‘This is not a protest; this is An Affirmation of the vitality and idealism erupting under the present American nightmare.
‘I contain multitudes
… do I contradict myself?
Then I contradict myself.’
Walt Whitman
[From his poem about Lower Broadway]
‘ [The] 99% is taking to the streets from Madison to Madrid to say ‘No. We will not pay for your crisis.’ That slogan began in Italy in 2008. It ricocheted to Greece and France and Ireland and finally it has made its way to the square mile where the crisis began.’ [Naomi Klein, writing in the Oct 8 issue of The Occupied Wall Street Journal].
‘Many people have drawn parallels between Occupy Wall Street and the so-called anti-globalization protests that came to world attention in Seattle in 1999… But there are important differences too. For instance we chose summits as our targets: WTO, IMF, the G8. Summits are transient by their nature, they only last a week. That made us transient too. We’d appear, grab world headlines then disappear… Occupy Wall street on the other hand, has chosen a fixed target. And you have put no end date on your presence here. This is wise.’ [Naomi Klein, writing in the Oct 8 issue of The Occupied Wall Street Journal].
‘We are not pleading… for electoral reform. We know electoral politics is a farce. We have found another way to be heard and exercise power. We have no faith in the political system or the two major political parties. And we know the corporate press will not amplify our voices which is why we have a press of our own. We know the economy serves the oligarchs.’ [Chris Hedges writing in the Oct 8 issue of The Occupied Wall Street Journal].
‘The elites believe, and seek to make us believe, that globalization and unfettered capitalism are natural law, some kind of permanent and eternal dynamic that can never be altered. What the elites fail to realize is that rebellion will not stop until the corporate state is extinguished.’ [Chris Hedges writing in the Oct 8 issue of The Occupied Wall Street Journal]
‘I will stand for my government when my government stands for me.’
‘Boeing, Lockheed spend $ millions $ Lobbying Congress
Greed Kills’
‘Coaching Visionaries
We are a coalition of Certified Professional Coaches
Who have come together to empower
Everyone who supports the Occupy Wall St
What is your role in the movement
How can you start making it happen today?’
‘No list of demands
We are speaking to each other and listening…
The exhausted political machins and their PR slicks are already seeking leaders to elevate, messages to claim, talking points to move on. They, more than anyone will attempt to seize and shape this moment. They are racing to reach the front of the line. But how can they run out in front of something that is in front of them? They cannot. For Wall Street and Washington, the demand is not on them to give us something that isn’t theirs to give. It’s ours. It’s on us. We are going anywhere. We just got here.’ [Editorial note: Oct 8 issue of The Occupied Wall Street Journal]
‘We need Congress to work for US, not the big corporations. I bet if we prohibited our representatives from accepting bribery and paid them $70,000 a year they would be out here protesting with us. Let’s force our representatives to represent us.’
It was nice to meet a reader, Eva Friedlander, who spoke very warmly of Sea of Poppies and The Hungry Tide. She said she’d spent many years in India (Dhanbad) and had taught courses on South Asia in New York area schools and colleges. Some of these courses have now been ‘downsized’ but Eva remains closely in touch with the Indian subcontinent.
Aroon Venugopal, who has been covering the Occupy Wall Street protests for National Public Radio and Television. He was on the story even when it was being ignored by the mainstream press. He is married to the novelist Mira Nair and was once a neighbour.
A shrine, in one corner of the park.
‘Isn’t fraud a punishable crime? Shame on you Atty Gen Holder.’
‘99% FED UP
If not now
WHEN?
‘Meditation Fri 10 AM under Big Red Thing’
‘God Forgive This World’
THE REVOLUTION WILL BE PLAYFUL
THE DISASTER WILL REACH YOU TOO
‘No matter what they try they will NOT stop us!!!’
WoW … That reverberates!
Observations:
1) People are only ever concerned when their style of life is threatened.
2) Democracy and free markets in America. Opportunity leads to too much greed. Now people want limits. And safety nets. Government providing healthcare to all. Signs of socialism? Whereas, long suffering Soviet Union throws away the yoke of communism for the chaos of free markets. I guess the bottom-line is this: people want variety and change. First one thing, then get bored with it, then the other thing, then get bored with it, then go for yet another thing. So we’ll see …
[…] Amitav Ghosh goes to Occupy Wall Street […]
This is great! I am teaching your book “Countdown.” Can’t thank you enough for it. And plan to teach the Ibis books next year.
Wonderful post Amitav. It makes me miss New York. Really, one of the only reasons I regret living in Paris now is that I’m not in the US to participate in this moment. Of course here we do have “Indignez-vous!” Hope all’s well, and can’t wait to read the new book.
Thanks very much Mira. Hope you saw the other Occupy Posts. There will be much action in Paris on Nov 3….
in my memory its first movement which has denied to be a single issue movement. its against capitalism. we should try to spread it in other parts of the world. down with capitalism! down with imperialism!! long live revolution!!!