For most Americans, the pursuit of great wealth is more fantasy than reality. The real pursuit, for most, has been the promise of a “middle class lifestyle”. But what does “middle class” mean, in real terms, in 2011? You probably consider yourself “middle class” if you have a roof over your head, live in a […]
To Have & Have Not: Are All Men Created Equal?
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…” This quote is practically religion in the United States. Many historians consider it to be the most significant and enduring of all texts of the American Revolution. So what if I told you it was false? And that our insistence on its […]
We Stand As One: Joseph Arthur #OWS Protest Song
I admit it! I love Joseph Arthur. So I was delighted to hear he’d written an Occupy Wall Street song. My good husband tracked it down on YouTube and I share it with you now. Enjoy! (If you’d like to download the song or learn more about Joseph Arthur, this is the link for his […]
Occupy Wall Street: The Party’s Over
In my first OWS post I stated that the OWS movement is truly non-partisan. Frank Rich, among many other cultural commentators has noted that both OWS and the Tea Party emerged out of frustration with the status quo in government today. Tea Partiers and Occupants share a belief that politicians have gone too far in […]
Why Capitalism Trumps Democracy – Even in Occupy Wall Street
In the United States, the right to become rich has become collapsed with the very notion of liberty. From the time we are children, Americans learn to confuse democracy (a system of decisionmaking and governance), with capitalism (a system for regulating and releasing money flows. —From the Occupy Wall Street Frequently Asked Questions one-pager I […]
Occupy Wall Street: Is Griping Good?
Anyone can show up in Zuccotti Park with a placard and a gripe and occupy. No one will dictate one message or another about this movement. Your health problems and the operation of a nuclear power plant and student loan debt are all reasons to feel aggrieved and OWS tells us to get that anger […]
Preoccupied: In Which I Occupy Wall Street
Let’s face it. I’m preoccupied. My life is full of the every day chores, tasks, joys and frustrations that come with being a parent, managing a household and working at a job. I don’t have a lot of time to think big thoughts, let alone protest the many injustices in the world. Like many in […]