Monday, April 23, 2012

Occupy v 99% Spring

Those plans for big spring protests seem to be accompanied by a big power struggle.

On one hand, Adbusters says the targeted protests will be coast-to-coast:
As we prepare for the May uprising, two power centers of our movement have announced plans for a spectacular bi-coastal May 1st bridge blockade. On the West Coast, Occupy Oakland and Occupy San Francisco are planning rush hour disruptions on the Golden Gate Bridge while in New York City, occupiers say they will block one or more Manhattan-bound bridges. These acts of nonviolent direct action will set the tactical tone for the next phase of Occupy: they signal the turn towards Strike actions aimed at disrupting the flow of money. 
But on the other hand, Adbusters says Occupy is facing what it calls a battle for its soul. It's not selling out to the banksters or becoming one percenters that Adbusters is fretting over. It's the Democrats' old ally, MoveOn.org:
...MoveOn wants to hijack our movement with their 99% Spring. 
MoveOn is an existential threat to our movement because they don’t have a revolutionary bone in their body … if we give these clicktivists any more room then they will pull off a managed cooling of our revolutionary fervor … they will neuter the kind of bold, militant nonviolent direct actions that are the key to the next phase of our movement. Don’t let them do it!
For its part, MoveOn seems to take a more diplomatic approach:
 And as would be true with any diverse, vibrant movement like Occupy Wall Street, MoveOn members don't agree with everything every Occupy Wall Street supporter says. But we're grateful for the amazing work that Occupy Wall Street has done to highlight deep problems that for too long have been ignored in public discussions.
Could get interesting a little later this Spring. How far will each side let the rivalry go when they start taking to the streets? Or are we being played here? Battle for the soul sounds no different than the kind of hypebole we hear all the time from Democrats and Republicans. Is the meaning any deeper when applied to Occupy?

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