For the past few weeks, disgruntled Americans have banded together in an uprising commonly known as “Occupy Wall Street.” Protesters are camping out in Lower Manhattan around New York’s Financial District to speak out against financial and political policy that has contributed to the national economic climate. This past weekend, protesters took to the streets of Boston in an extension of the Wall Street organization and are currently occupying streets near the downtown Financial District of Boston.
The movement has gone viral on the Web, with millions of hits on sites such as Reddit, Tumblr and Twitter. On several of these forums, in addition to the “official” website for Occupy Wall Street, users have posted lists of grievances and demands on these sites to direct the movement, however, no official compilation of goals has been released.
This whole protest seems to carry a whiff of adolescent self-righteousness, with a similar predilection for protesting for protest’s sake. The movement could grow in scope and impact if protesters could simply define what, specifically, they are protesting.
Many of the demands listed both on-site and online are vague and without direction. One of the top posts on Reddit enumerates the movement’s grievances, including the fact that “they have poisoned the food supply, and undermined the farming system through monopolization.” Who ‘they’ is in this situation is unclear.
Much of protestors’ dissatisfaction seems to stem from government policy, and some of it has absolutely nothing to do with fiscal matters, and so the mystery remains as to why these people are occupying Wall Street and not Capitol Hill. Wall Street works within governmental parameters, so their behavior and policy seems like more of an end effect than a cause.
There is no doubt that our economy is in dire need of a prompt re-vamping, but Occupy Wall Street needs to become infinitely more organized and directed before they even have a prayer at change.
Protesters’ collective temper tantrum is not unwarranted, but merely unfocused. Occupy Wall Street needs to stop glorifying the idea of the protest and get down to business, pardon the pun. Some of their concerns are completely valid and need to be addressed; they just need to start formulating real goals and demands so that the world will take them seriously.
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Who is to say that they are not getting down to business? Have you been to the General Assemblies (which are open to absolutely everyone) and seen the actual work that goes on there?
This is a movement–not an overnight fix. Right now, I believe, the name of the game is to get as many people knowing about what these people are doing and have the attention and support necessary to swing some strong change. The occupations serve as places for people to gather and to have a true dialogue about specific problems in our system and finding rational solutions. It has to be done this way since no real dialogue occurs on main stream media or the like.
Keep your eyes open and look a bit deeper than what is being painted in media, Media.
Wow I am thoroughly disappointed with this “article.” I’m a freshman here at BU and I’ve been to Occupy Wall Street twice so far, and I also went to the first night of Occupy Boston. Our goal are simple: stop the corruption and stop the fraud. Stop the fraudulent mortgages, stop playing with your taxes, stop ruining our country and our lives. Wall Street has become the government, and I’ll end this little rant with one of my favorite quotes from a fellow protester: ”It doesn’t matter if you are a self-proclaimed right or left, Dem or Rep, because the people at the top aren’t any of these things. They are united by their overwhelming desire to make money, at the expense of others, and all differences are set aside to achieve this goal.”
I’m not surprised by the ignorance presented in this article because there has been a huge media blackout regarding this nation- and world-wide protest as well as ridiculous police brutality – but then I remind myself that I would explain the beginning of the civil rights movement the same way. 🙂 I’m inspired and passionate because I know this is going to be HUGE.
“Impose a financial transactions tax. This would be a modest tax on financial trades, modeled on the suggestions of James Tobin, an American economist who won a Nobel Prize. The aim is in part to dampen speculative trading that creates dangerous volatility. Europe is moving toward a financial transactions tax, but the Obama administration is resisting — a reflection of its deference to Wall Street.
Close the “carried interest” and “founders’ stock” loopholes, which may be the most unconscionable tax breaks in America. They allow our wealthiest citizens to pay very low tax rates by pretending that their labor compensation is a capital gain.
Protect big banks from themselves. This means moving ahead with Basel III capital requirements and adopting the Volcker Rule to limit banks’ ability to engage in risky and speculative investments. Another sensible proposal, embraced by President Obama and a number of international experts, is the bank tax. This could be based on an institution’s size and leverage, so that bankers could pay for their cleanups — the finance equivalent of a pollution tax. “
Perhaps if the editors at the Freep would read some financial news once in a while, then perhaps they could see past the problems they claim as “adolescent self-righteousness.” As journalists it’s a shame you don’t understand the grander sentiment of Americans outside your short-sighted circles. But then again, this publication hasn’t exactly had the greatest track record in accurate coverage, and I wouldn’t find it surprising you haven’t picked up a copy of ‘The Economist’ and glanced through the Americas section. Sheesh – this printing is no better than the bought-out papers that refuse to give due coverage to these protests. As a Senior Journalism major and economics minor, I’m damn proud I’ve never written for such a blind publication.
Come on, Freep. Really? OccupyBoston is about demanding a seat at the table for 99% of America, a seat they rightfully deserve in a democracy. It is about empowering Americans to realize the inherent capacity they possess. Every moment a single body occupies Dewey Square is a revolution, a revolution against a system of wage slavery that forces its ‘constituents’ to work constantly for survival. I spoke with a lady on the T tonight who said she has worked three straight twelve hour shifts. OccupyBoston is for them. That you belittle us for not publishing a list of demands you deem appropriate does not validate your claim of ‘self-righteousness’, it just accentuates your ignorance. You do not realize the power of the consensus model we operate under. You do not understand that is not our job to force demands on the American population. It is our job to get Americans to do something, and we’re doing a pretty good job. When you do come around and understand, and you will, then maybe the world will take YOU seriously.
On a side note, great reporting Jamil. You’re article in today’s paper was amazing. Keep up the good work.