Next Stop
LIVING IN OTTAWA involves facing activists on a daily basis. Whether it’s to join the Red Cross or sign a petition for Greenpeace, Ottawans often endure calls for a good cause, all because we live in the city with the Parliament buildings.
With so many demonstrations, petitions, and gatherings, it’s easy to tune them out altogether, but with Occupy Ottawa starting in the city last weekend, it’s time to tune back in. Though a lot of people in the world already have their eyes on the Occupy movement, students specifically should pay extra attention to it.
Yes, Occupy protesters are claiming to fight for the 99 per cent—the non-wealthy folk who were hit the hardest by the recession. But at the root of an endless list of demands are also unemployment and high debt, which affect students as much as anyone else.
It takes just one look at recent news articles about the movement to see countless stories of graduates stranded on a mountain of debt right next to the valley of unemployment. What we, as students, have to realize—and what Occupy Ottawa is trying to draw our attention to—is that we might be headed down the same path as them.
Some say the Occupy movement is fighting for everything wrong with the current economic and government systems, which is bound to include student rights. Time will tell whether the protests are effective or not, but one thing remains true: It’s growing, fast. What started in New York is now all over the world, including the very politically overactive city of Ottawa. A lot of people are getting fed up with the current economic power structure and its limitations, and there’s strength in the high numbers of protests.
U.S. President Barack Obama acknowledged the significance of the Occupy movement, as have many other politicians. The press is constantly updating followers of the protests with reports of new developments. Those in close proximity to the protests watch the movement live, and news reports say people are even spontaneously joining marches on the streets.
Say what you will about Occupy, but you can’t deny it’s snowballing—and the snowball is turning into an avalanche.
Because the list of demands continues to grow, the movement is inclusive. Because the main goal is change, anyone demanding it can stand with the protesters. It’s time we become a snowflake in the avalanche and tell not just our government, but the entire world, what we’re unhappy with.
Jane Lytvynenko
[email protected]
(613) 562-5260
