Does this “Occupy Wall Street” Have Legs?
In an interview with a NY radio station, Mayor Bloomberg mentioned that a revolution will be coming to US soon if the jobs situation doesn’t change quickly.
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Well, it took less than two weeks for a leaderless, mostly unorganized, protests under the banner “Occupy Wall Street” hit the streets of the City for which he is the mayor. He himself became the first elected official to deal with the protestors. Some in his police force brutalized the peaceful crowd. (See my earlier post: And so it Began)
Tomorrow these protests enter week 2. It appears that the support for the movement is growing and spreading to other cities. Today in Boston about 3000 people protested against Bank of America. Twenty four arrested. In NY city, crowds blocked Brooklyn Bridge, and hundreds were arrested. [Keep in mind 3 years after the Lehman bankruptcy, till today not even a single bank executive was arrested for his/her actions that caused banks to collapse, people to lose jobs, life savings evaporate into thin air.]
No, I don’t think this is the “pitchforks and torches” moment yet. But, it appears that this movement has some legs. We have to wait and see.
On related matter – for a few months, I have been writing on the topic of revolutions on this blog (here and here). On my Sept 30th internet radio show, a caller asked me about this subject. Here is my response (in Telugu language).
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 10:14 — 9.4MB) | Embed
Well I am not too sure about having Legs but it sure seem to attract a lot of well noted folks chiming in on the protest venue. Dylan Ratigans ‘Get Money Out’ campaign seem to engulf everything in its path. I was one of the first 100k signatories who they call founding members on his blog. I wonder all these folks are getting inspired by the Arab Spring to Anna movement in India which are producing real results. Also the economy and the banker leaching coupled with politicians incompetencies are only helping such upraising be it in developed or developing world.
I think the perfect strom is brewing for a sustained upraising unlike the stupid “Tea Party” movement which in all honesty started well but was hijacked by right wing nuts. We have the great number of unemployed youth with huge student loans and cant get respect from the establishment and who exist pretty much in the social media and cyber space where they at least get solace in a self congratulatory echo system far from real world. I think it takes lot more than assembling in a park with placards to really raise up to a cause. It takes courage, selflessness, sacrifice, and above all perseverance against all odds. Notice a real movement does not take a lot of financial backing unlike the currupt politicians’ and their campaign machinery. I hope whatever shape and size this movement takes, come election time in 2012, genuinely motivated selfless leaders emerge for the good of the country and for that matter whole world. I am hopeful something good will emerge from all this chaos around the world soon.