Whilst walking past the City Hall just opposite the Colorado River the other day, I noticed the modestly-sized 'Occupy Austin' camp, just one of many such sit-in protests that have spread out from New York and, so I'm aware, to around the world. Part of me almost feels a sense of remorse for my not playing a part somehow, being that those involved, in effect, represent my generation taking a stand.
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I've often bemoaned the fact that my generation has pretty much nothing to show for itself artistically or culturally; we leave barely any footprint aside from being the first to allow ourselves to become lulled into a state of perpetual inertia and detachment by the internet and new technologies. If you look back over the generations there has always been a distinct unifying 'scene' or 'movement' that defines that generation - the Beatniks of the 50s, the Civil Rights movement, mods & rockers, the flower children of the 60s, the punks of the 70s, the ravers of the 80s, and then I suppose the whole 'Cool Brittania' thing in the 90s. These were, I imagine, exhilarating and exciting times to be young and actively involved.
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With this whole 'Occupy Wall Street' thing, you get the sense that, whilst no where near (as yet) the aforementioned movements, at least it is an example of this generation saying something for themselves as a united body. And so I feel mildly guilty for being so removed from it all. But only mildly.
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As far as I can tell, the 'manifesto' of the protests is that there just isn't one. Whilst this apparant lack of focus was used against them at first, it seems they have now embraced their 'catch-all' discontent and harnessed it as a means of expressing their widespread frustration. But the problem is, it doesn't appear that these people have any idea as to what they seek to achieve or what they expect to happen as a result of their action. There are people protesting about the greed of the banks, gay rights, animal rights, environmentalism, and even the role of capitalism itself. This is broad spectrum protesting and it remains to be seen as to how any satisfactory resolution can be achieved.
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The protestors say they have been inspired by the uprisings in the Middle East and that this, quite rightly, is a prime demonstration of the fact that with the will of a unified people, a nation's entire system can be packed up and rolled off-stage like film studio set-pieces. The difference, I feel, is that those in the Middle East were charged with a definite and definable cause - their lack of liberty under dictorial regimes. The end goal was revolution and liberation from their oppressors. The problem with the weathly and materialistic West is that we have grown so accustomed to our comfortable democratic and capitalist societies that we can have no comprehension of what our version of a revolution would entail. If, somehow, free markets and capitalism were put in shackles as some wild-eyed idealists are calling for - what then??
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It seems to me that people are protesting about a lack of jobs because if they can't get a job they won't be able to afford the next product Apple releases. Its protesting in an attempt at sustaining their hitherto comfortable lives which, until now, has shrouded them in a state of lethargy. Its no use arguing that there is a lack of clear focus because, 'there's a lot to be angry about' because, unlike the clearly defined end game of the Arab Spring, there surely is nothing that any figure of power can do that will send those protestors into jubilent celebration at having realised their aim. Its akin to athletes running a race in which none of them are sure whereabouts in the stadium the finishing line is; all of them have their sights set on different corners of the track.
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As far as I can tell, from a slightly cynical onlooker's perspective, is that these people have awoken from the collective apathy of their upbringings and are suddenly asking why the world isn't perfect, expecting explicitly clear answers from somebody. For the moment, I remain puzzled as to what those precise answers could be that they wish to receive, and if indeed they can be given by anybody that will send them home content off the streets from around the world.
I looked into this movement and the interesting thing is that it appears to have sparked off from protests in Israel and Chile... I mean, there's several reasons for what sparked the Chilean protests off, but the general sentiment over there is 'Enough!'... And, really, in this day and age 'enough' is a perfectly justifiable plea in my book...
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