From: TomDispatch.com

Last weekend, in Washington Square Park in downtown Manhattan at a giant mill-in, teach-in, whatever-in-extension of Occupy Wall Street’s camp-out in Zuccotti Park, there was a moment to remember.  Under what can only be called a summer sun, a contingent from the Egyptian Association for Change, USA, came marching in, their “Support Occupy Wall Street” banners held high (in Arabic and English), chanting about Cairo’s Tahrir Square (where some of them had previously camped out).  The energy level of the crowd rose to buzz-level and cheers broke out.

And little wonder.  After all, it was a moment for the history books.  An American protest movement had taken its most essential strategic act directly from an Egyptian movement for democracy: camp out and don’t go home.  It had then added (as one of the Egyptians pointed out to me) a key tactic of that movement, the widespread and brilliant use of social media to jumpstart events.  And keep in mind that some of the Egyptian organizers at Tahrir Square had been trained in social networking by organizations like the International Republican Institute and the Democratic National Institute (created and indirectly funded by the U.S. Congress).  Now, the American version of the same is being re-exported to the world.  Try to unravel that one if you will -- and while you’re at it, toss out the great myth of American non-protest of these last years: that going online, Facebooking, and tweeting were pacifiers that suppressed in the young the possibility of actually heading into the streets and doing something.

By the way, the Egyptians weren’t the only ones there.  As reporter Andy Kroll points out , from the beginning there were Greeks, Spaniards, Japanese, and others involved in Occupy Wall Street, all representing a new era of global activism.  And better yet, the growing American movement isn’t denying these foreign influences; it’s hailing them, it’s cheered by them!

If that isn’t myth-busting, what is? Think of it as blowback as neither the CIA, nor even Chalmers Johnson, ever imagined it.  Or maybe it’s some kind of modern export-import-export business.  In any case, standing in Washington Square Park watching what could only be called the festivities (if you ignored a police lock-down in the vicinity more appropriate for Kabul, Afghanistan), it wasn’t hard to believe that the very idea of American exceptionalism was expiring right in front of our eyes.  It had, of course, already worn desperately thin, or all those Republican presidential candidates and our president wouldn’t be insisting on its reality every five seconds.  All I can say is that when the neoliberal globalizers of the 1990s first proclaimed the world to be one, this was surely not what they had in mind!

And yet, consider something else as well (and for those of you who don’t feel comfortable holding two seemingly contradictory thoughts in your head at one time, stop here): Foreign influences or no, Occupy Wall Street couldn’t be a more homegrown or traditionally American movement.  As our preeminent historian of Wall Street, TomDispatch regular Steve Fraser, author of Wall Street: America’s Dream Palace, points out, the young occupiers of Zuccotti Park caught the zeitgeist of the moment by mainlining directly into the central vein of American oppositional movements for more than a century before the Great Depression ended.  No wonder their movement is spreading fast.  They may not have known their history, but they sensed it and so went right for that essential strand of American protest DNA: the “street of torments” at the bottom of Manhattan Island. Tom

Comments

[Antonio Andolini]

"You say you want a Revolution..."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204346104576637292468330336.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_PhotosModule_1

[Wing Nut]

Nice post Antonio. The far left is a scary group indeed. It is funny when you compare the violence and hatred of the far left protesters to the extremely peaceful protests of the Tea Party movement. Quite a striking difference I must say. A difference that the media seems to miss.

Take care,
WN

[Antonio Andolini]

Of course not, WN. At first, OWS was ignored by the media. Then the politicians and celebrities started dropping by.
This Letter to the Editor had an interesting take, as well:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/oct/13/tea-partyers-dont-trash-their-venues/

[Wing Nut]

AA,

The far left. It is not just a state of mind, it is clearly a state of confusion.

Take care,
WN

[toonist]

"It is funny when you compare the violence and hatred of the far left protesters to the extremely peaceful protests of the Tea Party movement." WTF you smoking WN? T-baggers protested with firearms blatantly exposed on their hips just daring somebody to mess with them!
Do yourself a favor stop watching the "loofa sponge" clown for a couple months!

[Wing Nut]

Toonist,

Your point of view (far left) causes you confusion as I stated in my last post. I don't recall any violence at Tea Party events, even though the media was hoping for it. One cannot say the same for the left wingers down on Wall Street. Not to mention the littering, the drugs and the sex that seems to be happening at this "protest". The comparison between the two groups is stunning.

By the way, I own a hand gun and also have a concealed weapons permit so that I can carry it loaded and hidden from view. That is my second amendment right (thank God). I'm sorry you don't understand that right (again, it must be confusion). Just to clarify, I'd suggest that you do some research on the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Good stuff.

Have a good day,
WN

[toonist]

I have my own copy of the Constitution and I'm very familiar with it...and you know what's really scary? I'm a Liberal who owns a gun! 3 of them...scary shit huh? As for being "far left" LOL!

