"What I find exciting is the idea that the solutions to the ecological crisis can be the solutions to the economic crisis, and that we stop seeing these as two problems to be pitted against each other by savvy politicians, but that we see them as a ... single crisis, born of a single root, which is unrestrained corporate greed" -Naomi Klein
Hello blog world. Although I haven't posted in a while, I've been reading and watching a lot of news as usual, signing petitions on MoveOn.org, and been keeping a close watch on the various Occupy Wall Street movements across the country. Michael Moore says that the Occupy movement is "one of the most remarkable movements that I’ve seen in my lifetime" and I agree that these recent events have renewed my hope for all environmental, economic, and political concerns.
If you have 45 minutes to spare and are interested in learning about the "Next Steps for the Movement Against Corporate Power," I strongly suggest that you watch The Nation's panel discussion aired by Democracy Now. It is an inspiring discussion featuring Michael Moore, Naomi Klein, and others. I was particularly excited to hear Ms. Klein share news that "the White House announced that it is going to have a new environmental review for the Keystone XL pipeline. That review is going to take at least a year. And the company that wants to build the Keystone XL pipeline, TransCanada, has said that it can’t handle another delay, that their investors will lose faith." The XL pipeline is an extremely upsetting environmental concern of mine. Even President Obama himself said that
Unfortunately, I haven't had the opportunity to join Bozeman's small Occupations (only three small rallies that I know of), but I continue to protest in my own ways: shopping locally as much as possible, limiting my consumption of corporate goods, keeping my money in a small, local bank, and trying to live simply. I've also been posting relevant articles and petitions on Facebook, but I never get any replies.
Have you participated in an Occupy rally? What are your feelings on this movement? How do you protest in your own way?
6 comments:
I agree, it's an exciting time. I'm so hopeful that perhaps our society is actually waking from it's long Reagan-induced-trickle-down-insanity nightmare.
I haven't been to any of the protests here in Denver... to tell the truth, but I've been watching the clashes with police, the arrests and the other goings on with great interest. I guess I just figure that refusing to participate in society at large is my main form of protest.
Hi EcoCatLady. Thanks for stopping by despite my lack of frequent posting. You're right that a lot of this mess began with Reaganomics- I'd like to read more about Reagan's presidency. I saw a great photo online somewhere of Reagan and his cabinet all laughing together. Written on the photo was "And they thought that the money would 'trickle down.'"
As far as the police "clashes" at the Occupy movements- the use of this word and the AP's reporting of this issue is a big pet peeve of mine right now. From everything that I read and see, the protesters and police aren't "clashing;" the protesters are being attacked.
Indeed, I also try to drop out of the system and society, but the system is set up in such a way that it prevents complete drop-outs. Not unless I want to be a bum and live under a bridge. I'm feeling more and more that instead of isolating my myself and my opinions, I should join a club or an organization of like-minded folks. Maybe if we band together we can make a difference? I'm not sure, however, how to find such an organization.
Ha! Very good point regarding use of the word "clash". It's sort of hard to call it a "clash" when you've got college students peacefully sitting on the ground being pepper sprayed in the face by police.
And you're right that you can't drop out completely... I guess outsmarting the system might be a better description of how I try to live my life. But to me, the whole concept of dropping out, or whatever you call it, doesn't have anything to do with isolating myself. I guess I'm fortunate to have lived most of my adult life surrounded by like-minded folks - most of my friends are hippie musicians, many of whom have never had a "real job". To me, people with 9-5 jobs, fashionable clothing, fancy cars and big houses are the oddity.
I'm sure there are plenty of like minded folk in Bozeman... the trick is just finding them. You could always start our own club. There's a group of folks here in Denver who have started a local market, complete with local currency and classes on a whole variety of self-sufficient themes. http://www.denverhaho.org/about.html
MoveOn.org is always sending me things wanting me to host house parties on this or that theme. I bet if you got involved there you could find some like minded folk pretty easily.
Keep us posted! :)
EcoCatLady: It sounds like we have a lot in common! I also generally don't connect with the 9-5, consumer types. Aparantly my lifestyle is pretty alternative. I didn't feel that alternative back in Maine because Maine is far more progressive than Bozeman and there are lots of people living all sorts of different types of lifestyles. I've only been in Bozeman 2 years, but I've been disappointed by how conservative and conventional its restidents are (although they like to think they're super progessive). I need to continue to be open-minded and hopefully I'll meet more like-minded friends in time. It sounds like you have an awesome community there in Denver!
Don't despair just because you're not getting replies on FB! It's FB, after all. People spend hours of their day on it in order to escape the world... they probably don't want to be reminded of big issues and tough topics like the Occupy movement.
I protest like you do, by making my actions political. I'm also involved in many grassroots projects, because while protests are necessary to get people to wake up and pay attention, and to send a message to the powers that be, it's not enough, and I'm tired of waiting for change to happen from the top down.
Hi Andrea. You're right about Facebook, but I feel very passionate about the issues that I post and I'd like to think that my "friends" are also interested in the topics. Facebook could be a fun way to engage in dialogs, but I never get a response. Not even a "like." I appreciate when others post interesting news articles on FB because I am often exposed to news that I might not otherwise hear of, but since I get no feedback on my posts, I can can only assume that others do not appreciate it.
I definitely admire your 'protesting' Andrea, as you do a lot of great volunteering, write an informative blog, and are even striving to create a career that focuses on making a deference (rather than selling out). Kudos! Don't give up!
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