The protest encampment in New York City’s Zuccotti Park began with a few dozen students and unemployed university graduates.
In an interview with Al-Jazeera English, Truthout contributor and McMaster University professor Henry Giroux spoke about the social and economic forces that have turned young people into what he says is the most powerless, least represented and most disposable group in America, and discussed how youths of marginalized race and class might join the growing Occupy Wall Street movement.
Asked whether young Americans “really have that much to complain about,” given that the U.S. “has many more freedoms than many other countries,” Giroux said: “While we certainly have the right to vote and the notion of freedom of expression is operative in the United States, it becomes dysfunctional when people don’t have the personal freedoms that would make it possible—when they’re poor, when they’re homeless, when they don’t have health care, when they’re living in tent cities, etc.” —ARK
Truthout:
Al-Jazeera English: Police have used batons and pepper spray against some protesters in New York, and have arrested more than 800 of them. In your latest article, you describe non-physical government repression in the US—especially within the education system. Can you describe that, in the context of why people are angry enough to camp out for weeks on end in protest?
Henry Giroux: The theoretical framework for that is that one of the things you have to realise is that democracy doesn’t work without the formative culture that makes possible the skills, the knowledge, the ideas, the modes of dialogue, the modes of exchange, that can actually provide the foundation for people to be critical and engaged social and individual agents. If you don’t have that formative culture, democracy becomes empty. What you end up with is actually a culture that is so wedded, in this particular case, to a neoliberal logic, that people can only see themselves as individuals, they can only see themselves as competitive, they hate the social state, they have no understanding of solidarity; and what I have been arguing for at least 35 years is that you have to take seriously that education is a fundamental part of politics, and that we’re not just talking about schools. We’re talking about, as C. Wright Mills said, an entire cultural apparatus that now has an enormously educational function. All you have to do is look at Fox News in the US, or look at the right wing takeover of talk radio, which is overwhelming.
The fact is that these media don’t entertain, they produce subjectivities, they produce identities, they produce desires, they create framing mechanisms for how people understand politics and their relationship to immigrants and to each other and to a larger global audience. It seems to me that until this question of pedagogy—of the articulation of knowledge through experience and how people relate to the world—until education is seen as a fundamental dimension of politics, we’re in real trouble, because if you don’t do that you can’t understand social media as a profoundly important political educational tool. If you don’t do that, you can’t understand how people come to internalise understandings of themselves that are at odds with their own possibilities for freedom.
That’s why I believe the dominant media finds this movement so threatening. They’re hysterical. What it suggests is not that young people are simply protesting. It suggests that they’re not buying the crap that comes out of the dominant media, they’re challenging it, and secondly, they’re setting up their own circuits of knowledge and education. That’s frightening to think that young people can actually create a culture in which questions of dialogue, dissent, critical engagement, global responsibility, can come into play—that truly frightens, in my estimation, financial and dominant elites.
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Actually, the truly forgotten and hopeless in the U.S. today are the 50-somethings who, after having been working at their jobs for 30+ years and who are now unemployed (in the millions) simply cannot find new (satisfactory) employment…............they are the “apparent” tired-worn-out “inputs” of industry that no longer have value. Even though they’re the ones with mortgages, kids in school, have been paying taxes and have been working toward that (mythical) “American Dream,” they are now in a VERY BAD PLACE. Instead of private industry attempting to utilize their zillions of years of experience and expertise, they are being flushed down the toilet….never mind the same corporate interests expect these folks (and all their children) to “buy stuff.” Never mind the private sector wants to dismantle the public education system that they could try to help “re-educate” all of these older workers (yes, indeed the young ones as well).
We Americans have turned our backs on each other…the protests at Wall Street reflect this sense of angst, but I’m afraid there will be no MLK or Gandhi or other natural leader to make all these voices heard.
Big B,
As you say: “The government is being controlled by the men in those buildings on wall street. ..Only when the oligarchs are dragged into the street, and their financial influence snuffed out, can we expect our government to change.”
You even said it yourself in your posting that the government is to blame as well - even asking for the govt to change - the govt is in cahoots with the top 1% - so why don’t you protest in Washington (White House, Congress, etc.) like you are on Wall Street? Why do they get a free pass? I guess it’s hard to admit you made a mistake with ineffective )bama.
Wall Street is the proper focus. Money “made” there goes promptly into the
coffers of politicians and the pockets of elites with money to re-invest—and
into fighting wars and maintaining the largest military/industrial organization
on earth—and the most predictable money-maker. This turns the future on
its head.
Kids know that. They also know that such a system has little to offer young,
bright, ambitious, hopeful human beings. They are not only asking for jobs;
they are asking for their right to a just and durable future—the right to live to
grow up! More power to them!
