‘Occupy’ protests strike a chord with youths around the world

Before the current, weekslong “Occupy Wall Street” protest swept over New York City, news articles in the U.S. lamented the lack of political passion exhibited by the youth of America, most specifically, their absence in any aspect of public demonstration.

Many reasons were given for their apparent reluctance to resort to protest ― complacency, lack of purpose, the risk of arrest on their record, mounting student loans deterring them from causing a stir and denting their credibility to authority figures ― all which served to create a group of young people more inclined to conformity and keeping their head down than creating the noise equal to say, the young demonstrators during the Vietnam War.

While “Occupy Wall Street” is not age specific, much of its protesting body is comprised of young people, especially those who have the misfortune of graduating college during the 2008 recession and the following years, and are experiencing the effects of the worst economic crisis in (for lack of a better reference) their parent’s lifetimes and a jobless rate that refuses to fall below 9 percent. Their efforts have made New York City’s billionaire mayor Michael Bloomberg visibly weary, and his personal wealth and defense of the financial sector do nothing to endear him to the masses.

Less than three years after the U.S. government bailed out big banks, effectively enriching the resources of the nation’s wealthiest and failing to increase jobs for those who desperately need them, the unrest of the eroding middle class resulted in the leaderless resistance movement of “Occupy Wall Street.” A group comprising people of all races, genders and political persuasions, the website for the protest writes, “the one thing we all have in common is that We Are The 99% that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%. We are using the revolutionary Arab Spring tactic to achieve our ends and encourage the use of nonviolence to maximize the safety of all participants.”

Interestingly, the movement has attracted the attention of those who many would consider to be in the 1 percent, including high-profile celebrities such as actress Susan Sarandon and documentary director Michael Moore. The influence has spread even to Taiwan, where a Facebook group “Occupy Taipei,” has sprung up, eagerly recruiting young students to form street rallies on Oct. 15, with the aim to let politicians and bankers know that the public is not a pawn in their game for wealth.

The personal blog of Tsinghua University Professor Peng Ming-hui also helped draw attention to the event. Peng said much dialogue has risen from the protest, and praised the activity as a “nonviolent, moral revolution.”

Peng also said online that the issue served as a great springboard for conversation on youth unemployment, the presidential election next year and bad business practices and consciences that snowball and affect the livelihoods of others.

The peaceful protest may not match the level of intensity of the “Occupy Wall Street” protest, but it does show a spark of passion in the youth of Taiwan, who are not known for their outspokenness when it comes to politics, let alone their discontent. It is yet to be seen how many people will show up on Oct. 15, yet the fact remains that a sense of injustice has arisen toward the much-criticized, yet largely ignored, disparity of wealth distribution.

While it is disheartening to hear of U.S. protesters being handcuffed and pepper sprayed for showing their public discontent, we hope that the future generation of Taiwan, in witnessing and participating in the appropriate channel of peaceful protest, may continue to be inspired to stand up against corporate bullies and skewed government policies.

(Editorial, China Post)

(Asia News Network)