#occupy

Occupy is a troubling word. It makes a good hashtag and just now it’s an inspired counteroffensive to the colonisations of globalised American capital, multiplying from the virtual control centre on Wall Street.

A new friend, visiting from Italy, says her son is ‘unoccupied’ at the moment, and then laughs at herself for the way she had translated disoccupato into English when she meant to say ‘unemployed’. I tell her we are still asked to state our occupation on government forms.

In Spanish, people say this, kindly: No te preocupas, querida. Don’t worry, dear.

Close people tell me I look preoccupied sometimes.

The landless movement in Brazil sings Ocupar, Resistir, Produzir! – Occupy, Resist Produce! I saw a sign at Martin Place yesterday that read ‘Occupy, Connect, Create.’

Afghanistan and Iraq are occupied, North America remains occupied, and Australia too.

Perhaps to occupy can be to claim space, and also to share it; to expropriate ourselves, and refuse appropriation. To learn what that means and refuse to be untroubled.