Connecting our discussion of Sartre's responsibility and current events. One thing comes to mind: "Occupy" Wall Street Movement. I am not making a declaration of my views, but only trying to see how this relates to our discussions in class.
Even if you do not have the slightest ideas about this movement, you more than likely have heard about it. While the movement started on Wall Street, it has vastly expanded to other areas of the country. Surprisingly, it has even been picked up around the world.
What is so important about this movement is that it is a response to how the our society is operating. It is a push for social and economic change. Even though (I think) that Sartre would proudly support this movement, is it good for our country?
Lately, I have been watching the news, trying to pick up on what this movement was really about. But I have not been able to pinpoint what exactly it is demanding of the government and of corporations. Either way, I realize that it is just a response to the social and economic strains of society. People want change. The numbers frequently pops up on the television screen: 99% and 1%. This division within our society is relevant. But does the movement further divide us? These numbers are absolutely polar opposites. I feel as if this is the reaction that Sartre wanted. Are Sartre's radical ideas harm us or do us good? He wants people to respond to "injustice" even if it only at a subjective perspective. Apparently, also, many people feel this way. Sartre's ideas on responsibility, to me, are a call-to-action. And this is a prime example of that, currently.
If people felt that the corporations and government are unjust, then they are responsible for it. To say that there is nothing that people can do about this injustice is to say that they are not free; it is to say that they are mere objects and are completely subservient to his/her facticity. By responding to their beliefs, they are promoting their transcendence.
Please feel free to tell me what you think. Correct this, add to it, respond to it. I really want feedback and I am looking for other ways to connect Sartre to current affairs. I think that this would be a good way for me and others to put Sartre's ideas into perspective. I think that the "occupy" movement is a great place to start because it is really growing. I am not looking for opinions about the movement though, just the connection.
I am inclined to disagree with you, although I think you've raised an excellent point. On the one hand, you are right that the people of Occupy Wall Street are taking a stand, making a statement. They are exerting their freedom and demanding that changes be made. On the other hand, I don't think that they are in line with Sartre's concept of freedom. The people of Occupy Wall Street are rebelling against the current economic system because they feel that their economic troubles are a result of the system. By saying this, these people are placing the responsibility of their situation elsewhere, and without accepting responsibility for themselves, they cannot claim to be free.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if I clearly relayed my thoughts, but I think a discussion of Occupy Wall Street is very relevant to Sartre, and I'm really glad you brought it up.
While the grievances of individual protesters in laying their troubles at the door of the political and economic system may not stand up to a Satrean analysis, on the whole I think Phong is right in connecting the logic of movement such as Occupy Wall Street to Sartre's notion of radical responsibility; since our ability to choose encompasses facts in the world for which we are not directly responsible (such as the existence of the present economic system under which these grievances exist), the individual lives of others become something for which we are responsible; "The personal is the political" as the Yippies used to say. Sartre's notion of responsibility, at first blush radically individualist, thus lends itself to a collectivist political ethic (he was a Marxist, after all).
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