Occupational Fatigue

There is still a lot of confusion about the Occupy movement. And at the moment, it looks like the Anti-Occupy movement (in Australia) is winning; the seeds of confusion sown both inside and outside Occupy now sprouting in vines of ignorance bearing fruits of apathy.

A few days ago Occupy Brisbane disbanded due to disunity in the group; the pressures of maintaining a protest beyond a couple of weeks proved too much. People in the group felt that wider society just weren't 'getting it', and gave up trying to help people to see the original message. The original message of the movement has been completely lost as we are all debating the right to protest itself.

Some of the no-hopers

This is a false debate. Many commentaries (of a Herald Sun nature) assert that the protesters should stop whinging and go get a job to better their position in society. What these commentaries overlook are both the fundamental nature of the protests as well as the reasons for Occupy starting in the first place. This has tested the stamina of many Occupiers; we find ourselves having to try to justify the movement, without reference to the purpose of the movement.

So here it is: I will tell all who want to know, so that we can see what the movement is actually about and hopefully get a feel for whether or not it is justified.

The Occupy movement asserts that:

• Democracy today is not responding as well as it should to what the Citizenry actually sees or feels is important.
• "Capitalism" has become "Corporatist Consumerism"; where free enterprise is muscled out in favour of large actors with immense amounts of market power, while individuals are told that the means of bettering themselves is through consumption rather than production.
• That our democratic process has become so enmeshed with our economic process that a mass re-engagement is needed by the Citizenry so that we can articulate what exactly is wrong (or right) with the current state of affairs, envision a better method of achieving our potential and exercise our democratic right to change our institutions for the better.

These are hard points to definitively refute. They point to problems identified by both right and left. They are indicative of a larger sickness in our society; we have forgotten what it is like to live a life that is truly free, and instead spend the majority serving institutions.

The debate about whether or not the protests are justified is made even more ludicrous (given that we have this right entrenched in our constitution) by the mainstream media's refusal to engage how WE justify the protest. They have asked a question with no answer. If we want to figure out if the protests are justified or not, we must look at the messages and see if we agree or disagree. But where are these messages? The only one so far seems to be "99% vs. 1%" and "Anti-capitalist". These are FALSE messages; they capture a small part of a large and multifaceted story, and are unrepresentative of what Occupy is about. Other (more important) messages are not hard to find.
Many are negative, here are just a few:

• accountability and responsibility in our society have gone out the window
• inequality is being perpetuated and reinforced
• the environment and most of the world's societies are under pressure of an economic system that requires ceaseless and exponential consumption to stay functional

But there are a few positive ones out there as well

• Human potential is unlimited
• Including potential for happiness and meaningful lives
• It is not necessary to live life in service to institutions
• It is possible to achieve material abundance without destroying our social or environmental ecology.

But when was the last time you heard these messages strongly articulated?

Unfortunately, the current power structure has a massive vested interest in preventing 'we, the people' at taking a hard look at the current state of affairs. It is there for all to see; whispers of discontent have been building for the last thirty years. Anyone who truly believes that the current politico-economic system is the best it could be is more than welcome to step up, right here and right now, and defend the system that I (and many others) believe has lost its way. Go on. I double dare you.

The problem is that no-one is doing this. Instead we Occupiers are forced to the fringes; the city of Melbourne served a notice last Saturday declaring that no "structures" (including tarps, tents, tables, milk crates or any other 'things'...I shit you not) were allowed as part of the new camp. This means that what was meant to be an open, educational, well-run and fun space is instead confined to a few rag-tag die hards. What exactly is the City scared of? That an under-used city park will be used for what the City of Melbourne website says is a defining feature of the park: "community events and rallies"?

Unfortunately, our police have come to defend interests that are not public

The reality is that this movement represents change to a lot of very powerful people, that include unaccountable/corrupt local government, corporations with concentrated press ownership and political hamsters to name but a few. It has a vast yet invisible opposition. You read it in the bending of the facts and the choice of words in Herald Sun articles. You see it on youtube when police brutalise peaceful protesters. You feel the frustration when the city refuses to respond for your requests of public documents. You hear the ignorance of the average joe, repeating the same tired old phrase about anti-capitalist hipsters that should Quit Whinging And Get A Job. It is disheartening and crushing. It saps at your hope that the world can be a better place.

The thing to keep in mind, fellow Occupiers, is that this is a marathon and not a sprint. While we are currently losing the media war (and public sentiment), this is a movement that will not go away. Our cause is just: it is Democracy. Our principles are inclusion, respect and build towards consensus. Our tool is moral reason. You cannot kill this; it is the bedrock of our civil society.

 All are welcome. Effect the change you wish to see in the world. 

Join us.