Abstract

On July 13, 2011, a blog entry on the website of Adbusters, a Vancouver-based antiglobalization group known primarily for its satirical mock advertisements, put out a call for demonstrations on Wall Street that would echo those of Egypt that drove Mubarak out of power. Although the movement would soon become associated with the maldistribution of wealth and income under the unifying slogan “We are the 99%,” the original call for action actually touched on a broader range of issues:

[I]nstead of being caught helpless by the current power structure, we the people start getting what we want whether it be the dismantling of half the 1,000 military bases America has around the world to the reinstatement of the Glass-Steagall Act or a three strikes and you’re out law for corporate criminals. Beginning from one simple demand – a presidential commission to separate money from politics – we start setting the agenda for a new America.