New York City — As a life long resident of Alabama, I am no stranger to the history of Americans fighting social and economic injustice. Despite what the Texas Board of Education might prefer, I grew up learning about the heroic acts of Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King in their fight for racial equality.
Being a person who believes that dark pasts can be righted, I felt like I had an obligation to see if the Occupy Wall Street movement that is taking over America is the next March on Washington or Montgomery Bus Boycott. Are these people really fighting social injustice or are they just trying to create Arabic revolution fan fiction?
I had my doubts about the true intentions of the Occupy Wall Street movement before coming to New York City to see for myself. And I can say with great confidence that they are a voice of the people.
These people have been and continue to occupy Zuccotti Park located in the heart of New York City’s financial district. Some people criticize that the occupation is void of any real meaning, but their message is no more vague than the Tea Party’s message.
They believe there is a fundamental problem with the fact that in America the top one percent controls a hugely disproportionate amount of wealth. According to data provided by the CIA, America ranks 93rd in income equality out of 134 countries studied. That places us behind Egypt, Russia, and Iran.
For a country that touts the ideals of fairness and equality as if they are American made, we are not walking the walk. In the last century, the United States has made significant strides in fighting for social equality, but we have turned our backs on economic equity. It seems as if we have forgotten that these principles are codependent. It is entirely necessary to have economic equality to have any legitimate social equality.
Do not be misguided. These people do not hate wealthy people. They don’t hate businesses. They hate this worldview of power and greed that continues to grind down our people and our country by establishing a system where the ladder to the top is missing a few rungs.
An investment banker who works on Wall Street explained it by saying, “Most of those in the bottom half of the top one percent lack power and global flexibility and are essentially well-compensated workhorses for the top 0.5 percent, just like the bottom 99 percent. In my view, the American dream of striking it rich is merely a well-marketed fantasy that keeps the bottom 99.5 percent hoping for better and prevents social and political instability. The odds of getting into that top 0.5 percent are very slim and the door is kept firmly shut by those within it.”
I was told before I got here that the people occupying Zuccotti Park were all either homeless or hippies, not that their opinions should be valued any less. But that claim is entirely disingenuous.
There are people from every corner of the American life. I met an immigrant on Saturday who was in the process of getting her visa. She explained that the reason she was there was because she wanted the freedom and economic mobility that she was taught America values to be a reality and not just another piece of American mythology.
Despite that it may seem like the protestors are just angry people yelling about economic disparities, there is a message of hope. These protests are about creating a sustainable future that promotes freedom, justice and equity. But they are angry and ready to destroy the status quo of greed and inequity. As one protestor’s sign explained, Zuccotti Park is “where love and rage meet.”
I am glad that I came to New York to witness what is happening in Zuccotti Park because it makes sense, it is beautiful, and it is good.
Michael Patrick is a senior majoring in political science. His column runs on Tuesdays.
