Photo credit: Mickey Z.
Mickey Z. -- World News Trust
July 18, 2012
"We need to just start doing things and inviting anybody who shows the slightest interest to get involved." --sub@hell-A (a regular visitor to my blog)
When reporting on the infamous New York School of Action Painters in 1947, art critic Clement Greenberg pondered, “What can 50 do against 140 million?”
It wasn’t so much an entire population stacked against a band of subversive painters that Greenberg was contemplating. Rather, it was 140 million Americans essentially ignoring a movement that would eventually alter the face of global art and culture.
Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Willem de Kooning, Helen Frankenthaler, Robert Motherwell, and about 45 others painted what they felt with little concern for rules or conventions or critical understanding. They revolutionized the art world by shattering painterly pretensions and deconstructing the very concept of expression.
Yet, what tied this group together was not a particular style but a particular spirit... the spirit of revolt.
The U.S. population has more than doubled in the 60-plus years since Pollock dripped his way onto the cover of Life magazine. Today there is yet another game-changing movement currently being overlooked by the majority of Americans.
#OccupyPriorities
Lurking beneath the homogenized, one-size-fits-all surface of today’s consumer culture, there’s always been a broad range of indefatigable rabble-rousers doing their thing. On Sept. 17, 2011, the dissent boiled over and went public -- big time.
Good news: There are more rebels active these days than ever before.
Bad news: Thanks to the pervasive conditioning of the dominant culture, there are millions more being kept idle.
I've already written about some of the foundations of this paradox so feel free to recap here: corporate propaganda, two-party farce, and state repression. But there's another major reason why so many Americans have yet to embrace -- or even notice -- Occupy Wall Street (OWS):
Not. Enough. Outreach.
Unlike the innovative painters mentioned above, OWS is not a discrete assemblage but rather, very much part of the general population. Therefore, while there are so many noble causes and efforts worth an Occupier's time, we must accept the reality that we're limited in number and remain widely ignored and/or marginalized.
#OccupyOutreach
No one knows how Occupy will play out. But without broader support from the masses, it cannot grow, evolve, and fully realize its potential. As a fun first step towards growth, why not make a commitment to bring non-OWS friends to any and all OWS events? (In the larger cities, this is simple as there are so many events. For those connected with smaller occupations, this process may begin with the creation of more events.)
Either way, I'd strongly suggest that our top priority is to "recruit." We must encourage others to experience Occupy in person: participate, communicate, listen, and learn because (as usual) the reality is diametrically opposed to the conventional wisdom. OWS is a movement comprised of thousands of individuals from all walks of life -- working collectively and sharing skills in the name of preserving the future.
Luring in more comrades means cultivating alternative models of culture, it means connecting with those already involved in other forms of activism, and most of all: it means outreach to potential allies.
"Outreach into our most marginalized communities is key," says Katherine Ramos of Occupy Wall Street. "Mutual support, respect, and love is the foundation of real change and it starts in our backyards with our neighbors."
Mic Check: Talk to your neighbors...
#OccupyProcess
When a critic wrote that Jackson Pollock’s paintings lacked a beginning or an end, the artist replied, “He didn’t mean it as a compliment, but it was.”
Well, this occupation doesn't need a beginning or an end either. Instead of imagining potential endgames, let's recognize that a successful movement must be an enduring process -- a process that requires constant outreach and evolution.
Mic Check: Bring a friend (or 10 friends) to Occupy -- as soon as possible -- and let them discover firsthand that the media is lying, the police are only serving and protecting the 1%, and that occupying a helluva lot more fun than they ever imagined.
An idea whose time has come: "Bring a Friend to Occupy" Day.
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Mickey Z. is the author of 11 books, most recently the novel Darker Shade of Green. Until the laws are changed or the power runs out, he can be found on an obscure website called Facebook.
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