George Orwell Would Be Crying Tears of Joy
Cross-posted with Occupy Writers
I’m addicted to Zuccotti Park. The rumble of the drumsticks as they pound the paint cans, the food lines wrapping around the center island, the humming of the generators that keep the computers charged so the word can be sent out 24/7, even the goofballs encamped in the south-west corner rolling cigarette after cigarette after cigarette from tubs of donated tobacco — I wander through all this noise and commotion, and I grin like a fool. This is more than a protest. It’s a new way of modeling society, and the first thing you notice when you enter the park is how smoothly the various working parts synch with each other. People do what they know how to do, each using the talents he or she has, and somehow organization occurs despite the lack of organizational leaders. People are enfranchised, empowered to take part or not take part as they see fit. And already, this small society works better than the great American hegemon it’s fighting against.
Last Friday, I ran into a guy from the Teamsters in the park. He was in his mid-thirties, but with his graying crew-cut, he looked much older. I got the sense he could bench-press his own weight. He was a tough guy, a New Yawker of the sort that the media so frequently paints as a flag-waving conservative hick. He’d been in the park daily for going on four days. I asked him why he was there, and here’s what he said:
I finally got sick of sitting around doing nothing. All I’ve ever done with my life is watch TV. When I saw what was going on down here, I said, that’s something. It beats watching TV. If I go down there, I’ll at least be doing something.
With guys like him on our side, I don’t see how anyone can stop this movement.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!
