'Working Cut' with Campbell Jones senior lecturer of the dpt of sociology at the Auckland University
and the people of the Occupy Auckland movement Aotea Square October 2011
Genevieve McClean
I think that the root of it is the fact that one person is just going crazy getting more and more money even if they don't need it. We are 99%, and we are how much M... hey, hey, the one person has got to go. Hey, hey, be misled by your leaders. Yeah, we've got a common interest. Down, yes, have a shower. So if anybody wants to come to the toilet, I'll show you the trickle-down theory.
I say hi, hi, how's it going so far? Very well, very well. We've just had a victory. The 99% have just won in a game of rugby against 1%. Interestingly, afterwards, a police officer was saying to me that he thought it was a little bit rigged. He was surprised that 99% could win the game, and I think that's exactly the point of what we're doing here.
Saying yeah, wouldn't it be a surprise if the 99% won? You are useless, CS, in our machine, are the real we, and we are entitled to we here to play games of rugby. We're here to have fun, but also there's a really important message behind the movement. And that is that in a society like ours, increasingly, and in particular over the last 30 years, a very small group of people have taken control over decision-making processes, uh, through the mechanism of finance. They've been able to effectively control and make decisions about all of our lives.
Protesting against that, that's really what we're objecting to here. That's why we're here, because of the power of finance, because of the power of finance capital. Legislation that's retrospectively... yes, yes. The economy is incredibly healthy because we are incredibly wealthy.
Referee, the money, one issue. There's not one voice. What is very clear is the number of people are extremely angry, extremely upset about the injustices they see around them. And uh, for many years, for 20 or 30 years, we haven't really had a voice in which we can express that. Or if we have been able to express it, we've been told that the economic system is unchallengeable.
Now, what the events of the last few years have shown us very clearly is the economic system is arbitrary, it's unjust, and uh, that there are ways in which we can change it. Economically, it's incredibly healthy because we're incredibly wealthy.
Cheers, darling, cheers, darling. We can talk about... I think it was our actual line. Do you understand the problem with corrupted officials is that they may stay corrupted even after you pay them? Yes, that's a line up for 99%. We want us to stop being so crooked, conviction, um, and strength for believing and that we're willing to fight for it.
Um, and then you know we break down those barriers of fear that people have, that you know we can't come out and we can't stand for things we believe in. You know, once those barriers disappear, you know, once someone starts it and shows that they can stand up, then other people will will rally behind them.
The media, working with the buses, that's... [Applause] awesome. [Applause]
I have control of the who's got the money. We've got the money. What kind of money? I have hi, hi, hey, man, how's it going? Great, not too bad. And chatting with lots of people. It's really awesome. We're all equals. It's great. Beautiful. I really love how um, we're all passionate, we're all actively empowering others to create change in this world. And that's something we really need at the moment.
Um, just know that there's lots of people here that care, and we're intelligent beings, and that we're trying to do something. In your boot, oh well. The media is not really being too part on us. I mean, we own them, so... but generally in the long run, they just support the status quo, which is... [Applause] awesome.
Are incredibly rich, no problems at all down here. Uh, police been keeping the peace, and hopefully tonight, tomorrow night, they'll be doing the same again. If there is some conflict between two people, come to us. We can talk about it. Um, they pretty much cover today, sweet. Um, cuz yesterday we had a lot of buying from the general assembly that there were things to change. But overall, people seem to be happy with this process. But we are always open to more suggestions, obviously.
People put their hand up at a particular moment to do things, you know. Um, you know, like I'm speaking here. I'm not speaking on behalf of the group. I'm I'm representing my view, but uh, yeah, there's there's no specific leaders. We're... why do we have to do that now? What's the urgency? The urgency is that they need to be done by tonight, tomorrow morning. They have to come down, so at this point, the general assembly needs to come up with solutions on how to deal with this. Do this in small groups, and then have a spokesperson from each group come up with a solution that presents... [Applause] awesome.
We could be handing out propaganda here, talking about... we can put more banners on them. We could have people manning them. We could hand out things over them. Okay, a two solutions for... so we're going to check for consensus. The Proposal is to keep the fences up but keep ensure that they are friendly, welcoming, and in that sense...
One of the things that's interesting about this movement is the way that uh, people are experimenting with new ways of making decisions, uh, new consensus-based decision-making models. Um, and that's really interesting for people to learn that learn how to make decisions together in which we don't assume that one person's wrong and the other person's right. Um, so the kind of assumption is that by talking together, we can learn to come to... we can learn to come to uh, ideas that are better than what either of the two parties to the uh, dispute uh, think in the first place. That's interesting as well.
Oh, guys, this is the sweetest sweet grass. We love New Zealand. That's why we want to keep... [Music] $89. [Music] Um, all good with that music. Um, from the Occupy uh, campus Oakland Al... I'm the head chef of this establishment, and um, yeah, uh, we got top marks for our uh, kitchen. Council came in, and yeah, certified it A+ so yeah, that's great for me and my team, I guess, and everyone else out there. Um, yeah, it looks like um, people started to actually see the view of why we're here, and um, collaborating and getting together as a Unity as a unit, I guess, and uh, yeah, awesome. Big up. It's in such a good environment too, you know, like this is relax, positive vibe. It's nice. It's good to see.
What about the arena oil ship? What do you think about that, man? We're from... to... and it's just... man, like I was down when the when the ship first... you just couldn't believe how the inaction... just just it's just mind-blowing, like just there seem to be too many like people to talk to too many papers going this way and that way, there's no real action getting involved, and the people back there are just so... frust... I'm moving to... when are you... um...