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Occupy Archive Digital Exhibits: Spring 2020 CWRU Grievances of the 99% At its roots, the Occupy Wall Street Movement was an anti-capitalist, anti-corporation movement composed of people angered by the selfish and greedy financial practices of the country’s upper class. Proponents of Occupy thought the American Dream was no longer possible and protested the stifling lack of opportunity available to non-privileged citizens. As a result of the Great Recession beginning in 2008, the 99%, the people paying the price for the actions of the country's elites, advocated for regulation and oversight of this corrupt 1%. The Occupy Movement rooted their activism in an understanding that an economic system exclusively benefiting the top 1% at the expense of everyone else is unsustainable and antithetical to the idea of democracy.

3 Bull Images - Will S

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Anti-Capitalist Notions by Will Schwartzman
The Occupy Wall Street Movement began in September 2011 and represented the strong opposition of “The 99%” to themes of social inequality and unemployment, and the seemingly endless number of ties between corporate interests and governments around the world. The movement began in Zuccotti Park, New York City, and spread nationwide in a matter of weeks. Carried on the back of social media giants like Facebook and Twitter and supported by numerous celebrities, Occupy’s messages reached millions of people leading to encampments cropping up throughout the country. The movement received seemingly endless press as protesters clashed with police creating clips in which passive protesters could be seen receiving brutal treatment from police (Gautney 2013).

The movement refused to state formal demands, but most issues which arose in protests revolved around the anti-capitalist and anti-corporation views held by its supporters. Those who considered themselves part of the 99% were tired of being marginalized by their lack of wealth. In the wake of the 2008 financial market crash which left millions of people in financial ruin while firms on Wall Street found profit, protesters felt that it was time that Wall Street shared some of the hurt.

The bronze bull seen in the pamphlet for Class War Camp was a hallmark symbol of the Occupy Movement. This statue, known as the Wall Street Bull, is part of a work of art located in the Financial District of Manhattan, New York City. Initially a symbol of aggressive financial optimism and prosperity, it came to exemplify a movement which revealed the hurt and anger of an American people betrayed by the very institutions they had come to trust. The image on the right shows the use of the Wall Street Bull in a pamphlet that is Occupy Propaganda.

The image highlights a central concern of the Occupy Movement - that unregulated financial interests are thoroughly corrupted and thus cannot be trusted to function fairly. Furthermore, these institutions corrupt the institutions which they come in contact with, mainly the government. Due to the already seen consequences of a lack of oversight, the pamphlet advocates for various actions to be taken against Wall Street.

One of the words protesters used to describe actions against Wall Street is “emasculation.” This word can be interpreted in two different ways because of its multiple definitions. First, emasculation can mean to deprive a man of his role or identity, but it can also mean to make something less effective. This choice of wording could possibly represent the multi-faceted goals of the movement. A main interest of Occupy was to reduce the power and influence of Wall Street on the lives of “The 99%.” However, Occupy was also heavily influenced and buoyed by feminist organizations which used their networks to spread its message and fundraise. In some portions of the movement, gender equality goals were of paramount importance, so the word could have been used to exemplify the gender equality interests of these specific pockets of the movement. Many in Occupy saw Wall Street as a “boys club” rampant with sexism, so the calm dancer on top of the raging bull shows the serenity and order perched on the chaos that is Wall Street (Hurwitz 2019).

In the image, the bull representing Wall Street is also shown being held by numerous ropes, and eventually struck down and obliterated. Protesters were furious at the greed and corruption that pervaded the institutions frequented by the 1%. They wanted more government oversight of financial institutions, some people wanted these institutions completely wiped out. In this pamphlet there are three options for Wall Street, and all three hinted towards a comprehensive overhaul of the system as it existed.