Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.It all feels a long time ago that the Occupy Wall Street movement erupted, bringing thousands of activists and protestors onto the streets of New York. In fact, today marks the one year anniversary - and the internet is full of deflated comment on the failure of Occupy to keep any significant political handhold. Writing in the Financial Times, Shannon Bond performs an autopsy on the activist dream.
"A year in, Occupy is not a political movement; it remains a loose affiliation of largely autonomous interest groups...While some had hoped it might be a liberal answer to the rightwing Tea Party, resistance within the group to being “co-opted” – by unions, the Democratic party, or wealthy individuals like the founder of Ben & Jerry’s who offered funding – has left Occupy on the fringes."
Part of the problem, says Bond, was a lack of definition. Occupy "embraced those who embraced it, welcoming anarchists, university students, ageing hippies and community activists. Its biggest marches drew thousands, waving signs about everything from debt forgiveness and healthcare costs to the bank bailout and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But this diversity, coupled with a commitment to making decisions by consensus, prevented the thousands of voices calling for change from coalescing in to a unified whole."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments