Comments on Unemployed Negativity: Getting to 99: Between #OccupyWallStreet and Mic C...

American Dreaming can only last so long; then you ...

2011-10-20T12:24:54.764-04:00

American Dreaming can only last so long; then you realize its all wrong.

To the original poster: In regards to the latter part of your post, I see where you’re coming and I’m right there with you. Basically, it seems you’re a proponent of Gramsci’s cultural hegemony theory and imply that its in practice within the United States. I’ll tell you this… if the current “middle class, American Dream, etc…” ideology dies, I won’t complain. It’s a necessary ingredient to systemic change.

Moreover, you’re right; this movement is currently a curious hodgepodge of societal problems of the last several decades. As a product of the 90s cultural wars, right now the movement is trying to be more than politically correct, its attempting to be politically perfect. Its almost laughable. I can’t attend an occupation without laughing because its truly a spectacle. And for a record, the values being promoted by this movement are historically liberal. Why can’t this be articulated? Its just further testament to how tarnished the terms liberal and left have become. And for the record, I laugh not because I’m not sympathetic. I am liberal/progressive so I’m a minority. That’s how I’ve upheld my values and continue to do so within the past and present cultural climate. I forced myself to accept that my perspective was in the small minority in order to remain sane and not feel so isolated. So I am sympathetic and hopeful. I’m a fixture of the occupation in Philadelphia. Its just funny to see this whole thing play out. The social justice aspect will be a big hurdle that needs to be successfully jumped or it will be a huge obstructing mountain that the movement will try to hilariously go around without confronting…

“Cultural hegemony is the philosophic and sociological theory, by the Marxist philosopher Antonio Gramsci, that a culturally diverse society can be dominated (ruled) by one social class, by manipulating the societal culture (beliefs, explanations, perceptions, values) so that its ruling-class worldview is imposed as the societal norm, which then is perceived as a universally valid ideology and status quo beneficial to all of society, whilst benefiting only the ruling class.[1][2]”

Great post. Seems the protests must supply an almo...

2011-10-17T15:22:10.177-04:00

Great post. Seems the protests must supply an almost surreptitious way for class-wary Americans to think about class and change the terms of the class struggle that they'd rather pretend the US was somehow exempt from

The whole idea of a the 99% seems to tap into Amer...

2011-10-17T09:50:49.986-04:00

The whole idea of a the 99% seems to tap into America's deep sense of democracy as majority rule. It seeks to connect 99% of the population with the idea of a silent, or silenced, majority. In that way it is effective. However, as I pointed out, it needs to move beyond such a quantitative evaluation. The 99% is an abstraction, and an ideal. To move beyond that it seems necessary to grasp the realities that shape class in this country. Or else, as you point out, the 99 will just become rhetoric for one of the major parties.

"One second thought, it probably can't be...

2011-10-16T19:58:25.010-04:00

"One second thought, it probably can't be called that, the 99% is a way of thinking class, without thinking class, of addressing inequality without thinking about exploitation."

I especially like this comment. American protest movements over the last few decades have seemed conspicuously unable to speak to class issues, and it appears that the closest we'll ever get to talking about actual capital accumulation is this 99% slogan. Unfortunately, I fear that the two traps on either extreme of the issue (blaming greedy bankers for the left, power-hungry bureaucrats for the Paul-ites) will eventually win the day.