Substack 4

OWS, WSF, SEA (a lot of letters)

Occupy Wall Street, similarly to the World Social Forum and the Seattle protests, demonstrated the power of ordinary people united in resistance. Occupy generated solidarity amongst the people suffering at the hands of the financial elite. Failed by the system, their slogan “we are the 99%” was clear in its condemnation of the one percent. This collective action reinvigorated younger generations who were facing crippling student debt and few job prospects. Occupy was not a replacement of government, but expanded assemblies of participatory democracy. Deeply suspicious of electoral politics, the intention was to reshape society through direct democracy, self-management, and autonomy. The communities comprising the encampments worked to take care of one other: coordinating medical care, food support, and legal assistance. Through this system of mutual aid, Occupy fostered horizontal, non-hierarchical social relationships which allowed participants to naturally engage with one another. This ideological openness mirrored that of the World Social Forum, attracting a diversity of people and viewpoints. 

The OWS mirrored the World Social Forum’s decentralized, horizontal ethos. Sharing similar goals of limiting corporate control, challenging global capitalism, and critiquing failed systems of governance, the Occupy movement was greatly inspired by the WSF. In rejecting singular politics and refraining from selecting an official spokesperson, Occupy and WFS has been criticized for not proposing formal resolutions. Throughout its existence, the WSF has maintained its position as being opposed to neoliberal globalization. Their slogan “another world is possible,” though vague, largely influenced other movements like the protests in Seattle. 

The protests in Seattle were specifically presented as opposing neoliberal globalization. It involved direct, disruptive activity. Notably, the protesters themselves were disproportionately from the United States. With a popular base in the United States, a country vested in political freedom and democratic vibrancy, it was all the more impactful that the nation itself revolted against governmental power structures.