Is America Ripe for a Tahrir Moment?
Hey you rebels, radicals and utopian dreamers out there,
Our call to #OCCUPYWALLSTREET on September 17 shook up a tsunami of spontaneous enthusiasm. Jammers from all over the nation (and a few Canadians!) have sent word that they will be there. Meanwhile various activist organizers have realized the potential of this event, rolled up their sleeves and gotten to work. While some techies have teamed up to build an indie open source website for organizing carpools to the event (occupywallst.org), others are thinking through the logistics of feeding everyone and defending the first days of the occupation. Through it all, a deluge of solidarity messages have been pouring in from Spain, Egypt and elsewhere.
Will you be there?
Imagine … the dawn of the 13th day of the occupation … you're tired, not sleeping or eating too great … you've been harassed, maybe tear gassed and beaten. Bloomberg is threatening to call in the National Guard, Obama is hemming and hawing, but you are sitting tight because much of the nation is cheering you on. Al Jazeera and the BBC are beaming your struggle to a captivated world and the tension is building for Obama to break his silence. It feels much like it did in Tahrir Square moments before Mubarak caved. You've never felt so alive!
What had the power to inspire all this?
It was our one simple demand that Barack Obama must ordain a Presidential Commission tasked with ending the influence that corporate money has over our representatives in Washington. Our one simple demand is: STOP THE MONIED CORRUPTION AT THE HEART OF OUR DEMOCRACY!
Achieving this Presidential Reform Commission will be the crucial first step towards opening a political space for a flurry of further people's demands like, total transparency in all government affairs, a Tobin Tax on financial transactions, a grand strategy for reducing America's carbon footprint …
September 17 could be the beginning of an American Spring … the moment we the people turn the tables on our would-be corporate masters and start acting like free empowered citizens once again.
Are you with us? Bring a tent.
for the wild,
Culture Jammers HQ
Get Involved:
Call to Artists:
We call on Helmut Smits, Darius and Downey, Mark Jenkins, JR, Bansky and cultural creatives everywhere to create pieces that embolden the September 17th revolt. Send to [email protected]
Call to International Jammers:
We call on jammers across the world to occupy financial districts on September 17:
#OCCUPYBAYSTREET in Toronto, Canada
#OCCUPYCANARYWHARF in London, UK
#OCCUPYMARTINPLACE in Sydney, Australia
#OCCUPYMARUNOUCHI in Tokyo, Japan
#OCCUPYBANKENVIERTEL in Frankfurt, Germany
… and elsewhere!
98 comments on the article “Is America Ripe for a Tahrir Moment?”
Displaying 21 - 30 of 98
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Anonymous
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Hash: SHA1
Wait... what?
You folks are still really pushing this ridiculous "presidential commission" demand?
I'm trying to help organize to make this thing amazing - and that laughable, reformist SUGGESTION of a demand has been the biggest obstacle yet to getting people interested in this event. I've had to explain literally dozens of times that "no, that was just a suggestion, it's all about gathering an assembly and reaching a consensus on what the *actual* demand will be." And the folks I'm trying to get excited about this STILL don't buy that, much of the time.
Not only is that demand a lukewarm one at best (one cannot deconstruct the master's house with the master's tools, etc.), but now you're phrasing it not as a suggestion, but yes, as "THE ONE DEMAND." In doing so, your comparisons to Tahrir Square and Spain's assemblies become disingenuous, and indeed, just another instance of co-opting the image of much more crucial struggles.
What happened to the question, "what will be our one demand?" That was one of the greatest strengths of this call to action. The very notion of subverting the whole top-down, vanguardist style of mass demonstration that we've seen since 2003 is one of the greatest strengths of this novel idea. Open the demands to those demonstrating - democratize the process - the medium as the message - etc. We don't need any more big organizations dictating to their followers what the sheep should care about - it's awful, even if those dictates are noble (which this "commission" idea hardly is).
