Violence, Protests, and Clarification of the Occupy Together Movement

I've been thinking a lot about violence and protest. The best I can surmise from a brief (and hopefully) intellectual survey of the situation is that we impart as much violence as we expect to receive. If democracy hasn't fulfilled our purest hopes and desires for equal representation then it has at least secured a landscape where violent reaction on the part of law enforcement towards protesters still begets a horrified and publicized media reaction. That is to say no one going out to demonstrate on Wall Street or any other location feared that they would be gunned down by a faction of leather-booted enforcers in the name of peace and quiet. Yet, if you're sliding on a scale from dead to bruised it is not inaccurate to say that people were received with brutality. Not that I'm in favor of any use of force against peaceful protesters but I would have to argue that this brutality is at least in form equal to what was expected (even if it's not what actually occurred). The police expected rowdiness, they expected difficult arrests and unruly participants. Burning cars, tipped over trash cans, maybe a broken window, that's as bad as it usually gets. Even when you consider tragic isolated events of death and severe injury it is nothing compared to the violence experienced in Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, or Syria. But I would argue that's because when you rally against a violent government aren't there expected violent results? If you use intimidation, force, and fear to contain people then when they rise up against you it wouldn't be far-fetched to imagine a violent and chaotic upheaval ousting you from your palace and ending with a man-dangles-from-rope-tied-to-fast-horse type of situation. Therefor, even though it may not be right or fair, couldn't it be sufficient to say that in both scenarios the expected amount of violence contributed greatly to the amount of violence that actually unfolded? At best it's an educated guess but I feel very strongly that there is profound truth to the self-fulfilling prophecy phenomena or that if you think something will be that increases the odds of it happening because the thought and subsequent preparation and atmosphere contributes to the unfurling of events.

Part II

Too Vague to Miss?

Sometimes I feel as though the Occupy Together movement is unlike any other demonstration or protest in the world. However most times I suspect this feeling may be because I am as American as the location and therefor my perception of novelty is really just warped pride. Regardless of what its true standing may be, personally I still think it's too soon to tell, one unique facet of the movement is that it's national and multicultural. Americans from all walks of life are joining the collaboration across the United States. Students are a massive portion yes but it gets harder and harder to dismiss as a raving group of hippies when you have people of all ages and ethnicity coming out in support of change. So why are people still giving such stiff critique? I see a variety of membership and a clear message. After all change and a good dosage of hope did serve as the vague call for Obama supporters to rally. If it was specific enough for politics first why is it too vague for a protest? Here it has even been narrowed down further with the elimination of hope in favor a focus on change. Why are they protesting? They want change. In several categories, for several reasons, much like Obama's campaign strategy which was met with cheers and enthusiasm. I say the protesters deserve the same support or at the very least an ease of constant questioning from news affiliates who dubiously seemed shocked that after asking twenty different people what they want, they got twenty different answers. Apologies, they weren't briefed or coached. They weren't handed a script and told when to scowl and when to smile but it's pretty clear they all want change. Each day membership for the Occupy Together movement creeps closer and closer to an accurate representation of 99% of Americans. Perhaps I'm less concerned with the lack of cohesive message because I'm more content with a vague answer or simply more comfortable with a mess but the refining period is happening, organization is continuing, and numbers are growing. In conclusion I pass on the web address (I couldn't get the link to connect) to a recorded speech/transcript from Slavoj Zizek who spoke about what he felt were the core ties of unification for OWS/Occupy Together. I found his words to be one of the clearest signs of consolidation of a message to cut down the general confusion and mystery surrounding the demonstration.

Attempt at the link: clickhere

Website Tag if the link doesn't work: http://wlcentral.org/node/2297

-Alexis