OK, I might as well admit it.
When I first heard of the Occupy Wall Street initiative, I thought it was just a group of overfed and overeducated and underemployed "white" boys trying to get their own generational street cred. "New Millennial Hippies" (Mippies?) out to gain a little attention, smoke a little grass (or whatever they call it these days) and hopefully get laid by some arty-cutey from the Upper East Side or Jersey (Or both).
That was just the cynic in me talking. Deep down, the "better angel of my nature" was begging to be heard. But the devil in me still thought... as soon as the cops grab and twist a few arms, break some legs, spray a few faces with mace and kick a little ass, the kids would cry "foul, unfair, not nice" and scurry back home.
Maybe it's because I remember standing on the corner of Chicago's Michigan Avenue and Randolph, looking south, down toward the Conrad Hilton Hotel and deciding not to walk down past Grant Park. It was August, 1968 during the Democratic Convention. I was a 20-year-old "black" man who'd just moved out of Robert Taylor Homes, America's largest housing project at the time, after scoring my first decent job -- in the big time ad agency game.
Not that I didn't feel for the hippies and yippies and Panthers getting their heads busted in the park. I was as philosophically on their side as I am on the OWStreeters' today. But I was no fool. I opted out for what became a 35-year career creating ads for the biggest ad agencies in America and their clients. Being one of the first and few "un-whites" in the corporate suites then was my version of contributing to the Civil Rights Movement, as Jesse would say -- "in the suites, if not the streets".
Which brings me -- quite nicely -- to my point. The Civil Rights Movement was one of four American Revolutions. We may be looking at the fifth.
The first American Revolution was... well... er... the American Revolution in 1776.
Number 2 was the Civil War, when Abe Lincoln was forced to get closer to the "all men are created equal" rhetoric of the ultimate American hypocrite, Tom Jefferson.
Number 3 was sparked by another Wall Street greedfest, the Great Depression. FDR decided it was better to give the average American Social Security, a government job or relief, than have them tear the nation apart -- in spite of his fellow oligarch's cries of socialism.
Number 4 was the one I mentioned above, now called The Civil Rights Movement.
What's happening on Wall Street now could be the start of American Revolution No. 5.
The Mippies on Wall Street have two things on their side that protesters throughout history had on theirs:
1. The arrogance and overconfidence of old power
2. The energy and naive idealism of youth. As Tom Paine pinned just before Rev. 1, "we have it within our power to begin the world anew." (I'm told he really said "over again," but somebody thought "anew" was more poetic.) Good call.
My advice to the OWS-ers is the exact opposite of what I've read from the Baby Boomer Fogeys who now have nice gigs bloviating for the main stream media:
Keep things amorphous and amateurish. Don't let the unions and the professional (or unprofessional) left take over. Hold Obama's feet, hands and *&*# to the fire. And be patient. Remember Lincoln ignored Frederick Douglass and the abolitionists for decades. Until he needed them to win the Civil War.
Pollsters say there are anywhere from 25 to 40 million of US out of work. If only 10 percent of those make it their job to occupy Wall Street until they find something better to do -- the powers that be would be powerless to stop them. And as long as they follow Dr. Martin Luther King's model of self-disciplined, peaceful resistance, there'd be no way to send them home except a world-wide televised bloodbath that would make what happened in Grant Park in '68 look like, er... umm... a walk in the park.
The most important occupation you can have right now? Occupying Wall Street.
I'm actually starting to think that if the seemingly unfocused kids who started this fire can just hang on a little longer, the millions of Americans without jobs -- and not a whole lot better to do -- might join them. And since I myself am in... er, uh... "early retirement," I might even be among the latecomers.
I used the reference to the recently departed Gil Scott Heron's famous line as my headline even though I know it's a tired old cliché, because I think maybe this time Mr. Scott may be wrong. The revolution -- if it has any chance to be successful -- will have to be televised, twittered (or is it tweeted?), googled, radioed, social mediated, broadcast, narrow-cast, inked-in, word-of-mouthed, whatever. That's the whole point and the power. And the more it's televised, twitted, etc. the more people like me who will see it, support it and even join it.
This may be the last moment in America's history that we have to wake the average American up from the Dream and introduce them to the American Reality, which is becoming a nightmare. About one percent of your population own or control almost 100 percent of our wealth, our media, our "educational" institutions and, so, our government and our future. Over the next few years, they plan to sweep up the last crumbs left before they disembark... to places unknown. You might as well turn off the porch light. They won't be back home.
This just in. I just got a version of what Nation Of Change, an online left-wing website says is the first official statement from the OWStreeters. It's based on the Declaration of Independence. I just skimmed it and it looks pretty good. It's called "The Declaration of Occupation."
But as an old adman, I'd change the headline to "Declaration of Interdependence." That's the only thing that will make this work -- For all of us to finally, after over 230 years of the American experiment, understand how our aspiring democracy is dependent on each other, not on the G.O.Gs. And, in a mashup of Great American Documents we forgot as soon as we passed the test on them in school, I end with what should be the ultimate goal of all this, "That the Government of the Greedy, by the Greedy and for the Greedy shall perish from the Earth."
