Chris Hedges: A Master Class in Occupation

[marmar]

from truthdig:



A Master Class in Occupation

Posted on Oct 31, 2011
By Chris Hedges


NEW YORK CITY—Jon Friesen, 27, tall and lanky with a long, dirty-blond ponytail, a purple scarf and an old green fleece, is sitting on concrete at the edge of Zuccotti Park leading a coordination meeting, a gathering that takes place every morning with representatives of each of Occupy Wall Street’s roughly 40 working groups.

“Our conversation is about what it means to be a movement and what it means to be an organization,” he says to the circle. A heated discussion follows, including a debate over whether the movement should make specific demands.

I find him afterward on a low stone wall surrounding a flowerbed in the park. He decided to come to New York City, he said, from the West Coast for the 10th anniversary of 9/11. He found a ride on Craig’s List while staying at his brother’s home in Champaign, Ill.

“It was a television event when I was 17,” he says of the 2001 attacks. “I came here for the 10-year anniversary. I wanted to make it real to myself. I’d never been to New York. I’d never been to the East Coast.” ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/a_master_class_in_occupation_20111031/

[dixiegrrrrl]

1. Thank you, marmar..would hate to miss Monday Hedges.

:hi:

[starroute]

2. The "travelers" are interesting

I've only picked up a little on them, because they haven't been covered much, but they're clearly part of the general anti-materialistic trend that winds through the last few decades. Part hippie, part hobo, part something you can't quite put your finger on. Here's an article I saved last winter:

http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2011/01/those_who_died_in_warehouse_fi.html

Nationally, the culture of young travelers has not been well documented, making it difficult to answer basic questions such as how many young people follow the vagabond lifestyle and whether the phenomenon is new or simply the modern version of the old-time hobo with his belongings tied to a stick. . . .

In their view, taking over an abandoned building and using it for shelter is recycling, not trespassing. Hitching an unauthorized ride on a train is considered "green" because it doesn't use extra fuel. Why work a 9-to-5 job when the money goes to purchasing things you don't really need, the thinking goes.

Outsiders who have spent time in these circles say they are especially struck by the generosity they have witnessed. By that token, a traveling kid might beg for spare change, then not hesitate to split her take with a stranger who is also in need. . . .

Young travelers tend to be creative types -- talented musicians or writers -- who are rebelling against the expectations of mainstream society, she said.