Occupy Wall Street: Moral and Economic Implications - Research Paper Example

? Occupy Wall Street First Affiliation In the present world, there are many issues which comeinto perspective especially with regards to the issues that are related to the lives of the people and the financial implication. It is as a result of such upheavals that there have been several developments in the world. This is especially in relation to the people who see it that they are fighting for their rights (Wood, 2005). One of the most recent movements, which have gained the spotlight and gained international notice, is the Occupy Wall Street Movement. This is a movement, which came into existence in the year 2011. This movement was founded with the intention of bringing to light some of the issues, which face the modern-day human beings (Walsh, 2011). These are majorly economic conditions, which are exhibited in a society, which is largely capitalistic in nature (Boxer, 2011). It is perceived that the Occupy Wall Street Movement is one, which is of North American descent. However, this is not the case. This movement is one, which has gained popularity to an extent that its presence is now felt in close to 82 countries in the world (Townsend, et al , 2011). In the recent past, the income inequality has been seen to increase. This is majorly due to the experiences associated with stagnated economies and the unequal distribution of wealth. In this case, these impediments significantly undermine the developmental agendas, which some people in the society indeed have. In the 1990s up to the 2000s, there were significant economic inequalities in the United States. However, these issues were rarely discussed or brought to the attention of policy makers (Gelder, 2011). This was until the inception of the Occupy Wall Street Movement. In addition to the issues that were associated with income inequalities, there was also the highlighting of the immense power, which banks and other financial institutions had on the politics of the day. This leads to the goals of the movement. In essence, the goals of the movement were of a moral and economic implication. For starters, there was the advocating of reducing the power, which financial institutions had on the politics of the country. Secondly, there was the advocating for a more equitable way of distributing the income in the country. This is with the intention of alleviating the living conditions of some of the individuals in the country (Gitlin, 2012). This is especially in the case of the low-income earners. The movement also aims at bringing relief to those students who suffer from huge amounts of debts that are related to their student loans. These are some of the goals, which this movement aimed at achieving after its inception. There are various ethical considerations which come into perspective for the purpose of supporting the actions of the Occupy Wall Street movement. It is very important to examine each of these and see how they come into play in relation to the activities that are associated with the movement. The first ethical implication in this case is in relation to utilitarian ethics. In this type of ethics, it is highlighted that the best and most appropriate course of action is the one, which will bring happiness on the part of the individuals who are taking this particular course of action. In the application of this type of ethics, the true moral worth is the case of an action taken is prescribed by its outcome. The main focus is on the outcome which will come to be realized. However, there is significant debate with regards to the true consequences of the actions which people will take (Mannion, 2003). In its relation to the happenings associated with the Occupy Wall Street Movement, there is a semblance of happiness and self-gratification on realizing that some of the concerns that were aired out through the movement have come to hit the right ear. This is especially in relation to the case of increased rate of income inequality in the United States over the recent years (Valdes, 2011). The second form of ethics, which also comes into perspective, is in relation to Kantian Ethics. The central and noteworthy idea in this case is that it is the moral duty of an individual or a group of individuals to do that which they are doing, especially if it is something, which is of greater good (Manninon, 2003). The theory behind this ethics points out that the real good of an action is only realized when the action is carried out as a matter of duty as opposed to it being carried out due to the desire, which the perpetrators have when carrying out the action. The morality and ethics behind the actions, which people perpetrate, comes into focus in this case (Hooker, 2000). This ethics theory is very much in application when looking at the happenings in relation to the activities of the Occupy Wall Street Movement (Wood, 2005). The reason for this is that there was the emergences of concerned members of the society who sought to come up with a way that will see to it that the grievances, which are exhibited in the society, especially those that have an economic implication, are addressed. The main way through which this could be achieved came to be realized as being the power of the masses. On critically looking at the way, the movement conducts its activities the one thing, which is for sure, is that the numbers play a significant role (Singer, 2012). Finally, there is the element associated with virtue ethics. In this ethical theory, the virtues, which a person possesses, and the role of the individual character come into perspective. These are key pointers in the analysis and the determination of the ethical behavior, which will be conducted with the individual (Devettere, 2002). This is the type of ethics, which majorly comes into play when trying to find out the details, which are associated with the capitalist economy. This can be seen in relation to the way people opt to take matters into their own hands majorly depending on their characters. There are those individuals who will find it rather appealing to fight for such a cause (Hursthouse, 1999). This is because their character allows them to engage in such activities. On the other hand, there are those individuals who may find it rather difficult to engage in such. This may be the reason why there are those who believe that the Occupy Wall Street is indeed a cause and for that matter dedicate themselves wholly into the movement. The blame for inequitable income distribution is something, which cannot be easily established. This is because there are various factors, which come into perspective in relation to the economic performance of the country. The first issue, which is to be well understood, is that The United States economy is one, which is capitalistic. For that reason, the major incentive behind the income of the people is the income to be realized. In this case, there are bound to be individuals who will strive to work harder in comparison to others (Leonhardt & Fabrikant, 2012). The result of this is that there will definitely be an imbalance when it comes to the distribution of income. The economic performance of the country is another element, which will be rather influential in the distribution of wealth and income in the country . The fluctuating economic performance in the country means that those individuals who have engaged in high savings are the ones who will remain with more wealth, regardless of the economic conditions of the country (Stagliano, 2012). On the other hand, those with minimal savings will have little income or wealth under them. This phenomenon has been in application for quite a long time now. There are some notable benefits, which are to be realized in the modern capitalistic economy. The significant one in this case is the advocating for more jobs for the population. This is something, which will serve to significantly improve the living conditions of the individuals in the population. At the same time, there is the alleviation of debts in the case of students who have high outstanding student loans (Harchick, 2011). This will alleviate the economic conditions of such individuals. There seems to be a misinterpretation or misunderstanding with regards to the reason for protests of the individuals in the movement. It is perceived that they are fighting over issues that are related with money. In actual case, this is not the situation on the ground. The main fight is against banking. Here, the banking is one that is exhibiting symptoms of corruption and failure on their part (Taibbi, 2011). If this issue is not addressed then there is going to be a serious financial implication in the country especially bearing in mind the immense role, which banks play in the happenings of the economy and the country at large. From the present look of the situation in the country, the movement seems to be an entity which is not about to die out soon. This is majorly due to the ills that are exhibited in the financial sector (Salazar, 2011). Take for example the ills, which are happening, in the financial sector. This is the primary thing, which seems to be motivating the activities of the movement (Pearce, 2012). The economy of the country has to improve tremendously in order for there to stand a chance that this movement will fade away. If this is not the case then its activities will still go on despite the many accusations and scandals that are associated with it (Seitz, 2011). References Boxer, Sarah (October 5, 2011). "Romney: Wall Street Protests 'Class Warfare'". National Journal Devettere, R. J. (2002). Introduction to virtue ethics: insights of the ancient Greeks. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press. Gelder, S. (2011). This changes everything: Occupy Wall Street and the 99% movement. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Gitlin, T. (2012). Occupy nation: the roots, the spirit, and the promise of Occupy Wall Street. New York: itbooks. Harchick, J. (2011). Occupy Wall Street. Lexington Ky.: CreateSpace. Hooker, B. (2000). Ideal code, real world: a rule-consequentialist theory of morality. Oxford: Clarendon Press ;. Hursthouse, R. (1999). On virtue ethics. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Leonhardt, David; Fabrikant, Geraldine (March 22, 2012). "Income Inequality". The New York Times. Mannion, G. 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