,OCCUPY & AN>*ISM'S GIFT ( DEMOCRACY 

,PEOPLE 3 

,AU?OR 3 ,DAVID ,GRAEB] 

,TEXT 3 

,AS ! HI/ORY ( PA/ MOVEM5TS ALL MAKE CLE>1 NO?+ T]RIFIES ?OSE RUNN+ ,AM]ICA MORE ?AN ! DANG] ( TRUE DEMOCRACY BREAK+ \T4 ,AS WE SEE 9 ,*ICAGO1 ,PORTL&1 ,OAKL&1 & RI<T N[ 9 ,NEW ,YORK ,CITY1 ! IMM$IATE RESPONSE TO EV5 A MODE/ SP>K ( DEMOCRATICALLY ORGANIZ$ CIVIL DISOB$I5CE IS A PANICK$ COMB9ATION ( CONCESSIONS & BRUTALITY4 ,\R RUL]S1 ANYWAY1 SEEM TO LABOR UND] A L+]+ FE> ?AT IF ANY SIGNIFICANT NUMB] ( ,AM]ICANS DO F9D \T :AT AN>*ISM REALLY IS1 !Y MAY WELL DECIDE ?AT RUL]S ( ANY SORT >E UNNECESS>Y4 

,ALMO/ EV]Y TIME ,I'M 9T]VIEW$ BY A MA9/REAM J\RNALI/ AB\T ,[,S1 ,I GET SOME V>IATION ( ! SAME LECTURE3 

0,H[ >E Y\ GO+ TO GET ANY:]E IF Y\ REFUSE TO CREATE A LEAD]%IP /RUCTURE OR MAKE A PRACTICAL LI/ ( DEM&S8 ,& :AT'S ) ALL ?IS AN>*I/ NONS5SE - ! CONS5SUS1 ! SP>KLY F+]S 444 8 ,Y\'RE NEV] GO+ TO BE ABLE TO REA* REGUL>1 MA9/REAM ,AM]ICANS ) ?IS SORT ( ?+60 

,IT IS H>D TO IMAG9E WORSE ADVICE4 ,AFT] ALL1 S9CE #b#g1 JU/ AB\T EV]Y PREVI\S ATTEMPT TO KICK (F A NATIONWIDE MOVEM5T AGA9/ ,WALL ,/REET TOOK EXACTLY ! C\RSE SU* PEOPLE W\LD HAVE RECOMM5D$ - & FAIL$ MIS]ABLY4 ,IT IS ONLY :5 A SMALL GR\P ( AN>*I/S 9 ,NEW ,YORK DECID$ TO ADOPT ! OPPOSITE APPROA* - REFUS+ TO RECOGNIZE ! LEGITIMACY ( ! EXI/+ POLITICAL AU?ORITIES BY MAK+ DEM&S ( !M2 REFUS+ TO ACCEPT ! LEGITIMACY ( ! EXI/+ LEGAL ORD] BY OCCUPY+ A PUBLIC SPACE )\T ASK+ = P]MISSION1 REFUS+ TO ELECT LEAD]S ?AT C\LD !N BE BRIB$ OR CO-OPT$2 DECL>+1 H[EV] NONVIOL5TLY1 ?AT ! 5TIRE SY/EM WAS CORRUPT & !Y REJECT$ IT2 BE+ WILL+ TO /& FIRM AGA9/ ! /ATE'S 9EVITABLE VIOL5T RESPONSE - ?AT HUNDR$S ( ?\S&S ( ,AM]ICANS FROM ,PORTL& TO ,TUSCALOOSA BEGAN RALLY+ 9 SUPPORT1 & A MAJORITY DECL>$ !IR SYMPA?IES4 

,?IS IS NOT ! FIR/ TIME A MOVEM5T BAS$ ON FUNDAM5TALLY AN>*I/ PR9CIPLES - DIRECT ACTION1 DIRECT DEMOCRACY1 A REJECTION ( EXI/+ POLITICAL 9/ITUTIONS & ATTEMPT TO CREATE ALT]NATIVE ONES - HAS CROPP$ UP 9 ! ,U,S4 ,! CIVIL RI<TS MOVEM5T 7AT LEA/1 ITS MORE RADICAL BRAN*ES71 ! ANTI-NUCLE> MOVEM5T1 ! GLOBAL JU/ICE MOVEM5T 444 ALL TOOK SIMIL> DIRECTIONS4 ,NEV]1 H[EV]1 HAS ONE GR[N SO />TL+LY QUICKLY4 