Felicity: Read “The Lonely Crowd” (Riessman, I think, but I’m not sure.)
Electronic gadgets make everybody feel isolated, not just young people. That
may not be their advertised purpose, but it serves the corporative government
well by disunifying the public. It’s one of the primary issues that caused
“Occupy Wall Street.” Kids (and adults) are re-connecting there. Hopefully, they
will find ways to reactivate the soul of democratic government.
What are you, an idiot? The government is being controlled by the men in those buildings on wall street. The people have gone to the source. Only when the oligarchs are dragged into the street, and their financial influence snuffed out, can we expect our government to change.
bpawk - specifically, they should be protesting in
front of the Supreme Court building - Buckley and
Citizens United and the crap decisions in between.
They should be protesting in front of the Oval Office -
drove Johnson crazy when Nam War protesters did it
(might work for Obama.) And don’t forget good old
Congress - whose sins are too numerous to list here.
If Clinton, Bill ever ‘lights’ long enough, they might
gather in the street where he lives with signs reading
“thanks for signing Glass into oblivion, you idiot.”
While it’s good to see people finally getting excited about what’s going on in their society (and not so much celeb worshipping) they again are hitting the wrong targets - now a museum. Nothing in their little paper criticizes the government or Obama. They are going after everything BUT THE GOVERNMENT. Why don’t they go to the source, who are the enablers of bailouts, unfair tax breaks and deregulation. Look to the government who is making the laws and who is by law answerable to the taxpayer. All their targets are wrong. Wall Street or a museum is not answerable to the public but the government is. Why are they afraid to criticize obama! He enabled Wall Street to take advantage of tax breaks, deregulation and bailouts. If government, as some say, is just as bad as Wall Street, why are there not demonstrations there? mmm… I think lots of kids voted for Obama and are now disappointed in him but instead of admitting he’s part of the problem, they pick other targets. Think, kids!
From traveling to Canada the last couple of years and witnessing the stunning differences between their youth and ours, I see a huge potential for “bad craziness” in the coming generation.
Unlike their northern counterparts, our american children no longer live in a nation where the “sky is the limit”. They now live in a new feudal system, filled with hopelessness and the potential for mayhem. They are a group that has by and large, been desensitized by our consumer culture. They were raised in a nation that preached to them every day that were living in the greatest country the world has ever known. And now the reality has hit them in face that opportunity awaits only the top 1-2% of them.
They have also been desensitized to violence, and live in a nation that is armed to the teeth. If I were an oligarch, I would be worried in the coming years that some disenfranchised young man may show up at my door sporting an assault rifle to pick up his student loan payment, and anything else in your pocket.
I don’t really understand this, but my 23 year old,
university-grad granddaughter on hearing that the
latest electronic device recognizes voices so one can
‘ask’ it anything (like, where’s the nearest
Starbucks)and get an immediate answer said it made
her want to throw-up.
She and her sisters often say that they and their
texting friends feel very isolated - which I don’t
really understand given that they’re constantly
contacting each other electronically.
Got to wonder if these phenomena will move them into
the ‘streets’ as a way to combat their feelings of
isolation.
Truthdiggers of the Week: 400,000 Canadians Launching the ‘Maple Spring’
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By mrfreeze, October 9, 2011 at 7:47 pm Link to this comment
Actually, the truly forgotten and hopeless in the U.S. today are the 50-somethings who, after having been working at their jobs for 30+ years and who are now unemployed (in the millions) simply cannot find new (satisfactory) employment…............they are the “apparent” tired-worn-out “inputs” of industry that no longer have value. Even though they’re the ones with mortgages, kids in school, have been paying taxes and have been working toward that (mythical) “American Dream,” they are now in a VERY BAD PLACE. Instead of private industry attempting to utilize their zillions of years of experience and expertise, they are being flushed down the toilet….never mind the same corporate interests expect these folks (and all their children) to “buy stuff.” Never mind the private sector wants to dismantle the public education system that they could try to help “re-educate” all of these older workers (yes, indeed the young ones as well).
We Americans have turned our backs on each other…the protests at Wall Street reflect this sense of angst, but I’m afraid there will be no MLK or Gandhi or other natural leader to make all these voices heard.
Report thisBy berniem, October 9, 2011 at 4:39 pm Link to this comment
Gonna need a lot of troops! This sorry excuse for a “christian” constitutional demcocray has way more than one Bastille to storm!
