Something really stuck with me from our latest reading, The Political Economy of Media by Robert W. McChesney. In his discussion on social change, McChesney states that it “will be determined by how we, the people, organize, respond, and act.” A topic of much discussion lately is the Occupy movement sweeping the nation. Despite his controversial stance on much to do with the media and government, I can’t help but notice he is definitely on to something. The Occupy movement is being compared by many to the Tea Party. And, most would agree that the Tea Party has definitely found organization, its voice, and action.
When he wrote this book, the Tea Party had not yet formed, the Arab Spring was in the distant future, the Occupy movement was non-existent, and the consumer voice had not yet created the strength and pressure on major corporations that it has begun to hold today. What is happening today definitely appears to be the beginning of change, and hopefully for the good. The formation of an organized Tea Party, the shift in operating strategy of Netflix and the cancellation of the debit card fee by Bank of America, are just a few examples of what is to come. You can’t ignore us, the people, any longer. We are finding our voice and it is beginning to work…
In Chapter 9, McChesney discusses the crisis in Public Broadcasting. What organization and action on behalf of the people needs to occur to ensure the Corporation for Public Broadcasting doesn’t encounter the same predicament as NASA and space travel?
What is the next step for the Occupy movement? What needs to occur for them to really have an effect on the political environment of this country?
Strategically Communicating 
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