The Democracy Project

1. Democracy's True Roots Lie in Popular Movements

Power never gives up anything voluntarily.

Freedom is taken, not given. The freedoms we enjoy today weren't granted by benevolent leaders but were fought for and won by ordinary people through persistent activism and resistance. The Bill of Rights, for example, was not part of the original Constitution but was added due to the insistence of anti-Federalists who mobilized against ratification.

Challenging the status quo. The American Revolution itself was driven by individuals who dared to challenge the established order and demand greater democratization of finance and debt cancellation. These movements, often dismissed or suppressed, are the true engines of democratic progress.

Occupy as a continuation. Occupy Wall Street, in this context, can be seen as a modern-day continuation of this tradition, a movement that arose from the grassroots to challenge the concentration of power and demand a more just and equitable society. It's a reminder that democracy is not a static concept but an ongoing project that requires constant vigilance and active participation.

2. Occupy Wall Street Redefined Class Power in America

There’s nothing that scares the rulers of America more than the prospect of democracy breaking out.

Class power re-emerges. OWS succeeded in bringing the issue of class power back into the center of American political debate, a feat made possible by the growing sense that the government is no longer representative of the popular will. By framing the struggle as "the 99 percent" versus "the 1 percent," the movement highlighted the vast economic inequality and the undue influence of the wealthy elite.

Mafia capitalism. The term "mafia capitalism" encapsulates the collusion between government and financial institutions, where the state serves as a mechanism for financial extraction, enriching the few at the expense of the many. This system undermines the very notion of popular consent and fuels revolutionary sentiment.

Revolutionary urge. In times of such blatant inequality and corruption, any awakening of the democratic impulse can only be a revolutionary urge, a desire to fundamentally transform the existing power structures and create a more just and equitable society. OWS tapped into this deep-seated desire for change.

3. The Media's Role in Shaping Perceptions of Protest

The real credit for what happened after that… belongs mainly to the young people who so steadfastly dug themselves in and refused to leave.

Media's double-edged sword. While social media played a crucial role in disseminating information and mobilizing support for OWS, the mainstream media's coverage was initially dismissive and often distorted the movement's goals and message. However, the international context and the sheer scale of the protests eventually forced the U.S. media to take notice.

Gandhian tactics. The success of OWS in gaining media attention can be attributed, in part, to its adoption of Gandhian tactics of nonviolent resistance, which created a stark moral contrast between the peaceful protesters and the often brutal response of law enforcement. This contrast, when amplified by social media, made it difficult for the mainstream media to ignore the movement's message.

International context matters. The global wave of protests and uprisings, from the Arab Spring to the Indignados movement in Spain, created a sense of international solidarity and made it harder for the U.S. media to dismiss OWS as an isolated or insignificant event. The movement was seen as part of a larger global struggle for economic justice and democratic reform.

4. Financialization Fuels Revolutionary Urges

What’s being called the Great Recession merely accelerated a profound transformation of the American class system that had already been under way for decades.

Erosion of the middle class. The growing sense among Americans that institutions are not there to help them, but rather to extract wealth, is a direct consequence of the financialization of capitalism. This erosion of trust and security has fueled a sense of anger and resentment, particularly among those who have been most affected by the economic crisis.

Collusion and debt. Financialization involves collusion between government and financial institutions to ensure that a larger proportion of citizens fall deeper into debt. This occurs through various mechanisms, such as student loans, municipal bankruptcies, and the enforcement of regulations that benefit banks at the expense of homeowners.

Revolutionary urge. The growing awareness of this system of financial extraction has led to a revolutionary urge, a desire to dismantle the structures of power that perpetuate inequality and create a more just and equitable economic system. OWS provided a platform for this urge to be expressed and organized.

5. Direct Democracy as a Contagious Force

Insofar as we were a revolutionary movement, as opposed to a mere solidarity movement supporting revolutionary movements overseas, our entire vision was based on a kind of faith that democracy was contagious.

Democracy is contagious. The Global Justice Movement's vision was based on the belief that direct democracy is contagious, that once people experience it, their perception of what is politically possible transforms. This belief fueled the movement's efforts to create spaces for participatory decision-making and collective action.

Prefigurative politics. The idea that the organizational form of an activist group should embody the kind of society it wishes to create is known as prefigurative politics. This principle guided the Global Justice Movement's emphasis on horizontal, non-hierarchical forms of organization.

Breaking out of the activist ghetto. The challenge for the Global Justice Movement was to break out of the activist ghetto and get these ideas in front of the wider public. OWS, with its occupation of public spaces and its emphasis on direct democracy, offered a new opportunity to do so.

6. The Peril of Co-opting Revolutionary Movements

The moment people were exposed to it, to watch a group of people actually listen to each other, and come to an intelligent decision, collectively, without having it in any sense imposed on them… it tended to change their perception over what was politically possible.

The trap of moderation. Movements can fall into the trap of advocating for moderate reforms rather than radical change. This can lead to a situation where the "radical" position is simply to maintain the status quo, rather than to challenge the underlying power structures.

The allure of co-option. There is a danger that revolutionary movements will be co-opted by existing political parties or organizations, who may seek to channel their energy into electoral politics or other forms of institutionalized action. This can dilute the movement's message and undermine its transformative potential.

Maintaining independence. To avoid co-option, it is crucial for revolutionary movements to maintain their independence and autonomy, to resist the temptation to compromise their principles for short-term gains, and to remain focused on their long-term goals of social transformation. OWS struggled with this.

