Last week I visited the Occupy Santa Barbara site at De la Guerra Plaza daily and talked to the young activists who were there. I also attended a general assembly and voiced my concerns.
I was impressed with how the assembly is run — very well organized with the intent being to maximize participation without leadership and without conflict. Well done, young activists!
The movement at this time reminds me of the Obama campaign. I was part of the campaign, having traveled twice to Nevada to campaign in that key swing state. I had lots of chances to talk to fellow campaigners. The reason that Occupy reminds me of the Obama campaign is that both serve/d as repositories for everyone’s hopes and dreams for change. As in the case of the Obama administration, fulfilling those hopes and dreams will be much more difficult than the protests.
Perhaps it is a result of the social media revolution? It is so easy to foment a rebellion on Facebook and Twitter that it seems that revolutions can happen without having a focus.
Having spent part of last week listening to the hopes and dreams, I think that many of the problems to be overcome are a result of the effect of money on our political process. That is what brought us the economic collapse in the first place.
Rowland Lane Anderson
Santa Barbara
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