Eliza Lomas: Gone Too Soon: Gil Scott-Heron
Bob Edgar: A Cause to Unite Occupy Wall Street and the Tea Party
Insight: Occupy Wall St, the start of a new protest era?
| Reuters
"We Are the 99 Percent" Creators Revealed | Mother Jones
How to Occupy Wall Street? Take to Social Media's Back Alleys
A Greek named Ari may have said that, but Jefferson, a great American hypocrite, nonetheless said some important things. One was that you can't have a democracy with an ignorant population. Our nation's (mis)leaders have systematically, over 230 + years, kept US ignorant.
The reason I wrote this post - and that I write at all - is to do my part to help educate the masses. In fact, if you go to my blog, you'll see a book cover for one of my titles, "The MisEducation of the Caucasian" which is inspired by Carter G. Woodson's 1930s classic, "The MisEducation of the Negro". The only hope for our aspiring (expiring?) democracy is that the "white" majority get hip - fast.
Right?
http://buythecover.com
My first ten years in the industry were a lesson in moral conflict, having to decide at the end of the day whether to vomit, or shower first. The next decade accepting that the public seemed all to willing to accept what they were being served, and being greatful for the wonderful living afforded me for it.
And now, in this third decade, numb to the fact that most americans were getting exactly what they deserved, good or bad.
All this said, I'm a lifelong musician, and artist, on the side, and that enlightened part of me has always held great sadness, in the zombification of this country.
Is it odd, that your writing style reminds me of a young joe bageant? Looking forward to more.
I meant no disrespect to brother Heron. As I tried to explain in my piece, I was just using his title as a way to grab people's attention to my point.
But I have to say this: While we're arguing over the exact meaning of Gil's song title, this nation is falling even further apart. I don't think we have the luxury of philosophical navel gazing. One of my criticisms of my left-leaning fellow progressives is that they'd rather philosophize and argue the fine points of ideology or art or music or whatever with each other than fight their mutual enemy - the Repugnicans, the TPs, the Becks, Palins, FOX Newsers, Newt Limbaugh, Glenn Gingrich, etc.
As brotha Brown might say, "Please, please, please" let's not make that same mistake again.
Right?
http://buythecover.com
You are absolutely right. There is no point in debating something as miniscule as the arts and the meaning of a song. We should all come together to fight our common and mutual enemy. The people who are killing off minorities in massive numbers with the implementation of the death penalty, taking away jobs and preventing us from voting. Thank you for reminding me what the revolution is supposed to be about and it isn't trying to delve into the meaning of Gil Scott Heron. He wanted us to being the revolution and change things, I can not do that by debating his music. Thank you for the kind reality check. It was blunt, yet polite and accurate. It is very much appreciated.
Keleigh
Ron Sampson
(We go back about 40 years).
I see it as part of my "recovery" to use what I learned in advertising to continue the work of Dr. King, Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth (who just died this week) and all the folks of all "colors" who risked and sometimes gave their lives for US.
I think it's up to those of US fortunate enough to have benefited from what they did to do what we can to move the proverbial ball forward, instead of back to America's heinous history.
Right?
http://buythecover.com
Ron
"Student Protestors" had food, a place to live, cloths, medical care, and cash in thier pockets and NOT ONCE DID I HEAR THE QUESTION: "Where did the money come from?"
So today, now, we have people on the street who have been there for THREE WEEKS and no one is asking who these people are and where the money is comming from.
Doesn't it make you wonder, just a little?
Doesn't it make you curious that there might be another agenda? Maybe a hidden aganda?
Huh?
Care to explain? Or do you prefer to be inscrutable?
http://buythecover.com
One might call it a "Truth in advertising" problem. Or perhaps it was more of trolling for Useful Idiots.
I know now as then there really are people who have deluded themselves into thinking that "After the Revolution" there will be a "Workers Paradise".
I'm constantly amazed how people can't understand that Utopia, as in any image of Perfect - such as Social Justice can't and never will exist. Now would we ever want it to exist even in theory because there will always be those who excell and those who do not.
The most we can ask of freedom is the chance to excell. Anything else may level the playing field but it will always level the field downward, not up.
I ask my classes of 20 somethings and far too many are not registered. In fact, most are oblivious to the importance of this upcoming election. They cannot fathom the significance of yet another conservative being added to the Supreme Court, and the impact that will have on their lives for decades.
I guess my big question is: Where are all the people of color, the ones who have been hurt the most by wall street speculation?
The media needs to see that this is ALL America getting pissed off, not just some hippy looking people chanting in the streets.
The people are there, of all ages, genders, and backgrounds. look up video on youtube or elsewhere, and you'll see the diversity.
That said, the movement could use more support in numbers from everyone, everywhere. It's growing and it will get there, once people see that this is their movement too.
Ultimately, votes count,,,social technology merely complains.
Jean,
Of course, is there an alternative?
http://buythecover.com
"The Man controls the power grid"?
C'mon, you can do better than that. You sound like a soldier who surrenders because the other guys are shooting at him.
I smell somebody who's watched "The Matrix" a few too many times.
If "the Man" controls so much, how come you read this post? Have you ever heard of progressive hackers or liberal, public media?
http://buythecover.com
But I do agree with you on word of mouth.
It's still a very important way to get the word out. It's just not the only one.
Right?
http://buythecover.com
It's good to be back...and "Black".
http://buythecover.com
But please stop with the angels bashing. Those angels are not in opposition.
"angels bashing"? I thought I was giving them a free plug.
http://buythecover.com
And as to your freshness, you are the freshest. Sort of an anticipatory freshness. Rare. Rare and treasured.