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The Spectacle Blog
The past three weeks have witnessed the genesis of the world’s newest protest movement…only this time, it’s happening right here at home.
As the “Occupy Wall Street” movement hurtles into its third week, hundreds of young people have filled Zuccotti Park in Manhattan, home to the iconic stampeding bull in New York’s financial district. Similar protest movements have spread to other cities including Boston, Chicago, and Los Angeles. They have staked their claim to global context, declaring themselves progeny of the non-violent, nonhierarchical demonstration movements that rocked the foundations of totalitarian oligarchy across the Middle East and North Africa earlier this year. A living, breathing manifestation of liberal economic populism, they’ve erected tents and hunkered down to wage a forever war against greed and corruption.
Now pundits are speculating whether America is about to experience the same sort of youth-driven, socially-networked deluge of grass roots protests that turned the Arab world on its head. Of course, in this case, the issue at hand isn’t police state politics, the suspension of a constitution or a violent crackdown on peaceful picketers. “Economic inequality” and “political oligarchy” are the adversaries du jour — and when all else fails, it’s easy enough to blame the rich and bemoan the supposed erosion of the middle class.
Somewhere on the way to the stated goals of “taking to task the people who perpetrated the economic meltdown” and presidential commissions “to separate money and politics,” our lazy media decided it was fair and just to christen the protest “America’s Arab Spring.” How incredibly insulting.
Facile comparisons to Arab Spring insults the real revolutionaries who braved batons , bullets, and brutal despots to demand some semblance of democracy and political transparency. The NYPD aren’t about to gun down a small gathering of hippies and hipsters, no matter how desperately starved they are to be a part of an international resistance to the so-called status quo. Despite this contrived struggle to join the cause, they’ve been unable or unwilling to express any real demands, other than scattered stipulations for student loan forgiveness or an unreasonable living wage.
It’s not like we’re living in Egypt or Tunisia — let alone Iran, Syrian, or Libya. These new age revolutionaries should experience protest in a country that isn’t quite so warm and fuzzy regarding freedoms of speech and assembly. In reality, the only thing the movements have in common is popular youth protest, bound by frustration and slackly organized through social media. The Arab youth had better things to rail against than loan forgiveness on the debt incurred for a liberal arts degree in “Medieval German Poetry.”
When it comes to legitimate protest against societal ills, the Wall Street Occupiers seem to forget that message — which they lack — is important, and grievance — which they’ve imagined — is vital. Mandates come in response to legitimate injustice. This complaint circus is little more than a collective venting session that lacks the edge and urgency of the Arab protests. For all intents and purposes, this is a hollow imitation of the real thing.
I will give them one thing…they’ve reminded us all just how far Manhattan’s financial district is from downtown Damascus.
View all comments (10) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by Reid Smith
http://spectator.org/blog/2011/10/06/occupy-wall-street-and-the-ara
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Al Adab| 10.6.11 @ 1:20PM
I'm such an inept tecnophobe that I don't know how to place links in these blogs. Look up Occupy Wall Street.org for the thirteen point manifesto these people are demanding. The Socialist International never had the gall these malevolent, parasites display.
Margie| 10.6.11 @ 4:19PM
Somebody on the radio today said they're partially funded by Soros.
Was it Beck or Rush?
No surprise there, though.
I know Rush did say today that these people conveniently forget that Obama is buds with the ones they're protesting against.
Utter chaos and confusion reigns in the World apart from Christ.
Tom| 10.6.11 @ 4:56PM
All sane people are "One Percenters."
glenn diehl| 10.6.11 @ 4:57PM
In trying to divine some message from the takeover Wall Street crowd, I have concluded it is the normal lefty litany of grievances less “no blood for oil”. I can only surmise that with a dem in the white house blood for oil is a considered free and fair trade and most certainly not profitable.
The usual suspects have made their appearances. Susan Sarandon, who looks every bit the grandmother now, continues to espouse thoughts a dull witted 5th grader could debate successfully. Michael Moore rants against all forms of capitalism, except his own and apparently McDonalds, Pizza Hut and the makers of xxx large Michigan State paraphernalia. I’m sure Martin Sheen will soon fly in on Al Gore’s jet and will be bounding up to a microphone any day to put his tiny foot in his mouth, unless he needs to drag his man-whore son out of some crackhouse.
In related news, the makers of bongo drums have reported a significant increase in sales and profits, while soap and shampoo manufacturers have seen a recent decrease.
Brandon| 10.6.11 @ 6:16PM
Thanks Glenn, I did rather enjoy your rant.
My two cents is only that the movement would gain alot more support if they would stop showing the actual people involved. Who would ever want to be assocaited with this group of societal rejects?
P.S. I loved the video on their site, of one person talking and the crowd just repeating everything she says. I've seen more free-thinking from zombies.
c. j. acworth| 10.6.11 @ 6:55PM
I give 'em another month. Here in southwest New Hampshire I had temps around 25F last night. In a few weeks it's gonna start to get mighty chilly even in NYC.
Oswald | 10.6.11 @ 7:19PM
Remember if you're protest involves middle aged people hanging teabags from three point hats it is a serious political movement.
If a protest has anyone under 40 it is just a bunch of hipsters and hippies starved for attention.
I guess "Get government out of our lives" is more valid than "Get corporations out of our government".
AVCurmudgeon| 10.7.11 @ 12:11PM
And they are filling their spare time in the Mac cloud, tweeting on their iPhones and iPads ... enjoying the fruits of a true visionary and entrepreneur who did not sit around whining, even in the hours of his worst failures, but went out and made something. Cain is right: the only thing these mewling piecards should do is look in the mirror.
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