City
Occupy Toronto celebrates anticlimactic anniversary
A small group of "occupiers" returned to St. James Park yesterday to mark the one year anniversary of a movement that lasted six long weeks last year. As was the case when it all got underway, it was tough to know what to expect from the day — and, also similar to the the initial occupation, there weren't any proverbial fireworks in the form of clashes with police. Instead the day served as an opportunity for those who temporarily made the park home to reflect on their experience and what they had and had not accomplished.
Opinion will, of course, be divided when it comes to the latter subject, but the general sentiment of the participants seemed more jovial than mournful, despite the relatively meek turnout. And, really, that's appropriate. While the park became something of a den of iniquity by the end of it all, the occupation did have its moments. It's difficult to be otherwise, to rub up against social and capitalistic conventions that define our very way of life. So as seductive and easy as it might be to label the experiment a failure, let's skip the binaristic thinking and imagine whether this humble attempt to return to a democratic ideal contains any lessons that we might build upon as we retire each night to warm bedrooms with central heating.
Photos by Tom Ryaboi
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To begin with, thank You Mr. Flack for covering this topic.
I think it is important to remember that social movements take a long time to develop and to create actual tangible change. After one year, I think it is fair to say that Occupy Toronto is still in its infancy days. But guess what? We are getting more organized and more knowledgeable as time passes. With that in mind, we will continue to engage the public in discussion about sociopolitical and environmental issues which concern us all, in any way we see fit. We do this on an individual basis and from time to time, we will also continue to do it as a group: "Occupy Toronto".
Many thanks to everyone and please join our conversation about how we can create a better world for everyone.
All the best!
"We Are The 99%"!
RRE: "We Are The 99%" ... your math is still off.
Please don't sully the good name of actual social movements by conflating it with a bunch of people that want the advantages of working, without actually working.
Downfall, what downfall?! The movement has barely begun. Don't be so short-sighted.
"..and eventually succumbed to internal fighting within the movement."
What internal fighting?! Where are you getting this from? Every movement has some disagreements among its members, but by and large, the members of the Occupy movement are united in their overall goals.
"If you really want to make a difference in this world protesting is not the way to go."
Really? It worked in Quebec. After months of student protests, Charest was forced to call an election, which he lost. (He likely would have won if not for the protests.) The first thing Marois did after assuming office was to cancel the tuition increase and do away with the draconian law limiting the rights of protesters. Protesting can, and does, work!
No YOU get a job!
GET A JOB!
NO, YOU GET A JOB!
Jobs 4 life!
Jobs on jobs on jobs!
- the goal was clear and focused - they wanted to reverse the tuition increases. There was some smattering about a general social movement, but ultimately, it was about the tuition increases - that's what the media and the public seized on, and that's what the governmen reacted to. Notice that once the PQ rolled back the increases, the "movement" has largely died down.
-they spoke with one voice. Not some communal Kumbaya drum circle, but one or two persons who spoke articulately for the movement, further focusing the message
- they sought to be part of the system rather than exist outside of it. A number of the leadership actually ran to be MNAs. Also, they knew an election was coming and that they could use that fact to play the parties against each other for their support - they didn't just automatically gravitate to one party or the other. Just look at some of the ridiculous crap that Marois had to promise, and all it got her was a minority government.
The last factor that helped (and which was probably the most significant) was that the movement was in Quebec, which is the most "socialist/interventionist" province in the country - I don't say that as an insult, but as a fact. Quebeckers, more than Canadians generally believe that government should play a significant role in the province's economy (hence their support of the Caisse du Populaire, and Quebec Inc. generally, the language laws, and the government's interference in the Rona deal) Things like cheap daycare, low tuition are things Quebeckers generally believe in and support strongly, and will fight to the death to preserve - even conservative politicians in that province back many of their social programs. They don't care as much about governement deficits as we do, largely because historically they've been able to count on the Feds to fund their programs through trannsfer payments or other bribes in an attempt to win their support.
In other words,the message played well in Quebec, even if it didn't elsewhere (as judged by the fact that attempts to spread the movement outside of Quebec completely fizzled) because it's Quebec.
If Occupy is going to ever be taken seriously, they need to get out of the drum circle and take some notes. Right now, they just come across as a bunch of dirty hippies who don't know what the hell they want.
Quit expecting handouts... Earn a living like the rest of us.
"we are the 99%"... What a crock of shit.
I was actually in New York when it was first getting going last year, and at the time I said that while you may not agree with the way they look, or even their methods, I think a lot of people agree with the sentiment at the core of the protests. Namely that over the course of the past generation, the game has been rigged in favour of those at the very top, at the expense of everyone else. Going to school, working hard and playing by the rules are no longer enough to guarantee a decent quality of life. The middle class is being squeezed out of existence, while those at the top continue to enjoy an ever increasing slice of the pie. It's not about "socialism" or "wealth redistribution" or any of the other pejorative terms that some commentators like to throw around in order to discredit the message. It's about fairness. I don't want to take anything from anyone, but I would like to live in a world where I have a fair crack at making it on my own. Why do we as a society value hedge fund managers and bond traders more than teachers or nurses?
I, along with many of my peers, am university educated and have what can be considered a "good", white collar job. I'm hardly a radical. Our household income while not extravagant, is certainly above average. Still, at the end of day once the bills have been paid, food bought and gas put in the car, there's not much left over. My parents, neither of whom had degrees, were able to do a lot more with significantly less.
Unless you can afford high-priced lobbyists, you have no influence with politicians of any stripe under our system, and if your income happens to come in the form of a paycheque, then you pay a higher percentage of it in taxes than the millionaires and billionaires whose incomes are derived in large part from capital gains.
We can go back and forth debating whether or not the Occupy protests had any impact, but I was encouraged that for the first time a lot of people were having serious discussions about inequality and political access. If nothing else, those are positive developments.
How many iThings did they have?
What the world needs is a change in our own being, the solution lies in making the people of the world feel again. Instilling truth, justice, mercy, compassion, benevolence, a basic heart on fire.
That is what I took from my experience in the park. It isn't about demands, it's about learning how to love one another again. As ideal as that sounds, it's the truth. The world will never change until we change & no longer look down our noses at people trying to make better what they deem as wrong.
You can call them any name in the book, unemployed, bums, spoiled kids etc, but one day they will be the ones called home & you will be the one remaining in the fire.
I wasn't really debating the merits of what the students were demanding (completely unrealistic in this day and age, but then, Quebec does in many respects live in a bubble) - I was really just making the point that compared to "Occupy", the student protests in Quebec were ultimately successful - they got what they wanted. Occupy on the other hand, has been anything but.
Today, the U.S. and Canada for that matter have managed to outsource their manufacturing sector, foolishly thinking that everyone in these societies is automatically made for management while Asians and South Americans will forever remain cheap labour. Neither of these are true.
Is it any wonder things are harder now? And perhaps they should be. We had it too easy for a while there...cheap energy, cheap goods, cheap food...maybe it's a good thing that things aren't so CHEAP these days.
I swear to god if I see one of these idiots infront of me while I pass through here, "Somebody gonna get hurt"
Not trying to single you out, but I'm tired of GenX whining about how good their folks had it. Maybe they had it good because they had less?
Definitely part of the problem, and the reason why the American "stimulus" is stillborn. In the "old days", the government would put money into the economy, you would get a job, then buy something that your neighbour built. Now, even if you get a job, you buy something made in China.
I sincerely wish that its rejuvenation to its current state of splendour will go undisturbed.