[Wing Nut]

A liberal who owns a gun? Wow, you really are a rare bird. Well, at least we finally found something in common :)

Take care,
WN

[toonist]

;) Politics makes strange bedfellows.

[Rocky]

I own a couple guns too! Generalizations are worthless. The far right neoconservatives have the US military, now who wants to talk about violence?

[toonist]

Water pistols don't count!

[Wing Nut]

I'm sorry Rock and Toonist, but if you are watching the OWS protests with your eyes wide open you can see that these people are scary liberal. They are a mix of socialists and communists who believe in "social justice". Most of them are quite young and apparently didn't learn their history lessons when they went to school. How did communism work out for Cuba and Russia? How has socialism worked out for Greece and other European countries that are now going broke trying to institute "social justice"?

Do you know how China lifted 400 million people in their country out of poverty? It is called capitalism. Capitalism gives the greatest number of people the greatest chance to achieve success and wealth. It has always been that way and it will always be that way. Unfortunately these people in the OWS movement want things handed to them instead of working to earn it. Give me a break. Obama embraces social justice because he is a moron (but we already knew that). That is why he has to go.

A very SAD movement indeed. Progressive liberals might like it, but hard working Americans who have achieved success in their lives are scratching their heads. My God, imagine starting out with nothing, working hard in school, getting an education, working hard at a career and achieving success. They used to call that the American Dream. These OWS folks seem to think that those who have achieved the American Dream are obscene and need to give that money back to them. Come on man! I can see why Obama embraces these idiots.

Take care,
WN

[toonist]

"Do you know how China lifted 400 million people in their country out of poverty?" wn

Yeah because of the "job creators" your right wing fruitcake politicians are protecting from the evil Liberal's taxes!

"Come on man! I can see why Obama embraces these idiots." wn

Obama isn't defending these people because Obama got $500+ million from Wall Street in campaign contributions.

wn please stop with the Loofa Sponge talking points.

[toonist]

http://youtu.be/QMHaflugSl4

Who's the thugs wn? Who's the thugs?

[toonist]

And............

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/298758_10150341421667655_10671482654_8373033_1153002654_n.jpg

[jon]

when they can't get an increase in "stranded costs"...

http://www.concordmonitor.com/article/286945/psnh-seeks-higher-rates-for-upgrade?CSAuthResp=1319102333%3Am64q6060qefmm8jc2trjaf8nm3%3ACSUserId|CSGroupId%3Aapproved%3AB68A0C06108B7095D431C80316A47D18&CSUserId=94&CSGroupId=1

[Wing Nut]

Toonist,

If we go down the path that the OWS protesters seek, America as we know it will cease to exist. Tea Party people talk about limited government, reductions in Federal spending, individual freedom and the U.S. Constitution. Most would argue that these are all good things to be talking about given the current state of affairs here in America. OWS morons talk about seizing private property, taking from the rich, and social justice. Somebody needs to give them a world history lesson and also a lesson on the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Regarding the latter, I don't believe they'll find anything in those documents about the redistribution of the wealth of hard working Americans.

These idiots need to get a grip on reality, and so does the President.

Take care,
WN

[Antonio Andolini]

Ah yes, the Arab Spring:
http://m.torontosun.com/2011/10/12/egypts-arab-spring-turns-deadly-cold

[Antonio Andolini]

And those pesky tourists:
"Molly Schwad, a jeweler from Kansas traveling with Qualizza and other friends, said she was surprised by what she saw, compared to the TV coverage of the protest movement.
She saw a rather quiet encampment in the rain, of only about 200 people. At times several hundred people have camped at the park, and some of the demonstrations organized as part of the Occupy Wall Street movement have drawn thousands.
"I thought it was much bigger," Schwad said. "We were afraid there might be violence here."
http://www.dailyfinance.com/article/occupy-wall-street-becomes-nyc-tourist/1951367/

[toonist]

Here wn check this out! More idiots trying to get a grip on realty huh! You must work for a great company. Making great money are you? Your future is secure? Health plan is the best available? Company looks out for you? If so I'm happy for you.

[toonist]

Dur forgot link: http://youtu.be/yJ6QzKW4DYc

[Antonio Andolini]

Rocky, seems spam is getting through.

I don't do business with BOA or Citi. As for pulling money out of banks in favor of credit unions,Credit Union told me out-of-state check would be on hold for fourteen days. Not up to, the full fourteen days. Went to bank, gave me access to my money next day. Strike One.
Another time, same credit union asked me, in front of all other customers, what the government check I was cashing was for. None of their business and certainly not the business of others waiting in line. Strike Two.
Since then I keep nominal amount on deposit, so I can cash checks drawn on bank.

[Antonio Andolini]

Always an interesting perspective:
http://reason.com/archives/2011/10/20/occupy-wall-street-is-half-rig

[Antonio Andolini]

Polling the protestors:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204479504576637082965745362.html

[toonist]

http://youtu.be/N_XtXhiekQk