My day at Occupy Seattle

When the sun shines, and air and sun team up to create warmth — in October, mind you, with the cool daily drizzle ready to dominant the coming months — Seattle people would be wise to make-a-day-of-it. I went-a-protestin'.

Now, I've been to a few protests, and in those experiences, I've found it quite difficult to maintain interest and energy (chanting the same shit over and over, listening to rally speakers... I end up tip-toeing away within an hour... and on a sunny day? Fuck! I knew I wouldn't last long). Therefore, I went a slightly different route: character performance.

I figured I'd flip the argument — knowing that "bankers are bad", and "we're getting screwed by the rich and powerful" would be a dominant theme of the day — I designed to become the rich and powerful, and offer the good people of Seattle thanks for all they do for me... I became The Happy Banker.

The costume was simple: a dark suit was out of the question, so I went with the bounciest business attire I had on hand (pink and blue tie). I made a little paper-sun cutout, wrote "It's Always Sunny in Banker-ville" on one side, drew a sunglassed smily face on the other, and used a coat hanger to attach it to my shirt. I was reluctant to make a sign, but ultimately did, both sides were notes of thanks:

A) Dear American Mythos, Your Worship of the Rich and Hatred for the Poor makes me a Happy Banker!
B) Dear Police and Politicians, You Protect My Right to Pillage and Privatize the Planet. You're the best, all my love, Happy Banker.

The plan was to stroll around Seattle's shopping district (the Occupy Seattle protest/rally was in the same space) and thank people for all the banker-loving behavior they engage in. The protest itself, as expected, was concentrated in one area, with very little protestor to non-protestor interaction... there were a few circles where people seemed to be entrenched in discussion... but the majority of people were quietly standing around awaiting instructions (as you do). So, I jumped into character and went at it... here are a few of my go-to moves:

1) Chanting: "Spend! Spend! Spend! Spend! (as I danced down the street)
2) Encouraging people, "remember to keep voting for whichever party you vote for... a vote for them is a vote for me!"
3) Telling drivers (lots of rolled-down windows yesterday) that is was time for a new car (I only yelled this to people driving new cars)
4) Chanting: "Impulse Buy! Impulse Buy! Just put it on the credit card! Impulse Buy!"
5) Simply asking people if they used a bank card today, when they said yes (as the almost always did), I thanked them.
6) People that were either sitting or standing still would get a "why aren't you spending money?" or "Go shopping! Right now!"
7) Standing in front of the houses of JP Morgan and Bank of America, I demanded passers-by "give thanks and praise to your betters"

And a lot more of that kind of stuff. The pace proved exhausting. Most of my exchanges took place in the 4 to 5 seconds in which you can speak to someone as you walk past each other, and in such quick succession that I only had time to gasp a breath and readjust my smile before finding my next good consumer to praise — all told, I had hundreds of these exchanges. I took a harder line a few times. Standing in front of The GAP, I celebrated the mostly young-ish who entered and exited regarding how GREAT! it is to be an impulsive clothes-shopper... as opposed to the "unfortunate indignity" that Vietnamese seamstresses experience for 64 cents an hour. Needless to say, those exchanges contained some less-than-playful venom, combined with the "Huh?" quizzical glances from the kids who shop at GAP... and I returned to my safer style within a few minutes.

Stressing how idiotic consumerism is, rather than its effects on the distance people and places who are disproportionately crapped on, felt like a weak move on my part... but, I supposed most people would be more affected by the insinuation that they are foolish and wasting their own life rather than criticizing a slightly indirect series of actions that steps on a foreign stranger and the land base (because, ya know, nobody really gives a shit about any of that?).

The overall reception ranged from indifference to smiles and laughs (only a few "get a life" style retorts). Ostensibly, the pedestrians in Seattle's shopping district understood what I was up to... they knew I was mocking our often mindless consumerism and the disgusting nature of global capitalism, but since I wasn't threatening,   perhaps my message might have had a little more room to sneak in? I dunno. The 5 o'clock March went one way and I was going the other, I headed home, pleased with my performance, happy to have been able to enjoy the day.

Despite all my fun, the reality of this fucked up culture was most apparent as I traveled to and from the protest... daily evidence of the destruction, for those willing to look. I took the bus. From my house, there are two bus lines that'll get me downtown in about 10 minutes. One line is black and latino, poor and depressed — it runs early and often. The other takes a path along the water, catering to the well-to-do beneficiaries of the dominator culture — it runs only once an hour only on weekend afternoons (for obvious reasons). I took the fancy bus on the way up. The Happy Banker received full smiles and waves hello, people chatted me up and "admired" my action. This was predictable, good progressive behavior. On the way back, I took the depressed and oppressed route. Nobody speaking (certainly not to me). Heads down. Eyes averted. Everybody looked tired. I didn't see one person who looked to be enjoying their day.

That's what we should all be making a stink about. The permanent under-class that fuels a economic system designed to destroy everything and one it touches.