Are The Occupy Wall Street Protests A Harbinger?
The new millennium has spawned a sibling to the old adage that “You Can’t Fight City Hall” — “You Can’t Fight Wall Street” — a reflection of the hopelessness most of us feel about reforming let alone fighting back against the financial institutions that are a de facto shadow government that is responsible for the ongoing economic downturn. And so I have looked at the Occupy Wall Street protests with skepticism.
That feeling is fueled by the fact that the vast majority of protesters in New York and Chicago and in other cities as the protests have spread are unemployed white kids with only a smattering of older folks and people of color. Jobless white kids make up a disproportionate number of the 14 million out-of-work Americans, but I would feel a little more enthusiastic about the credibility of the protests if there were more Joe and Jane Sixpacks, the folks with children, foreclosed homes and repossessed cars.
Then there is the fact that Occupy Wall Street has no discernible agenda, “Money is bad” not being a mission statement that I can take to heart.
But I have a growing feeling that I am wrong, perhaps very wrong, and just because the lamestream media (thank you, Sarah) has studiously ignored the protests until recently doesn’t mean it isn’t worthy, let a harbinger of things to come.
Is it?
21 Responses to “Are The Occupy Wall Street Protests A Harbinger?”
Wall street types and account executives nationwide in particular are very strange people in my opinion.
Their ethics are suspect at best, but commonly unscrupulous. I even had a guy, from a major house and after fourteen years of handling my account, seriously insist that I should give him power of attorney for trading my account. I closed that account as fast as possible! These people just don’t see the world through human eyes IMO. So naturally I believe in keeping a heavy government hand firmly at their throats.
I hope the demostrators raise cain from coast to coast.
“I would feel a little more enthusiastic about the credibility of the protests if there were more Joe and Jane Sixpacks, the folks with children, foreclosed homes and repossessed cars.”
Who besides unemployed white kids has the time to protest? Everyone else is too busy struggling to survive. If these protests continue (and I hope they do) maybe the demographics will too.
@Shaun
The anti-war movement of the 1960′s started with smelly white kids and spread. Maybe the same will happen with Wall Street.
They have to change their image. Already, they’re coming across as ganja-smoking, bongo-playing, mommy-and-daddy-paid-my-tuition slackers.
They have a good message, act as a counterpoint to the T.P., and are timely and, yes, a harbinger, but they have to be more serious and pragmatic before they’re simply brushed off.
Yeah, the fact that these are unemployed white kids is going to reduce their credibility. I went to Undergrad with a lot of these types. The oil exec’s kids who were protesting the use of oil, and the mommy-and-daddy-paid-my-tuition-so-I-could-get-an-art-history degree types are who is protesting. They won’t go anywhere, unless they get the average sorts on board. But they won’t do that either, because it will be looked on as “selling out” to “the man.”
LOL
Are airline pilots all just dirty smelly hippies?
http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2011/09/29/union-airline-pilots-occupy-wall-street/
Seems its growing to other cities:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/04/us/anti-wall-street-protests-spread-to-other-cities.html
http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/217356/group/homepage/
I hope they spell better than the TeaBaggers.
These people in the photo were college students in the 1950′s. I guess the beatniks are joining the protest.
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2011/10/occupy-wall-street-protests-spread-across-the-country-bloomberg-calls-them-misguided/
But they won’t do that either, because it will be looked on as “selling out” to “the man.”
WTF That was a line from “East Rider.” I doubt any of the young protesters know who the “man” is…
“a reflection of the hopelessness most of us feel about reforming let alone fighting back against the financial institutions that are a de facto shadow government that is responsible for the ongoing economic downturn”
Well said Shaun, that’s exactly what it is. Those who would take issue with the protesters instead of looking at the cause are echoing the same deflective nonsense that took place in other demonstrations that are now looked at as historically necessary and courageous. I hope this is only a beginning.
If the Tea Party actually wants to be more than “Smoke and Mirrors” for the Koch brothers they’ll wake up and start paying attention to the “Occupy Wall Street” protesters and what they are demanding.
All the “Occupy Wall Street” protesters (and the
35812 NEW ‘grass roots’ protests around the country) are demanding is accountability…Accountability from the banking and financial sector that both caused, and are profiting from, the financial Meltdown that is threatening to destroy the very foundation of the American “Way of Life.”
Come on all you retired, white ‘righties’ it’s time to prove to the Middle America that what you profess to care about is more than the venomous hatred spewed by Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh… Or prove that it isn’t.
[...] Are The Occupy Wall Street Protests A Harbinger? (themoderatevoice.com) [...]
I think the T.P. is shouting for accountability, too. Just from the right, that’s all.
Meaning underfunding or the elimination of:
Oh yeah, The T.P. fully orchestrated by the Koch bros and “Money and Power, Inc.” is really looking out for the needs of Middle America… “Just from the Right” of course.
Edited to add: What does the Tea Parties calls for ‘accountability’ have to do with the accountability of Wall Street, the banks and financial institutions that put us in the predicament we’re in today?
I hope the protests continue … grow…
Someone tell Moore to stay away from them.
Right, Barky. I’d bet the wall street protesters and the tea partiers would find some complaints in common. Who supports bailing out rich bankers who have just triggered a global economic crisis?
I’m not sure they’d agree on what “accountability” looks like, though.
In my version of it, private entities that take bad risks go bankrupt. Public entities that fail the public trust would get seriously restructured or demolished. At the bare minimum the individuals involved would be fired. Why Barney Frank still has a job is beyond my comprehension.
Barney can always get a job at FNMA.
The original T.P. protests involved Wall Street accountability, TARP accountabili, etc. Go back in Google News if you doubt me.
[...] Are The Occupy Wall Street Protests A Harbinger? (themoderatevoice.com) [...]
Check out we are the 99 percent; http://wearethe99percent.tumblr.com/ Most are post college, with a real mix of stories and situations.
And then read the draft list of demands:http://coupmedia.org/occupywallstreet/occupy-wall-street-official-demands-2009
You’re invited to vote on demands or leave comments and suggestions.
And then check out the “global” website: http://www.occupytogether.org/
I’d say the message is clear: global corporations have assumed they could rewrite the rules while no one was looking. But they pushed it a little too far, and the pushback has started. So far the tone has been calm, determined, and non-violent. I’m praying that continues.
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