Occupy Copenhagen? Aren’t Danes the happiest people in the world?

I’ve probably walked past the Occupy Copenhagen camp four times a week since it started about a month ago. As a country that provides such a large amount of state-funded support to its citizens, I originally thought it crazy that an Occupy movement could be successful here. I was always curious to ask about exactly what the participants were protesting, but never quite had the courage until last Friday. I finally got up the nerve to play journalist and ask the participants about their thoughts on the movement. Even though Denmark has won the title of “Happiest Country on Earth” on several occasions, a look into the local Occupy movement reveals that even in the world’s happiest country, there are still issues that raise concern. Below is an article I wrote about my discussion with the Occupy Copenhagen participants:

“Change is the Only Constant,” Occupy Copenhagen Movement Still Growing

Occupy Copenhagen has reached its 36^th day, and according to local Occupy participant and spokesperson Maja Vestergaard, the movement is only getting stronger. Although participants in the Occupy Copenhagen movement have struggled to get press in Danish newspapers and have faced arrest due to Danish demonstration laws, there remains a small, but strong, presence of dedicated protestors. Participants have pitched tents and signs carrying the message “Reclaim your mind” and are refusing to move, even as Copenhagen enters its cold winter months.

Denmark, a country that uses a progressive income tax system and is world renown for its high levels of state-funded support, is not a place one might expect a strong Occupy presence to develop. However, according to Vestergaad, the Occupy movement is more relevant than ever in Denmark. Said Vestergaad, “The elite still control Denmark’s media and financial institutions…it’s not a free market when it’s still controlled by private institutions.”

One of the primary concerns of the Occupy Copenhagen movement seems to be with Danish media organizations. Vestergaad explained that most Occupy Copenhagen participants believe that the media is responsible for deeply and subconsciously polluting the minds of innocent passersby. “We are trained from birth,” she said, “to play into a hierarchical world that doesn’t care about individual human beings.”

According to Occupy Copenhagen participants, media organizations are driven by power and widespread centralization is responsible for this problem. In other words, media influence is in the hands of an elite few who have consequently formed a values system driven by profit.

These profit-driven social ethics are not limited to the media. In addition to their call for media reform, Occupy Copenhagen participants have also spoken out about the Danish economic system. Vestergaad suggested that Denmark transition to a resource-based economy where people are given more influence through a direct democracy system. “There needs to be a transition to a more sustainable economic model where power is not limited to the few,” said Vestergaad.

At first thought, the Occupy movement may seem irrelevant to a country that provides so much financial support to its citizens. According to Occupy Copenhagen participants, however, the movement is not limited to political and economic reform. The Occupy Copenhagen movement is calling for widespread philosophical change. Instead of profit-driven ethical and philosophical codes, the country needs to create systems that respect the value of human beings as individuals.

Occupy Copenhagen shows no signs of slowing down, even with steadily dropping temperatures. Most participants join the movement as individuals and spread the mission of the movement through flyers and megaphone demonstrations. They hold weekly discussions at the camp, continue to conduct research, and organize demonstrations every Saturday. They are actively trying to mobilize more people to join the movement, and are beginning to communicate with Occupy movements elsewhere in the world.

The participants of the Occupy Copenhagen movement are ready for political, economic, and philosophical change. With hopes of still being active in the spring, Occupy Copenhagen participants are optimistic that the world is capable of changing the systems it has become accustomed to. According to Vestergaad, “Change is the only constant.”