The Occupy Wall Street Movement - Research Paper Example

? The Occupy Wall Street Movement The Occupy Wall Street Movement This paper will examine the “Occupy Wall Street” movement which will be used to determine how the fantasy theme method of analysis of characters, setting, and plot converge in the community to create the rhetorical vision of shared knowledge (Bormann, 1985). Fantasy theme analysis is based upon the theory of symbolic convergence, which has two major assumptions: reality is created through communication and individual interpretations of symbols can converge and create a shared reality for those involved. This happens in a social context in which individual worlds and interpretations converge, resulting in a shared reality for those involved. In terms of my presentation I will perform a little skit on the “Occupy Wall Street” movement, demonstrating how communication and interpretations of symbols converge to create a shared reality for the people involved (Jack & Adam, 2011). Introduction The Occupy Wall Street is an underway chain of protests started by the Canadian activist group, Adbusters that started on 17th September, 2011. The setting was in the Zuccotti Park in New York’s Wall Street economic district. A common vision for this group is protesting against fiscal and social inequality which in turn has resulted into increased rates of unemployment, greed and corruption (Jack & Adam, 2011). Such inhuman acts are being done under the effect of organization especially in the fiscal sector. The demonstration group has a slogan we are the 99% referring to the escalating diversity in wealth in the United States of America. This escalation is between the bourgeois 1% and the rest of the populace. Like most of good techniques used in rhetorical analysis, the fantasy theme analysis method utilizes the schemata in which there is description, interpretation, and evaluation of the rhetorical material. This paper takes on the particular movement of Occupy Wall Street Movement that has a symbolic reality of the populace under demonstration (Jack & Adam, 2011). Assumptions of this fantasy theme analysis technique are of paramount importance in unveiling the implications of symbols used and the kind of vision that these people hold in common. As such, the plotline of the Occupy Wall Street movement shall be looked into as well as its scene to reveal the kind of setting and motives behind the movement. Along the discussion, the paper shall establish whether there exists a sanctioning agent in the vision of protest. Application Adbusters Foundation, which is well known for its marketing-free anti-consumerist magazine suggested a diplomatic activity of Wall Street to demonstrate corporate impact on the democracy, the lack of authorized ramifications for the bankers causing the recent universal economic recession, and an increasing disparity in affluence (Bormann, 1985). In the use of the fantasy theme analysis, the movement indicates the element of scene, which is the place in which the protest takes place. As a result, the OWS sought to put together the symbolic setting of this year’s demonstrations in Tahrir Square having the consent decision making of the 2011 Spanish dissents. There most significant reason as to why the setting for such an action was in the Zuccotti Park is because it is privately owned. This bars the police forces from lawfully forcing the complainants to leave without an official permission of the property owner. In this case, the rhetoric, figurative and tricks of the Occupy Wall Street are on the one hand stimulated by the Arab Spring demonstrations like the Tahrir Square in Cairo. In addition, the movement has an immediate archetype which is the British student gripe of 2010, Greece’s as well as the Spain’s anti-austerity demonstrations of the “indignados” (Bormann, 1972). These experiences have a commonality with OWS dependence on social media and electronic messaging to outwit the governments and the notion that monetary organizations, associations and opinionated influence have been malfeasant in their activities towards the younger populace and the proletarians in society. The OWS movement utilizes a body of material that represents the rhetoric of a specific movement. A slogan is used to express their needs to the outside world so that their complaint is well understood (Bormann, 1985). The slogan we are the 99% was initially founded as a Tumblr webpage in August 2011. The slogan was used to refer to the widespread deliberation of affluence amongst the top 1% of revenue earners as opposed to the rest of 99%. As such, the slogan shows that a large majority of persons are being punished for the mistakes of the small minority group in the United States of America. The implication seen in the movement according to the fantasy theme analysis technique, the OWS found that democracy was being tempered with by the political elites and bourgeoisie against the proletarians. Following this, the Occupy Wall Street movement has a powerful description of the dramatis personae within the common vision of fighting for equality in social and economic distribution by bankers. In this case, the bourgeois are the villains in the entire demonstration as the OWS movement forms the heroes of the activity. A good example, in the “we are the 99%” slogan, 1% of revenue earners acquire more than twice their wages over the past thirty years based on the report released by the Congressional Budget Office (Bormann, 2000). From research, the report was released only as considerations of the OWS movement were commencing to involve themselves in the national opinionated argument. Based on the report released between 1979 and 2007, the revenue of top 1% of American increased by approximately 275%. Similarly, 60% of the population in America within the middle class realized their revenue increment by 40%. On the basis of the plotline analyzed using the fantasy theme analysis, the Occupy Wall Street movement has a common fantasy type, which is the conspiracy