The specter of the 1960s has returned to haunt us.
The Occupy Wall Street protests and their various forms across the country have been going on for almost a month, and show no sign of stopping.
Commentators are calling the protests unorganized, ineffective and stupid. The protesters themselves have been called freaks, hippies, anti-American, socialists and “aligned with Lenin.” Conservative politicians from Michael Bloomberg to Mitt Romney have called the protesters “mobs” who are “waging class warfare.”
Members of the media, including the prestigious magazine The Economist, seem puzzled by a lack of concrete demands from the protesters, and implore the protesters to “actually [take] part in the system they’re trying to take down.”
These criticisms are just plain wrong. A protest does not call for a written bullet list of demands. That is called lobbying, which is one of the Washington practices that worry many protesters. Protests, or “peaceful assembl[ies],” as they are called in our Constitution, are one way for citizens to express frustration when they feel that their government has become unresponsive to their needs.
There seems to be quite a few assumptions coming from critics of Occupy Wall Street, the most common of which is the gloating statement that all the protesters are pot-smoking, drum-beating hippies between the ages of 18 and 29.
Oh, wait: you’re thinking of the 1960s.
The Economist implores the protesters to go vote, rather than air their grievances publicly. It is true that only 24 percent of people aged 18-29 voted in the 2010 midterm elections. But that is exactly the problem: many young people feel that they’re voting for the same party regardless of whether they check the box beside “Democrat” or “Republican.” Despite all the populist “we’re for the average American” blather coming out of Congress today, both parties have proved ineffective at handling the economy, passing legislation, or saying “no” to the powerful ultra-rich that really pull the strings in Washington.
Anyone who says they don’t understand what the protesters want is deliberately being thick.
Their demands aren’t new. In fact, Americans have been trying to vote the problem away since the 2008 elections. That was when our economy tanked the first time, and President Bush signed the first stimulus package. After President Obama was elected, he signed another stimulus package.
Congress has switched from a Democratic super-majority to a stalemate between the two parties in which no piece of legislation supported by the president can pass. In 2010, Americans voted out hundreds of incumbents in a desperate hope that someone, anyone, could bring change to Washington.
We can’t vote away this problem.
The problem is the system itself. This isn’t about “sticking it to the man, man.” It’s about those 18-29 year old students who try to get ahead by taking on $80,000 of debt, only to be tossed into an economy with a 9.1 percent jobless rate.
This number does not include the number of college grads working as servers at IHOP, or in other jobs that don’t require a degree.
It’s about the fact that corporate profits, which largely benefit the wealthy, are at their highest since 1950, but the incomes of middle- and lower-class citizens are stagnating or even dropping.
It’s about the level of influence lobbyists have in Washington, especially those like Grover “Anti-tax” Norquist, whose no-new-taxes pledge was signed by nearly every Republican member of Congress, and almost forced government shutdown this summer thanks to the Republicans’ inability to say “no” to Norquist’s lobbyists.
And young college dropouts aren’t nearly the only people protesting. There are business owners, professional economists, grandparents, professors, the unemployed, the underemployed, and yes, quite a few college students with extra time on their hands (probably because they can’t find a job).
Don’t underestimate the power of a disgruntled populace.
The conservative Tea Party protesters were also called a “silly fringe group” when they first organized in 2009, and now the movement has thrown its support behind electing candidates and holding them responsible for their actions. The Tea Party has already been, and will undoubtedly be, a deciding force in the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. It is very difficult to know which protest movements will fizzle out and which will become major players in politics.
When did it become anti-American for citizens to express their discontent through peaceful protest? It appears that the ultra-rich still tremble at the sight of average Americans questioning the source of their wealth.
Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain called the protesters “jealous” of wealthier Americans, and “anti-capitalist.” The wildest fear probably came from Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, who told Fox Business he was afraid the protesters would think, “Well, gosh, those nice iPads through the window should be mine and why don’t I throw a brick through the window to get them because rich people don’t deserve to have them when I can’t have them.”
Fear-mongering over “class warfare” and Communism should have been over with the Cold War, but it appears the right can’t quite let go of their irrational fear of a failed economic system from the 19th century.
