power-law distributions are inevitable?"
and "What if renormalizing the results of this have about as much
effect as trying to fill in an arroyo between rainstorms?". Not to
suggest too strong of an analogy with eroding landscapes, but what
if the solution to an eroding (eroded?) financial and political
landscape is to carefully study the myriad everyday things we do
that have undermined the complex ecosystem which formerly maintained
a matrix of structure which held the soil in place, and to remediate
those things rather than demand that those who own bulldozers come
to our back yard and fill in the arroyo system growing there? Or
more to the point, for those who live on the delta where the arroyo
enters the river (BTW, I live near such a delta) and own dump trucks
(and own my own antique dump truck) to fill them and bring the sand
and silt back to the ravines forming up-arroyo.
Of course, I'm not sure we've ever had a economic, political (or
more to the point?) social "Savannah" where all were equal and the
many creatures (people of all economic, social, ethnic backgrounds)
roamed peacefully with plenty to eat and little to fear, fat and
lazy in the sun. It seems like a more careful consideration of
just what we propose this "Savannah" might look like in the future
(if not in the literal, real past) would be worthwhile. My inner
cynic may be showing through a little, and I really do want to curb
him. While I still acutely remember the moment that I realized
that most if not all fantastic literature was utopian or dystopian
in nature, and then even more acutely when I realized that utopias
are always dressed up dystopias (and examining cyberpunk, one could
easily say dystopias are dressed down utopias).
I may be wrong in this (yet another) analogy, but I like to think of
Occupy (the larger movement) as being a little like a neighborhood
watch group whose response to rising nighttime street crime is to
keep lots of bright flashlights in their pockets and floodlights on
their homes and respond to sketchy activity simply by shining a
bright light on it. It is a little like focusing on the question
rather than the answers. *somebody* may call 911, or run out with
their baseball bat or shotgun and intervene in the particular
activity of the moment, but the simple shining of a light on a
problem is amazingly powerful and facilitates the latter.
The quote attributed to Nixon (or was it Kissinger?) that "if you
don't have a better solution, to keep your criticism to yourself" is
generally accepted as just plain wrong headed, but Occupy seems to
defy it directly. My own cynical self who generally eschews popular
movements finds this one at least tolerable if not actually
palatable unto nourishing. I may not be able to find a way to
participate directly in "Occupy" but I know I will be sad if they
dry up and blow away.
The closest I have to offer is a reaffirmation to "Occupy my own
life". I have only small hopes, but perhaps the millions who have
lost their jobs, or returned from war to none, or remain in school
hoping some will emerge, will find something better to do than sit
around and wait for someone else to solve their problems... that
many will find entrepreneurial activities that are self-generating,
that fill small but viable niches untouched by corporate America (or
Europe or pan-Arabia)... that many will learn to prepare meals from
raw ingredients rather than whine about the cost of McDonalds or of
frozen Microwave meals... that some will plant rooftop or courtyard
container gardens instead of whining about the price of produce or
lack of taste in the perfect hydroponic grown tomatoes at their
favorite upscale grocery... or at least visit the farmers market
where their neighbors are doing the same... or turn down their
thermostat 5 degrees and wear a sweater... or walk and bicycle when
they would otherwise have driven...
I say "Occupy our own lives!" which for some means picketing in
front of the Round House or on a street corner perhaps, but for the
rest, maybe it means "pay attention, what you do matters".
- Steve
Disagree about politics vs. psychology, though they
are deeply intertwined.
And Nick, I salute you for your activism. Did NOT know that
WalMart has a different tax rate than local businesses. Them
that has gits.
Pamela
On Jan 21, 2012, at 2:35 PM, Jochen Fromm wrote:
Looks like you have lost interest in Psychology? Your
book about the new realists with Eric seems to be
published, right? I guess it was called 'A new look at
new realism'. No other book in the pipeline? I think
Psychology is still much more fascinating than Politics.
FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
"The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is
a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of a world
and wake up in another quite different, and if this is
not enchantment then where is it to be found?"
J. B. Priestley
============================================================
FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
============================================================
FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at
http://www.friam.org