scenario. The OWS movement participants perceived the financial sector of the government as conspiring to suppress the majority of Americans through social and economic inequality seen in increased cases of unemployment, greed and corruption. The corporations in America took a great deal in the discrimination of society in economic growth through unbalanced income hence the slogan, we are the 99%. Because of this, the participants of the demonstration held a notion that the government as well as affluent people was suppressing what they felt was democracy in the financial sector. The Occupy Wall Street movement perceived income disparity as a representation of the eventual concentration of political and economic power on specific people in the country. This would in turn influence the American society’s individual lives, freedoms and social relationships. According to the OWS movement, revenue or economic disparity was evidently unacceptable in a democratic society like America (Bormann, 2005). Early on the complainants were generally youths following their widespread dependence on social network for information in which they promoted the progression (Bormann, 1985). This moved on as the protesters increased whereby older individuals joined the movement. Before the closure of the overnight utility at the Zuccotti Park encampment, approximately 100 to 200 participants put up in Zuccotti Park. In the first place, there were no tents allowed causing the protesters to spend their night in sleeping bags or under blankets. Life can be described as having been unbearable. In the analysis of the OWS movement, it will be imperative to look at the sanctioning agents of public opinion. A close analysis of the public opinion polls reveals that the approval rating had mixed feelings on the actions of the Occupy Wall Street. The rating variation ranged between 59% and 22%. However, it is noted that most of the participants in the polls approved their mass action as compared to the disapproval. Yet, most of the people did not offer their opinions. This implies that most of Americans support the protest against social and economic disparity put forth by the OWS movement (Bormann, 2005). The sanctioning agents can as well be seen from the political reaction emanating from the White House. As such, president Obama during a news conference asserted that the movement was an expression of the kind of frustration Americans undergo especially after the Great Depression. This must have been the major cause of economic recession in America as well as the entire world. The Great Depression led to large security harm throughout the country. He however was not for the view that the OWS was protesting against. He holds the views that the OWS movement incorporated irresponsible people trying to fight efforts to stop the abusive practices that led into the Great Depression. Evaluation According to the fantasy theme analysis, it is essential to carry out a critical evaluation concept in three perspectives. It is imperative that the movement is viewed in terms of one of the following viewpoints: rhetorical community, reality link to here-and-now perspective, or the dramatistic rhetorical strategy. The rhetorical community in this case involves those people who took part in the Occupy Wall Street movement. The participant had the same vision of fighting against social and economic inequality. This implies that the movement was vision oriented and not locality or group influence. In Occupy Wall Street movement, we are informed that social networks like facebook served to bring people together in the demonstration from different areas of the country (Bormann, 1972). This proves that they were not from the same locality. The members of this movement share a common rhetoric vision. Talking of the rhetoric strategy, the Occupy Wall Street movement used the social media strategy to make its purpose for demonstration to be known to the American society. On the other hand, strategy in the fantasy theme analysis considers assumptions used in the technique. It is assumed that the rhetorical community shares perspective of the reality which is analyzed best through a rhetorical principle of dramatistic statement. However, it can be deduced that this demonstration did not entirely have positive feelings triggered in local people. This is because a number of people raised complaints (Bormann, 1985). The most profound complaint is in the destruction of the Zuccotti Park to the extent of being rendered useless. Yet, the common vision that participants in the protest held is valid to assist America in the continued fight towards democracy. This should not be viewed just on political basis but also socially and economically. Conclusion Occupy Wall Street is an underway chain of protests started by the Canadian activist group, Adbusters that started on 17th September, 2011. The movement set out to protest against social and economic inequality that has resulted into lack of freedom, greed and corruption. This paper has looked at how the fantasy theme analysis technique can be applied to the Occupy Wall Street movement. As such, the plotline, scene and the rhetoric community have been imperative in the analysis of this paper. References: Bormann, Ernest G. (1985). The force of fantasy: restoring the American dream. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 1985. Bormann, Ernest G. “Fantasy and rhetorical vision: the rhetorical criticism of social reality." Quarterly Journal of Speech, 58 (1972): 396-407. Bormann, Ernest G. (2005) "Rhetoric as a Way of Knowing: Ernest Bormann and Fantasy Theme Analysis." The Rhetoric of Western Thought, Eds. Golden, James L., Goodwin Bormann, E.G. (2000). Fantasy and rhetorical vision: The rhetorical criticism of social reality. In C. Burgchardt (Ed.), Reading in rhetorical criticism (pp. 248-259). State College, PA: Strata. Jack, S. & Adam, G. (2011). “Tahrir Square protesters send message of solidarity to Occupy Wall Street.” The Guardian, Tuesday 25 October 2011 Read More