AFSCME 3357-HOF'S BLOG

Michael Moore's Manifesto for Occupy Wall Street

One of the big complaints about the Occupy Wall Street protesters is they don't really stand for anything. They don't propose any substantive change. I think it's a fair point but it does not necessarily delegitimize the protest. It is enough to protest because you are unhappy about something. "Venting" is an appropriate form of political speech. Anyway, Michael Moore proposes this statement of core beliefs. I agree with some of it, disagree with other parts. It's good to get it out there in the arena of public discourse.

Some people think that Michael Moore is just a carpet bagger who has gone to Wall Street to glom onto the attention that the Wall Street protesters have attracted. This can't be further from the truth. The Occupy Wall Street movement is just the kind of popular revolt that Moore called for in Capitalism: a Love Story, his movie from 2009. It was one of his more low-key films, but it is worth watching. You can stream it (with ads) here with what looks to be Russian subtitles. Actually, I don't know if that link properly respects private property rights. Here's a link to Netflix streaming. More capitalistic, perhaps but relatively reliable.