,TO UND]/& :Y1 WE HAVE TO UND]/& ?AT !RE'S ALWAYS BE5 AN 5ORM\S GAP BETWE5 :AT ?OSE RUL+ ,AM]ICA MEAN BY 0DEMOCRACY01 & :AT ?AT WORD MEANS TO ALMO/ ANYONE ELSE4 ,ACCORD+ TO ! (FICIAL V]SION1 ( C\RSE1 0DEMOCRACY0 IS A SY/EM CREAT$ BY ! F\ND+ FA!RS1 BAS$ ON *ECKS & BALANCES BETWE5 PRESID5T1 ,CONGRESS & JUDICI>Y4 ,9 FACT1 NO:]E 9 ! ,DECL>ATION ( ,9DEP5D5CE OR ,CON/ITUTION DOES IT SAY ANY?+ AB\T ! ,U,S BE+ A 0DEMOCRACY04 ,MO/ DEF9$ DEMOCRACY AS COLLECTIVE SELF-GOV]NANCE BY POPUL> ASSEMBLIES1 & AS SU*1 !Y W]E DEAD SET AGA9/ IT1 >GU+ IT W\LD BE PREJUDICIAL AGA9/ ! 9T]E/S ( M9ORITIES 7! P>TICUL> M9ORITY ?AT WAS HAD 9 M9D H]E BE+ ! RI*74 ,!Y ONLY CAME TO R$EF9E !IR [N REPUBLIC - MODEL$ NOT ON ,A!NS1 BUT ON ,ROME - AS A 0DEMOCRACY0 BECAUSE ORD9>Y ,AM]ICANS SEEM$ TO LIKE ! WORD SO MU*4 

,BUT :AT DID1 & :AT DO1 ORD9>Y ,AM]ICANS MEAN BY ! WORD8 ,A SY/EM :]E !Y GET TO WEI< 9 ON :I* POLITICIANS WILL RUN ! GOV]NM5T8 ,?IS IS :AT WE'RE ALWAYS TOLD1 BUT IT SEEMS IMPLAUSIBLE4 ,AFT] ALL1 MO/ ,AM]ICANS LOA! POLITICIANS1 & T5D TO BE SKEPTICAL AB\T ! V]Y IDEA ( GOV]NM5T4 ,IF !Y UNIV]SALLY HOLD IT \T AS A POLITICAL IDEAL1 IT CAN ONLY BE BECAUSE ! ,AM]ICAN PEOPLE /ILL SEES IT1 H[EV] VAGUELY1 AS SELF-GOV]NANCE - AS :AT ! F\ND+ FA!RS T5D$ TO D5\NCE AS EI!R 0DEMOCRACY0 OR1 AS !Y SOMETIMES ALSO PUT IT1 0AN>*Y04 

,IF NO?+ ELSE1 ?IS W\LD HELP EXPLA9 ! 5?USIASM ) :I* ,AM]ICANS HAVE EMBRAC$ A MOVEM5T BAS$ ON DIRECTLY DEMOCRATIC PR9CIPLES1 DESPITE ! UNI=MLY CONTEMPTU\S DISMISSAL ( ,AM]ICA'S M$IA & POLITICAL CLASS4 ,MO/ ,AM]ICANS >E1 POLITICALLY1 DEEPLY CONFLICT$4 ,!Y T5D TO COMB9E A DEEP REV]5CE = FRE$OM ) A C>EFULLY 9CULCAT$1 BUT NONE!LESS REAL ID5TIFICATION ) ! >MY & POLICE4 ,FEW >E ACTUAL AN>*I/S2 FEW EV5 KN[ :AT 0AN>*ISM0 MEANS4 ,IT IS NOT CLE> H[ MANY W\LD ULTIMATELY WI% TO DISC>D ! /ATE & CAPITALISM 5TIRELY4 

,BUT ONE ?+ OV]:ELM+ NUMB]S ( ,AM]ICANS DO FEEL IS ?AT SOME?+ IS T]RIBLY WRONG ) !IR C\NTRY1 ?AT ITS KEY 9/ITUTIONS >E CONTROLL$ BY AN >ROGANT ELITE1 ?AT RADICAL *ANGE ( SOME K9D IS LONG S9CE OV]DUE4 ,!Y'RE RI<T4 ,IT'S H>D TO IMAG9E A POLITICAL SY/EM SO SY/EMATICALLY CORRUPT - ONE :]E BRIB]Y1 ON EV]Y LEVEL1 HAS BE5 MADE COMPLETELY LEGAL4 ,! \TRAGE IS APPROPRIATE4 ,! PROBLEM WAS1 UP UNTIL #ag ,SEPTEMB]1 ! ONLY SIDE ( ! SPECTRUM WILL+ TO PROPOSE RADICAL SOLUTIONS ( ANY SORT WAS ! RI<T4 ,BUT ,OCCUPY ,WALL ,/REET HAS *ANG$ ?AT3 DEMOCRACY HAS BROK5 \T4 

,FROM 3 ,!,AN>*I/,LIBR>Y4ORG4 

,*RONOLOGY 3 
,JANU>Y #f1 #bba 3 ,OCCUPY & AN>*ISM'S GIFT ( DEMOCRACY -- ,ADD$4 
,JANU>Y #d1 #bbb 3 ,OCCUPY & AN>*ISM'S GIFT ( DEMOCRACY -- ,UPDAT$4 

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