Friday, November 18, 2011

An Attempt to Explain the Purpose of OWS (Particulalry for Those Who Don't Get It)



If you don’t identify with the Occupy Wall Street movement, it might seem a bit strange or silly to you.  A bunch of people marching around the streets of cities all across the country, camping out, protesting . . . and for what?  It would certainly be understandable to feel a bit confused by this.  You might even feel frustrated, angry, or nervous.  

I admit I was a little confused by what the movement was about when I first heard about this group of folks pitching tents in some park in lower Manhattan.  What good was that doing?

But I, along with millions of others, have been persuaded that, at its core, this is a movement that expresses feelings most of us have, and champions causes that all of us will benefit from. 
Specifically, I think the Occupy movement is essentially about getting back to an America that truly values work and provides the opportunity for anyone to use their talents and efforts to their best advantage (which, in turn, is to our collective advantage).    

Chances are that this goal sounds pretty good to you, whatever your attitude about the Occupy movement is. It’s a quintessentially American idea.   Ironically, a number of deep-pocketed folks in the media have attempted to portray the Occupy movement as being *against* the idea of rewarding hard work.  If that was the case, I certainly wouldn’t support the cause.  And if you took the word of these media figures at face value, you would understandably think the Occupy movement contradicts the American ethos at a deep level.