Another Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor:

Despite what can be described as a general lack of interest, the Occupy movement appears to have made it through the winter and will be here for a while. Given this, I think it is time for a frank discussion on the resonance and validity of the movement.

The rhetoric that emerged from the Occupy debate on campus was interesting, there seemed to be an assumption that if one opposed the movement, one did so out of ignorance, not differing opinion. This is something that has been perpetuated in almost the all ‘official’ Facebook and Twitter commentary of the movement. I argue that herein lays the essential problem with the movement, a desire to pontificate, not engage in dialogue; this is the movement’s existential issue. If any lasting change is to be made, this ideological arrogance needs to be abandoned. Running through the gilded halls of Engineering chanting, much to the dismay of students writing exams inside, is not a way to make supporters, it is a way to disenfranchise anyone remotely interested in your movement.

Further, and much to my personal amusement, was Ms. Taylor’s repeated complaints about the “mainstream media’s” misrepresentation of the movement. Ironically enough, it was @occupyyeg’s official twitter feed that was misrepresenting the truth, claiming that hundreds of supporters were marching on campus, when the real figure settled somewhere between 50 and 80. To make matters worse, no one would actually acknowledge that their figures were completely wrong. This ought to be a concern for a movement calling for greater accountability and transparency in government, or the complete dismantling of government, but that is another story. This deliberate misrepresentation of the truth is, unfortunately, not unique to Edmonton’s movement. The Occupy UC Davis incident is perhaps the best example of this; everyone has seen the 15 second clip of pepper spray being used on students. How many have seen the video of the preceding 15 minutes, which shows the protestors surround the police and refuse to let them leave. Even further devaluing the protest at the University was the Palestinian Solidarity Movement’s official endorsement of Occupy Edmonton. This is a group that supports virulent racism operating under the banner of Israeli Apartheid Week. How can an organization that claims to speak for all students allow the endorsement of such an organization?

Sure, the movement maybe has some valid points; increased accountability is a noble goal, more needs to be done for developing countries. However, it is inundated with self-aggrandizing malcontents that demand things like a 9/11 Truth Commission, Bush being charged with war crimes, and free tuition for everyone who wants it. Something needs to be done before it becomes even more irrelevant and marginalized.

Dave Jones