Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Reflections on Occupy Wall Street: I don't get it
I'm just going to say it. I don't understand Occupy Wall Street. I don't get the movement's goal. I get they are angry about the growing economic disparity. Who isn't besides the "1%"? I get that they are angry they can't pay for college or health care. I get that they are outraged by the corruption on Wall Street. What I do not get is what exactly do they want to happen? Is there some sort of legislation they are urging the President to sign? Do they want legislators to create policy preventing banks from raising interest rates or putting caps on fees? Do they want the government to forgive student loans? By the way, I just read today that the President is going to reveal a new student-loan plan. As history proves, public demonstrations are extremely powerful when done right. Like, when women hit the streets demanding for their right to vote, or when African Americans marched to put an end to segregation, or when farm workers walked to fight for better labor conditions and when people today protest to pull out troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. Those public demonstrations I get. Hell, I even get the Berkeley Tree Sitters who lived in the trees for an entire year to prevent the destruction of the trees to make way for an athletic center. From what I gather about Occupy Wall Street, there is no clear leader, there is not one single goal and it is just a bunch of frustrated (and rightly so) people making a bunch of noise and wanting to make themselves feel better. I have no idea what they hope to accomplish in the end, because OWS will eventually end, you know when they bring out the tanks.
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I think the protests would be much more effective if they put down their lattes and cliche signs and did something productive, like picking up trash along the freeway or cleaning a park. I know I'd take them more seriously if they didn't just stand around and take pictures of themselves.
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