7. Revolution Requires a Moral Transformation

Everyone involved recognizes that creating a democratic culture will have to be a long-term process.

Moral transformation. Creating a democratic culture requires a profound moral transformation, a shift in values and beliefs that challenges the dominant ideology and promotes a more just and equitable way of life. This is a long-term process that requires sustained effort and commitment.

Historical precedents. Social movements in the United States, such as the abolitionist movement and the feminist movement, have effected profound moral transformations, but doing so took a good deal of time. These movements operated largely outside the formal political system, employed civil disobedience and direct action, and never imagined they could achieve their goals in a single year.

Long-term vision. Like these movements, OWS must adopt a long-term vision, recognizing that the creation of a democratic culture will require sustained effort and a willingness to operate outside the formal political system. It's a marathon, not a sprint.

8. The Illusion of Choice in American Politics

This autumn has witnessed two candidates… spending the main part of their energy on courting billionaires, as the public occasionally checks in via television.

Oligarchic habits. The American political system has become mired in the habits of oligarchy, where the choices are limited and the public is largely excluded from meaningful participation. This creates a sense of powerlessness and resignation, as people feel that their voices don't matter.

Performances of powerlessness. The performances of TV pundits often seem like celebrations of popular powerlessness, akin to reality TV shows where we like to watch aggressive bosses pushing their acolytes around. This reinforces the sense that politics is something that is done to us, rather than something we can actively shape.

Reclaiming power. To break free from these oligarchic habits, it is necessary to disabuse people of the notion that government is the ultimate expression of the commonwealth and to insist that politics are ours to command. This requires building independent centers of power and challenging the dominance of money in politics.

9. The Power of Collective Action and Imagination

What they don’t understand is that once people’s political horizons have been broadened, the change is permanent.

Broadened horizons. Occupy broadened people's political horizons, giving them direct experience of self-organization, collective action, and human solidarity. This makes it almost impossible to go back to one's previous life and see things the same way.

Revolutionary imagination. The movement revived the revolutionary imagination, allowing people to envision a completely new conception of politics and to believe that fundamental change is possible. This revival of imagination is a powerful force for social transformation.

Laying the groundwork. While the world's financial and political elites skate blindly toward the next crisis, we're continuing to carry out occupations of buildings, farms, foreclosed homes, and workplaces—temporary or permanent—organizing rent strikes, seminars, and debtors' assemblies, and in doing so, laying the groundwork for a genuinely democratic culture.

10. The Revolutionary Potential of Debt Resistance

At the time of this writing, one out of every seven Americans is being pursued by a debt collection agency.

Debt as a tool of control. Debt has become a powerful tool for controlling and exploiting individuals, trapping them in a cycle of financial insecurity and dependence. The growing number of Americans being pursued by debt collection agencies is a symptom of this system.

Student loan crisis. The student loan system is a particularly egregious example of this, as it forces young people to take on massive debt in order to pursue higher education, often with little prospect of finding a job that will allow them to repay their loans. This creates a generation of indebted and disempowered citizens.

Debt resistance. The awakening of the democratic impulse can only be a revolutionary urge. The movement has the potential to challenge the power of finance and create a more just and equitable economic system.

11. The Importance of Horizontal Organizing

Power never gives up anything voluntarily.

Horizontal organizing. The usual reaction to this sort of thing is despair. It was certainly my first reaction. Walking into such a rally feels like walking into a trap. The agenda is already set, but it’s unclear who set it. Even the chants and slogans were to be provided from above.

Direct democracy. For activists dedicated to building directly democratic politics—horizontals, as we like to call ourselves—the usual reaction to this sort of thing is despair. It was certainly my first reaction. Walking into such a rally feels like walking into a trap. The agenda is already set, but it’s unclear who set it. Even the chants and slogans were to be provided from above.

Self-organization. The real reason the coalition fragmented so quickly, Singsen explained, was politics. The unions and most of the community groups were working with allies on the City Council, who were busy negotiating a compromise budget with the mayor. “It soon became apparent,” he said, “that there were two positions. The moderates, who were willing to accept the need for some cuts, thinking it would place them in a better negotiating position to limit the damage, and the radicals—the Bloombergville camp—who rejected the need for any cuts at all.” Once a deal seemed in sight, all support for civil disobedience, even in its mildest form, disappeared.

12. The Enduring Legacy of Occupy Wall Street

There’s nothing that scares the rulers of America more than the prospect of democracy breaking out.

Revolutionary urge. The growing sense, on the part of Americans, that the institutional structures that surround them are not really there to help them—even, that they are dark and inimical forces—is a direct consequence of the financialization of capitalism. At times like these, any awakening of the democratic impulse can only be a revolutionary urge.

Class power re-emerges. In doing so, we did something almost unprecedented. We managed to get the issues not only of class, but of class power, back into the center of American political debate. It was only possible, I suspect, because of gradual changes in the nature of the economic system—at OWS we are increasingly beginning to refer to it as “mafia capitalism”—that make it impossible to imagine the American government as having anything to do with the popular will, or even popular consent.

Revolutionary potential. The growing sense, on the part of Americans, that the institutional structures that surround them are not really there to help them—even, that they are dark and inimical forces—is a direct consequence of the financialization of capitalism. At times like these, any awakening of the democratic impulse can only be a revolutionary urge.

Last updated: April 12, 2025