Tweet
BARSOUMIAN: ARMENIAN AMERICAN VOICES IN 'OCCUPY' MOVEMENT
By: Nanore Barsoumian
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2011/10/28/barsoumian-armenian-american-voices-in-%e2%80%98occupy%e2%80%99-movement/
Fri, Oct 28 2011
BOSTON, Mass. (A.W.)-Spread over 80 countries and 1,000 cities,
the global Occupy movement is growing fast, with protesters camping
out in financial districts and public areas, demanding an end to
"corporate greed." In the U.S., they come from various walks of life,
sharing similar-and often interrelated-grievances, from exorbitantly
high-priced educational opportunities, to a lack of health insurance,
to the flood of home foreclosures, and anger over bank bailouts. Many
Armenian Americans share the same frustrations as their fellow citizens
and, like them, have taken to the streets, lending their voices to
the occupying masses.
Occupy Boston (Photo by Nanore Barsoumian) Action Through Poetry
Sevan "Apollo" Aydinian, also known as Apollo Poetry, is an Armenian
American poet who is the spokesman for Occupy Phoenix. He hopes
the Occupy movement will result in "a complete restructuring of the
political and monetary system," he told the Armenian Weekly. Once the
public understands the relationship between the two systems, once
"they see that they are being used as slaves," they will join the
"revolution," he said.
Occupy Phoenix began on Oct. 15 when protesters gathered in the city's
Cesar Chavez Plaza at noon. Less than 48 hours later, many were already
arrested, charged with trespassing or loitering, and then released. As
in many other cities, however, the protesters kept coming back.
Aydinian has been careful in discussing the movement in on-air
interviews with leading channels. The media often tries to misrepresent
the protesters, he said. In a recent interview, he went to great
lengths to explain the lack of vertical hierarchy in the movement to an
interviewer bent on pinpointing "the leaders." There are facilitators
and organizers, maintained Aydinian, and anyone can assume either
position. But Occupy Wall Street, or any of its side-shoots, has no
leaders-not in the conventional sense, anyway.
The poet stressed the diversity of views present on the ground. You
can't box the protesters in a single category. "There are people from
all parts of the political spectrum. That's the main reason [Occupy
Wall Street] grew to over 1,600 cities in a couple of weeks. It
includes everybody. This is truly the people's movement," he said.
The "We are the 99 percent" slogan has caught on. It refers to the
increasingly better-known and disturbing statistic that the top 1
percent of Americans controls between 40-50 percent of the country's
wealth. And that wealth, say Occupiers, has been used to undermine
the democratic process and the wellbeing of the other 99 percent.
Blogger with Eye for Signs
Hrag Vartanian, the editor of the New York-based art blogazine
Hyperallergic, has paid close attention to the signs used by the
protesters. He has recorded his observations in half-a-dozen posts.
Impressed by the establishment of a library and an art station at
Zuccotti Park, "Art and protest should never be separated," he wrote
in one. New signs hover over protesters' heads every day, their anger
and frustration vented through a handful of words thickly traced on
cardboard squares. "Some of the signs point to the lack of healthcare
in the lives of millions. Others are about the crippling debt college
students leave college with. And there are some who are angry that
corporations are being treated as individuals by our broken legal
system," Vartanian told the Armenian Weekly. Sometimes the signs are
especially artistic, or witty. "I will believe corporations are people
when one of them gets executed," read one sign.
Social media sites, like Facebook and Twitter, have been instrumental
in organizing the movement. But even with all the new technology,
good-old-fashioned newspapers-you know, paper and ink-are still
appreciated. The proof is the Occupied Wall Street Journal, which
printed its first 50,000 copies on Oct. 1.
Vartanian finds the movement inspirational. "It's great to see people
standing up for what most people believe in, like justice and equal
treatment under the law," he said.
Canada-based Adbusters Magazine-which advocates for environmental
and social responsibility, and political and corporate
accountability-called for the "occupation" of Wall Street on July 13.
The magazine urged their 90,000 online followers to embrace the new
revolutionary tactics seen around the globe-a "fusion of Tahrir with
the acampadas of Spain," in reference to the recent protests that
unfolded in Cairo and Madrid.
Like many, Vartanian hopes Occupy Wall Street will bring about larger
participation in the democratic process, and an end to "the incestuous
world of D.C. politics and corporate interests." This movement does
not focus on one or two key issues, he said. "It's about people's
anger towards injustice and being denied the opportunity to succeed."
