OCCUPY! An Unfinished Uprising

In 2011, a handful of skeptical New Yorkers answer a call to Occupy Wall Street. What they find feels less like a protest and more like a glimpse of a different world—one where people openly share stories of debt, hardship, and frustration. They start to build an anti-capitalist village in a tiny Manhattan park — under the watchful eyes of police.
Want to dive deeper? Listen to these episodes of Future Hindsight:
For a conversation on activism with a co-founder of Occupy Wall Street, tune in to this episode with Micah White: 
https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/episode/micah-white 
For a recap of how American capitalism evolved into what it is today, listen to this episode with Kurt Andersen: 
https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/episode/americas-evil-geniuses-kurt-andersen
On solidarity and mutual aid, listen to this conversation with Manuel Pastor:
https://www.futurehindsight.com/episodes/episode/solidarity-and-mutuality-manuel-pastor

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Credits:
Host / Executive Producer: Mila Atmos
Producer / Writer: Maria Luisa Tucker
Audio Producer: Zack Travis
Additional production help: Mia Warren, Erika Gjada, Megan Detrie, Lizzie Jacobs, and Ilya Magazanin
Archival research: Marisa Holmes
Archival material courtesy of: Occupy Wall Street Media Working Group.
Original music: Rude Mechanical Orchestra and Puge Ruhe
Special thanks to T.J. Raphael, Lauren Passell, Arielle Nissenblatt, and Kate Blumenfeld for being our first listeners and sounding boards, and to Tom Koenig for his support.
Distributed by PRX

Occupy Wall Street is the story of the improbable becoming possible.
In 2008, millions of people were devastated by an economic crash caused by Wall Street greed, but it wasn’t until 2011 that there was a mass response from the Left. A call to protest went out, and thousands of people responded. They raged against a system that was rigged against them and tried to create their own anti-capitalist village in a small Manhattan park. The movement quickly spread across the country, inspiring hundreds of occupations and a new generation of activists.
OCCUPY! AN UNFINISHED UPRISING, told through the voices of activists who camped out in Zuccotti Park for almost two months, gets inside the drama of a movement that grew rapidly, felt both transcendent and chaotic, and then violently flamed out. Although the mainstream media labeled it a failed movement, Occupy changed the national conversation about capitalism, popularized the language of the 99%, and inspired a generation of activists. 
As we approach Occupy’s 15th anniversary this September, Occupy offers a reminder that collective action can reshape what seems possible. 
Tune in for the six-part series, coming July 9th.

Subscribe to our Patreon for early access to episodes:
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Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram: 
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Credits:
Host/Executive Producer: Mila Atmos
Producer/Writer: Maria Luisa Tucker
Audio Producer: Zack Travis
Additional production help: Mia Warren, Erika Gjada, Megan Detrie, Lizzie Jacobs, and Ilya Magazanin
Archival research: Marisa Holmes
Archival material courtesy of: Occupy Wall Street Media Working Group.
Original music: Rude Mechanical Orchestra and Puge Ruhe
Special thanks to T.J. Raphael, Lauren Passell, Arielle Nissenblatt, and Kate Blumenfeld for being our first listeners and sounding boards, and to Tom Koenig for his support.
Distributed by PRX

We discuss the intersection of policymaking on economics and democracy, the harm of intense concentration of wealth, and the need for building durable civil society.

Alex's civic action toolkit recommendations are:
Join an organization in your community

Be in community with other people


Alex Hertel-Fernandez is a labor policy scholar and the Herbert H. Lehman Professor of Government at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. He's also the author of State Capture: How Conservative Activists, Big Businesses, and Wealthy Donors Reshaped the American States — and the Nation.

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https://bsky.app/profile/awhf.bsky.social

Sponsor:
Thank you to Shopify! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.

Early episodes for Patreon supporters:
https://patreon.com/futurehindsight

Credits:
Host: Mila Atmos
Guests: Alex Hertel-Fernandez
Executive Producer: Zack Travis
Executive Editor: Mila Atmos

We discuss the enthusiasm for civic engagement by right-wing women, which translates to power and victory at the ballot box.

Katie's civic action toolkit recommendations are:
1) Research and know the issues on your ballot
2) Vote in local elections

Katie Gaddini is a sociologist, visiting scholar at Stanford University, and the author of Esther's Army: The Christian Women Who Power the American Right.


Let's connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:
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Discover new ways to #BetheSpark:
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Follow Mila on X:
https://x.com/milaatmos

Follow Katie on IG:
https://www.instagram.com/drkatiegaddini/

Read Esther's Army:
https://bookshop.org/shop/futurehindsight

Sponsor:
Thank you to Shopify! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.

Early episodes for Patreon supporters:
https://patreon.com/futurehindsight

Credits:
Host: Mila Atmos
Guests: Katie Gaddini
Executive Producer: Zack Travis
Executive Editor: Mila Atmos

We discuss the overlooked and insidious complications from gerontocracy in American democracy.

Sam's civic action toolkit recommendations are:
1) Think of democracy as a political form for transient human beings
2) Evangelize one of these ideas: age quotas, tax code reform, or campaign finance reform

Samuel Moyn is the Kent Professor of Law and History at Yale University, the cohost of the Digging a Hole podcast, and the author of Gerontocracy in America: How the Old Are Hoarding Power and Wealth – and What to Do About It.


Let's connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/

Discover new ways to #BetheSpark:
https://www.futurehindsight.com/spark

Follow Mila on X:
https://x.com/milaatmos

Follow Sam on X:
https://x.com/samuelmoyn

Read Gerontocracy in America:
https://bookshop.org/shop/futurehindsight

Early episodes for Patreon supporters:
https://patreon.com/futurehindsight

Credits:
Host: Mila Atmos
Guests: Samuel Moyn
Executive Producer: Zack Travis
Executive Editor: Mila Atmos