This movement is not just about economics and fixing the financial system. It is also about opening new avenues for political participation. It is a chance for one to participate in collective actions in order to have a better chance of having one’s voice heard. In this collective way, there is a better chance of a person’s ideas being heard by many, as opposed to a single person trying to spread a message, unless one runs a widely read blog or some other media outlet.
This is a chance to transform society, to produce a structural change in the social and political system. As there is no one defined goal, many visions have been presented with no one vision having precedence over the other. And yet, everyone is united to make the change they want to see.
People are realizing that they’ve always had power. An illusion has been pulled over the eyes of the general public, and many have become dependent on mainstream media for information about the external world. We must remember though, that major news outlets are accountable to shareholders and CEOs, not to the people at large. If they lose those ratings, they lose the financial support on which they rely.
To call this creation of an illusion a conspiracy would be an over-simplification of a complex matter. Those who control the major media outlets would never admit to taking part in a conspiracy to keep the masses ignorant. And yet, this has been the consequence of their actions.
They beat the war drums in the lead-up to the conflicts in the Middle East by presenting only the pro-war side. They ignore voices that call for changes to the modern capitalist system, until those voices cannot be ignored. They marginalize candidates that call for real change, and support those who would not alter the system. Shouting matches are not uncommon on the news. They operate on the profit motive, and because of that present sensationalist news that would attract the most viewers. They strive for quantity, and this results in a lack of quality, which is why they prefer sound bites over in-depth discussions.
It is not just the mainstream media that keeps the people down. The consequences of the neo-liberal model, which seeks to privatize and de-regulate, include a more closed-minded and intolerant society. It is not corporations that have contributed to progressive changes in society, like the uplifting of minorities and the securing of rights for people of all walks of life. Those positive changes have always come from below.
The big corporations have many times fought against such changes. Then, only after the general public accepts them, they look for ways to profit from any new “demographics” that have resulted from the movements. Corporations have fought against popular ideas minimum wage laws, equal pay in regard to gender, the improvement of working conditions, and any environmental regulations, whether from the government or from the people, that would have resulted in financial losses. Like the major news outlets, they are accountable not to the public, but to shareholders and CEOs.
Whereas the federal government used to be a tool created by and for the people, it is now controlled by the highest bidder. Corporations, legally defined as people, are now free to spend as much money as they want on campaigns, because money has been legally defined as free speech. Politicians now receive much of their campaign financing from corporations. Many areas of government are now controlled by former leaders of the corporate world. It is no coincidence that the government now protects the neo-liberal system that it has become part of.
to be continued...
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