There had been many controversies over the WTO demonstrations that happened in Seattle. There were many different types of protests going on around the convention center. Many demonstrators tried very hard to break through the police lines and restricted areas. The Seattle protests became very popular all over the country. The issue was protesting against big corporations and destructing against globalization. After reading this book, I have a better understanding as to why protestors did what they did and what really happened, but why would the protestors take it so far to overcome almost nothing in the end? I guess it was for self-glorification. The concluding chapters of this book talked about the many cultures involved during the WTO protest. I think that each of the people that were mentioned throughout the book had very significant meaning towards the demonstration.
Beginning with Chapter 19, there was a gentleman named Michael Mossberg who worked as a manager at a local corner bookstore; who became very involved in the protests. After the N30, he decided to participate in the demonstration. He claims that the only reason he joined was because our society is totally centered around money and that becomes an exchange for
the end-all and be-all of existence (Thomas 188). Also mentioned in the chapter is the fact the small independent businesses are taken for granted for what they supply, and makes these larger corporations undercut the little neighborhood-friendly stores until you have nowhere to go but the megabookseller corporation ( pg 190). There seemed to be many pepper-spraying moments that the local police officers took charge of. Mossberg only remembers covering his eyes at the time and wanting to retaliate back because of the disrespect he received from the officers. A
Nothing is ever greatly accomplished by such demonstrations and protests. I personally think that the WTO movement was a waste of time and effort on their part. One single social movement group can’t change how the world operates off corporations, in which globalization takes place. My only argument for this book would be that in order to gain real freedom and share real culture with real people, such protests like the WTO can’t take place when they protest against multi-million corporations whose significance is important to many lives around the world. And as a result, the protest failed.
friend of Mossbeg’s, Rick Simonson, says “ now so much of what goes on in the world involves Seattle,” meaning how it makes deep conflicts wit
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