American perestroika, unlike the Gorbachev’s one, is perfectly planned, organized and broken down into social groups that have united in a single electoral rush. Thorough study of the Rebuildthedream web-site will set any unbiased analyst thinking about the weird connection between the U.S. Democratic Party with this remarkable movement.
The last week’s CNN poll has indicated that common American think otherwise. Merely 32 % of responders take the positive stance towards the protesters, 29 % don’t like them and a whole 26 % haven’t heard of them at all. This is rather weird, given the fact that four out of five Americans consider the bankers greedy, overpaid and antisocial characters. 52 % of those asked don’t believe bankers to be acting on behalf of the country. Merely 3 % have claimed the complete trust in the Wall Street.
“Occupants” don’t just stand up against the bankers’ greed, but also against the symbiosis of financial world and Washington politicians. Republicans fiercely criticize the demonstrators. Fox News dubs them a bunch of madmen, drug addicts and perverts. “If you don’t have a job and you haven’t got rich, you’re to put the blame for that on yourself rather than banks” — Republican would-be candidate Herman Cain said. Right-wing media mocks the rich supporters of “occupants”: “If bankers are overpaid, what will you say of Yoko Ono, John Lennon’s $500 million widow? Her fortune doesn’t stop her from loving the Occupy Wall Street movement and sending them ‘a smile from John’”. Participation of celebrities like Susan Sarandon, who has $50 million in her bank account, doesn’t help the protesters either.
Democratic voters sincerely sympathize the rioters. According to CNN, 45 % like the movement, and merely 12 % — don’t. The Republican figures are other way round: 17 % support the movement and 47 % — don’t. At that, Democratic leaders are rather cautious with their support. Obama has, for instance, claimed that the protests express the natural disappointment of millions, but he claimed the knowledge of better ways to improve the situation, different from occupying parks.
Nancy Pelosi, Minority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, is more determined in her estimates. She considers the protesters “young, spontaneous and God bless them for that”. Meanwhile, acting in strict accordance with the Lenin’s revolutionary doctrine, American “occupants” have devoted themselves to the political enlightening of the revolutionary masses. Today the mouthpieces of rebellious intellectuals hold speeches in front of them in Washington Square. Well-known American Marxist Richard Wolf delivered the first lecture. Sociology Professor Sujata Fernandes is to deliver the next one soon enough — it will be dedicated to the role of hip-hop in revolutionary movement. State ban on the sound-amplifying equipment doesn’t hinder them. Several “translators” repeat every single word of a lecturer, delivering the “revolutionary alphabet” to everyone willing to listen.
Although in 2011 the word “occupy” — along with “Arab Spring” and “Steve Jobs”[1] — outranked almost everything in the search engines, it was unpretentious young baby-sitter Molly Katchpole from Washington, who had demonstrated true efficiency in the fight against banks.
This story may once become a yet another chapter in the record of Facebook revolutions. On 29 Aug Bank of America announced that in 2012 it would impose a monthly $5 fee for the use of debit cards. The decision was justified with the new legislation that restrained the banks’ margin from cash-free purchases. “Our customers and shareholders will understand our position, because we’re entitled to generate profits” — Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan stated. Customers haven’t, though. They’ve quite fairly concluded that American banks that got a $700 billion bailout package and trillions of dollars in the form of state guarantees, might have been less pretentious — the more so because all those mind-boggling amounts of money have been taken out of the taxpayers’ pocket. Brian Moynihan with his $5 initiative has revealed a dumb insolence multiplied by total amateurishness. Had he new the banker’s trade better, he would guess that his bank could made the same profit, merely lowering the deposit rate by a tiny fraction of percent (which hardly anyone would’ve noticed), thus, avoiding the scandal.
Ordinary and modest Mrs. Katchpole hasn’t liked Mr. Moynihan’s initiative at all, and being just a single cog of a 20-million-strong customer machine of Bank of America, she has expressed her protest against the attempts at her already thin wallet, by posting a petition at the Change.org website protesting against abuse of banking power. It was eventually signed by 300.000 people — the fact incidentally ignored by American television and press media.
The protest then moved to the bank Facebook page. Dozens of thousands customers more have expressed their discontent with Moynihan’s initiative. Even the President Obama has emphasized his negative attitude to the issue. Senator Dick Durbin, though, immersed furthermore, giving a practical advice to the displeased customers: “Beckon with your feet. Leave this bank and find another, the one that won’t charge you for nothing on a monthly basis”. The bank has attempted to save its face — the authorities have contacted Molly Katchpole in trying to explain their incentives. The girl responded with closing her bank account. According to the public opinion poll, 9 % of the bank customers (i.e. 1.800.000 people) are going to follow her example.
The bank has understood that the party’s over and abolished the $5 fee practice. Thus, a 25-year-old obscurity achieved much more in her fight against the banks than an entire Occupy Wall Street movement of thousands protesters. She attained this without spending her nights at the park benches — in fact she hasn’t even left her laptop in a tiny rented apartment. Several years ago, before the age of social networks, this was inconceivable. Other banks, which had been going to impose the same fees, immediately learnt the Bank of America’s lessons and gave the measure up.
Rebuild American Dream — the new national movement of America — has joined the case: “Local financial institutions use the money to develop our cities instead of evading the laws and pumping the bankers’ pockets up” — Rebuildthedream.com web-site claims. 80k of its visitors have closed their accounts in the major American banks and transferred their money into local provincial ones. In October alone 650.000 signed up at the local loan societies (more than in entire 2010) and brought $4.5 million.
That’s the story of a modest Washington babysitter, who has made Wall Street sharks take her opinion into account. However, this touching and almost Xmas story would’ve been incomplete, had we failed to look through the political backstage of this triumph of social justice over the omnipotent large financial business. Thorough study of the Rebuildthedream web-site will set any unbiased analyst thinking about the weird connection between the U.S. Democratic Party with this remarkable movement.
American perestroika, unlike the Gorbachev’s one, is perfectly planned, organized and broken down into social groups that have united in a single electoral rush. “We grew up with a thought of American dream. A dream of a country, where you can live decently, support your family and attain better life for your children, once you work hard and abide the laws. Country, where we strive towards greatness and give each other a hand, when the times get tough. Today American Dream is besieged. Dozens of millions working men fail to find a job. Millions of home-owners have lost both their homes and the redemption rights. Instead of investing into our common future, politicians grant more tax benefits to the fat cats. Instead of expanding the middle-class protection during these times of trouble furthermore, they deprive the working people of all the rights”.
Due to a weird coincidence, the web-site of “perestroika-makers” — and the movement itself — was launched in March of 2011 on the basis of Wisconsin protest movement. Those, carefully reading the news lines may remember that the crowd has occupied (!) the local Capitol of Madison, demanding the resignation of a Republican governor Walker. The backstage of this mass protest disguised the political plots of the Democratic Party that fought the Republican majority. The web-site lists more than 80 amicable public movements, which also tend to support the cause of Obama’s party. Today’s Democrats, unlike their GOP rivals, craftily take advantage of cutting-the-edge communication technologies in the political struggle. Thus, giving the due credit to Mrs. Katchpole’s commitment to her principles and an apparent organizing gift, we seemingly have to admit that the powerful Democratic apparatus might be backing her up (perhaps, without letting her know of it). Long story short, all hail the elections!
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