Judith Butler at Occupy WSP

I came here to lend my support to you today to offer my solidarity for this unprecedented display of democracy and popular will. The people have asked, so what are the demands? What are the demands all of these people are making? Either they say there are no demands and that leaves your critics confused, or they say that the demands for social equality and economic justice are impossible demands. And the possible demands, they say, are just not practical. If hope is an impossible demand, then we demand the impossible — that the right to shelter, food and employment are impossible demands, then we demand the impossible. If it is impossible to demand that those who profit from the recession redistribute their wealth and cease their greed, then yes, we demand the impossible. But it is true that those demands that you can submit to arbitration here, because we’re not just demanding economic justice and social equality, we are assembling in public, we are coming together as bodies in alliance in the street and in the square, we’re standing here together making democracy in acting the phrase, “We The People.” Thank you.