Social Movements and Interest Groups

Source: http://articles.nydailynews.com/2011-06-24/news/29719466_1_marriage-bill-gay-marriage-gay-divorce

Individual citizens joined together in groups have power to influence democracy and decision-making up to a point. Depending on their funding sources and how much pull they have with the media, their stances on issues can be felt in the decision making done in the legislature. However, that is a big caveat. Some groups have funding that some might consider far from grass roots. Dictionary.com defines grass roots as "the common or ordinary people, especially as contrasted with the leadership or elite of a political party, social organization, etc.; the rank and file" (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/grass+roots).

When organizations present themselves as arising out of the will of the common man and yet have funding from very elite corporate powers, corporations have a way to disguise themselves as grass roots. It is becoming more common today as the normal checks and balances of the Supreme Court are giving way to more corporate-friendly laws. It is now easier for corporations to disguise themselves as the wbill of the people. "Groups that represent corporate interests-such as policy offices representing individual firms, trade associations representing specific industries, and peak associations representing businesses across industries-remain the most influential , largely due to the extensive resources at their command" (Katznelson, Kessleman, & Draper, 2011, p. 137-8).
However, there are still plenty of influential groups and social movements, especially at the local level. Indeed, local politics seems to be where individuals and groups have the most sway. There have been times when this has trickled up into the national discourse. In order for true grass roots organizations to be given national attention, it seems more effective to begin at the local level.

In just the past year, there has been a growing outcry over the perceived class warfare being waged against middle and lower class people in America. The spontaneous and surprising uprising in Wisconsin, fed in part by the inspiration found in the Middle East's Arab Spring, have inspired individuals and groups in America to bypass the political process they perceive is stacked against them. And that perception is not unfounded. It seems more and more that the polarization of American politics is designed by corporations to distract and poison the public discourse to make Americans believe they have less and less in common.

Hopefully the increasing protest movements around the gutting of environmental and labor laws as well as the dismantling of our social safety net in favor of corporate profits will make Americans realize they have much more in common than not. The thing the corporate powers fear the most is a united America, for there they would face a real adversary. Tuning out corporate media and taking the conversation to a more organic platform (like meetings, Twitter, Facebook, and the like) could indeed influence the outcome of the class war being waged on American citizens. But that...is up to us.