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Susan Marie

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What would have made the Occupied Movement successful as an attempt by our young adults to make things change for the better?

My son is a follower of the Occupied Movement as a recent college graduate who found it very difficult to find a job in his field of study. I first learned of his passion for the Occupied when viewing his FB entry of a utube video of the Newsies scene when the boys first become organized and decide to strike. His comment "this says it all". So, for his 23rd birthday, I took him to see Newsies on Broadway. It now has a cult following based on what the Occupied stands for. But what does the Occupied stand for? Where are they now? Why aren't they organized enough to drive change in our society? Where is the energy and passion of our youth to rebel against what is wrong in society? And why did it end up to be just a group of homeless people that had no direction?

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    edward long 100+

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    Jul 23 2012: They could have brought forward some ideas worth sharing and implementing. They could have picked a more strategic target than capitalism. They could have operated within the law. They could have stood for reasonable solutions to their perceived problems, rather than advocating the replacement of capitalism with a socialist redistribution of wealth and massive increases in government intrusion into business. They could have paid the tiniest tribute to what is worth saving in America. They could have been cleaner and less vulgar in their events. They could have used the press coverage to raise awareness regarding their point, their purpose. They could have discovered if there is any merit to their complaint, whatever it might be. They could have kept people like the Aurora Colorado theater mass murderer out of their ranks. They could have been a contender, a voice of reason and hope for America. But they didn't.

    • Susan Marie

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      Jul 23 2012: And so could have Penn State.

      I know what OWS didn't do. I was hoping to find out from a young adult who was involved in OWS why he/she felt things fell through.

      I don't agree with socialism, but capitalism that has gone unchecked decade after decade with taxation loopholes has caused the America of the free and home of the brave with little more than a cast system. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Graduates coming out of College in today's society have so few choices; the lucky few get a job in their field of study; those who simply want to get any job cannot because the older generation has been forced to work after retirement in positions usually held by high school and college workers; they decide to go back to schol for their masters (which only exasperates the loan issues and now they will be over qualified) or they remain unemployed. Yet they have been exploited by high interest loans and the deadened belief in the American Dream. Why is the cost of college soaring while the benefits of a college education are dwindling? The pendulum is swinging the wrong way!

      And, why do you think that James Eagan Holmes was a member of OWS? That was just a mean thing to say.
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        edward long 100+

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        Jul 24 2012: Perhaps you should have worded your question as exclusively for "young adults who were involved in OWS why they think things feel through." The way you actually did word your question was nothing like what you say you were looking for, so you shouldn't be surprised that non-young, anti-OWS people like me responded.
        As for OWS including the Colorado theater mass-murderer in their membership, just do an internet search like "Holmes Black Bloc member." I didn't make it up. If true, is it mean to mention it? Should it be hidden?

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