Avoiding homework in college is fairly easy. We all procrastinate. We all find something better to do. Facebook is in our face 24/7. So is the girl/guy we love to text. But right now, I’ve taken a break from my paper to write about something else; something that is inspiring. A movement that I have not had much involvement in, but nonetheless a movement I believe is healthy and necessary. As you may have already guessed, it’s the Occupy Wall Street movement. At this point I don’t even want to call it Occupy Wall Street. It has spread throughout or world and it could be regarded as Occupy Planet Earth. Regardless of the different grievances of the different occupy movements throughout the world, and within our very own “occupy” movements such as Occupy Boston, this is inherently something positive for the world. After attending the Alianza Latina meeting, titled “Occupy or Not”, I came away with three things I knew were certain. I knew that this movement was necessary, healthy, and complicated. 

                People are occupying areas because there is no other means of getting their voices across. How can we as a people of America voice our opinions when corporations clearly have the money to easily make their voices much louder and stronger than the masses? There is no argument that can prove that this is fair. How is it fair? How is it democracy? Its democracy fueled by economic status. This isn’t what our Founding Father wanted. This isn’t what our troops fought to preserve. This essay or article won’t touch all the issues faced within the Occupy movement, but I believe that this is one of the most important and key reasons the movement began. Where is our voice? This is our voice, now is the time. It’s necessary for us to act as such. We have been sleeping on what it truly means to be an American citizen. We have woken up America. Pay attention to your people.

                Secondly, in a democracy, movements as such are absolutely the greatest signs of moving towards a healthy democracy. We are all in this, together. All races, ethnicities, ages, socioeconomic, and cultures vary. Our grievances vary. But we are voicing them! We are out on the streets doing what democracy is really about, voicing our direct opinions. There is not a representative for the masses. We are a consortium of voices within the masses of the Occupy movements. It is pure absolute democracy. The fact that people are becoming politically active and engaged is incredible and a positive sign for this country.

                This whole “thing”, “revolution” or movement is complicated; let’s face it. But there’s one thing that’s even harder to voice, social change. We need to change the way we are as a nation, as a people, as a culture. What has our media, stars, and technology done to us? We’re more focused on being like the stars, applying lyrics to our lives, and dying for the newest iPhone. We need to start caring about more important things in life. We’re all on this planet together. We have to live together. It’s assumed that we’re “Just tryna be successful”, as Drake would say. But do we really need the latest iPhone and expensive NorthFace? Couldn’t our time and money go to better causes?  If we could learn to do something about what bothers us instead of accepting, appeasing and tolerating the way life is, we would live in a different world. This movement will be in our children’s history books. Hopefully, our children will live in a different world, while still avoiding college assignments.

Andres Vargas