Occupy Sydney

Matt Granfield is a typical Gen Y guy with a social conscience. He joined his friends in protesting at the Occupy Sydney movement. His Uncle Barry was shocked to see him on the television. The Vietnam war veteran doesn’t understand what Matt’s generation could possibly have to complain about. While Matt thinks his Uncle, with his Medicare assisted health care and addiction to consumer goods, should question what he hears on the news every night. Below is a copy of their email exchange.

From: Barry Granfield Sent: Sunday, 30 October 2011 10:20 AM
To: Matt Granfield
Subject: Occupy Wall Street Protests

Dear Matthew, I saw you on the news last week. I have to say, I’m most disappointed. This Occupy Sydney thing is a farce. I know you’ll say it’s hypocritical of me, but back in the 70s we were fighting against The Vietnam War and a government who locked people in jail for refusing to be conscripted. We had a good reason. This is just silly. What on earth are you protesting against? And since when did you learn to play the bongos?

Uncle Barry

Continue reading "In my day, we had a whole war to protest about" »

The Occupy movement has certainly been grabbing the headlines over the last week.

Apart from the protests that simultaneously occurred in capital cities around Australia, there was also the controversial police evictions of both the Melbourne and Sydney sites.

In the latest news, it was reported that there are concerns that Occupy Melbourne will be targeting a protest towards the Queen when she visits the city later today.

Continue reading "It’s a bit rich to just dismiss the poor Occupiers" »

The Occupy Wall Street movement’s Australian offshoots in Melbourne and Sydney were ejected from their places of gathering on Friday and Sunday respectively. There were bloody scenes in Melbourne and in Sydney protestors awoke at 5am to find themselves being dragged away by police. That’s not the biggest problem the Occupy movement is facing though, writes Lauren Rosewarne. 

About five or six students from my year level at high school ended up at Melbourne Uni. Most of them I spotted in the first week or so; it took a year and a half for me to eye the only one I really wanted to see.

And there he was. Mid-1999. Crouched down on a footpath, scrawling out in huge letters: “Students for Chalk”. He didn’t stick around too long after that.

I was thinking about him and his postmodern protest the other day when 40-odd Occupy protestors crossed my path in Amherst, Massachusetts, where I’m currently working. One kid, probably all of nineteen, waved a giant “Fuck da Police” placard at me. A cheeky grin on his face.

Continue reading "The Occupy movement needs a point, not Kanye West" »