And the Meme Became a Movement

By: Gus Victoria

And the meme became a movement. For weeks now I have been following the Occupy Wall Street protests with the same detached irritation that a majority in this country shares. It is not that I do not believe in the dialogue that the OWS movement attempts to start. I do not disagree that this country has indeed been taken hostage by corporate interests that outweigh and deny any possibility of effective democracy. Change is needed that is clear. However this OWS movement was a seemingly feeble effort by spoiled children of a self-centered era. Feeble in that there was no clear leadership that identified a problem and promoted a solution. Revolution in this atmosphere is dangerous because when the hearts of many are turned and ignited by the thought of injustices done, real or perceived, it creates a force that no institution can stand against indefinitely.

It seemed this professed movement was not taken seriously by a majority despite the passionate appeals of many within OWS. That is not to say that it was ignored either as the various other similar protests that OWS spawned demonstrate. As this occupation lengthened patience amongst many tired, myself included. Yes we understand there are problems; but what the hell are you solving by Occupying _____? Those that work hard, despite the understanding that those in power were overly greedy, almost saw it as an insult by those that participated in these protests; “why does so and so complain about this and that when I work hard?” People began to distance or divorce themselves completely from inclusion in the 99%. That beloved 99% slogan then became a meme. A quick internet search will yield many different takes on the slogan that incorporate humor and pop-culture and diminish the intended effect of that slogan.   

Then came the government reactions. OWS might have been confined to a meme had government not panicked. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say, those in control of government. The backlash against these relatively harmless and comparatively lost groups legitimized the whole endeavor. Whether THAT is what the few architects of OWS were counting on is not yet clear, but any student of Thoreau or Gandhi would probably have been able to predict that response by the government if they felt threatened. To me the surprise was that those in power felt threatened enough to initiate physical action and reprisal against these protesters when a good portion of the country had already, without intervention, discounted them.

Revolution is carried in the blood. It lays dormant when the life we live provides for us and those we care about an existence we accept. Usually this means access to basic things that allow for a propagation of society in such a structure that all within agree to it either explicitly or implicitly. When justice is absent long enough or dramatically enough then that blood begins to churn. It moves and us with it as it heats at the view of injustice. Injustice is incompatible with compassion and I believe humanity is, despite the injustices we create, predisposed to, on its own, choose compassion. When we live within the structure of government and society that we accept then we can get caught in the cogs of its soulless machinery and eschew that compassion for a duty we must perform. We in essence become slaves to a system. Sometimes that system oppresses us as we fight for its very existence against those that would see it torn down. It is a paradox that diplomacy cannot break us from. It is a disease to which politics is no cure. The only way to rid ourselves of the cancer of oppression is by waking up to its odious effects and choosing to end it. To enact a revolution within ourselves! A revolution is no panacea though, for it is like fire. It can purge and help clear in order to create. It can temper the resolve. But to burn uncontrolled can also cause destruction far worse than if nothing had been done in the first place.

That was my main objection with OWS initially. The lack of vision and leadership made me skeptical of its aims and wary of its actions. An uncontrolled revolution is always to be feared for it is little more than a mob. Then, as I stated earlier, came the government overreactions. Fear became evident. Hope slowly was uncovered. Not in what the OWS did, but in the injustice that the government’s actions highlighted. Clearing the protesters in such a hurried and violent manner, though not the bloody reprisals we have seen in other places at other times, was such that it effectively uncovered the government for what it is; a puppet state controlled by a now fearful financial oligarchy. And this is so un-American and inhumane that no matter one’s opinion on OWS the actions taken against them MUST be condemned. That is where I stand now. More to come later…

"I am 27. The hell with details because, lets be honest, you really don't care if they don't further your opinion. Why share then?

I am NOT part of the "1%"

I am NOT part of the "99%"

I AM part of the "100%"

Do not divide humanity for that perpetuates problems.

Love ALWAYS overcomes injustice and greed!

Never when we blame others before fixing ourselves.

Enact a revolution in your heart first before taking one to the streets!

I am the 100%