I’ve seen a significant amount of misunderstanding on the concept of the claim that “we are the 99%”.  Most of the misunderstanding seems to come from skeptics as to the movement’s purpose and effectiveness (which is rather annoying, actually).  So, to combat the confusion, I thought I’d take a little bit of time to explain the concept in a little bit of depth.

So what does that mean for everyone else?  It means that if you don’t fall in the 1% category, then you are a part of the 99%.  Whether you like it or not.  So, let’s take a moment to explore these implications further…

This movement, as a whole, has targeted the wealthiest 1%.  When we say that we are the 99%, we are not saying that we have 100% support from the 99%.  We are members of the 99%, and we are expressing our grievances to the injustice that is affiliated with the graphs above.  There are, after all, consequences that are attached to those graphs.  So how about those who “disagree” with the movement’s motives and objectives?

The beauty behind this movement is that as long as you are a member of the 99% financially (as outlined by Congress in the charts above), then your views and ideas are also represented in the movement.  The movement itself is composed of a body of people that disagree with each other on a wide range of issues.  Since the movement is also composed of everyone’s opinions on various issues, this means that you are also a member of the 99% ideologically as well.

We function as individuals.  Those that you see marching, protesting, and occupying have elected to do so on their own accord.  Those who are against the protesters and disagree with the occupiers are still a part of the equation and therefore the movement.  Their ideas are taken in and reviewed on the individual level and are considered just as important as everyone else’s.

If you decide not to partake in the movement, then all it means is that your voice will not be heard.  It doesn’t mean that you are excluded, nor does it mean that your ideas are worthless or unacceptable.

We are the 99%.  The only “us” and “them” that can be found in our vocabulary is merely mathematical.  Hopefully this clears up the confusion.

It appears that the “Vulcan people” are less than supportive to the 99% and those that are fighting for them.  They have issued a “cease and desist” order in response to the silhouette of the Vulcan statue that has been used as a logo and symbol of the Occupy Birmingham front.  Should this be surprising?

I believe so. According to the park’s website:

“Merchants began to use him for advertising, and over the years he held various objects, such as a giant ice cream cone, a pickle sign and a Coke bottle. Later he wore a giant pair of Liberty overalls. In the 1930s he was repainted in flesh tones. Also, people only saw him for the few weeks the fair was open each year.”

The site goes on to say:

“In 1946, some safety-minded citizens decided Vulcan should remind everyone to drive carefully. Instead of his newly forged spear, he now held a cone-shaped, lighted beacon. This signal glowed green on days no one was killed in an auto accident and red on days when there was a fatality.”

There have been points in the Vulcan statue’s history when the statue itself was painted, dressed up, and used as advertising for private companies.  What Occupy Birmingham has done, was create a silhouette of the statue to use as an icon for the movement.  And this prompted a “cease and desist” order?  Really?!

What a miserable way to learn that Mr. Vulcan stands tall amongst the ranks of the 1%.  It’s rather appropriate, however, when one considers that he was restored by money from the 99%:

“Realizing Vulcan’s importance to the region’s history, city leaders sought public support for its restoration, forming the non-profit Vulcan Park Foundation. The foundation would oversee a master plan to return this colossal statue to his 1904 grandeur.”

Aside from the fact that this guy was restored by the public, for the public, somebody down there doesn’t seem to think that a featureless, solid black silhouette of him is “legal” for public use.  Is he being held hostage?

Katherine Billmeier was the Executive Director of Vulcan Park from 1999-2004, which includes the period in which this humble statue was restored.  While she may not have been able to take money from the coffers and stuff her pockets full, she certainly made no bones about coauthoring a book and selling it in the park’s gift shop in 2004.

Legal?  Perhaps, perhaps not.  Dirty?  You bet ‘cha!  After all, as the Executive Director, you can pretty much determine what goes on the shelves (that were paid for with public money), and what stays off of them. If there was anything about the story of the “Vulcan people” that should require a “cease and desist” order, that is far more deserving than the usage of a silhouette that belongs to us anyway.

Nevertheless, we are in the works of finding a more suitable symbol of who we are as a Birmingham occupation movement.  And we will consider replacing Mr. Vulcan in the near future.