I’m disappointed with the OWS movement – particularly the movement within Canada. The reason? I think they totally dropped the ball.
Issues such as growing income inequity, poverty, and disenfranchisement of the most vulnerable are very important. They deserve attention and action by our policy leaders. But the Occupy movement has actually been quite lazy in making their case. Camping out in public spaces has appeal for those looking to get involved, but in terms of affecting change and raising awareness in the public consciousness, it has been a big failure. The REAL warriors are the ones volunteering countless hours for organizations that actually help shelter the homeless, or feed the hungry. The warriors are the ones working for social organizations that provide help to vulnerable women and children. The warriors are the ones that are working the phones for their political representatives that care about social issues. The warriors are the ones joining community groups that want to actually make a change in the way we see each other and the world. All of these things take time and energy. And if as much energy that has gone into arguing about where camping should be permitted had been re-directed towards these activities, maybe Canada would be a little further along in solving some of them. I’m disappointed that the Occupy movement had for more than a month captured Canada’s attention, and did nothing with it. Instead of saying something positive or actually providing realistic solutions, all they did was shout slogans that didn’t even make sense. They managed to marginalize the message of social justice, and for that I think we will all suffer. It’s too bad. Such a great opportunity, but such a lazy effort.
8 Comments
Asia
11/21/2011 04:04:01 am
Respectfully, I think you're totally off on this one. The individuals involved in the Occupy movement are the ones who are directly involved in front-line work to try to help combat all that's wrong with the world.
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11/21/2011 07:07:38 am
I similarly have to disagree. I know some people who have been involved with the Occupy protests in Edmonton and elsewhere, and dismissing them as lazy because they're not doing charity work while at the protest or camps is even worse: it's a poor argument in bad faith.
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11/21/2011 09:35:35 am
Todd, I agree with you on this. Although I’m not angry with what they are not doing, it is too bad that cities around North America are receiving a weakened and often jumbled idea of what they are about.
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Cody Ellis
11/21/2011 11:29:55 am
You wrote a blog post about their concerns. Is that not success?
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11/21/2011 01:15:30 pm
I think the ineffectiveness of the Occupy movement in Canada has to do not with the lacking of a clear message, I think at least most people understand they are fighting against inequality amongst a bunch of other issues, but in Canada they lack a clear target. It is pretty easy for people to identify the financial institutions of Wall Street as the ones that caused the financial crisis of 2008 and the resulting recessions/depression we are still fighting. Having a clear target as a rallying point allowed for people of all political/ideological backgrounds to band together to protest one evil across the United States. In Canada that target doesn't really exist. Our banks and financial institutions are more tightly regulated and were not bailed out with tax payer money, they are not foreclosing homes and kicking people out on the street. You could argue that the government is that target but I would counter, we elected them and there is no need to protest just simply vote next election as you probably should have in the last. I think its this lack of clear target that has hindered the movement here, I would argue even rendering it pointless.
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Cody Ellis
11/21/2011 06:45:51 pm
Calgary's Mayor Nenshi (who I love and voted for) ran and won stating that one of his 'Better Ideas' was campaign finance reform, to prevent corporations from influencing the political process.
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CalgaryGirl
12/12/2011 01:38:45 am
Let's look at history for a momment. For thousands of years, there have always been homeless, poor, uneducated, politically oppressed, and economically denied.
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Jeffry house
1/26/2012 02:11:10 am
Yes, they marginalized the message so much that Obama took it up in his state of the union address.
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