Labels and Wall Street

Labels and Wall Street

            Over the past few centuries several groups have been oppressed by a more dominating group. A few of these groups include homosexuals, women, and the wealthy. Feminists and gay rights activists helped break down the barriers that separated their non-dominant group from the dominant group. When it comes to the rich having more rights than the poor, the issue had not been challenged until recently. The Washington Post describes the situation as being a leaderless community of the 99%. The other 1% is the top households that own 30-40% of all privately held wealth (Gautney, 2011).  The Occupy movement does not believe in having a single leader. Even though they rotate people to lead discussions, anyone can join the conversation. According to this article there are several problems in different areas but no one problem is more important than another (Gautney, 2011).  The Journal Star explains how the occupy movement has moved into our town of Lincoln, NE. Over 500 people protested capitalist greed around the capital and near the governor’s home in October of 2011.  The people of Lincoln stated that the reason they are protesting is to get their voices heard (Cornwell, 2011). The Huffington Post state that the biggest and first Occupy movement was Occupy Wall Street. This Occupy started on September 17^th, 2011. On the 2 year anniversary of this Occupy, 100 protestors returned to show that they are still fighting for equality (Barr, 2013). The Occupy movement has since slowed. Although it seems to be disappearing to some, others claim that the movement is still strong and that the focus is on smaller groups solving more localized problems (Barr, 2013).

            The Occupy Movement shows a connection between a dominant group and a non-dominant group. Within the Occupy movement there are several different labels for each group. Martin and Nakayama state that we often use labels as signifiers to acknowledge particular aspects of our social identity (2010). First there are the wealthy and the poor. The poor view this label negatively and are trying to change the meaning of such labels while the wealthy are comfortable and proud of being wealthy. Another label that was assigned by the non-dominant group to themselves is “the 99%.” Although this label emphasizes that the non-dominant group indeed is not wealthy, it also gives a sense of pride by showing that they are part of a bigger community. By making this distinction, the 99 percenters hope to create a more clear picture for others and inform the country of the problems going on with capitalism and the distribution of wealth in the United States.

            The wealthy have a different perception than the poor due to the environment that surrounds them. Language is another aspect that shapes the way we perceive the world. As an English speaker I feel a sense of being at home in the United States. English dominates business and often people have the idea that English is the dominating language of the world. When people believe that English is the most important language it can distort one’s thought processes. Individuals who speak a language other than English may feel resentment toward the language and its speakers or feel as if the language is superior to their own. Individuals who speak English may be oblivious to the importance of learning other languages and the culture attached to them. It is important for English speakers to expand the languages that they speak in order to view the world in more than one way.

            It is apparent that the languages are different in the way they are spoken but there are different levels of communication within the language. Superiors in the United States may be treated differently from superiors in a different country. The components of language can help a person better understand how others expect to be communicated with verbally and nonverbally. Things such as eye contact, personal space, silence, and gestures play a big role on whether a person receives your message in the way you intended. These cultural aspects vary from language to language and can be the deciding factor in whether the message was received. In studying a new language a person learns the importance of nonverbal communication within the language and this helps to communicate better as a whole.

References

Gautney, H. (2011, October 10). What is Occupy Wall Street? The history of leaderless      movements. Retrieved from http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2011-10-     10/national/35277702_1_heather-gautney-movement-gay-rights

Cornwell, P. (2011, October 15). Hundreds step out to 'Occupy Lincoln'. Retrieved from             http://journalstar.com/news/local/hundreds-step-out-to-occupy-lincoln/article_14862b0e-   ef99-56dd-bb64-915744f8f82f.html

Barr, M. (2013, September 17). Occupy Wall Street Plans Rallies on Second Anniversary of           Movement. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/17/occupy-wall-   street-anniversary_n_3939995.html

Martin, J. N., & Nakayama, T. K. (2013). Intercultural communication in context. (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.