Occupy Wallstreet Movement
The Occupy Wallstreet Movement is classified as a resistance movement. This is because the aim of this group was to pose some resistance towards the existing order. The Occupy Wallstreet Movement was against or rather resisted the manner in which the poor people and the rich people live differently and are treated differently. Besides, the movement was against the ways in which the utilization of funds was done by corporations. Therefore, the reason as to why the Occupy Wallstreet Movement is a resistance movement is because it was against the highlighted aspects.
Of the various theories of social movements, that is the relative deprivation theory, resource mobilization theory, along with the frame analysis theory, the one that best fits The Occupy Wallstreet Movement is the relative deprivation theory. The rationale behind this is that the members of this movement comprise of people who have a feeling that they are being deprived of what is considered essential to them (Walker, and Heather 27). For instance, the fairness in treatment between the rich and the poor in society is essential to the deprived. Besides that, effective utilization of resources by corporations would have a direct impact on the deprived.
Consequently, the Occupy Wallstreet Movement was not able to attain its goals. This is because it relied on social media, which eventually became hierarchical and failed to attain its purpose. However, the relevant social media accounts, before the introduction of the said bureaucracies, were found to be very effective in attaining their goals.
2011 Egyptian revolution
There is a combination of events that led to the 2011 revolution in Egypt to include the Ghonim’s involvement. Some of these events include corruption, increased rates of unemployment, lack of development, along with the lack of fairness in the distribution of wealth. Nevertheless, this revolution was catalyzed by Ghonim, who was one of the Egyptian activists working for Google. This historical icon created multiple Facebook pages that were in support of the anti-government groups. Ghonim is known to have buoyed the spirit of the protestors and brought the first-timers on the streets of Egypt. One of the claims that he made against the government was that the ruling party was finished though people did not want to accept the reality.
Some of the government changes that led to the revolutionary movement by Ghonim leading to the 2011 revolution in Egypt is government inefficiencies. In this case, the ruling authority focused on their self-interest rather than on the welfare of the common citizen, thus leading to heightened levels of corruption. Apart from that, the government did not focus on development, and this made its citizens to revolt against it. The other factor that led to the 2011 revolution in Egypt is the lack of fairness in wealth distribution in that the rich became richer and the poor became poorer.
The 2011 revolutionary movement in Egypt can be classified as a reform movement, and this is based on the fact that it aimed at bringing the social and political system closer to the ideals of the community (Kendall 13). Last but not least, the theory that best fits the movement is the relative deprivation theory. The rationale for the selection of this theory is based on the overall working of the movement in that the citizens feel that the government has deprived them of that which is essential to them, and this include community development.
Works cited
Kendall, Diana E. Sociology in Our Times: The Essentials. Australia: Wadswoth
Cengage Learning, 2010. Print.
Occupying Wall Street: The Inside Story of an Action That Changed America. New York:
OR Books, 2011. Internet resource.
Walker, Iain, and Heather J. Smith. Relative Deprivation: Specification, Development,
and Integration. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002. Print.