To Occupy?

The occupy Wall Street protests that began in September are well into its second month now. What began as a demonstration against Wall Street for bank bailouts and its strangling hold on society has evolved into much more. This political movement has had a ripple effect across the globe and expanded to include many causes which are all dependent on the location of the occupation.  In cities across America, citizens are speaking out against displeasing government regulations.

However, these occupations are not supported by everyone. Critics of these protests have said they are the radical left parallel to the tea party. Some predict that the protests will become a type of party that will persist through time similar to the tea party. Yet, the occupy protesters say that this is not the case at all. Unlike the tea party, the protesters do not have only one issue of focus and no central leader. These protests are simply the general public using their freedom of speech and right to protest to show dissatisfaction for certain government actions and inactions.  Some observers note that the tea parties were brought to light through the fox network, an openly conservative network, while the occupy protests are authentic movement spurred by displeased citizens.  The generally liberal protesters have claimed no party association, also unlike the tea parties, and have stated their anger towards Obama and his administration for their passivism while the economy is in such poor condition.  

Having no political association has advantages that the protesters have noticed. By holding no party associations the protesters are not limited to the issues that party has on their platform. Elizabeth Warren tried to link herself to the protests by claiming, “I created much of the intellectual foundation for what they do.” This claim was quickly discredited by many of the protesters. Union association is another situation of which protesters must be wary. Although being backed by unions could mean funding for these protests, it could also limit them by influencing the focus primarily on labor issues. Hindering this movement’s openness to a variety of issues would be counterproductive.

These protests are powerful because they express democratic ideals through average citizens voicing their concerns and ideas.  This is a great demonstration of political mobilization and use of freedom of speech to bring attention to issues that concern everyday people. With these protests comes hope of political participation of citizens on a large scale. With increased political activity comes the increased ability to bring change to displeasing government actions.