He pointed out the professional and ethnic diversity of the Occupiers:
"At first, reporters tried to dismiss the protesters as white
middle-class college kids, but it's far from the truth. The diversity
of faces and background is mind blowing."
Vartanian has seen an increased interest in the movement, evident in
the growing number of visitors to Zuccotti Park. "When they step foot
in that small block in lower Manhattan, they realize it's not some
hippy dippy thing, and they become aware that the mainstream media
isn't telling the public the whole story of what's going on," he said.
"In my circles, Occupy Wall Street has become part of the daily
conversation."
Teacher Calls on Armenian Community to Join
Simon Beugekian, a creative writing teacher in Boston, says the Occupy
movement there represents a truly grassroots mobilization. Beugekian,
who has spent time at Dewey Square-chosen for its immediacy to the
city's Financial District-says the Occupiers are demanding fair
treatment by their government.
Represented on the small plot of grass, facing Boston's Federal
Reserve building, are students, workers, war veterans, and retirees.
Their professions are as diverse as their backgrounds. There's the
younger generation, in college or fresh-out, with youthful zeal
and vigor.
"Every single one of us recent graduates feels the crushing weight
of student debt," said Beugekian, who feels lucky to have come out of
college with only $20,000 in loans. "A friend of mine, who graduated
from Northeastern University with me...had to take close to $100,000
of student debts to graduate college. Due to that, he is unable
to move out of his parents' house, or even to save real money," he
said, adding, "When you're paying more than $500 a month to a bank,
and you will do so for the foreseeable future, it's hard to see your
financial situation improve."
Beugekian, a former assistant editor at the Armenian Weekly, wishes to
see the Armenian community's involvement in the Occupy movements. They
should support it, he said, "as a matter of principle." Support can
encompass various actions, from donating food and basic supplies,
to showing up to the marches, to vocal endorsements. "If the Occupy
movement is going to make any real change in the political arena,
it will be thanks to resilient pressure and determination."
Activist Jaded by Voting
New York City-based activist and novelist Nancy Kricorian identifies
with the Occupy Wall Street agenda of prioritizing the needs
of the common folk over those of corporations. "Voting no longer
represents democracy," she told the Weekly, since elected officials
and corporations are in bed together. She hopes "the wealthy realize
that their well-being is dependent on the health and happiness of
the 99 percent."
Kricorian is frustrated with war-related expenditures, which have
come at the expense of fulfilling domestic needs. "Our country has
been bankrupted by colonial wars and occupations while local needs,
such as education, healthcare, and physical infrastructure, have been
starved of needed resources," she said.
"The anti-war movement, of which I have been a part since early 2003,
was practically eviscerated by the hope of 'Yes We Can,' but now people
have realized that [President Barack] Obama can't and won't unless the
people push him harder than the wealthy one percent have been doing,"
she said. That feeling-that they were let down by President Obama-is
prevalent among Occupiers.
Kricorian has been frequenting Zuccotti Park since the Occupiers set
up camp. She was there when Marxist academic Slavoj Zizek addressed
the General Assembly, and even brought along her teenage daughter
to one of the marches. Kricorian, who has authored Zabelle and
Dreams of Bread and Fire, both of which deal with the Armenian
Genocide, sees hope in the movement because it aims to hold the
responsible parties-banks, multi-national corporations, and the
government-accountable for the "mess" the country is currently in. As
a national staff member of CODEPINK Women for Peace, Kricorian has
helped at the organization's table in the park, where members hand
out "Make Out, Not War" stickers. One of her favorite features of
the movement is the People's Mic, where the words of the speaker are
repeated by the crowd. It always starts with one person yelling out,
"Mic check!" which is then echoed by those within an earshot.
Hopes for 'Pragmatic' Solutions
New York-based novelist Arthur Nersesian believes government leaders
intentionally overlooked Wall Street crimes. This is not a partisan
issue, he told the Weekly. "Wall Street orchestrated the collapse in
cahoots with Rating Services and government regulators. Instead of
appointing a special prosecutor, the crooks were rewarded."