Please, I literally beg of you, as someone who is (or was...) very excited about this event's potential, and has put in many hours already to help organize and publicize it - PLEASE, just change a few words around in this post to restate that the commission is just a suggestion, and that the demand is indeed open to popular assemblies in the occupation itself. Indeed, it is this openness and potential for true, emergent networking among the people that is perhaps the most valuable and most unprecedented (in the U.S.) aspect of this demonstration. Please, please, do not pull the rug out from under that. To do so is to make the difference between a radical, prolonged, and motivated occupation, and "just another one-day liberal rally."
Do you really expect people to face the national guard (what romanticism!) to achieve some petty presidential commission? Are you really serious? The arrogance of that is incalculable.
I would face the Guard, I would get tear gassed, I would prep veggies for hours a day and do first aid and find housing for hundreds and discuss demands tirelessly with others, for an open, democratic occupation (and indeed, I have already spent hours doing preliminary work on these and other fronts). But would I do even half of that for a nearly powerless group of rich, white dudes to tell ME what things would be in MY interest to be changed? (quiz time: am I talking about the presidential commission, or about Adbusters, here?) Are you kidding? Why would I ever make those kinds of sacrifices, take those risks, for something so dis-empowering.
I am extremely disappointed, Adbusters. Please, do something, ANYTHING, to undo the damage that you have done with this post, before it's too late. You have already alienated your most fierce allies in the original call, and now you have alienated even your organizers, and given every reason for those turned off earlier to feel that they made the right decision. And I'm beginning to feel inclined to join them.
Sincerely,
sapiophile
[email protected]
Creator of http://www.reddit.com/r/occupywallstreet
Co-coordinator of http://occupywallst.org
Ugh, those titles are silly and arbitrary, and I hate to make myself look like some kind of vanguard, but I don't know how else to get you folks to listen.
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Anonymous
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1
Wait... what?
You folks are still really pushing this ridiculous "presidential commission" demand?
I'm trying to help organize to make this thing amazing - and that laughable, reformist SUGGESTION of a demand has been the biggest obstacle yet to getting people interested in this event. I've had to explain literally dozens of times that "no, that was just a suggestion, it's all about gathering an assembly and reaching a consensus on what the *actual* demand will be." And the folks I'm trying to get excited about this STILL don't buy that, much of the time.
Not only is that demand a lukewarm one at best (one cannot deconstruct the master's house with the master's tools, etc.), but now you're phrasing it not as a suggestion, but yes, as "THE ONE DEMAND." In doing so, your comparisons to Tahrir Square and Spain's assemblies become disingenuous, and indeed, just another instance of co-opting the image of much more crucial struggles.
What happened to the question, "what will be our one demand?" That was one of the greatest strengths of this call to action. The very notion of subverting the whole top-down, vanguardist style of mass demonstration that we've seen since 2003 is one of the greatest strengths of this novel idea. Open the demands to those demonstrating - democratize the process - the medium as the message - etc. We don't need any more big organizations dictating to their followers what the sheep should care about - it's awful, even if those dictates are noble (which this "commission" idea hardly is).
Please, I literally beg of you, as someone who is (or was...) very excited about this event's potential, and has put in many hours already to help organize and publicize it - PLEASE, just change a few words around in this post to restate that the commission is just a suggestion, and that the demand is indeed open to popular assemblies in the occupation itself. Indeed, it is this openness and potential for true, emergent networking among the people that is perhaps the most valuable and most unprecedented (in the U.S.) aspect of this demonstration. Please, please, do not pull the rug out from under that. To do so is to make the difference between a radical, prolonged, and motivated occupation, and "just another one-day liberal rally."
Do you really expect people to face the national guard (what romanticism!) to achieve some petty presidential commission? Are you really serious? The arrogance of that is incalculable.
I would face the Guard, I would get tear gassed, I would prep veggies for hours a day and do first aid and find housing for hundreds and discuss demands tirelessly with others, for an open, democratic occupation (and indeed, I have already spent hours doing preliminary work on these and other fronts). But would I do even half of that for a nearly powerless group of rich, white dudes to tell ME what things would be in MY interest to be changed? (quiz time: am I talking about the presidential commission, or about Adbusters, here?) Are you kidding? Why would I ever make those kinds of sacrifices, take those risks, for something so dis-empowering.
