The Occupy Wall Street Movement got quite a bit of news coverage over the past couple of months. The movement does not have any clearly defined philosophy. The one thing that unites the protesters is their anger over the US financial system typified by Wall Street and the big banking institutions. They accuse the system of catering to the rich and powerful usually at the expense of the other 99% of the American populace.
Of course, everyone has some sort of financial problems stemming from the recession. If they are not suffering, someone in their family probably is. The movement simply became a visible manifestation of what everyone knew already.
The parent movement in NYC took over public Zucotti Park and turned it into a squatters’ tent city—complete with kitchen, media room and library. The mini town even had its own newspaper, The Occupy Wall Street Journal. Just before its 2-month anniversary, police evicted the demonstrators from the park. Sister occupations around the country face the same treatment.
While the majority of the protestors in New York were under 30, across the country the movement included activists from every age group. One activist, who has a lifetime of protest experience (since 1963), gave the progression of civil disobedience: Ignored> Sneered at> Hated> Message received and the rest of the country gets on board.
Back in the days of the Vietnam War, the protests were fairly similar– lots of violence on both sides. The protesters were vilified as draft dodgers, but eventually the whole country came around to their way of thinking, and public opinion turned against the war.
Early in the Occupy movement, the usual celebrities showed up to offer their support. The movement even gained the backing of some big unions. Much of the initial support distanced itself as violence and radical fringe elements overshadowed the message of the movement. If the movement has any hope of surviving, it needs to accomplish a couple of things. The main thing is get the fringe elements under control because many Americans liked the sound of the movement’s slogans, but radical actions put a damper on their continued support and potential involvement.
The movement as a whole needs to take a page out of Occupy Las Vegas’s book. The demonstrators sought approval from government leaders and police before protesting or setting up a campsite. They devised strict rules to ban slogans with hate messages and breaking Nevada’s laws. Nevada leads the country in foreclosures and unemployment. In parts of the state, entire neighborhoods sit vacant surrounded by empty storefronts. Despite this, organizers recognized the notion that the movement is full of anarchists and radicals dissuaded mainstream citizens from coming out and lending their support. For the entire movement to police itself, it needs to take the second action.
The movement needs to organize and define its philosophy. The tried and true steps of politics are the movement’s future. Marching, lobbying, testifying, and voting are the options for bringing about a lasting change.
The Occupy Movement has already left its mark. Their protests entered the national conversation. Their slogan: the 99 percent is now a part of the country’s consciousness. The protest encourages mainstream America to take a hard look at the one percent that holds most of the country’s money. To give you an idea how mainstream the movement is the New York Times even ran a classroom discussion article. Teachers could teach about history as it was happening. Learning history in real time? Only in America.