For Nersesian, one of the saddest aspects of Occupy Wall Street is
that those camped out at Zuccotti Park-"those kids"-were not the main
victims. "Mainly hardworking Americans, probably conservatives-those
were the ones who lost their homes, savings, and jobs. The fact that
these kids are responding is ironic," he said.
The novelist supports the Occupy movement because "it is simply the
only action I've seen to respond to this heist."
Nersesian, who is currently working on his 11th novel, has visited
the Occupy Wall Street protesters sporadically. He believes his
country was "mugged" by the wealthy few, and is angry they faced no
repercussions. "It would've been as if Bin Laden flew the planes into
the towers and we did nothing," he said.
And the Occupy Wall Street movement is "as if a group of private
soldiers flew to Afghanistan to try to take on Bin Laden because the
military didn't do its job."
Although he is mostly supportive of "the liberal agenda," Nersessian
wishes the movement had a more "pragmatic" focus, "like a special
prosecutor to indict the primary culprits of the Wall Street heist,
or rallying behind some legislation, or, for that matter, opposing
the Koch Brother's private gang, the Tea Party." Yet, he worries
that "mainstream America's disdain for hippie protests" may hurt the
movement in the long run. He believes that was the case in the late
1960's, when Richard Nixon was elected president.
***
Although police response has been heavy-handed at times, and has
included mass arrests and the use of pepper-spray, stun grenades,
and tear gas, the movement has also enjoyed the support of many of
the largest unions in the U.S., as well as high-profile individuals.
Author and activist Cornel West joined Occupy Boston days after the
tents were set up, and about a week before joining protesters on the
steps of the U.S. Supreme Court, which led to his arrest. Hundreds
of U.S. writers signed a declaration supporting Occupy Wall Street
and the Occupy movement around the world. They include authors Noam
Chomsky, Tariq Ali, and Salman Rushdie, along with Kricorian, as well
as Armenian American writers Nancy Agabian and Bianca Bagatounian.
Those who identify themselves as part of the 99 percent resent the
established political and economic machine. The popular slogan,
"They Got Bailed Out, We Got Sold Out!" sums up their deep frustration.
Author Daniel Handler (penname, Lemony Snicket) had this to say after
observing protesters at Zuccotti Park: "Someone feeling wronged is
like someone feeling thirsty. Don't tell them they aren't. Sit with
them and have a drink."
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
By: Nanore Barsoumian
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2011/10/28/barsoumian-armenian-american-voices-in-%e2%80%98occupy%e2%80%99-movement/
Fri, Oct 28 2011
BOSTON, Mass. (A.W.)-Spread over 80 countries and 1,000 cities,
the global Occupy movement is growing fast, with protesters camping
out in financial districts and public areas, demanding an end to
"corporate greed." In the U.S., they come from various walks of life,
sharing similar-and often interrelated-grievances, from exorbitantly
high-priced educational opportunities, to a lack of health insurance,
to the flood of home foreclosures, and anger over bank bailouts. Many
Armenian Americans share the same frustrations as their fellow citizens
and, like them, have taken to the streets, lending their voices to
the occupying masses.
Occupy Boston (Photo by Nanore Barsoumian) Action Through Poetry
Sevan "Apollo" Aydinian, also known as Apollo Poetry, is an Armenian
American poet who is the spokesman for Occupy Phoenix. He hopes
the Occupy movement will result in "a complete restructuring of the
political and monetary system," he told the Armenian Weekly. Once the
public understands the relationship between the two systems, once
"they see that they are being used as slaves," they will join the
"revolution," he said.
Occupy Phoenix began on Oct. 15 when protesters gathered in the city's
Cesar Chavez Plaza at noon. Less than 48 hours later, many were already
arrested, charged with trespassing or loitering, and then released. As
in many other cities, however, the protesters kept coming back.
Aydinian has been careful in discussing the movement in on-air
interviews with leading channels. The media often tries to misrepresent
the protesters, he said. In a recent interview, he went to great
lengths to explain the lack of vertical hierarchy in the movement to an
interviewer bent on pinpointing "the leaders." There are facilitators
and organizers, maintained Aydinian, and anyone can assume either
position. But Occupy Wall Street, or any of its side-shoots, has no
leaders-not in the conventional sense, anyway.
The poet stressed the diversity of views present on the ground. You
can't box the protesters in a single category. "There are people from
all parts of the political spectrum. That's the main reason [Occupy
Wall Street] grew to over 1,600 cities in a couple of weeks. It
includes everybody. This is truly the people's movement," he said.
