City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 10-2014 Occupy Wall Street's Challenge to an American Public Transcript Christopher Neville Leary Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/324 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] OCCUPY WALL STREET’S CHALLENGE TO AN AMERICAN PUBLIC TRANSCRIPT by Christopher Leary A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in English in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, The City University of New York 2014 This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in English in satisfaction of the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Dr. Ira Shor ________ _ 5/21/2014 __________________ ______ Date Chair of Examining Committee __Dr. Mario DiGangi ______________ _________________________ Date Executive Officer Dr. Jessica Yood Dr. Ashley Dawson Supervisory Committee THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK ii Abstract OCCUPY WALL STREET’S CHALLENGE TO AN AMERICAN PUBLIC TRANSCRIPT by Christopher Leary Adviser: Dr. Ira Shor This dissertation examines the rhetoric and discourses of the anti-corporate movement Occupy Wall Street, using frameworks from political ethnography and critical discourse analysis to offer a thick, triangulated description of a single event, Occupy Wall Street’s occupation of Zuccotti Park. The study shows how Occupy achieved a disturbing positionality relative to the forces which routinely dominate public discourse and proposes that Occupy’s encampment was politically intolerable to the status quo because the movement held the potential to consolidate critical thought and action. Because the “soft” means of re-capturing public consent were weak in 2011 because of the 2008 economic collapse, the dominant figure in this encounter, billionaire Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York, led the way to instruments of “hard” persuasion, culminating in the orchestrated assault carried out on November 15th, an operation that saw the media sequestered, at night, in the dark, with no filmed images allowed or possible, and all street access blocked to supporters of Occupy. The use of “hard persusion” by the authorities in response to Occupy’s discursive threat clarifies how reality is constituted through discursive and material action and suggests that alternative discourse and action has the power to reconstitute reality, redistributing power and working in opposition to human suffering and oppression. iii Acknowledgements I would like to thank a number of people who made this dissertation better. Special thanks to my adviser Dr. Ira Shor. In addition to offering extremely generous and helpful feedback on many, many drafts, he frequently sent me links to news articles following Occupy’s aftermath, which enabled me to keep my finger on the pulse of oppositional rhetoric even while I drafted the chapters. I could turn to him nearly round the clock for clarification on what I was reading, for advice on chapter organization, and so on. I feel very fortunate to have him as my adviser. I would also like to thank the members of my committee, Dr. Jessica Yood and Dr. Ashley Dawson. They graciously plowed through rough drafts and advised me on what to keep, what to throw out, what to elaborate, and what to refine. Dr. Yood helped me to contextualize my work within the field of rhetoric and composition, and Dr. Dawson helped me to contextualize Occupy within global resistance movements. Although not on my committee, Dr. Harry Denny helped me to understand how rhetorical studies can integrate seamlessly with teaching and mentorship. My co-worker, Connie DeSimone, served as a confidant and sounding board on a near-daily basis. And Dr. David Humphries, the Chair of the Queensborough Community College English Department, offered wise counsel and support during the final stages of the dissertation. I am grateful for the love and support and support of my friends and family. In particular, my parents, Mary Leary and Tom Leary, taught me how to read books and how to read the world. My intelligent and caring brothers – Kevin, Colin, and Nikhil – advised me on finance, urban planning, and medical matters as they related to Occupy iv Wall Street. I also owe a great deal to Dr. Rajni Batra and Dr. Narendra Batra as well, for their wisdom and friendship. I met my wonderful wife, Priyanka, just as I began my journey toward a doctoral degree, meaning that she only knows the version of me who is a doctoral student. Her patience, wisdom, and encouragement throughout this whole process cannot be captured in words. No matter the problem – sentence-level revision, loss of confidence, theoretical ambiguities, office politics, you name it – she is always there with brilliant and sympathetic advice. Thank you Priyanka! v Contents Introduction: circulation of discourses in periods of crisis 1 1. Chapter 1: Intersecting with Occupy 12 1.1. 