Author Archives: David S. Meyer

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About David S. Meyer

Author and professor of Sociology and Political Science at the University of California, Irvine

Occupy and the politics of blame

Posted on October 20, 2011 by David S. Meyer

In wanting to speak for the “99 percent,” Occupy Wall Street–and its allied campaigns around the country–has defined a constituency and a target.  The argument is that the economy and government work for only a small percentage of Americans, and … Continue reading →

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How movements work: David Letterman

Posted on October 18, 2011 by David S. Meyer

Social movements succeed by raising issues and giving other people the opportunity to address them.  We call this agenda setting, but it’s not just the agenda in Congress or a state legislature; it’s also what people talk about. Bill Clinton … Continue reading →

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Occupy Irvine

Posted on October 17, 2011 by David S. Meyer

I took my seven year old daughter to Occupy Irvine, a part of Occupy Orange County, on the lawn in front of City Hall on Saturday.  What follows is just one report on one relatively small event out of nearly … Continue reading →

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Wall Street still occupied!

Posted on October 14, 2011 by David S. Meyer

Maybe it was the petitions to stay the eviction bouncing around the internet (Moveon.org had one) and gathering tens of thousands of signatures in short order.  Maybe it was the Occupiers’ new Good Neighbor program–accompanied by vigorous cleaning efforts.  Maybe … Continue reading →

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Pushing out Occupy Wall Street

Posted on October 13, 2011 by David S. Meyer

Political and practical opponents to the Zuccotti Park Occupation are now visible on the horizon. The political opponents probably help.  National Tea Party organizations have begun to use Occupy as an occasion for fundraising (as Robin Pravender and Kenneth P. … Continue reading →

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Occupy Wall Street needs an exit strategy

Posted on October 11, 2011 by David S. Meyer

Starting a large enterprise without having a clear idea of how it could end is risky and dangerous.  (Ask George W. Bush about the wisdom of plotting an exit strategy.)  Now that Occupy Wall Street has succeeded in getting public … Continue reading →

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Managing the fringe

Posted on October 10, 2011 by David S. Meyer

When an estimated 100-200 antiwar activists marched on the National Air and Space museum this weekend, they took the Occupy DC name.  Occupy DC, in turn, was a name claimed by already organized groups of activists who wanted to demonstrate … Continue reading →

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Occupy Wall Street versus the Tea Party (I)

Posted on October 8, 2011 by David S. Meyer

Perhaps predictably, the comments section of the Washington Post in response to my op-ed has provided a space for typists to rail against me in making their own political points.  The notion that I would dare to compare the Occupiers … Continue reading →

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What Occupy Wall Street Learned from the Tea Party

Posted on October 8, 2011 by David S. Meyer

This appears in the Washington Post’s Sunday Outlook Section. [I’m fascinated by the range of responses in the comment section.] The Occupy Wall Street movement, three weeks strong and gaining momentum, reminds us that tea partyers aren’t the only people … Continue reading →

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An Agenda for the Occupiers?

Posted on October 5, 2011 by David S. Meyer

One of the gripes, cautions, criticisms of the emergence of a movement of Occupiers is the lack of a coherent agenda.  (I’ve also made these points.) But take a look at We are the 99 percent http://wearethe99percent.tumblr.com/ and see if … Continue reading →

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