社説：米金融街デモ 社会の分断なら危険だ

(Mainichi Japan) October 5, 2011
Efforts needed to prevent 'Occupy Wall Street' demonstrations from splitting U.S. society
社説：米金融街デモ　社会の分断なら危険だ

Intensifying anti-Wall Street demonstrations, which started in New York, are threatening to split U.S. society.
　米ニューヨークで「反ウォール街」を掲げ始まった抗議デモが、拡大の様相を見せている。

About 700 protesters were arrested on Oct. 1 and the demonstrations, which are now in their third week, have spread to Chicago, Los Angeles and other cities in the country.
今月１日には約７００人が逮捕される騒ぎとなったが、３週目の今も続き、シカゴやロサンゼルスなどニューヨーク以外の都市にも飛び火している。

One cannot help but wonder what participants in the demonstrations titled, "Occupy Wall Street," are pursuing as they are not led by a charismatic leader and demands vary from person to person.
　カリスマ的指導者が存在するわけでもなく、参加者の要求もばらばらで、何を目指しているのかはっきりしない。

It still remains to be seen if the movement will develop into a major political force that will confront conservatives who have organized the so-called tea-party movement.
保守派「茶会（ティーパーティー）」の対極となる強力な政治勢力に成長するか否かも現段階では不明である。

Still, close attention should be paid to the development because it could influence the U.S. presidential race next year and the U.S. government's foreign policy.
とはいえ、来年の米大統領選挙や米国の対外政策に影響を及ぼす可能性はあり、注視したい。

The protests appeared to have spread through social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter and rapidly gained support mainly from the younger generations.
　抗議運動はフェイスブックやツイッターといったソーシャルメディアを経由し、若者を中心に賛同者が急膨張したようだ。

As the campaign's title shows, the demonstrators' anger is directed at executives of financial institutions.
「ウォール街を占拠せよ」との活動名が示すように、原動力となった怒りの矛先は、大手金融機関の経営者らに向いている。

Many U.S. citizens still feel that their livelihoods have not improved although three years have passed since the collapse of Lehman Brothers, which triggered the financial crisis, as is shown by the unemployment rates that remain at the 9 percent level.
　リーマン・ショックから３年が経過したというのに、９％を下回らない失業率など、一般の人々の暮らしはいっこうに改善が実感されない。

Bank executives, who sowed the seeds of the crisis, continue to keep their wealth without being seriously penalized.
他方で窮状の原因を作った銀行経営者らは、重い制裁を受けることなく、引き続き富を占有している。

U.S. Congress, in which conservatives have increased their influence, is leaning toward giving preferential treatment to the rich and major businesses and cutting social welfare spending.
政治に目をやれば、保守派が影響力を増した連邦議会は、「富裕層・大企業優遇」「福祉切り捨て」に傾斜し、

The administration of President Barack Obama has failed to find an effective solution to his country's economic problems.
オバマ政権も有効な解決策を打ち出せない－－。

Such a situation is apparently amplifying people's anger.
そんな現状認識が人々の憤りを膨らませているようだ。

Participants in the "Occupy Wall Street" demonstrations are not only poor or unemployed people who are dissatisfied with the current economic situation.
　デモ参加者は必ずしも貧困層や失業者ではなく、

The demonstrations occasionally become festive as some participants carry out street performances.
街頭パフォーマンスなどお祭り的要素も見受けられる。

It is inappropriate to fear that the demonstrations are posing a threat to U.S. society because lawful protests are widely accepted in a free society.
合法的な抗議活動は、自由社会が価値を認めているもので、直ちに懸念の材料とみなすのも適切でない。

However, if the tea-party movement and the anti-Wall Street demonstrations mark the beginning of a split in U.S. society, it would pose serious risks to the country and close attention should be paid to their future development. ただ、茶会現象と今回の反ウォール街デモが、米社会の本格的分断の始まりであるとすれば、危うさをはらんでいて注意が必要だ。

If confrontations intensify and it becomes difficult to solve problems though dialogue, the possibility cannot be ruled out that it could trigger social unrest.
対立が深まり、対話による解決がより困難になれば、社会不安を招く可能性も決して排除できないからである。

Those outside the United States, including those in Japan, are particularly concerned that the U.S. may become increasingly inward-looking and lean toward protectionism.
　日本を含め国外の者にとって最も心配なのは、米国が一段と内向きになったり、保護主義の傾向を強めたりすることだ。

The U.S. Senate has decided to begin deliberating on a bill targeting anti-China sanctions with the country's manipulation of the yuan in mind.
　議会上院が中国の人民元を念頭に置いた制裁法案の審議入りを決めた。

Ruling and opposition parties in the U.S. tend to join hands in condemning China.
対中批判は与野党が一致しやすい。

Caution is needed if both leftists and rightists in the United States work together to build China's image as "a country that deprives Americans of job opportunities by manipulating exchange rates" and making China into a common enemy.
「為替操作で米国の雇用を奪う国」として、左派、右派が中国を共通の敵に仕立て上げるような事態になるのなら要注意だ。

If the United States imposes sanctions on China, Beijing will retaliate by imposing fresh sanctions on Washington, increasing tensions in U.S.-China relations and possibly triggering protectionism on a global scale.
制裁は新たな制裁を招き、米中関係の緊張のみならず、保護主義が世界的に連鎖するきっかけとなりかねないからである。

Nobody benefits from splits in society or over politics.
　政治・社会の分断に勝者はない。

Both the Obama administration and Congress should overcome economic challenges in the U.S. through dialogue and explanations to the public.
オバマ政権も議会も、対話と国民への説明を通し、米経済の難局を乗り切ってもらいたい。

毎日新聞　2011年10月5日　2時32分