Date of Award
Spring 5-10-2014
Degree Type
Thesis
Department
Languages, Literatures and Cultures
Director of Thesis
Jason Osborne
First Reader
Christian Price
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to expose the actual goal behind the Occupy Wall Street Movement. The paper discusses the criticism behind the Occupy Wall Street movement for its apparent lack of goals. It then takes a retrospective look back to the establishment and founding organization, Adbusters, for answers on a “one demand” or goal. From here it will discuss the founding body, Adbusters, and its philosophical and political ideology. After this, the paper will tie facets of the Occupy Wall Street movement back to Adbusters and their philosophy of mental environmentalism in order to show that mental environmentalism was the goal of the movement all along. The paper uses newspaper sources for historical events and relies heavily on Adbusters’ founder Kalle Lasn and senior editors of the Adbusters magazine for information on mental environmentalism. It also references Kalle Lasn’s book “Culture Jam” throughout the paper. The book Culture Jam is Adbusters founder Kalle Lasn’s quasi-manifesto on how to enact a culture jamming movement, and how this alleviates the mental environment. Being that Adbusters made the call for the movement and coined the name “Occupy Wall Street,” Kalle Lasn’s book is a major part of drawing the connections between Adbusters’ goal which ultimately is the same goal as the movement.
Recommended Citation
Menees, Jay, "Mental Environmentalism: The True Goal of the Occupy Wall Street Movement" (2014). Senior Theses. 24.
https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/senior_theses/24
Rights
© 2014, Jay Menees