Occupy is a movement about change and creating another world.
To that end, the Occupy Wall St. Think Tank will be undertaking an
in-depth research and solution oriented study aimed at compiling,
assessing, and creating sustainable models for the Occupy movement to
work with moving forward.
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The Think Tank will work to find a way to sustain individual
socio-political engagement, occupiers, and the occupy movement itself.
Our aim is to create ways for both individuals and communities to be
more focused and dedicated as social and political actors, a structured
yet flexible working and communications network, and the creation of
longer term ethical environments to live, work and grow within.
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We also want to provide a sustainable example for general society.
That we can live within moral and ethical frameworks and still partake
in the rest of society. That we can still have iphones, watch TV, have
decent clothes, see family and friends, go places, make things, achieve
great things, and enjoy our lives – but to do it through a more
inclusive and rewarding way of engaging with social, economic, and
political interactions.
- Another world is possible - and there are countless examples from
brazil to china, AD to BCE. Let’s learn from them all, create possible
alternatives, engage with them, experiment with them till we find the
best way of all!. Figure out what it could be, set it up, and lead by
example!
Our principles: We will do whatever it takes to answer these
questions and provide a solution. This project requires people with
questions, no presumptive answers, and an ability to leave their
ideologies at the door. While well versed in social scientific
methodology, we will not be handcuffed by the rigidity of categorical
methods of inquiry. We’ll read novels, plays, historical materials,
newspaper articles; conduct street surveys and informal discussions;
engage in participant observation, crunch numbers and paint pictures;
and anything else or to whatever extent, that we see as a potential tool
in learning, understanding and doing. Most importantly though, we’ll do
it everywhere, and everything is on the table!
We will operate in an atmosphere of joyful exploration and mutual respect where every idea is valued.
Consider a few questions: What is the meaning of work? We can explore
this question by engaging in physical production (sewing, carpentry,
cooking), by reading novels about communes or academic works on the
transition from manufacturing to service economies, or even have
discussion groups with members of alternative living communities from
abroad. Or how about nourishment? How do we understand our food and how
we would want it to be produced and consumed. Or the nourishment we
receive from art and music, or that a child receives growing up in a
liberating environment? Stability, security, food, shelter, community,
wants, needs, love, respect; how do we gain all of these for both our
selves and others?
We will address these questions and countless more. We will learn from historical examples and doing,
connect with small and large experiments around the world, and engage
with the everyday lives of people and their ideas. We have a problem:
“the world” is not working for most people. We must both create and
envision a new one – in no particular order.
