The Occupy Movement is an international movement that seeks to make the economic and political relations in all societies equitable to all, making conditions less vertically hierarchical and more evenly distributed on a leveled playing field. This movement is organized and run, by individuals who have experienced economic inequality usually as a result of corporate greed. It also helps people who are affected by the economic situation or the present state of the economic situation which continually positions some individuals in a marginalized situation, (“Occupy Together, 2015). The Occupy Movement is comprised of local groups around the world from different backgrounds who have different objectives. Among the movement's prime concerns is the belief that large corporations and the global financial system control the world in a way that disproportionately benefits a minority and undermines democracy, (“Occupy Together”, 2015). This movement received wide coverage at its first Occupy protest in Occupy Wall Street in New York City, which began on September 17, 2011, (“Occupy Together”, 2015) . By October, Occupy protests had taken place or were ongoing in over ninety five cities across eighty two countries and over seven hundred communities in the United States, (“Occupy Together”, 2015). Although most active now in the United States in over five hundred cities, there have been Occupy protests in many other countries across the world including our very own, Occupy Toronto movement which began in October 2011 (..........)
In the book Occupy the Economy Wolff's argues that capitalism is the economic crisis that has affected today's society and has been the worst crisis since the events of the Great Depression. He states that many individuals have lost their jobs, homes and health care. In addition, those who are employed lost their pensions, while benefits and job security slowly disappear, (Wolff, 2012). Furthermore, Wolff argues that the system continues to make the wealthy richer and the poor, poorer. He explains that this particular crisis begun back in the 1970's when the capitalist system changed and prevented workers from receiving an increase in wages, (Wolff, 2012). Therefore, the rich became even richer by exploiting workers, who make up the majority of the population, (Wolff, 2012). The Occupy Movement began to exist as a result of these inequalities for the purpose of seeking change (Wolff, 2012). Moreover, the Occupy Movement consists of people who come from the working and middle class whose aim is to create real change starting from the bottom and moving upwards, (“Occupy Together”,2015). In addition, The Occupy Movement aims to fight back against the system that allows the rich to become wealthier and those who lack wealth to become poorer, (Wolff, 2012). Furthermore, individuals are frustrated with the fact that the wealthy hold all the power and are the ones who create the rules governing an unbalanced and inequitable global economy, (Wolff, 2012). Therefore, foreclosing on the future of many working and middle class individuals and their families, (Trudell, 2012 ). Additionally, the Occupy Movement has helped rebuild class solidarity and communities of mutual support on a level unseen since the time of the Great Depression, (Chomsky, 2001). Furthermore, the Occupy Movement extemporaneously created something that does not really exist in societies. It has developed communities of mutual support, cooperation, open spaces for discussion and the simple act of people helping each other (Chomsky, 2001). Wolff states, the importance of the Occupy movement was and is positioning its defiance to capitalism front and center among its concerns and dedications despite the power of pro-capitalist ideology. The Occupy movement has been able to challenge it in exceptionally abstruse ways in an amazingly short time and for an astonishing number of Americans (Wolff, 2012). This paper will illustrate how the