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Sep. 30th, 2011 12:26 pm There's a strange convergence between my classes and the Occupy Wall Street movement. On alternate days I am either reading and discussing the alternative comics movement, or 'tactical media' artistic interventions in the context of revolution. Then I read about the protests gaining steam, and I think, I should join this. And then I think, but I'm moving to Canada so soon.
There are spin-off protests in Toronto and Vancouver too, and I can see why-- Harper is awful-- but I realised, as I was reading about the Zapatistas, why I think Canada is so superior:
In Canada, there are still people for me to elect.
The conservatives won the last election but I don't think they'll win the next. And I think an NDP government would actually be different. In the U.S., I don't have anyone to vote for - the Democrats and Republicans are pretty much identical in every way that matters to me, and the Greens will never get elected. In Canada, I'm still satisfied with the traditional process.
Maybe, having grown up in the U.S., I should care more about the country, not be so ready to write the whole thing off. But I don't think it's fixable without decades of work, and I don't want to give the U.S. those decades of my life. I'm moving to Canada in May.
There are spin-off protests in Toronto and Vancouver too, and I can see why-- Harper is awful-- but I realised, as I was reading about the Zapatistas, why I think Canada is so superior:
In Canada, there are still people for me to elect.
The conservatives won the last election but I don't think they'll win the next. And I think an NDP government would actually be different. In the U.S., I don't have anyone to vote for - the Democrats and Republicans are pretty much identical in every way that matters to me, and the Greens will never get elected. In Canada, I'm still satisfied with the traditional process.
Maybe, having grown up in the U.S., I should care more about the country, not be so ready to write the whole thing off. But I don't think it's fixable without decades of work, and I don't want to give the U.S. those decades of my life. I'm moving to Canada in May.