2008 Financial Meltdown and Aftermath 18 1.2. First Encounter with Zuccotti 28 1.3. Field Study of Occupy 30 1.4. Studying Occupy Off-site 41 2. Chapter 2: Challenging the Public Transcript 56 2.1. What Occupy Was Up Against 57 2.2. How Did Occupy Break Through? 62 2.3. Physical Occupation of Meaningful Space 63 2.4. Unsupervised Channels for Circulation of Discourse 80 2.5. Major Media Treatment of Occupy 881 2.6. Occupy’s Own Channels for Circulating Discourse 86 2.7. Escaping Sequestration 92 3. Chapter 3: Restoring the Public Transcript 96 3.1. Plan A: Ignoring or Downplaying Occupy 100 3.2. Plan B: Undermining Opposition 105 3.3. A Hidden Transcript in the U.S. 111 3.4. The Root of Occupy’s Charisma 117 3.5. Plan C: Turning to the Monopoly on Violence 127 4. Chapter 4: Conclusion 151 4.1. Americans Dubious about Occupy Methods 154 4.2. Reverse Distinction 158 4.3. occupying and Occupying 161 Works Cited 165 vi List of Figures Figure 1: In the heart of New York City, a marginalized narrative reached thousands of daily visitors. 2 Figure 2: Tourists stopped to check out the many intriguing spectacles, like impromptu guitar jams. 9 Figure 3: After the eviction. 12 Figure 4: Walking into downtown on 9/11, on the morning of the terrible attacks, no subways running, thousands streaming out of Manhattan at police instruction. 14 Figure 5: My commute past Zuccotti Park to the Staten Island Ferry Terminal. 17 Figure 6: A Sign impugns Wall Street for "taking bold risks with other people's money." 21 Figure 7: Hank Paulson, Treasury Secretary overseeing the 2008 bank bailouts, had previously been CEO of Goldman. 23 Figure 8: Working Groups underway at 60 Wall Street. 33 Figure 9: During the Occupy demonstrations, metal barriers kept the public from approaching the New York Stock Exchange. 35 Figure 10: Demonstrators preparing for another day of anti-Wall Street activism in Zuccotti Park. 36 Figure 11: Rain or shine, the Occupy Kitchen was always already serving breakfast to demonstrators by the time I got to the park at 8:50 a.m. 37 Figure 12: Campers at Zuccotti Park were not happy when Occupy leaders moved tents around. 38 Figure 13: Some demonstrators used the peaceful morning hours to prepare signs for the day's actions. 42 Figure 14: The New York Post used its front cover to undermine Occupy. 43 Figure 15: The Library Started off as an outdoor library but the growing selection and the threat of rain caused Occupy librarians to seek a structure to house the collection. 50 Figure 16: This tent didn’t last long because entering and exiting was a hassle. 50 Figure 17: Rock-and-roll legend Patti Smith came through by donating a suitable structure. 51 Figure 18: “Fort Patti.” 51 Figure 19: On the night of the eviction, the Occupy Library was a place to socialize and browse books. 52 Figure 20: After the eviction, Occupy librarians kept doing their thing. 52 Figure 21: A wooden structure that facilitated their water-treatment strategies. 53 Figure 22: Public tents. 53 Figure 23: The Occupy medical tent was staffed by licensed doctors and nurses.. 54 Figure 24: A ceremony performed at the Occupy Community Altar. 54 Figure 25: Zuccotti encampment on November 10th. 55 Figure 26: During the Great Depression, tent cities built by unemployed and homeless were nicknamed "Hoovervilles," because President Hoover had not taken action to avert the depression.. 69 Figure 27: Sign in Zuccotti Park, "Wolves of Wall St. Give Wolves a Bad Name." 70 Figure 28: Occupy demonstrator critiquing the influence of corporate money on the U.S. government. 71 Figure 29: Tourists in Lower Manhattan frequently stopped to take pictures. 73 vii Figure 30: Symbolic of Occupy’s support for climate justice, stationary bikes attached to generators demonstrated an alternative to burning fossil fuels. 74 Figure 31: After the eviction, the gentleman with the grey hair congratulated police officers. 76 Figure 32: Students studying Occupy Wall Street at Zuccotti Park. 78 Figure 33: Students studying Occupy Wall Street. 78 Figure 34: Students studying Occupy Wall Street. 79 Figure 35: This demonstrator could be found at the edge of Zuccotti Park nearly every morning. 80 Figure 36: Unfavorable infographic from New York Magazine, published on October 2nd, 2011. 84 Figure 37: Freely accessible WiFi made Zuccotti Park a good place to broadcast Occupy discourse. 89 Figure 38: At Zuccotti Park, demonstrators displayed The New York Post's latest smears against them.