Vincent Ferrer/The Mirror
Welcome to fight for our country’s survival! In the right corner of the ring, we have the Tea Party. In the left corner, we have no contender… wait, what’s that I see? Occupy Wall Street? Finally, an opponent… but can it fight?
This new political movement has finally given a voice to the other side of the country – the side that is sick and tired of the nation’s wealthiest citizens continuing to unprecedentedly increase their fortune at the expense of the middle and lower classes. Originating in New York, similar “Occupy” protests have been occurring all over the country, giving hope to self-proclaimed “99 percent.”
But does this movement have what it takes to end the cycle of greed practiced by the corporate giants on Wall Street? Can it achieve its goals without resorting to the methods of Tyler Durden and Project Mayhem from Fight Club? In my opinion, it unfortunately can not attain success in its current state.
For one, there is no formal leader. This is seen as a positive thing, in the sense that no one person controls the direction of a potentially groundbreaking movement. Besides, the control of the few is what Occupy is against. But the fact remains that without a leader, or at least a group of representatives, Occupy does not have a successful future. How can a group so demographically diverse expect to have all of their voices heard without one cohesive spokesperson?
Furthermore, its ambiguity in leadership is only mirrored by its list of demands – a list so numerous and vague that the group as a collective doesn’t seem to have a unified purpose.
For example, although the idea of erasing all economic debt and resetting the books to zero sounds great on paper, it is such a great demand with unpredictable global consequences that it is impossible to think that peaceful protesting will achieve it.
Am I suggesting the demolition of credit bureaus and the forceful overturn of society? Of course not; once again, this is best left to the fictitious Tyler Durden.
As a result of the ambiguity of leadership and demands, another trend has risen in regard to Occupy: it has itself become a trend, attracting those whom the movement is not fighting for.
For example, I was recently on Facebook and saw a friend post a status that encouraged everyone to come to the protests. I then found out that this person lived in the financial district, an area of New York City that requires an income equivalent of the protested one percent to live in. Why was this person there? It was just the latest thing to be a part of in the ever-trending New York City.
Many have voiced these criticisms. If you have spent frivolously with the mindset of “buy now, pay later,” it is not the fault of the rich. I completely agree, and think that this movement should not simply be a crowd-attracting spectacle that invites everyone to complain about each economic woe they have, regardless of its cause.
So if Occupy Wall Street is going to continue to, well, occupy Wall Street, it needs one thing: a leader or representative group. This will lead to a definitive list of demands, which will in turn repel anyone from showing up for unrelated reasons.
So cue the Rocky training montage. With the proper discipline and training, Occupy Wall Street will one day have it takes to win the fight for our country.
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