The Occupy movement was a non-violent public protest, which saw thousands of people camped in Zuccotti Park in New York in September 2011, directed against Wall Street and the perceived corruption of the powerful. corporations and their supporters in politics. It was described as a "campaign to reverse the accretion of plutocratic power" because the majority were drowning in debt, taxes and unemployment, while the "banks were bailed out" and "prospered with impunity". (Gitlin, Occupy's Predicament) The "occupiers" were said to have been inspired by the Arab Spring and anti-austerity protests in Greece earlier this year. Their movement is credited with successfully ingraining the idea of ​​the languishing “99 percent” versus the obscenely wealthy “1 percent” into the psyche of American public discourse. They also focused on the crippling problem of student debt and the issue of inadequate minimum wages. Their seismic message sent tremors through countless American cities, all of which saw their own Occupy movements erupt. But as many observers have noted, the movement failed to produce tangible results in terms of policy or legislation: as Chris Macdonald puts it, the main achievement of the Occupy movement was more "cultural" than " economic ". According to him, "Wall Street must be fixed, not occupied" and solutions to massive financial inequality must come through careful analysis from within the economic system coupled with balanced legislation and cannot be rectified by a "sit-in ". The Occupy movement was a vital and cathartic expression of the pent-up anger and despair felt by the 99 percent, but it was an inadequate means of protest because it lacked clearly defined goals and neglected to broaden its spectrum of allies, he refused to engage the power structures present at the time and he failed to initiate any practical change within the government or the business sector. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay For a social movement to be successful, it must have clearly defined goals. The occupiers came up with the inspiring slogan “we are the 99%” which resonated with many, but it had no leadership structure to guide the movement, no clear demands or specific goals according to Joe Nocera. Their anger was directed at existing financial systems and corporate hegemony in politics, without a specific strategy for change. This lack of clarity in their goals spread their message and critics labeled them a group of disorganized and disaffected young people. On top of this, their message was undermined by the media which focused more on the character and behavior of the occupiers, as Todd Gitlin notes: "When it [the Occupy movement] arrived, a crowd of journalists and journalists The experts, whether or not they approved the policy of the plutocracy, judged it peculiar, incomprehensible, dangerous, evanescent and ineffective, even revolting. In contrast, the most successful social movements in history are characterized by a precise direction and clear demands. For example, Gandhi, who led India to freedom, had one explicit demand: an end to British colonial rule. This helped mobilize the entire country under one banner. The occupiers refused to articulate clearly defined goals and demands that would focus all their energies on a specific plan for change. It was therefore a way ofineffective protest. Once a clear strategy for change is decided, it is imperative to move to assembly. the support necessary for a social ideology to become reality. For a social movement to move toward creating a revolution, its activists must "shift the range of allies," meaning that instead of defeating your opponents, you weaken the opposition's support base. by rallying more and more people to your side. You start with those who actively support your cause and move on to the 'undecideds,' and you don't stop until you've convinced some of the more passive opposition MPs." (Russell, Beautiful Trouble) For example, Martin Luther King began his campaign with southern blacks, but could not have succeeded without the support of northern whites who eventually joined him. In addition to a massive base of supporters, successful movements require leadership. hierarchy capable of negotiating with influential organizations, but the Occupy movement has often been described as horizontal or rhizomal, which could be defined as a social movement characterized by "self-management, autonomy and direct democracy" (Sitrin, " Horizontalism and the Occupy Movements). In other words, they actively avoided leadership and repudiated the engagement of powerful or influential “senior leaders.” Due to this horizontal mentality, occupiers were often suspicious of the intentions of unions and large organizations like “Moveon” who had expressed interest in supporting their cause. (Gitlin) Not only have they neglected to change their spectrum of allies, but they have also refused to engage existing power structures. For a social movement to be successful, it must appeal to the people or organizations that control power in society, such as the government, police, media, etc. The occupiers viewed the entire political system as infiltrated by powerful corporations, so they refused to involve politicians. in their quest for justice and inequality. However, as Nocera explains, making long-term changes to policy and legislation requires inspiring change within existing power structures. This is another issue that has weakened the Occupy movement. Another characteristic of effective mass protest is being proactive rather than reactive. In other words, they must protest a particular government action and not just respond to outrage as a group. A good example of a proactive social movement stance would be the recent women's march in Poland against the new abortion laws, which caused the authorities to reconsider their decision on the matter. The reactive stance of the Occupy movement has reduced its long-term effectiveness. Equally important for a successful social movement is to have a “next plan,” a clear plan for dealing with reality if it succeeds. The lack of such a clear plan discouraged participation by some people who were wary of the Occupy protest after seeing how the Arab Spring in Egypt had inspired change, but who soon after fell back into chaos and a totalitarian regime. The occupiers suggested no clear plan for what the modified system would look like after victory, and this was another weakness in their change strategy. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get Custom EssayIn summary, a growing number of Americans “…agree that the power of money in politics should be limited, that taxes should be more progressive, that banks are too big to make 2013, 2019.