Forum Post: "Occupy" Movement is Dying

Early last year (2012) I joined the group "Vision and Goals" within NYCGA of the "Occupy" movement in New York. The group promised a lot and was very active. I sent my ideas to them. Among other things, I proposed the reduction of work hours proportionally to the unemployment rate, with a short explanation. This measure would improve the situation in society and capitalism itself. I spoke by using a vocabulary that even a young child could understand, but adults can hardly understand me. If you ask a child how they would divide nine apples between ten people, you would get a solution. If you ask the same question to an adult, but substitute jobs for apples, then this is an unsolvable problem. Why? People are so predetermined by the accepted way of thinking that they are lost when they hear new ideas. Rather than to reconsider the acceptance of new ideas they prefer to ignore or attack them. The more that people are educated the worse the situation. Social scientists do not accept anything but the existing political orientation. Social progress is prevented.

Besides a great misunderstanding of my work within the “Occupy” movement, I noticed subversion. It came from the activist Patrick Conway. He is very well educated and his skillfulness has won the trust of the activists. He said that my ideas are interesting, but that we first have to find a consensus on basic issues. With this, the discussion of my ideas ends. He insisted on a consensus on common actions of anarchists, socialists, Trotskyists, Marxists, liberals, Democrats and Republicans, which is impossible to accomplish. It seems to me that he tried to prevent any agreement within the group "Vision and Goals." This once very active group now has not a single new post in the last three months.

I recently tried to initiate action within the “Occupy” movement independently. I founded my hub in the Interoccupy group. Interoccupy is supposed to foster communication between individuals, Working Groups and local General Assemblies across the movement. As a holder of a hub, I believed that I would be able to participate in the work of the movement actively. I sent to them proposal actions but have not received any response. They did not publish my proposals which is not surprising because Interoccupy publishes barely one news article daily witch could also be found in the major media. They publish announcements and calls for numerous divided actions of Occupy movement. As if to say to people: run across the world, scream as much as you can, and when you get tired go home to sleep.

The “Occupy” Movement is the only well-known opposition to the established system in the US and the government has had an interest in silencing it for sure. This is not difficult to achieve because the “Occupy” movement is open to all people. Volunteers run it. There is no hierarchy. Anyone can offer their ideas. As such, the movement is very vulnerable to attacks from the inside. I believe that the U.S. government has sent agents amongst these volunteers who are destroying the movement from the inside. There are still some independent groups that operate, but the “Occupy” movement is dying.

Aleksandar Sarovic www.sarovic.com