I’ve
waited a long long time to get my chance to be part of a true movement. Before
I arrived at UC Davis, when I was still in the holding cell that grown-ups call
“high school,” I dreamt of the day my generation would have it’s time to change
the world. I idolized the participants in protests of the 1960’s and 70’s during
the civil rights movement and Vietnam War. They had found something larger than
themselves to become knowledgeable about and devote their lives to. When was my
day going to come?
Last
month, I had all but given up that dream. I graduated from UC Davis with my bachelors
in Economics, and absolutely no experience with popular movements. I was
confused by the fact that no one was in the streets about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
I figured the population had grown complacent—after all nothing was being taken
from them. They didn’t have to stop wearing panty-hose, or watch their friends
family or neighbors carted off to serve in-voluntarily in the armed forces. All
in all, it seemed people couldn’t be bothered. In the past two weeks, I've realized that it just took a little longer than I hoped it would.
#OccupyWallSt,
is the first movement for the people by the people that I have seen from my
generation since I started looking back in 2006. Criticisms from media outlets [The Economist, NYTimes] that this occupation doesn’t have a “purpose,” are missing the point. There is
something to be said for restoring the faith and power of the people. The truth is that it's hard for the demands of 99% of the nation to be captured in a soundbite. It is an
amazing feat that the leaders and participants of the Occupation have inspired
me and others in my position to believe that the United States of America still has the ability to change
and outgrow its habit of pandering to interests that hurt its people. Even though there is a clearly laid out agenda on the Occupy Wall St website, I don’t see that as the true value of the protests. They
have incited a will and a force that is bound to gain momentum and to cause a
serious stir for our nation.
That
said, we still have a long way to go. The number and vastness of the problems
with the system feels entirely too large to combat with one protest. To those who were brave enough and
had the will power to make change a reality, I urge you to remember that the
issues are not independent—all of it is related. That means you do not need to
compete with each other for media or political attention. Also remember not to
be frustrated when idiots in charge ask the question, “How do you suggest we
fix this?” It’s not your job to supply the right answer. You can research and think
and perhaps propose a solution you believe would help; but they were elected to
do that job. Your real role is to remind them of that responsibility and to
stress that their ineffectiveness, does affect our lives.
