The Occupy Movement Research

The Occupy Movement and consequences are of great interest to sociologists worldwide, not just in America. The training was crucial in explaining the different forms of association between society's various social groups. The 99 percent movement depicts the essence of contact in a community marked by a broad chasm between the haves and the have-nots. Rage and disillusionment were ignited in the American public after the movement burst, and the members' intentions were revealed. By taking a sociological approach to the problem and analyzing the essence of the disputes that resulted, valuable lessons can be learned.The movement's courage in pinpointing the issues causing inequalities in the society showed the reactions that a society can give to oppressing forces regardless of the powers behind the people with the agenda. The movement was also an integral part in sparking the debates revolving around the country’s debt ceiling which downgraded the nation’s credit. The sociological phenomenon was also essential in explaining why millions of citizens had lost their jobs as a result of a financial meltdown of the Occupy movement as well as the 2008 mortgage crisis. Besides these controversial issues, the American public got an in-depth understanding of the sources behind the financial institution’s unchecked corruption and Washington’s political incompetence.
Literature Review
The movement first caught the attention of the public after hundreds of protestors from Zuccotti Park, New York took their grievances to the streets (Van, 2011). According to Kern and Nerm (2013), the core agendas driving the movement were corruption and the greed that was controlling the leadership decisions in the people expected to reinforce the common good. The majority 99% wanted normalcy restored, accountability of the government improve, and the influence, from the corporates, kept at the bare minimum. All these issues brought forward in the movement’s agendas saw more members join the group as a means of expressing their dissatisfactions in the manner that the affairs of the public were handled.
The threats to the democratic practices in the country were presented by Justice Louis who had critically analyzed the issue. Fuentes and Galasso (2014), echoed Justice Louis’ views by arguing that the citizens were left with two options, either to have the wealth concentrated in the hands of a few people or push for democratic reforms. To prove that the corporate ruling class was a threat to the equality of the majority of citizens, McChesney (2015), through research, proved that the 1% had about half the country’s wealth. Besides, the corporate group was taking home a disproportionate fraction 25% of the total national income. This was another justification by the movement to push for reforms.
Facts on the Topic
There were initial fears that the end results of the 99% movement would not be achieved as a result of the political influence of the minority 1%. Besides, the movement kept its agendas hidden in the initial stages until the right strategies and membership was acquired. Attempts by the key leaders to influence the majority of the oppressed and suppressed citizens bore fruits and the leaders had to consider implementing changes in the ruling system. Sufficient facts to prove the political, social and economic inequalities were tabled and they were convincing enough to persuade the oppressed citizens to fight for their rights. It is also worth noting that the movement acted as a point of reference and inspiration to other similar movements around the world that fought for the restoration of power to the citizens after being deprived off their rights. An analysis of the key driving factors further reveals that the recession played a key factor in the formation.
Sociological Approach to the Issue
The occupy movement reflects the conflict theory propounded by Karl Marx. The theory as well as the ideas in the movement aimed at highlighting the sources of financial inequalities in the society. According to Karl Max, the source of inequalities lies in the inequality seen in the power distribution. In the Occupy movement, the protestors emphasized that there a need to change the situation in the nation or else end up failing. The fall of the middle class and the steady rise of the upper class was not something that the movement’s leaders wanted to be proud of as citizens. There is however a section of scholars who argue that the movement was anchored on socialism, an ideology pushed forth by the leaders (Taylor, 2013). However, such an argument does not seem to be valid and can be considered as a tool for fighting the group that was proud of the capitalistic ideology guiding the American society. Karl Max’s theory further applied in this context given that the source of conflict was the power struggle between the societal upper and lower classes. Besides, Max pointed out that the upper class controlled the manner in which power and resources are distributed in the society. All these ideas were evidently dominating the movement drive to topple the ruling 1%.
Through the analysis of the theory of cultural hegemony by Antonio Gramsci, one gets to profoundly understand the ideas behind the Occupy movement. Gramsci is considered to be a neo-Marxist who marked a departure from the economic determinism (Mouffe, 2014). According to him the bourgeoisie in capitalist economies use the existing institutions to maintain their status quo. It should be noted that the approach does not use coercion or violence. This was the case when considering the American case. The Corporates were using institutions like the financial ones to push their agendas. According to Gramsci, superstructures were essential in the production and the reproduction of the cultural hegemons.
Valuable lessons can also be borrowed from the works of Emile Durkheim who was concerned about the mechanical solidarity. His theory can be used to explain the source of conflict that lead to the start of the movement. Durkheim argued that the distinct parts of the society are held together by common and shared goals (Durkheim, 2010). This was the source of the strong interdependence that is thwarted in the American case. The shared values in the American context were compromised resulting to a protest in a bid to restore normalcy. Durkheim further argued that for an organism to function properly, the various parts had to work together for the sustenance of the whole.
Conclusion
The Occupy movement serves as a good example to the extent that the citizens can go in fighting for their equality in the social, economic and political realm. The power and the influence of the majority of the citizens should not be assumed despite being relatively powerless. Failure to address their issue can result in a chaotic revolution that might oust the ruling class. The events unfolding in the movement were crucial for the sociologist who explain them from various perspectives from scholars like Karl Max, Emile Durkheim, and Antonio Gramsci. It is paramount for potential political leaders who would wish to get a long-term support from the masses to ensure that they have a deeper scope of various sociological theories. These theories are essential in the explanation of how the societal affairs should be handled.


References
Durkheim, E. (2010). From mechanical to organic solidarity. Sociology: Introductory Readings, 25-29.
Fuentes-Nieva, R., & Galasso, N. (2014). Working for the Few: Political capture and economic inequality (Vol. 178). Oxfam.
Kern, T., & Nam, S. H. (2013). From ‘corruption’to ‘democracy’: Cultural values, mobilization, and the collective identity of the Occupy Movement. Journal of Civil Society, 9(2), 196 211.
Mouffe, C. (2014). Gramsci and Marxist Theory (RLE: Gramsci). Routledge.
Taylor, B. (2013). From alterglobalization to Occupy Wall Street: Neoanarchism and the new spirit of the left. City, 17(6), 729-747.
Van Gelder, S. (2011). This changes everything: Occupy Wall Street and the 99% movement. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.