Watch the Throne: The Occupy Wall Street Image Emily Fister From an Adbusters apparition to the mainstream New York Times, the Occupy Wall Street movement has found its voice. Now that demonstrations have been underway in the United States for over a month and have continued in Canada, Average Joes and media moguls alike are watching the throne. It’s time to see who wants to fight the powers that be – and for what reason. Kanye West, college dropout and reigning king of the rap industry, has immersed himself in the 99 percent. Is this a mockery of social protest? After all, last week he was in his other-other Benz. As a West fan and like-minded rap prodigy (kidding, but I did pen a verse or two at my office job this past summer), I give him props. It’s hard to sift through what’s being done for a cause and what’s being done simply to gain capital in 2011. This is the paradoxical media age we live in, when TV shows like 16 and Pregnant are debatably educational. Adbusters is controversial, not only in content, but also in its pro-activism image. Despite its adfree counterculture tone, the magazine is cashing in on the rebel cause at around 10 bucks an issue. For an “anti-capitalist” publication, the magazine seems to bask in its own image, promoting pages of “Buy Nothing Day” between subscription cards. Moreover, the magazine’s endorsement of the ethically-made Blackspot shoe as a “tool for activists” has inspired similar movement with the product lines TOMS Shoes and Skecher’s BOBS Shoes. These promotions beg the question: is Adbusters just a trendsetter? In the same way, trendsetter Kanye West is (to quote rapper Tyler, the Creator) a walking paradox. Raised in a middle-class family, West hardly appears humble. At a recent Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) award show, he professed his near-tear-worthy love for designer Phoebe Philo. Yet, when he sheds his shutter shades, West reveals empathy for the everyday American. During the Katrina relief days, his infamous statement “George Bush doesn’t care about black people” stirred up a media frenzy. At the end of the protesting day, the difference between making a change and making some change is blurred. The media is on the fritz again about the West way of making grandiose statements. The New York Times featured the short article, “Kanye West Visits Occupy Wall Street Without Removing Gold Chains”, depicting the rapper/producer as merely flashing and flaunting his wealth and then fleeing the scene. Some may call this a taunting tactic, but I think it’s an empathetic symbol of rags to riches. He shows that there doesn’t have to be a divide between the haves and have-nots. West bridges the gap between picketers and fat cats. Standing on Wall Street, his image says: “No one man should have all that power.” And no one really should – not Kanye, and not Wall Street. But if they do, they should at least consider their impact on the 99 percent.
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/ pulp / Arts Magazine