Occupy Wall Street

Rachel 

I live in New York, and Occupy Wall Street has been in the air lately: on local news, heard in conversation, talked about in my own home. When my 8 year old son saw a protester's sign that said "We are the 99%", he asked me what that meant. I did my best to explain it to him. His third grade teacher had just explained what "taxes" are, so on the heels of that I tried to incorporate these ideas: We pay taxes so that we can drive on safe roads and bridges, go to good schools, pay teachers so they can support their families, pay firefighters and police officers to keep us safe, support our elderly like Grammy (with a brief tangent on what Social Security and fixed incomes are), provide healthcare to people so they don't get sick.... etc.... etc...

I teach writing and would tell my students not to fall back on the use of "etc." Yet, in this circumstance, I could have gone on and on, and I wanted to be clear about what taxes were for without going overboard and inducing overload. Sometimes when you explain things to children in the most simple terms, it just makes more sense than it does when adults begin to insert the political intricacies of fiscal debate.

I went on... "So 99% of people earn less that the rich people who earn most of the money at their jobs. And yet, we pay more taxes from our incomes, so it doesn't seem fair. Plus, there aren't enough jobs in our country and people are hungry, classes are too big in schools, we're in two wars that are very expensive, teachers can't pay all their bills easily, so there's a lot that Americans are unhappy about... etc.... etc...."

Needless to say, he got it.

We live two blocks away from WashingtonSquare Park in New York City, where yesterday the Occupy Wall Street movement gathered in a force of thousands. My son and I rode our scooters to the protest, and saw people of all walks of life and ages peacefully converging to listen to speeches about the inequality of our system and how things need to change. I was fascinated with the "spirit fingers" I saw waving in the air, and a fellow next to us told me that it came from Native American gatherings and meant "consensus." Everyone was in consensus. The demonstration was huge and orderly, but passionate. There was a feeling of community, and not a trace of cynicism. Some people looked like throwbacks to the 1960s, but for the most part I can't emphasize how diverse the gathering was, and how peaceful but passionate it was. Whether or not our park will become a permanent encampment for protesters remains to be seen. There were no less than twenty police vans circling the perimeter of the park, ready to arrest people, so I suspect the short answer is: No, it won't become an encampment. 

One gentleman wore a suit and held up a sign that simply said "Our economy could be more fair." I suppose I could have started with that statement when describing to my son what the 99% means. And of course, that we're among it. Occupy Wall Street isn't going anywhere. It's not trendy. It's a growing, real movement, the likes of which this country hasn't seen since Vietnam. I'm proud to be on the periphery of its beginnings, and fully intend to show up with my own voice in the coming days, weeks, and months.

Rachel Aydt blogs about parenting, culture, and New York City at NewYorkLostandFound.blogspot.com. She teaches journalism at the New School for Public Engagement in New York City.

Thank you to Rachel for pitching in and helping during this time!

Love your outlook on #OccupyWallStreet!