Report thisBy GW=MCHammered, October 9, 2011 at 12:05 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
Freedom Plaza Occupiers are not far from the White House.
http://october2011.org
Wall Street Occupiers are in NY.
http://nycga.cc
http://www.occupytogether.org
These True American Spirit Occupiers’ song should be “We Can’t Make It Here (anymore)” by James McMurtry (ask his permission of course)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv0q3cW3x1s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbWRfBZY-ng
Report thisBy bpawk, October 9, 2011 at 11:39 am Link to this comment
Big B,
As you say: “The government is being controlled by the men in those buildings on wall street. ..Only when the oligarchs are dragged into the street, and their financial influence snuffed out, can we expect our government to change.”
You even said it yourself in your posting that the government is to blame as well - even asking for the govt to change - the govt is in cahoots with the top 1% - so why don’t you protest in Washington (White House, Congress, etc.) like you are on Wall Street? Why do they get a free pass? I guess it’s hard to admit you made a mistake with ineffective )bama.
Report thisBy gerard, October 9, 2011 at 11:37 am Link to this comment
Wall Street is the proper focus. Money “made” there goes promptly into the
coffers of politicians and the pockets of elites with money to re-invest—and
into fighting wars and maintaining the largest military/industrial organization
on earth—and the most predictable money-maker. This turns the future on
its head.
Kids know that. They also know that such a system has little to offer young,
bright, ambitious, hopeful human beings. They are not only asking for jobs;
they are asking for their right to a just and durable future—the right to live to
grow up! More power to them!
Felicity: Read “The Lonely Crowd” (Riessman, I think, but I’m not sure.)
Report thisElectronic gadgets make everybody feel isolated, not just young people. That
may not be their advertised purpose, but it serves the corporative government
well by disunifying the public. It’s one of the primary issues that caused
“Occupy Wall Street.” Kids (and adults) are re-connecting there. Hopefully, they
will find ways to reactivate the soul of democratic government.
By Big B, October 9, 2011 at 10:36 am Link to this comment
bpawk,
What are you, an idiot? The government is being controlled by the men in those buildings on wall street. The people have gone to the source. Only when the oligarchs are dragged into the street, and their financial influence snuffed out, can we expect our government to change.
Report thisBy felicity, October 9, 2011 at 10:15 am Link to this comment
bpawk - specifically, they should be protesting in
front of the Supreme Court building - Buckley and
Citizens United and the crap decisions in between.
They should be protesting in front of the Oval Office -
drove Johnson crazy when Nam War protesters did it
(might work for Obama.) And don’t forget good old
Congress - whose sins are too numerous to list here.
If Clinton, Bill ever ‘lights’ long enough, they might
Report thisgather in the street where he lives with signs reading
“thanks for signing Glass into oblivion, you idiot.”
By bpawk, October 9, 2011 at 9:43 am Link to this comment
While it’s good to see people finally getting excited about what’s going on in their society (and not so much celeb worshipping) they again are hitting the wrong targets - now a museum. Nothing in their little paper criticizes the government or Obama. They are going after everything BUT THE GOVERNMENT. Why don’t they go to the source, who are the enablers of bailouts, unfair tax breaks and deregulation. Look to the government who is making the laws and who is by law answerable to the taxpayer. All their targets are wrong. Wall Street or a museum is not answerable to the public but the government is. Why are they afraid to criticize obama! He enabled Wall Street to take advantage of tax breaks, deregulation and bailouts. If government, as some say, is just as bad as Wall Street, why are there not demonstrations there? mmm… I think lots of kids voted for Obama and are now disappointed in him but instead of admitting he’s part of the problem, they pick other targets. Think, kids!
Report thisBy Big B, October 9, 2011 at 9:22 am Link to this comment
From traveling to Canada the last couple of years and witnessing the stunning differences between their youth and ours, I see a huge potential for “bad craziness” in the coming generation.
Unlike their northern counterparts, our american children no longer live in a nation where the “sky is the limit”. They now live in a new feudal system, filled with hopelessness and the potential for mayhem. They are a group that has by and large, been desensitized by our consumer culture. They were raised in a nation that preached to them every day that were living in the greatest country the world has ever known. And now the reality has hit them in face that opportunity awaits only the top 1-2% of them.
They have also been desensitized to violence, and live in a nation that is armed to the teeth. If I were an oligarch, I would be worried in the coming years that some disenfranchised young man may show up at my door sporting an assault rifle to pick up his student loan payment, and anything else in your pocket.
Report thisBy felicity, October 9, 2011 at 9:14 am Link to this comment
I don’t really understand this, but my 23 year old,
university-grad granddaughter on hearing that the
latest electronic device recognizes voices so one can
‘ask’ it anything (like, where’s the nearest
Starbucks)and get an immediate answer said it made
her want to throw-up.
She and her sisters often say that they and their
texting friends feel very isolated - which I don’t
really understand given that they’re constantly
contacting each other electronically.
Got to wonder if these phenomena will move them into
Report thisthe ‘streets’ as a way to combat their feelings of
isolation.