The "We are the 99 percent" slogan has caught on. It refers to the
increasingly better-known and disturbing statistic that the top 1
percent of Americans controls between 40-50 percent of the country's
wealth. And that wealth, say Occupiers, has been used to undermine
the democratic process and the wellbeing of the other 99 percent.
Blogger with Eye for Signs
Hrag Vartanian, the editor of the New York-based art blogazine
Hyperallergic, has paid close attention to the signs used by the
protesters. He has recorded his observations in half-a-dozen posts.
Impressed by the establishment of a library and an art station at
Zuccotti Park, "Art and protest should never be separated," he wrote
in one. New signs hover over protesters' heads every day, their anger
and frustration vented through a handful of words thickly traced on
cardboard squares. "Some of the signs point to the lack of healthcare
in the lives of millions. Others are about the crippling debt college
students leave college with. And there are some who are angry that
corporations are being treated as individuals by our broken legal
system," Vartanian told the Armenian Weekly. Sometimes the signs are
especially artistic, or witty. "I will believe corporations are people
when one of them gets executed," read one sign.
Social media sites, like Facebook and Twitter, have been instrumental
in organizing the movement. But even with all the new technology,
good-old-fashioned newspapers-you know, paper and ink-are still
appreciated. The proof is the Occupied Wall Street Journal, which
printed its first 50,000 copies on Oct. 1.
Vartanian finds the movement inspirational. "It's great to see people
standing up for what most people believe in, like justice and equal
treatment under the law," he said.
Canada-based Adbusters Magazine-which advocates for environmental
and social responsibility, and political and corporate
accountability-called for the "occupation" of Wall Street on July 13.
The magazine urged their 90,000 online followers to embrace the new
revolutionary tactics seen around the globe-a "fusion of Tahrir with
the acampadas of Spain," in reference to the recent protests that
unfolded in Cairo and Madrid.
Like many, Vartanian hopes Occupy Wall Street will bring about larger
participation in the democratic process, and an end to "the incestuous
world of D.C. politics and corporate interests." This movement does
not focus on one or two key issues, he said. "It's about people's
anger towards injustice and being denied the opportunity to succeed."
He pointed out the professional and ethnic diversity of the Occupiers:
"At first, reporters tried to dismiss the protesters as white
middle-class college kids, but it's far from the truth. The diversity
of faces and background is mind blowing."
Vartanian has seen an increased interest in the movement, evident in
the growing number of visitors to Zuccotti Park. "When they step foot
in that small block in lower Manhattan, they realize it's not some
hippy dippy thing, and they become aware that the mainstream media
isn't telling the public the whole story of what's going on," he said.
"In my circles, Occupy Wall Street has become part of the daily
conversation."
Teacher Calls on Armenian Community to Join
Simon Beugekian, a creative writing teacher in Boston, says the Occupy
movement there represents a truly grassroots mobilization. Beugekian,
who has spent time at Dewey Square-chosen for its immediacy to the
city's Financial District-says the Occupiers are demanding fair
treatment by their government.
Represented on the small plot of grass, facing Boston's Federal
Reserve building, are students, workers, war veterans, and retirees.
Their professions are as diverse as their backgrounds. There's the
younger generation, in college or fresh-out, with youthful zeal
and vigor.
"Every single one of us recent graduates feels the crushing weight
of student debt," said Beugekian, who feels lucky to have come out of
college with only $20,000 in loans. "A friend of mine, who graduated
from Northeastern University with me...had to take close to $100,000
of student debts to graduate college. Due to that, he is unable
to move out of his parents' house, or even to save real money," he
said, adding, "When you're paying more than $500 a month to a bank,
and you will do so for the foreseeable future, it's hard to see your
financial situation improve."
Beugekian, a former assistant editor at the Armenian Weekly, wishes to
see the Armenian community's involvement in the Occupy movements. They
should support it, he said, "as a matter of principle." Support can
encompass various actions, from donating food and basic supplies,
to showing up to the marches, to vocal endorsements. "If the Occupy
movement is going to make any real change in the political arena,
it will be thanks to resilient pressure and determination."
