Income inequality in the United States has increased in recent years. Many people worry that some people's incomes are incredibly high, while others are so low that they can barely afford basic things. This gave rise to numerous protest movements against social and economic inequalities. The United States is one of the richest countries in the world, but our society still has millions of people who struggle to afford the basics to make a living. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"? Get the original essay After the 2008 crisis, many people felt that the government cared much more about protecting the rich and big corporations than ordinary citizens. The protests began shortly after the crisis began. In 2010, the crisis spread to Greece, Spain, Portugal and other parts of the Eurozone. In each of these countries, the occupation of important public spaces was a central dimension of activism. Syntagma Square and Plaza del Sol quickly became world-famous names; images of gatherings proliferated. Usually, the protesters were national citizens angry at austerity imposed not only by their governments but also by global markets, the EU, and especially its most powerful member, Germany. They were united by a sense of outrage – both in the sense that they were outraged and in the sense that they were treated with little of the dignity due to citizens. Craig Calhoun argues that protests in Europe were linked to protests in the Arab world. He writes: “This links the protests in European cities to those in the Arab world. In Cairo's Tahrir Square, in particular, but also in Tunisia, Libya, Algeria, Bahrain and elsewhere in Egypt, people took to the streets and especially in public spaces to complain about the indignities they suffered in daily life as well as the lack of jobs and opportunities. elites who seemed more concerned about international trading partners than the well-being of their compatriots, police brutality and simple dictatorship. Beginning in late 2010, images of Arabs coming together to demand the opportunity to participate fully and with dignity in their societies spread around the world, sparking protests as far away as China, and mingling with European examples to influence the beginning of the OWS. The wave of protests reaches the United States. Citizens of the United States were also hit hard by the 2008 crisis. They were outraged by government policies that led to the economic collapse, as well as subsequent government aid policies that were primarily aimed at to help large companies and not individuals. This gives rise to numerous protest movements against economic policy and against inequalities. One of the biggest protests against economic policy was Occupy Wall Street. The Occupy Wall Street movement began in September 2011 and ended in February 2012. Supporters of the protest led numerous demonstrations and discussions on economic policy. But the question is whether they have had a real effect on society? In “Occupy Wall Street in Perspective,” Craig Calhoun writes: “The mobilization for Occupy Wall Street may have been temporary, but not without lasting effects. Perhaps its greatest impact lies in the culture and not the organization of the movement. Perhaps it lies in the willto seriously and critically examine inequality and whether real democratic institutions actually work. » The Occupy Wall Street movement has raised important questions and attempted to solve problems that have existed for too long. Poverty is not just a problem for the poor, but a problem for everyone in the United States, and in order to solve the problem of economic inequality, it is imperative that we maintain this problem and continue to seek a solution. The Wall Street movement began in Zuccotti Park, New York, in September 2011. The main reasons for Occupy Wall Street were people's resentment of the way the government implements economic policy and the high level of economic inequality in American society. Menasce Juliana writes: “The share of U.S. adults living in middle-income households has declined from 61% in 1971 to 51% in 2019. This reduction has occurred slowly but surely since 1971, and each subsequent decade typically ends with a smaller share. adults living in middle-income households than at the start of the decade. The problem of economic inequality has existed for many decades; However, the government is not taking sufficient measures to stop the process of social stratification. As a result, we can see how people with middle and low incomes gradually become poorer, while people with initially high incomes become richer. But the demonstrators' greatest dissatisfaction is with government policy oriented towards the protection of 1% of the richest citizens to the detriment of all other citizens. This is why Occupy Wall Street's main slogan was "We're at the 99 percent." This slogan explained the position of the supporters of the occupation, highlighting an undeniable class divide in American society. The richest 1% of U.S. citizens not only have the most money, but also have the highest annual income growth rates of any other class. Supporters of the occupation argue that raising interest rates on the profits of the richest 1% of citizens is one of the simplest and most understandable ways to reduce economic inequality in society. They are proposing a rate increase of up to 80%. Critics of the OWS argue that such a policy can be dangerous and lead to the fact that the rich will transfer money to countries with lower interest rates. Economic inequality is an extremely complex problem, and people have very different opinions on exactly how the problem of poverty should be addressed. resolved. Disunity of people and adherence to different approaches have always been big problems for the broad protest movement. OWS was able to partially resolve this problem by following a specific strategy. The protest movement has refused to name leaders. In fact, the protest was driven by the people who participated through public meetings and endless discussions. This type of organizing system is called “horizontal movement.” Usually, such a system is characterized by a loosely structured organizational network, a decentralized structure and an anti-hierarchical position. It had some advantages over more traditional protest structures. For example, this type of system made it possible to hear from more different social groups, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual relationships. This made it possible to hear a wide variety of opinions that otherwise would not have been present and to.