The New 'Occupy' Movement
It's taken a while, as well as a few weeks travelling on public transport, for me to realise why the 'Occupy' movement of a couple of years back, was such a success
It's simple, really. It's human nature to occupy spaces & prevent others from accessing them. It was a stroke of genius to simply channel it into the sphere of economics & politics. To expand: If there is a doorway - someone will stand at it - not going in, not going out, just standing there so nobody else can use the door for its designed purpose. This applies to buildings, elevators buses, trains... Similarly, if there is an escalator, people will stand in the middle of it, preventing anyone from getting past - either because they might be in a hurry, or just want to get some exercise by walking up the steps. If there is public seating, someone will sit in the middle of it, then spread either themselves, or their possessions across it, thus denying anyone else the chance to sit down. and if you do manage to squeeze yourself onto a corner of the bench... oh the looks you get for invading their personal space... This happens in parks, malls, plazas, buses, trains. The obverse is also common - when you are sitting on a section of the seat/bench, not taking up any more room than necessary, someone will come along &... as above, but you still get the indignant looks from them, because you're denying them the entire area
One of our favourite beaches in New South Wales is about 2 hours drive from Sydney & stretches for about 7 miles of white sand & waves. nothing else - no amenities, picnic tables, ice cream shops or anything... just beach. Often when we go there, there's not another soul to be seen. Yet it's an iron-clad guarantee that by the time we come out of the surf & return to our towels, a family of at least 4 has set themselves up about 2 metres (8 feet) away... up goes the beach tent, out comes the portable PA system playing godawful music, then the beach cricket game starts up & we rapidly decamp another mile or so away, only for the phenomenon to recur...
... We haven't been to the beach in quite a while
We went to the Zoo last week & discovered we are people magnets. We would arrive at an enclosure with no one else there, the animals are there, photogenically doing what they do... & in the time it takes to prepare the camera & line up a great shot, a family of at least 4 - maybe even the same family - arrives, the kids run shrieking up to the rails, & either scare off the animal, or bump into us, or push in front, or... We found ourselves wishing we knew the spell Harry Potter used in the first book, that made the glass disappear in the snake enclosure... Australia has a lot of deadly snakes & quite a few of them are at the Zoo - waiting, like us, I'm sure, for the right wizard to come along at the right time...
"Thanksssssssss"
The long point being that, occupying spaces to the detriment of others is something people have always done. The problem is that it's a selfish, unpleasant behaviour & so that seems to have been the kind of people who gravitated to the movement, thereby assuring it would never be taken seriously by those in power. Much like the stereotypical image of the protestors who turn up at every G7, G8, G-however-many summit, is that of a dreadlocked, tattooed, crusty, inarticulate, would-be hippy who hasn't had a wash since the water cannons got him at the last G summit. Not exactly the kind of people who'll have Angela, Vlad, Justin, Theresa or the Donald quaking in their boots & suits
If it's true that we get the politicians (& therefore the policies) we deserve, then maybe it's US who need to be better first. Think global, act local
And you can start by not standing at the train or elevator doors when I'm trying to get out!!
It's simple, really. It's human nature to occupy spaces & prevent others from accessing them. It was a stroke of genius to simply channel it into the sphere of economics & politics. To expand: If there is a doorway - someone will stand at it - not going in, not going out, just standing there so nobody else can use the door for its designed purpose. This applies to buildings, elevators buses, trains... Similarly, if there is an escalator, people will stand in the middle of it, preventing anyone from getting past - either because they might be in a hurry, or just want to get some exercise by walking up the steps. If there is public seating, someone will sit in the middle of it, then spread either themselves, or their possessions across it, thus denying anyone else the chance to sit down. and if you do manage to squeeze yourself onto a corner of the bench... oh the looks you get for invading their personal space... This happens in parks, malls, plazas, buses, trains. The obverse is also common - when you are sitting on a section of the seat/bench, not taking up any more room than necessary, someone will come along &... as above, but you still get the indignant looks from them, because you're denying them the entire area
One of our favourite beaches in New South Wales is about 2 hours drive from Sydney & stretches for about 7 miles of white sand & waves. nothing else - no amenities, picnic tables, ice cream shops or anything... just beach. Often when we go there, there's not another soul to be seen. Yet it's an iron-clad guarantee that by the time we come out of the surf & return to our towels, a family of at least 4 has set themselves up about 2 metres (8 feet) away... up goes the beach tent, out comes the portable PA system playing godawful music, then the beach cricket game starts up & we rapidly decamp another mile or so away, only for the phenomenon to recur...
... We haven't been to the beach in quite a while
We went to the Zoo last week & discovered we are people magnets. We would arrive at an enclosure with no one else there, the animals are there, photogenically doing what they do... & in the time it takes to prepare the camera & line up a great shot, a family of at least 4 - maybe even the same family - arrives, the kids run shrieking up to the rails, & either scare off the animal, or bump into us, or push in front, or... We found ourselves wishing we knew the spell Harry Potter used in the first book, that made the glass disappear in the snake enclosure... Australia has a lot of deadly snakes & quite a few of them are at the Zoo - waiting, like us, I'm sure, for the right wizard to come along at the right time...
"Thanksssssssss"
The long point being that, occupying spaces to the detriment of others is something people have always done. The problem is that it's a selfish, unpleasant behaviour & so that seems to have been the kind of people who gravitated to the movement, thereby assuring it would never be taken seriously by those in power. Much like the stereotypical image of the protestors who turn up at every G7, G8, G-however-many summit, is that of a dreadlocked, tattooed, crusty, inarticulate, would-be hippy who hasn't had a wash since the water cannons got him at the last G summit. Not exactly the kind of people who'll have Angela, Vlad, Justin, Theresa or the Donald quaking in their boots & suits
If it's true that we get the politicians (& therefore the policies) we deserve, then maybe it's US who need to be better first. Think global, act local
And you can start by not standing at the train or elevator doors when I'm trying to get out!!