Occupy USC admirable in attempt for goals

Since the Occupy movement started a month ago, it has struggled with claims that it is unfocused. Critics of the protests say that while the protests show that a section of the population is dissatisfied with the current state of affairs, protestors are not achieving anything beyond disruption.

Hye You | Daily Trojan

Despite its detractors, the movement has endured and flourished by rallying around its slogan, “We are the 99 percent,” which refers to the estimate that 1 percent of the United States population holds 40 percent of the country’s wealth.

The movement has reached our campus on two fronts: Students have organized trips to the Occupy Los Angeles rallies outside Los Angeles City Hall, to show their support for the original movement, and students have vowed to remain in front of Tommy Trojan every weekday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., to stage their own version of the protests that will soon focus on issues related to USC. The Occupy USC General Assembly plans to announce those goals on Friday.

This latter group, no doubt sharing members with the first, has managed to do something the original group has been unable to do: It sat down after its first occupation ended on Monday and delineated goals for its protest.

The movement as a whole has spread so energetically because of its refusal to commit to specific reasons that explains why protesters are dissatisfied with the government and the supposed corporate greed of Wall Street.

Yes, a large portion of America is disappointed. But watching footage of the original protests in New York, the problem becomes clear: People are united in their displeasure, but only this unites them.

Some protesters complain about health insurance, some about bank loans, some about corporations and some about the war. These masses are united in dissatisfaction under the powerful, unifying force of the 99 percent.

What better way to feel support in your hardship than to hear that 99 percent of people share your pain?

Because of the divided attentions of the group and the lack of direction this fosters, the power of this movement to effect change is limited.

Protesters have the power to collect thousands behind their cause. The only problem is that, besides saying things must change, there isn’t much of a change.

The sheer number of people now behind the movement all but guarantees the impossibility of forging a pointed direction to creating change without a clear articulation of goals and means to achieve those goals.

The USC students inspired by the movement, however, do have a plan for success, albeit on a much smaller scale.

They join the masses nationwide in expressing their disappointment with the status quo. And by meeting and determining goals as a group, the members have potential to cause change in regard to campus issues.

Declarations of a democratic awakening or images of crowds creating human megaphones are idealized, and they will no doubt form a large portion of the stories told about the Occupy movement.

Its true merit, however, doesn’t lie in what it accomplishes by itself; its greatest potential lies in the way it inspires these more efficient small-scale movements, which can actually bring about concrete improvement.

The organizers of Occupy USC have talked about inspiring other California schools with their actions.

It is this kind of influence that can bring about change reminiscent of the Arab Spring that inspired the Occupy movement. The same cannot be said for those camping for days in a park.

Daniel Grzywacz is a sophomore majoring in cinematic arts-critical studies. His column “Thoughts From the Quad” runs Wednesdays.