But I suppose that, by striking fear into the hearts of the powerful, the protests are accomplishing what they set out to do. Protests don’t need immediate results to be legitimate. The Boston Tea Party (you know, the one that a certain conservative movement is named after) had no immediate impact until Parliament responded one year later, and it took another year for the American Revolution to even begin.
It’s not up to protesters to draft legislation to present to Congress. That is, in fact, the job of Congress. It is also up to Congress to ensure the protection of American citizens, not the ultra-rich.
And stop trying to make it seem like the protesters believe that everything will be okay if we all subsist on hugs and rainbows. These are real people, with real worries over their own livelihoods. They are us. It’s time to take them seriously.
Kelsey Allagood can be reached at kallagood@spartans.ut.edu
Way to go Kelsey. I come from New Zealand – maybe i can speak for some of the rest of the world. We are appalled at the inequities of wealth distribution in America; amazed that it seems the majority of Americans do not see that their government’s policies are impoverishing the nation while enriching the few; astounded at the petty, uncivil, divisive, and ignorant opinion makers and the absolute hamstringing of the political process by the polarizing of the two party system. It is grim to watch the Republicans seize the issues and define them while the democrats wring their hands and offer none of the compelling arguments – oh like letting medicare buy drugs at a discount , like the pentagon does; like putting a tiny transactions tax on securities exchanges as is done in other developed nations; trimming the bloated and unaccounted for Pentagon budget – I could go on and on. What really blew me away is the response to your article. Tragic that at a centre of learning the darkness is still so deep. Thanks .
The Tea Party was and still is derided as racist and violent xenophobes who want to destroy America.
The #OWS folks are derided as rainbow and hug loving hippies who want communism.
Both are violently incorrect.
The Tea Party is primarily motivated by the Silent Generation who see too much government intrusion into people’s lives. They do not want a nanny state. If anything the Tea Party are the real hippies–standing against the Man.
The #OWS people want to tear down the successful, and promote MORE government interference to do so. They are supported by President Obama, as well as many of the Democratic establishment. They aren’t Hippies–they are tools of the Man.
At least the Tea Party hasn’t had any rapes at their rallies. #OWS can’t say that.
A very good golf faculty would not have to be run by a famous golfer, but it should have instructors who have taken accredited courses on the efficient educating strategies that they need to know.
The media asked 20 people participating in Occupy Tampa what they were protesting about and got, surprise, 20 different answers! These idiots don’t even know what they are protesting. Imagine if they actually did some work and became productive members of society?! Then again, that is why this is a great nation. Clueless idiots like these can demonstrate, even if they have no idea why they are doing so or for what cause…
“Popular capitalism is on the march … Of course, there will always be people who, in the name of morality, sneer at this and call it ‘materialism’. But isn’t it moral that people should want to improve the material standard of living of their families, by their own effort? Isn’t it moral that families should work for the means to look after their old folk? Isn’t it moral that people should save, so as to be responsible for themselves? … And it is for Government to work with that grain in human nature to strengthen the strand of responsibility and independence: it benefits the family; it benefits the children; it is the essence of freedom.”
If you can’t admit you’re trying become part of that 1%, then you’re either a liar or Thoreau-insane. So, hard work and personal responsibility are not for you? If this is the case, bums on Ashley, don’t have your hand out in front of me as I walk by on my way to work.
Eh, I find this whole thing funny. Even if we took all the money in America and divided up equally to everyone, I imagine these “1%” would end up with the majority of it again in 20 years or so. THey worked hard for it, worked the system, or whatever they did to obtain it. Some peeps are just better at making money than others. People should just be content and happy they have anything- after all, they could be in some 3rd world country happy for a bottle of water or a bite to eat. Get back to work.
Thanks for the article, Kelsey!
I stopped by the Occupy Tampa protest on Tuesday, right after some cops had pulled up and told them they were illegally “obstructing the sidewalk” and would have to move. In the past few weeks, the Tampa Police Department has been cracking down on “violations” of a city ordinance (none of the cops I spoke to could tell me which one) about being on public property at night; mostly this crackdown has been directed at the homeless population. However, for the time being, a few homeless people are taking refuge in the Occupy movement’s numbers. For the first time in weeks, they feel like they are somewhat protected, as they can stay in one place after dark, they are being fed, etc. This minimal amount of protection will only last as long as the protest lasts ….unless we can actually change some things in this city