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The latest political phenomenon, Occupy Wall Street, may be coming to an end. The seemingly small movement has progressed and encompassed multiple major cities across the nation, and now the root of Occupy Wall Street faces a potential shut down.
Zuccotti Park will be vacated by Friday for maintenance and cleaning. The original occupiers have been in the space for well over a month. Once the cleaning is complete, protestors will be allowed back into the park.
But will they come back?
The volatile youth of this movement have had their dedication questioned since the beginning of the movement. From New York to Washington, D.C. — and now even Virginia Tech — young protestors are less inspired and less likely to stay. As we see youth being less and less involved it is only natural to wonder whether or not Occupy Wall Street has had much influence over our generation at all, apart from recognition.
Will members stay, or will they pack up their books, beds and selves and return to their normal lives? Change cannot come if the youth is not involved, impassioned, or there. A movement that lacks direction can only go so far, and it appears that both its influence and fortitude have reached their ends.
- the editorial board is comprised of sean simons and scott masselli
A version of this article appeared in the Oct 14 issue of the Collegiate Times.
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Hey guess what? The protesters didn't get evicted from Zuccotti Park! Guess what else? The movement is growing. It's American Autumn and apparently this editorial board doesn't know how to operate the internet, and is a slave to the mainstream media that is run by a handful of corporations who (gee I wonder why?) won't cover the MASSIVE protests all over the nation. Saturday, 10/15, #OccupyGlobally
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I still struggle to figure out exactly what you are "protesting." If you are angry about taxpayer money being used to prop up and bail out private companies, then hell, I'm on board - that should never be done. However the demands for "free" education, health care, "living" wage, and debt forgiveness fly in the face of that sentiment. It seems to me that you aren't angry that taxpayer money is being wasted, you just want it to be wasted on you instead of others.
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There are a ton of different views, but the main point is definitely that the 99%, the vast majority of Americans, have paid through taxes to bail out the 1% who get rich off the backs of the common worker without paying their fair share in taxes to society. The movement is about freedom and freedom from corporate greed!!
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There are certainly people out there that are looking for those things to be free (they are horribly misguided, I believe). But I think the movement really is about "affordable" education and healthcare, as well as big businesses being given handouts when the same benefit would not be considered for people who are losing their homes.
Banks facilitated the ability for corporations and individual people to borrow more than they should have. When the corporations went belly up, they were bailed out. When the Smiths went belly up, they were SOL. Neither were right to borrow more than they could afford, but corporations don't have kids to put food on the table for every night. So, while I never would have put myself in that spot, I get where they're coming from. Either do both or do neither.
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do you guys even realize how bad this country would be messed up if those banks didn't get bailed out (I don't care as much about the auto industry bail-out but there is still a stronger argument for it than against it). if anything you should be protesting HOW they bailed them out not WHY.
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"Banks facilitated the ability for corporations and individual people to borrow more than they should have."
Janet Reno
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I am a millionaire, but I never held a real job in my life.
I went to Harvard and Columbia.
I have one of the biggest private jets in the world take me wherever I want.
My wife wears $44,000 diamond bracelets.
I play golf every weekend and the most expensive resorts.
Goldman Sachs gives me millions of dollars.
When I retire, I'll get paid hundreds of millions $ in speaking fees by big companies.
I'll make millions more as a board member of the corporations you are protesting.
MY NAME IS BARACK OBAMA, AND I AM THE 1%.
#OccupyWallStreet!
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