I am extremely disappointed, Adbusters. Please, do something, ANYTHING, to undo the damage that you have done with this post, before it's too late. You have already alienated your most fierce allies in the original call, and now you have alienated even your organizers, and given every reason for those turned off earlier to feel that they made the right decision. And I'm beginning to feel inclined to join them.
Sincerely,
sapiophile
[email protected]
Creator of http://www.reddit.com/r/occupywallstreet
Co-coordinator of http://occupywallst.org
Ugh, those titles are silly and arbitrary, and I hate to make myself look like some kind of vanguard, but I don't know how else to get you folks to listen.
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Anonymous
totally agree with this. fuck a presidential commission...I wouldn't put myself on the line for that.
Anonymous
totally agree with this. fuck a presidential commission...I wouldn't put myself on the line for that.
Micah White
Dear friend,
Yes, let's be absolutely clear: the decision of what the "one demand" shall be is entirely up to the people's assembly, comprised of those who are physically occupying Wall Street on Sept. 17th.
At Adbusters, we think rhetorical, impossible and utopian demands like "Abolish Capitalism!" or "People Power!" are not going to work. Thus, we are strongly advocating for an achievable demand that Obama would have difficulty refusing.
In any case, we are altering the text on our occupywallstreet.org page -- it'll be changed in a few hours -- to better reflect that the demand will be decided by those in the occupation and that ours is only a suggestion.
For the wild,
Micah
--
____________
Micah White / [email protected]
Adbusters / senior editor
Micah White
Dear friend,
Yes, let's be absolutely clear: the decision of what the "one demand" shall be is entirely up to the people's assembly, comprised of those who are physically occupying Wall Street on Sept. 17th.
At Adbusters, we think rhetorical, impossible and utopian demands like "Abolish Capitalism!" or "People Power!" are not going to work. Thus, we are strongly advocating for an achievable demand that Obama would have difficulty refusing.
In any case, we are altering the text on our occupywallstreet.org page -- it'll be changed in a few hours -- to better reflect that the demand will be decided by those in the occupation and that ours is only a suggestion.
For the wild,
Micah
--
____________
Micah White / [email protected]
Adbusters / senior editor
wiljago
A constitutional amendment to end corporate personhood would be a much better goal. People are not willing to get tear-gassed for a cause that we know from the beginning won't really offer any change. There is a real barrier that the language you're choosing is creating, I think. I suspect that the idea about having a Presidential Commission against Corruption was selected in the interest of having mass appeal, but it is having the exact opposite effect. I have heard a lot of criticism with that goal, and frankly I agree with what I've heard. Since I can't ask my peers to make a strong stance for a weak goal I have instead been agitating in favor of an end to corporate personhood. This has by far been best received.
wiljago
A constitutional amendment to end corporate personhood would be a much better goal. People are not willing to get tear-gassed for a cause that we know from the beginning won't really offer any change. There is a real barrier that the language you're choosing is creating, I think. I suspect that the idea about having a Presidential Commission against Corruption was selected in the interest of having mass appeal, but it is having the exact opposite effect. I have heard a lot of criticism with that goal, and frankly I agree with what I've heard. Since I can't ask my peers to make a strong stance for a weak goal I have instead been agitating in favor of an end to corporate personhood. This has by far been best received.
Nick Yaya
A constitutional amendment can take up to ten years. We need to find a way to reverse the supreme court's decision. We the people should "lobby" (dare I say), the supreme court. Or... may I suggest, only vote for candidates that use public funds to run for office.
Nick Yaya
A constitutional amendment can take up to ten years. We need to find a way to reverse the supreme court's decision. We the people should "lobby" (dare I say), the supreme court. Or... may I suggest, only vote for candidates that use public funds to run for office.
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