By Ted Becker
Congressman John Lewis during his impromptu visit to Occupy Atlanta
I don’t know about you, but I get a huge kick out of watching and hearing the cluelessness of politicians, media pundits, self-styled “objective TV correspondents,” bankers, and assorted stuffed suits and dresses scoff at Occupation of Wall Street, or #OWS. Why, they’re “leaderless!” They don’t know what they want! They are all “against” something and are for nothing. Fools. A ragtag bunch. Nostalgia for the sixties. Hippie wannabes. Weirdos. Do nothings!
It’s wonderful to be invisible…to fly beneath the radar so effortlessly and know that you are inside something novel, different, and oh so right on. The thing that gets me is that when various participants in #OWS (whether casual and occasional walk-ons or original General Assembly members) are confronted by these comments, either directly or through a media fog, whoever is asked seems to reply perfectly, as though they were rehearsed by high paid political experts, which in this populist outburst, there are none.
They all speak, from the heart, on the narrative of “democracy,” which means: one person, one vote. Everyone can come and everyone can speak. All important policy and tactical matters are aired in public meetings, total transparency. The aim to reach consensus. There are no leaders, or everyone is a leader. They are thinking about what they want….but it will take time. There are no “leaders”, just meeting “facilitators.” Everyone must understand what is said, thus mass repetition of everything said by everyone is called “the people’s mike.” Below is a link to Democracy Now, where Amy Goodman is interviewing an original “Wall Street Occupier” who explains the democratic genetics of this growing movement:
Occupy Wall Street Organizer: Protest Expands Despite Police Effort to “Silence” Demonstrators
What TMM (The Mainstream Media) can’t wrap their conditioned minds around is the egalitarianism of this movement. They are woefully stuck in looking for the top guns…or celebrities…or known politicians who come to the Occupation. Then they can interview them…as though they are really part of the movement. But as to the REAL essence of the movement, The General Assembly, it is hard to televise. Here is a good example of that:
So, the “consensus” was that Congressman and “Civil Rights Icon” John Lewis, who marched hand in hand with Martin Luther King, was disallowed from speaking to the General Assembly of Occupy Atlanta at a recent meeting, but only until they concluded their announced agenda. It’s an excellent early example of how this decentralized and truly democratic protest is working, which is extremely different from the “counterculture movement” of the 1960s-70s. The democratic medium is the democratic message.
DELIBERATING? THINKING? No wonder the media and politicians are baffled. They cover political debates and Congressional hearings. Where there is no deliberating or thinking going on there, just the making of the deal by elitist power brokers – The Oligarchist Parties.
The greatest political theorist and scientist of all times, Aristotle, described all the political systems in actual existence at and before his time. Aristotle defined democracy as the rule of the people. He also defined oligarchy as the rule of the few. By democracy he meant that all citizens were able to come to the general assembly, talk, listen to others, deliberate, and then vote for or against any proposal. By oligarchy, he meant all those other systems that were the rule of the few….who got to their power and authority because of money, birthright, fraud, lying, violence or some combination of all.
So, if a system is created whereby the people vote for “representatives” to vote on law for them, what is that? It is called many things. But one thing it cannot be is: democracy…as demonstrated by the General Assembly in Ancient Athens and by 
#OWS. If each person who attends the legislative session has equal rights to speak and be heard and an equal vote in the laws, that is democracy, pure and simple. But if for whatever reason, they delegate that power, or sell it, to another and the other “represents” a number of such citizens, that is the rule by the few: Oligarchy. If it’s hereditary, that is “aristocracy’ If it’s by election: that is “elected oligarchy.” It is not democracy. “Representative Democracy” is inconsistent by definition. Thus, it is an oxymoron.
The #OWSs seem to have an innate understanding of this. That is why they are driving the Power Elite crazy. The Power Boyz and Gurlz are living in a false consciousness of political and economic control, when, in reality, they are creating chaos. They cannot begin to understand the truth in the word democracy and what it entails.
And what is that? It is the total lack of a hierarchical structure, thus no “leaders.” Trying to come to a mutual agreement on how to proceed while respecting and trying to incorporate all dissident points of view is a democratic process that takes time—and makes for bad TV! It can be an untidy process, since it is not managed by Roberts Rules of Procedure, the lawyers best friend. Tasks are parceled out to those who volunteer. Here is Chris Hedges’ take on it. It’s very detailed about how this movement is feeling itself out—maturing.
It is well known that “democracy is self-organizing,” which means it emerges…slowly, and no one can plan it all out, since it is organic and grows as does a tree. Does anyone plan the girth or the place where the main branches diverge from the trunk, and where the limbs will sprout from the branches? No. They just grow as their DNA and environment wills. And each tree—even of the same species–will look different.
