Wednesday, November 16, 2011

"That's Occupy Wall Street and Capitalism is going to Bow to It"

They are angry, young, unemployed and yeah they are not happy.
Though such a protest originated in Spain, it began to be called as Occupy Wall Street when the media took notice of similar protest in New York, Wall Street and hence the name. And now we have across the globe similar movements. This movement is demanding for large corporations not be greedy and corrupt. The protest brings social and economic inequality, unemployment to the forefront in this post rescission world. The protest has even got an anti-capitalist   tone about it which has been embraced by the movement.
This movement... this movement is just amazing to see. In today's world use of the internet it is amazing to see people all with one single attitude gathering across vast space of land and sea in a common cause and common goal just because of their extremely similar experiences.
However whether such a movement is going to be successful, of that I am doubtful.
The movement is frankly almost look like a mob, a mob which is likely angry. They walk... not walk, they walk and crowd the financial districts of the cities and countries. They hold banner, scream slogan. Do a lot of social media stuff. All this is very effective. It has caught the eye of the globe. It is effectively spreading information on the movement, their demands, what they want to be changed. People are aware of Occupy Wall Street. Some politicians have even given comments and some foreign countries have even commented on this.
BUT... is this going to change anything. From what I know of movements, revolutions I am skeptical. This movement has no leader for the governments and corporate organizations to look to. There is no person or group of persons who the government or corporate organizations can talk, communicate or discuss with. The demands are there, but they are not targeting any corporate and it is within the clubbing of all the corporates together that many of the corporate organizations feel save. And lastly there is still a view that this movement is just a large number of people on the street as a effect of recession and this is just an angry mob on the street which will disperse once the economy picks up.

Ruben & Keenan... Another Lost Movement?

Like so many movements, the murder of Ruben & Keenan has sparked of anger among citizens of India and Mumbai. This anger has been channeled by the family, the media and whole host of netizens into a movement of anti-teasing. The movement began on social network sites and now has spread across to signature campaigns and cries for strong laws against eve-teasing. The media has played a strong role in this on-going event, by first expressing shock over the incident and now seemingly putting its support behind this movement.
However I would like to point out a few things.
The people who are signing anti-eve teasing petitions and joining this movement whether on the web or in life... are people who are educated Indians who are similarly shocked and more importantly are people who in no way conduct eve teasing themselves. By all means let this movement demand strong laws against eve teasing.
Still in all this shock, anger, media glare the public... the netizens, the outspoken voices of this movement in the media have failed to dwell into the deeper issue of eve teasing.
I am not claiming to be an expert on such a topic... however it is of my strong opinion that the problem of eve-teasing lies in Indian tradition... and to be more specific I am talking about repressed sexual freedoms. Sex has a topic is not open India. Many individual not only in rural areas but in urban areas are closed minded on the topic of sex. To dwell deeper when I write sex I want to signify not only the topic, but the clothes one is allowed to wear, the media one is exposed to and the taboo put on certain sexualised objects. People are bought up from childhood with such connotation.
And then to be exposed in this world, to be more precise an urban setting... where things are open. Couples now kiss in the open, girls who have the freedom to wish what they want to wear, media that is no more careful about just a kissing scene. To be bought up in a manner which is contrary to what is taught within the confines of a family and what is shown by society will come as a shock to such individuals.
And this shock will cause a social failure among such individuals as how to act in this open minded society.