In the article, “Ask Not What Occupy Wall Street Will Do Next; Ask
How We Will Change the Status Quo,” the author
initially describes the lack of publicity the Occupy Wall Street movement has
received as compared to late autumn. He
then contrasts that as compared to a few months ago, people are now accepting
OWS’s message as legitimate concrete demands, rather than an immature group of
activists.
The article analogizes OWS twice;
first, to a reality television show, and then to a brand name. The reference to a reality television show is
due to its surprising, sporadic behavior, and also because the movement has
begun to lost its political nature and become more a source of
entertainment. The reference to a brand
name is due to the general acceptance.
The author compares OWS to a brand, saying that both are generally
accepted entities, with no argument surrounding them. The OWS brand entails a group of left wing
activists that fight for ‘the 99%’ against the elite controlling the
nation.
The
argument of the article is that the combination of lack of publicity paired
with general acceptance is fatal for OWS.
In order to rectify this issue, OWS must resist reification (the making
of a brand) by standing for the things it once stood for. This includes criticizing the wealthy few who
control the economy and thus the nation, and defending the claim that ‘private
interest is a public problem.’ While
continuing to do so may cause a revolution, it is necessary for the health of
the nation and the world.
The author
concludes by assuring the reader that OWS includes a selfless group of
individuals defending the masses selflessly.
However, the movement is losing its momentum because Wall Street and OWS
are coexisting peacefully. In order to
redeem itself, people must stop asking what OWS will do next, like the nature of a
reality show, and rather ask which public claims can be made to disrupt status
quo, thus disturbing the brand name OWS has become.
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