#OWS is a tree of democracy and individual liberty and equality. In the Fall of 2011 it is a mere sapling. But this tree, while maturing in 2012, is spewing forth many seeds that will thwart the efforts of anyone trying to chop it down, prune it, or contain it. It cannot be captured in a private space or by the present political structures, all inherently inorganic. This organ is inherently public and free to grow. All the present political and corporate structures are inherently private and hostile to individual liberty and equality.
That is why The American Corporate Oligarchy is so confused and frightened. A peaceful, slowly evolving American democratic resurgence in the age of the Internet is their worst nightmare. But it is my dream come true.
Tags: "Occupy Movement", #OWS, citizens, Deliberative democracy, democracy, Direct democracy, Occupy Wall Street, Ocuppy Atlanta, Oligarchy
Is that true? I’ll spread this information. Anyway, nice article
I agree with you, Sam, in a way. It seems like in some ways it’s just a giant get together of sort. But it will definitely be interesting to see where it ends up after the winter and moving towards that convention you mentioned, Dr. Becker. I will be closely following it into the summer to see if this sapling really will be taking root as firmly as some hope.
Hi Sam: I agree that the winter will put a lull in #OWS in NYC,Chicago, and other places…but actually…if you read their stuff (The Occupy Wall St Journal, for instance), you’ll find that they are dealing with the problems of which you speak…and intend to hold sort of a Constitutional Convention of all Occupations in Philly starting on July 4, 2012. Don’t sell this short too quickly. It seems to me to be quite consistent with how Americans react to political economic chaos as in the past. TB
as it has been several weeks since i attended the Gen. Assembly in Atlanta (their 4th at the time), it was nice to see the above video and recognize some familiar faces. for example, the guy who led the block against John Lewis was the facilitator of the 4th Gen. Assembly i attended.
they are a great picture of what this movement looks like nationally!
power to the 99%!
I still don’t really know what to think about the #OWS movement. Part of me feels like it is the media gunning for another story (remember how big the Tea Party was?), and part of me feels like it is a hotbed of annoyance and anger.
One thing I like about the #OWS movement is they are very modern. The movement appeals to everybody. From Red-Necks to White Collars, everyone can speak and have say in the “Assemblies” without feeling out of place or crazy. It’s too fluid to exclude or oppress anyone, and therefore it has no enemies.
The fluidity of the movement is a blessing and a curse. #OWS’s goals are so
abstract and formless it has no point. There is no cause that #OWS can point to and say “We are trying to do this”. Without a goal, when does the movement know when to stop. Because #OWS stands for anything, and has a cause for everything, it will never be “done.”
I give #OWS a few more months. If New York has a cold winter, the protesters will be gone by January. I don’t think anyone is looking at them as a threat to anything except public safety. If the 1% has as much power and control as they claim to have, the protest will accomplish nothing. That being said, a train doesn’t work with out tracks. #OWS is getting tons of media coverage and they are highlighting that something might be wrong with this country, and that is what America needs. This movement is not the train that tears down the tracks toward the sunset. Sadly, #OWS is not even the tracks, or the steel beams that the train moves on. #OWS is the realization that there might be a better life at the end of the tracts. We just need to see if we can get there.
Hi Roy: Cynicism about the potential success of #OWS and its spreading outrage is understandable. But on the other hand, as I point out in Chapter 9, for America the reaction against the Excessive Greed and Meanness of the American Oliggachy has always been a democratic resistance, though all are different and have different movers and shakers. I wouldn’t be so quick to discount the true democratic outburst and the ramifications of this will not become apparent until Spring of 2012. Much will happen in the intervening period. Let’s put it this way: It either happens the right way now, or it will be too late later. TB
A correction to my previous post: The Russian Revolution was in the early 1900s, not early 19th century. But everyone reading this surely knows that already.
I have not watched much cable or network TV coverage of the OWS movement, but what I find galling in the print media is the blind acceptance of the Faux News talking point that the movement is against capitalism, when the real enemy seems to be corporatism, which is the enemy of both capitalism and democracy. Global corporations and the handful of billionaires-seeking-to-become-trillionaires who control them are an amoral lot, who have gamed the system worldwide in their favor.
The OWS protestors sense that the system is stacked against them, and so they seek to change the system. Good luck with that. Reforms could come eventually either through New Deal-type concessions by wise members of that era’s economic aristocracy or through open revolt after continued abuses, such as those of the French aristocracy in the late 18th century or early 19th century Russian aristocracy. Early indications are that today’s aristocrats will consolidate their gains, drive the world into a depression and turn anarchy lose upon the world. I hope that is not the case, but the history of reform movements is not promising.
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