Activist Jaded by Voting
New York City-based activist and novelist Nancy Kricorian identifies
with the Occupy Wall Street agenda of prioritizing the needs
of the common folk over those of corporations. "Voting no longer
represents democracy," she told the Weekly, since elected officials
and corporations are in bed together. She hopes "the wealthy realize
that their well-being is dependent on the health and happiness of
the 99 percent."
Kricorian is frustrated with war-related expenditures, which have
come at the expense of fulfilling domestic needs. "Our country has
been bankrupted by colonial wars and occupations while local needs,
such as education, healthcare, and physical infrastructure, have been
starved of needed resources," she said.
"The anti-war movement, of which I have been a part since early 2003,
was practically eviscerated by the hope of 'Yes We Can,' but now people
have realized that [President Barack] Obama can't and won't unless the
people push him harder than the wealthy one percent have been doing,"
she said. That feeling-that they were let down by President Obama-is
prevalent among Occupiers.
Kricorian has been frequenting Zuccotti Park since the Occupiers set
up camp. She was there when Marxist academic Slavoj Zizek addressed
the General Assembly, and even brought along her teenage daughter
to one of the marches. Kricorian, who has authored Zabelle and
Dreams of Bread and Fire, both of which deal with the Armenian
Genocide, sees hope in the movement because it aims to hold the
responsible parties-banks, multi-national corporations, and the
government-accountable for the "mess" the country is currently in. As
a national staff member of CODEPINK Women for Peace, Kricorian has
helped at the organization's table in the park, where members hand
out "Make Out, Not War" stickers. One of her favorite features of
the movement is the People's Mic, where the words of the speaker are
repeated by the crowd. It always starts with one person yelling out,
"Mic check!" which is then echoed by those within an earshot.
Hopes for 'Pragmatic' Solutions
New York-based novelist Arthur Nersesian believes government leaders
intentionally overlooked Wall Street crimes. This is not a partisan
issue, he told the Weekly. "Wall Street orchestrated the collapse in
cahoots with Rating Services and government regulators. Instead of
appointing a special prosecutor, the crooks were rewarded."
For Nersesian, one of the saddest aspects of Occupy Wall Street is
that those camped out at Zuccotti Park-"those kids"-were not the main
victims. "Mainly hardworking Americans, probably conservatives-those
were the ones who lost their homes, savings, and jobs. The fact that
these kids are responding is ironic," he said.
The novelist supports the Occupy movement because "it is simply the
only action I've seen to respond to this heist."
Nersesian, who is currently working on his 11th novel, has visited
the Occupy Wall Street protesters sporadically. He believes his
country was "mugged" by the wealthy few, and is angry they faced no
repercussions. "It would've been as if Bin Laden flew the planes into
the towers and we did nothing," he said.
And the Occupy Wall Street movement is "as if a group of private
soldiers flew to Afghanistan to try to take on Bin Laden because the
military didn't do its job."
Although he is mostly supportive of "the liberal agenda," Nersessian
wishes the movement had a more "pragmatic" focus, "like a special
prosecutor to indict the primary culprits of the Wall Street heist,
or rallying behind some legislation, or, for that matter, opposing
the Koch Brother's private gang, the Tea Party." Yet, he worries
that "mainstream America's disdain for hippie protests" may hurt the
movement in the long run. He believes that was the case in the late
1960's, when Richard Nixon was elected president.
***
Although police response has been heavy-handed at times, and has
included mass arrests and the use of pepper-spray, stun grenades,
and tear gas, the movement has also enjoyed the support of many of
the largest unions in the U.S., as well as high-profile individuals.
Author and activist Cornel West joined Occupy Boston days after the
tents were set up, and about a week before joining protesters on the
steps of the U.S. Supreme Court, which led to his arrest. Hundreds
of U.S. writers signed a declaration supporting Occupy Wall Street
and the Occupy movement around the world. They include authors Noam
Chomsky, Tariq Ali, and Salman Rushdie, along with Kricorian, as well
as Armenian American writers Nancy Agabian and Bianca Bagatounian.
Those who identify themselves as part of the 99 percent resent the
established political and economic machine. The popular slogan,
"They Got Bailed Out, We Got Sold Out!" sums up their deep frustration.
Author Daniel Handler (penname, Lemony Snicket) had this to say after
observing protesters at Zuccotti Park: "Someone feeling wronged is
like someone feeling thirsty. Don't tell them they aren't. Sit with
them and have a drink."
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress