Greenback graffiti occupies the currency
It’s a tactic that puts supporters of Occupy Wall Street beyond the reach of pepper spray, and it spreads far and wide in a public and private way the message of crippling financial disparity that’s at the heart of the movement. It’s a literal take on the medium being the message.
Jul 31, 2020893.9K Shares12.7M Views
It’s a tactic that puts supporters of Occupy Wall Street beyond the reach of pepper spray, and it spreads far and wide in a public and private way the message of crippling financial disparity that’s at the heart of the movement. It’s a literal take on the medium being the message. A project called Occupy Georgeis turning your dollar bills into informational protest placards.
The group is stamping bills with pie charts, proportional graphs, etc, that suggest the way wealth has become concentrated in the United States over the past few decades. The bills point to a reality where power, like money, moves increasingly away from the majority of people to the few who can afford the exorbitant sums that are now merely the going rate for doing business in Washington. Your dollar bills, like your power, flow in one direction: away from you and toward the few, say the group’s backers.
“Money talks, but not loud enough for the 99 percent,” the OccupyGeorge artists write to introduce the project. “By circulating dollar bills stamped with fact-based infographics, Occupy George informs the public of America’s daunting economic disparity one bill at a time. Because money knowledge is power.”
Some of the messages inscribed through graphics onto the bills:
“Just 400 Americans control as much wealth as the bottom half of the entire country.”
“The income growth disparity in America is wider than it was pre-Great Depression.”
“In America, the average CEO earns 185 times more than the average worker.”
“The richest 1% of Americans control over 1/3 of the wealth, leaving the bottom 80% with less than 1/5.”
“Unless things change, it’s safe to assume that our money will ultimately end up in the hands of the one percent.”
Paolo Reyna
Reviewer
Paolo Reyna is a writer and storyteller with a wide range of interests. He graduated from New York University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Media Studies.
Paolo enjoys writing about celebrity culture, gaming, visual arts, and events. He has a keen eye for trends in popular culture and an enthusiasm for exploring new ideas. Paolo's writing aims to inform and entertain while providing fresh perspectives on the topics that interest him most.
In his free time, he loves to travel, watch films, read books, and socialize with friends.
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