It was definitely a very hostile environment and the people were irritated and angry. I felt very uncomfortable being in the middle of everything. It seemed as if at any moment people were going to start getting violent. I didn't realize how rebellious the people were going to be. I guess I just assumed that it would be a little bit more peaceful. I also got the impression that most of the individuals protesting were homeless. There didn't seem to be any people there of middle class advocating for the movement.
While I understand the position of the protesters, I didn't see how what they were doing was going to change anything. According to conflict theory, conflicts like this are bound to happen. The police officers definitely had the power and were controlling the actions of the protesters. The protesters were the minority because they have limited access due to their low socioeconomic status. Even though the minority outnumbered the police officers, they were still considered the minority because they lack access to resources. The changes they are trying to make will definitely be slow. I think if they had more support from people of different socioeconomic statuses they might be able to make more of a statement.
I think that it is interesting that you brought up the type of people that were at Occupy. I too thought that I would see more middle class "advocating for the movement." I watched part of an MTV True Life episode about Occupy in New York City and there it seemed that there was more of a variety of people from different classes. Since this protest started September 17th I wonder what type of people were Occupying in San Diego at the beginning of the event.
ReplyDeleteAlso in the documentary, some people just went to protest during the day or between school classes, which I thought defeated the purpose of Occupy.
The more I think about it, because of the high number of people that appeared homeless Occupying in San Diego, I think that this might have contributed to the redirection of focus from standing up to the 1% vs. fighting for the right to make a home anywhere desired.
Christine Guerrero
It's very interesting that you brought up the different types of people there. I talked to one of the leaders of Occupy SD and a police officer, and they said mainly the middle class people did not come out until a big march.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I think the homeless people who are taking advantage of the food and resources provided by Occupy San Diego definitely do not help the cause. I agree with you that I think with more support from different SES groups would help the cause, but right now I think things are a little to chaotic. I don't think they have a set of goals to accomplish much right now except occupying the civic center of SD.
After hearing Occupy Portland being shut down, I wonder how much longer Occupy SD will last...
Jenna,
ReplyDeleteI thought it was very interesting that there were homeless, and low-income people there protesting. However, it does not surprise me one bit. Just like we saw in class with the whole "get the paper away from your partner" activity, people do not want to give things up, especially things they see as privileges. It reminded me of Freud's view on conflict, he felt that self-interest is a basic to human nature, but is managed by conscience. It seems as though he hit the nail right on the head in this case, people do not want to try to change something unless it is directly effecting them. Going along with that idea apparently we just need to work on peoples conscience a little more so they are less interested in themselves :)