Follows is a little (maybe not so little) excerpt from Ms. Magazine with links to women who have occupied Wall Street.
It’s unfortunate that the mainstream media has paid so little attention to women’s voices at Occupy Wall Street and has consistently chosen white males to represent the movement. While I don’t begrudge these men for talking to major news outlets–it’s great that they’re willing articulate their concerns to a wide audience–I do fault the media for consistently choosing to interview and profile people from this same demographic. The camp is so diverse in gender, race, religion and ideological affiliation that failing to highlight this diversity is a failure to fully and accurately cover the movement.
Also, what about all the famous women leaders who have come to visit the camp and show their support? Men’s visits to the camp have been consistently reported–just perform a basic internet search for Michael Moore, Russell Simmons, Kanye West, Cornel West or Chris Hedges. But what about Naomi Klein, Barbara Ehrenreich, Eve Ensler and Susan Sarandon, to name a few? While it’s amazing that all of these people have gotten behind the movement, I do think it’s telling that, again, the mainstream media chooses to focus on men. (Women got the most attention only when they were penned up and maced early in the occupation.) The challenge is not so much to harness the power of women but to make sure their actions are given visibility.
Last Saturday in Times Square, when thousands gathered to protest the ongoing wars and the corporate interests embedded in them, I noticed women directing the march. As we all chanted together, I realized that Occupy Wall Street is galvanizing because the ire is feminist, anti-colonialist, anti-racist and anti-patriarchal. Although there have been (and will be) hiccups along the way, Occupy Wall Street will only grow in numbers and support if it continues to resist a top-down message and instead capitalizes on the urgent notion that the 99 percent is made of many diverse “percents.”
1 comment:
Code puke pink is like Naomi, as is Ms actually (this is what a feminist looks like cover of obama) - but who cares?
But we have to read MS I know, just in case they actually have some feminist news.
None of these leftist had anything but Obama to offer in the past and they have nothing but opportunism to offer now.
But the ordinary people have a lot to offer and I really pray they can avoid being co-opted by these left organizations. I dearly hope they do organize independantly of the anti war anti global women crowd.
I hope constitutional scholars get out there to do teach ins about the constitutional amendment process and to act as consultants to independent people. There is the real danger. Co-optation by the tired old ideologues. I think that is your fear also and why you are thinking of ways they can organize.
But here is something really interesting:
http://www.lefthudson.com/2011/10/cops-defy-order-to-break-up.html
This came after cops were arresting wholesale somewhere, maybe Oakland, and the crowd was chanting - "We are defending your pensions - why are you arresting us?" and that glorious soldier, just home from the front, said to cops who looked ashamed, "you do not hurt unarmed civilians" and somewhere they sang "Amazing Grace"and a cop said in hearing of a camera "I needed that".
I hope the unorganized people of OWS move toward a constitutional convention and constitutional amendments rather than supporting the wall st baby Obama or the 2 or 3 party system. (I know we Democrat democract until we change the constitution)
http://blog.greenconsciousness.org/#5860855815149702909
http://blog.greenconsciousness.org/#4585286317590603549
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