Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 85 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing
OpEdNews Op Eds    H3'ed 9/16/21

Michael Levitin discusses the accomplishments of Occupy Movement on its 10th year anniversary.

By       (Page 1 of 1 pages)   No comments
Follow Me on Twitter     Message Egberto Willies
Become a Fan
  (17 fans)


(Image by Egberto Willies)   Details   DMCA

Journalist, Professor, and Author Michael Levitin discussed the successes of the Occupy Movement on this 10th anniversary.

No one tells the Occupy Movement's story like Michael Levitin

Watch Politics Done Right TV here.

I knew my good friend, Journalist, Professor, and Author Michael Levitin was writing a new book about the Occupy Movement. After all, he interviewed me a couple of times over the last couple of years or so. I had not seen him since we had lunch at the Democracy Convention in Madison, Wisconsin.

Then I received an email from his email list. It turns out the book "Generation Occupy: Reawakening American Democracy" was out and going hot this week. I told him I wanted to be one of the first to interview him about the book and the expansion of the Progressive movement. He did not disappoint.

Michael still has the same passion that he had since Occupy Wall Street in Zuccotti Park in New York City. He tells the story as no one else can. I love his book because he told the real story instead of the false narrative that generally denies the Occupy movement its successes. He did not do that.

Coinciding with the release of his book, Levitin wrote the prescient article "Occupy Wall Street Did More Than You Think" at the Atlantic. He wrote the following.

At its core, Occupy made protesting cool againit brought the action back into activismas it emboldened a generation to take to the streets and demand systemic reforms: racial justice, women's equality, gun safety, the defense of democracy. As the Occupy veteran Nicole Carty told me, "We can't unlearn the 99 percent. Now what you have is a whole generation that is growing up in movement times, which explains all the escalation you're seeing and the work that's happening among very young people who were still kids during Occupy."

Rewriting the protest playbook, Occupy introduced a decentralized form of movement organizing that enabled hundreds of city chapters to reinforce and strengthen one another yet remain independenta sharp break from the traditional, hierarchical structure of protest movements of the past. Pioneering the use of live-stream technology while employing powerful social-media messaging and meme tactics to grow participation both on- and offline, Occupy showed a new generation how to turn social movements into a viral spectacle that seizes control of the public narrative.

Watch the entire interview. Michael Levitin is engaging, knowledgeable, and empowering. And if you want to understand the essence of the movement and how you can be part of the continuation in some other form, then get his book.

Michael got his start as a journalist covering the Cochabamba Water War in 2000 for the English-language newspaper Bolivian Times. He worked for six years as a freelance correspondent in Barcelona and Berlin, covering politics, culture, and climate change. He has also reported from India, China, the Balkans, and East Africa. His writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The Guardian, Financial Times, Newsweek, Time, Los Angeles Times, Forbes, and The International Herald Tribune, among other publications.


My Books, "NEW! How to make America Utopia: Take away the economy from those who rigged it," "It's Worth It: How to Talk To Your Right-Wing Relatives, Friends, and Neighbors" & "As I See It: Class Warfare: The Only Resort To Right Wing Doom" support (1) communication techniques & (2) our Progressive message delivery.


Please join our YouTube channel to get the numbers up to open up some more features and reach more folks. Gracias!

Rate It | View Ratings

Egberto Willies Social Media Pages: Facebook Page       Twitter Page       Linked In Page       Instagram Page


Egberto WilliesEgberto Willies is a political activist, author, political blogger, radio show host, business owner, software developer, web designer, and mechanical engineer in Kingwood, TX. Visit his podcast here. Egberto is an ardent Liberal that believes tolerance is essential. His favorite phrase is "political involvement should be a requirement for citizenship". He believes that we must get away from the current policies that reward those who simply move money/capital and produce nothing tangible for our society. If a change in policy does not occur, America will be no different than many (more...)
 
Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Follow Me on Twitter     Writers Guidelines

 
Contact AuthorContact Author Contact EditorContact Editor Author PageView Authors' Articles
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter
Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

Trump Effect: TV Producer to neighbor 'Your son is dating a f*cking n**ger'

What happens when Trump supporters realize they've been had?

This is how one responds to Right Wing Hacks in Real Time - Good job Don Lemon

Black & brown people joining 2nd Amendment Movement may save America

Trump Effect: New Kingwood, TX business model: Lawn Care by 'White People' U.S. Citizens (VIDEO)

O'Donnell turns Trump stunt into GOP excoriation & Democratic narrative win (VIDEO)

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend