Although dated, the relevance of what is noted in this article regarding Occupy can be applied to any contemporary "change-focused" movement in the U.S. The piece is presented accordingly.
Occupy Wall Street - J. Palombo
(Thoughts from a visit to Zuccotti Park amid the Wall Street demonstrations in New York City.)
A criticism levied against the on-going demonstrations in the U.S. is that they appear disjointed and/or aimless in terms of any detailed plan to address the myriad of problems on the table. In other words, and particularly given the variety of people and interests involved, what is the formula by which meaningful, long-term, political and economic changes can be made? In that context, consider this. The fact that the demonstrations could appear “aimless” points to the very essence of a major problem we face in the country today. In short, without the adequate ideological analyses of the political and economic concerns at hand, how can it be expected that a purposeful plan to address and/or alter the course of global events be even understood, let alone developed? Furthermore, and as adjunct to the problem, even if an aim could be formed, given the fact that there is little trust that extends to the government, leadership, business, the media, etc. it appears that a receptive target is difficult to locate.
With this in mind, it is being suggested here that one of the primary aims of the demonstrations be turned toward the concerns raised via the CIC. In other words as a demonstration's "call to action" it should be stressed that we need to develop more comprehensive, ideologically-framed education efforts that can assist us and future generations with making more clear, consistent and informed public policy decisions. And as implied the target for such an effort should be our educational processes, particularly the post-secondary arena, which not only has the applicable time and resources but also the mandate for educating our public in civic matters and citizenship. All said another way, it would serve the interests of the demonstrations and the global, ideological concerns they are tied to, to put much of the focus toward that arena best equipped to help us sort through the difficult problems we face. This may in fact be the most effective strategy for improving our future possibilities. (The idea of improving civic education in the post-secondary arena could be actualized without much strain - by designing a series of one credit, interdisciplinary courses, administered at every year of the academic experience. The courses would integrate those experiences into ideological understanding, helping individuals on a consistent basis to better attach to both national and international concerns. It may also be that this move in the post-secondary arena would fuel similar attention - perhaps with the assistance of post-secondary players - at both the secondary and adult education levels.)
What is being proposed is certainly not a panacea, and the most effective results may not be as immediate as we would like. Yet, although work needs to be done to detail the process, the initiation of this type effort will provide the necessary focus, energy and spirit from which a better civically-equipped public will evolve, with solutions in the offing that may at this moment seem out of reach. We have done this with science and technology - it is no doubt time to do it with civic matters. All we have to do is look out our own doors to recognize the need. The demonstrations certainly have provided the impetus. And it’s time for those in post-secondary education to make their move accordingly.
A criticism levied against the on-going demonstrations in the U.S. is that they appear disjointed and/or aimless in terms of any detailed plan to address the myriad of problems on the table. In other words, and particularly given the variety of people and interests involved, what is the formula by which meaningful, long-term, political and economic changes can be made? In that context, consider this. The fact that the demonstrations could appear “aimless” points to the very essence of a major problem we face in the country today. In short, without the adequate ideological analyses of the political and economic concerns at hand, how can it be expected that a purposeful plan to address and/or alter the course of global events be even understood, let alone developed? Furthermore, and as adjunct to the problem, even if an aim could be formed, given the fact that there is little trust that extends to the government, leadership, business, the media, etc. it appears that a receptive target is difficult to locate.
With this in mind, it is being suggested here that one of the primary aims of the demonstrations be turned toward the concerns raised via the CIC. In other words as a demonstration's "call to action" it should be stressed that we need to develop more comprehensive, ideologically-framed education efforts that can assist us and future generations with making more clear, consistent and informed public policy decisions. And as implied the target for such an effort should be our educational processes, particularly the post-secondary arena, which not only has the applicable time and resources but also the mandate for educating our public in civic matters and citizenship. All said another way, it would serve the interests of the demonstrations and the global, ideological concerns they are tied to, to put much of the focus toward that arena best equipped to help us sort through the difficult problems we face. This may in fact be the most effective strategy for improving our future possibilities. (The idea of improving civic education in the post-secondary arena could be actualized without much strain - by designing a series of one credit, interdisciplinary courses, administered at every year of the academic experience. The courses would integrate those experiences into ideological understanding, helping individuals on a consistent basis to better attach to both national and international concerns. It may also be that this move in the post-secondary arena would fuel similar attention - perhaps with the assistance of post-secondary players - at both the secondary and adult education levels.)
What is being proposed is certainly not a panacea, and the most effective results may not be as immediate as we would like. Yet, although work needs to be done to detail the process, the initiation of this type effort will provide the necessary focus, energy and spirit from which a better civically-equipped public will evolve, with solutions in the offing that may at this moment seem out of reach. We have done this with science and technology - it is no doubt time to do it with civic matters. All we have to do is look out our own doors to recognize the need. The demonstrations certainly have provided the impetus. And it’s time for those in post-secondary education to make their move accordingly.
