OCCUPY MOVEMENT

The Occupy movement is an international movement
with the goals of enhancing social and economic
equality. One of the movement's main objectives is to
reorganize the power relations in society in order to
close the gap between the rich and the poor. There are
many local divisions of the Occupy movement; each has
some of its own goals and aspirations. However, one of
the unifying concerns is the large degree of control that
financial systems have in the world economy and the
fact that only a small minority of people benefit from
this economic arrangement. Those who support the
Occupy movement believe that this arrangement
undermines democracy and makes the government and
world economy unstable. The Occupy movement relies
on picketing, general strikes and demonstrations to
make its goals known. Participants are known to camp
out for weeks or even months in large cities and form
tent communities in which they live and promote their
cause. Their slogan is "We are the 99 percent." Occupy
movements have sprung up in many nations, such as
New Zealand, Malaysia, Germany, France, England, the
United States and even Norway.
Occupy Movement Debate Supporters
Those who support the Occupy movement believe that
economic inequality has grown over the years and that
somebody needs to do something about it before it gets
any worse. The top 1 percent receives 23 percent of all
U.S. income. The movement calls attention to these
disparities in a way that is hard for politicians and
citizens to ignore. Its worldwide nature calls attention
to the fact that economic disparities are not just a
problem in the United States, they are, in fact, worsening
worldwide.
Occupy Movement Debate Critics
There are many people who find fault with the Occupy
movement. Most are not against the movement
because they do not believe that economic disparities
do not exist or that the financial system is not marred.
However, the major disadvantage to the Occupy
movement, they believe, is that it lacks focus and is
inefficient at making its goals known. Many protesters,
when questioned, do not know exactly what they are
protesting. Those who are against the movement call
attention to the fact that some nations have made
strides towards greater economic equality, and that it is
not necessarily a worldwide problem. China, for
example, has increased its economic equality over the
last several decades.