One thing the Occupy Movement has done.

The Occupy movement that has spread like wildfire around our country and our world is has had and will continue to cause myriad repercussions. I jotted this down while I was out last night, about what I think is one of the most important changes in an Occupied world.


What has Occupy done? It has made it acceptable to talk about our sociopolitical feelings in public. It is acceptable to express a belief in the role of government in something as broad as income distribution or as specific as protecting historical buildings (both conversations I have overheard in the past few days). Everyone wants to know everyone else's opinions. From young lovers, to friends, to a married couple who both, frankly, seemed surprised that the other person had any political beliefs whatsoever, everyone in New York City at least is, tentatively, talking politics. The beginnings of these conversations are always a bit halting, checking to make sure its ok to have 'serious' talk. Topics which half a year ago would have been almost taboo are becoming commonplace. People are beginning to believe that sharing the political, social, historical, and personal knowledge they have, maybe even forming some kind of opinion on it, is cool. This may seem like a small step, but it is a fundamental shift from a culture which has moved further and further towards embracing and encouraging ignorance. Our public spaces may be scattered, but we can begin to take them back with just a simple conversation. Functioning, populist Democracy does not require that we are all Occupiers. It does not require that we are all activists. It does require that we are able to comfortably and openly discuss our ideas. Don't look now, but conversation is making a comeback.



In other news, I'm sorry for the lack of stuff posted recently. I have made it my New Year's Resolution (wow, I must be becoming a real person) to concentrate more of my time on the blog, and I'm going to begin that a bit early. With Thanksgiving coming up, I may be too full of turkey to do much of anything, but starting next week postings will be much more frequent.